I always like it when Man U get a good shoeing. 

They got absolutely thumped. 

Casemiro at the back did not work.

Who decided to pay all that money for Antony. He is shocking.  

23 hours ago, Atko's Engine said:

To be fair though, the greater majority of those were under JDT.

Bristol City & Sheff Weds aside, Eustace has really tightened us up (and they were mostly conceded due to individual errors). What he needs to do is find a way of keeping us tight, whilst not blunting us offensively. It's a tough task even without factoring in that it will probably need to be done w/o Super Sammie

They were. JDT conceded 55 in 29 games. Eustace 19 in 17. 

Rovers went from conceding roughly 2 goals per game under JDT to 1 under Eustace. He deserves credit for that. 

However, I think new blood at the back is still needed. A solid keeper is paramount. Pears and Walstadt aren't good enough.

McFadz is too old. Wharton injured. Hyam is seemingly losing it. Pickering and Brittain are hot and cold so replacing 2 of those would help.

8 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Was he ever mentioned as a potential manager here? I can't seem to recall that discussion.  

I think so, although it could have been Gary Rowett. Another Birmingham connection.

Player of the season by a country mile. 

I hope that he stays. But 27 goals in a struggling team will have teams looking at him. Add on him signing a contract extension this season means that Waggott and crew will be rubbing their hands knowing that the club will get a decent fee for him. 

Rovers under Venkys have had some good goalscorers Rhodes, Gestede, Armstrong, Dack, and Diaz (not Brereton). 

All of them (Dack aside - injuries robbed him of the chance) played in the Premier League - however briefly, and all of them weren't able to sustain their time there. 

I wouldn't fault him at all if he asks for a Prem move, we'd all do the same, but would it work out and where could he go? 

He is a puzzlement to me. 

Over the years he was mentioned quite regularly on here as a manager who could come in and do well. 

He was doing that at Brum then got fired for reasons that are now haunting them. 

His brief tenure has been middling. He kept Rovers up, so disaster was averted, but no home wins and some bad losses with very iffy performances has me wondering.

The old adage of give him a pre-season is never more apt. Having time to cement his ideas on the squad should help. 

However, the usual caveat needs to be made; who knows what clueless Venkys will do. Good owners will invest, strengthen, and give the manager the best opportunity to succeed. Venkys are the opposite of good owners so I am at a loss as to what he'll be like. 

I'm glad it's all over. I'm also glad that Leicester didn't need anything from the game. 

Szmodics scored 27 of Rovers 60 league goals. Talk about a 1 man team. 

Whether he stays or goes, it's imperative that Rovers strengthen at the back. Only relegated Huddersfield and Rotherham conceded more. A decent keeper is paramount. 

On 04/03/2024 at 10:27, speeeeeeedie said:

Someone posted a topic like this around the same time last season when there was genuine hope of a playoff spot. Fast forward 12 months and Rovers have 11 games left to pick up enough points to stay up. 

Here are my predictions;

Millwall (H) - draw - draw

Plymouth (H) - win - draw

Boro (A) - loss - draw

Ipswich (H) - draw - loss

Sunderland (A) - loss - win

Southampton (H) - loss - draw

Bristol City (A) - loss - loss

Leeds (A) - loss - win

Sheff Wed (H) - draw - loss

Coventry (H) - win - draw

Leicester (A) - loss - win

I have 9 more points. Will that be enough? 

Rovers managed 14 points from their last 11, surpassing my miserly guess of 9. 

What a strange bag of results. No home wins, away success against the cream of the division, and 2 5 goal matches - one for one against.

Also, never ask me for betting tips. 

Thankfully a dull first half.

Vardy should have scored though. He was trying to be clever with his finish. Good job they have nothing to play for or else he would have buried it. 

More boredom second half please. 

1 minute ago, Ewood Ace said:

Only need help from one of them in order for us to stay up.

Ah, OK. I had to do some permutations to figure it out. If Sheff Wed win or draw and the other two win, Rovers go down with a loss. Lesser results than that for any or all 3 keep Rovers up.

Rovers - win 53, draw 51, loss 50

Sheff Wed - win 53, draw 51, loss 50

Plymouth - win 51, draw, 49, loss 48

Birmingham - win 50 (+better gd), draw 48, loss 47

3 hours ago, rovers11 said:

Same here. Hull score bagful of goals and are good away. The incentive of getting a top 6 spot as well means this will be an incredibly tough game for Plymouth. Exactly 2 of Hull, what we wanted.

Also means Leicester can win the title before we play them which significantly boosts our chances of getting something against them.

Leicester are already promoted. Whether they are playing for top or second won't matter to them. They'll be full of confidence and wanting to put on a show for their fans. 

Rovers are going to need help from 2 of Hull, Norwich, and Sunderland to stay up. 

1 hour ago, roverblue said:

The players have proved time and time again at Ewood this season that they are complete bottle jobs. We have barely taken a point off anyone at home and just turn up expecting to lose these days.

All we hear before these 'crucial' games is about how the fans need to get behind them and all stick together. Then when Saturday comes they play like non-league plodders kicking them in their own net or passing it out of play. 

Then after the game the manager and players say "we have an incredible opportunity next week to put it right". Well guess what dickheads you have run out of games.

That's what happened against Sheff Wed. All the hype before the game then they played with all the fervour of a dead fish. 

Coventry have had a taxing week. Coming within a big toe of beating Man U and getting to the cup final, then losing at home to a fellow play off hopeful.

What better way to bring back the hope than having spineless Rovers roll over and give them an easy 3 points. 

Last Sunday's game was the most significant of the season and the players didn't turn up. They get to put it right tomorrow. Eustace has had another full week with no travelling to work on how they'll play. However, none of that will matter if players continue making risible errors that cost goals. 

I want a win but can't see anything but a defeat knowing that when it matters Rovers usually shirk. 

A mate sent me this. I think it's been debunked but I tell all and sundry that Lewandowski would have been a Rovers player if not for that Icelandic volcano erupting that year.

3 hours ago, Lancaster Rover said:

Overall the majority of problems stem from a lack of quality throughout the side, this leads to poor decision making, crumbling under pressure, whatever you want to call it.

Using Wharton as an example, not because he's the worst but because he comes to mind first.

 Wharton is slow, he makes decisions slowly and is criminally one footed. This leads to us moving the ball out from the back ponderously, which leads to possession being heavily concentrated to one side of the pitch when he has the ball, leading to players having to play with their back to goal (predominantly right footed, receiving it on the left). Teams squeeze up, our players move over to condense the play and try to get numerical superiority, we make mistakes and the compounding impact multiplies over a phase of pay with players being out of position to cover mistakes. They switch the play and we're caught out time and time again. 

You could replicate this model across the pitch where individual deficiencies cause massive problems that lead to a disjointed unit that when playing anything other than trench football, with 11 men behind the ball struggles. 

The whole team is slow. I've been saying it all season. Not one player has any pace. Other teams don't have to worry about getting beat over the top so can play a higher line thus putting pressure on the defence, who crumble regularly. 

@rigger, you had it right. What a nice surprise win. 

As to the game. Rovers did what teams at all levels do when playing against superior opposition; keep it tight and hope for a chance on the break. It's not pretty, it's not a tactical masterclass, but it is effective. 

Leeds players were trying their hardest to con the ref into giving them a pen, not a chance for any of them. Gallagher's arm may have been given a long look by VAR, but I doubt the official would have overturned the ref's initial no pen decision. 

Gallagher won 1 attacking header all game, and Dolan had 1 decent pass. Those combined led to Szmodics cool finish. How did both of them miss the cross from Szmodics? 

I think that Gallagher was far more effective in Rovers box defending Leeds crosses.

1 hour ago, Uddersfelt Blue said:

Only seen the goals from last night’s game and some pretty awful defending was the principal cause. However, you defend from the front so the whole team are to blame.

I finally got around to watching the highlights. Shambolic is an understatement. 

I disagree with your defend from the front comment. They were all individual errors by defenders. Hyam on ice skates. McFadz looking uninterested. It was awful.

There are calls for Hyam to be dropped. He was woeful, but he's a championship player, so I think it's likely that he'll be fine next time out. 

8 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

You have a very good way of looking at things.

6 hours ago, wilsdenrover said:

Before last night, Leeds had won their previous nine home league games.

I think anything we get there would have to be considered a bonus.

I found this website; https://www.11v11.com/teams/blackburn-rovers/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/Leeds United/

In the entire history of the fixture Leeds have won 50% more games than Rovers, with BRFC losing 8 of the last 9. It's not looking good for Saturday.

2 hours ago, KentExile said:

Fair comment, I have edited my original post

You should have kept it. There are some harsh replies on this. I'd wager that people's responses would be different if the name was changed to Tugay. 

I played against him when he was young, even then he was being tipped as a future England player. Going from 20 years of constant ego boosting to nothing caused a massive drop in his mental state. He, like many, turned to synthetic means to try to rekindle that high.

It is hard to feel sympathy for millionaire footballer, and especially one who was utterly abject for BRFC. He stole a living whilst at BRFC, and I also remember his wife crassly attempting to defend him. For this have a go all day.

Yet, to me, this should be separated from him getting hooked on coke. People either abusing, or being addicted to drugs, need help not scorn.

1 loss in 6 for Eustace's Rovers, tempered by only 1 win though. A result on Wednesday will be immense as I expect zero points against Leeds on Saturday.

There is a full slate of Championship games midweek. 2 games feature teams directly above and below Rovers;

Plymouth v. QPR

Swansea v. Stoke

Should us Rovers fans hope for QPR and Swansea wins? 

5 hours ago, K-Hod said:

As ever with England, if you go beyond our strongest XI, there is a drop off in quality.

I’d back our strongest team to give anyone a game, just there are some players we really cannot do without.

Hard to disagree on the drop off. Yet what team aside from maybe France (excluding Mbappe) could you say that for?

Last night was essentially it for Southgate. His next games are tournament warm-ups. He will already know 80%+ of his squad, now he has to wait and hope that all the players he wants stay fit.

9 of his 11 is set; Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire (yes, he'll play if fit), Rice, Bellingham, Saka, Foden, Kane. He needs to decide on a midfield partner for Rice, and a left back.

Of Southgate's usuals Grealish, Shaw, Trippier, Alexander-Arnold, Pope, and James are injured. Potential new boy Colwill is too. I assume if they are all fit come end of May they'll be in the squad. 

Toney, Rashford, Watkins will be in the squad as will Chilwell and Gallagher.

Phillips, Sterling, and probably Henderson are gone.

6 hours ago, j166429 said:

I had some correspondence, via email, with Daniel Williams back in August 2007. He seemed serious about the takeover...There was definitely a gap between what the trustees wanted for the club and what he wanted to spend. His major business interest, Princeton Global went under in October 2007...

Did he ever really have the financial means to buy the club?

I don't think that he had any money. After his Rovers foray he was interested in a second tier US club, Rochester Rhinos. That went nowhere, Rochester ended up going bust and are now rebranding. 

30 minutes ago, damo100 said:

We'll win nothing under Southgate. 

Evey England manager besides Alf Ramsey won nothing. Using that as a stick to beat Southgate with is a bit harsh. 

England are not a top table football nation, as much as I want them to be. Yet thanks to Southgate's efforts whilst aiding England youth development the national talent pool is getting better. 

As for yesterday's game. It wasn't the best. Gallagher and Chilwell were poor. Watkins anonymous. Bellingham got kicked off his game, especially by Paqueta. Maguire will play at the Euros, but he needs significant game time week in week out until the tournament to get sharp. 

On 17/03/2024 at 06:40, sharpysharps86 said:

 

Gallagher's form when he came back from injury was promising but he's fallen off a cliff in recent weeks. Deserves dropping but the problem is who do you bring in? There's literally only Telalovic available to come in.

On 17/03/2024 at 06:45, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Normal service has resumed with Gally. One good game in every five or six matches.

I think Gallagher's greatest attribute is his defensive heading ability from corners. He can't head in the opposition box but does a good job in his own. 

As for Saturday, a draw was fair. A pretty even game. Rovers had a couple of chances in the second half that on another day may have gone in, yet so could the Boro one that hit the bar and the fresh air kick off the rebound. 

Still no wins for Eustace. I had Rovers picking up 4 points from the last 3 games, they got 3. Ipswich next who manhandled Sheff Wed.

It is going to be one interesting run in.

Usually one team romps away with top spot, this season it's a 2 possibly 3 horse race between Leicester, Leeds, and Ipswich for 1st.

Southampton look safe for a play off spot behind the top 3 which leaves West Brom, Coventry, Hull, PNE, and Norwich fighting for the 2 playoff spots.

Relegation, unfortunately with Rovers very much in play, is even tighter.

Rotherham are gone.

Sheff Wednesday have won 5 of 6 but are still second from bottom on 38 points. Yet Watford in 12th are only 6 points better off. 

Sunderland in 10th have lost 5 in a row and conceivably could be dragged into a relegation fight, albeit slight.

Let's hope for results to go Rovers way tonight.