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Uncouth Garb - The BRFCS Store
Everything posted by DE.
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Jon Dahl Tomasson - no longer Sweden coach
DE. replied to Tom's topic in Blackburn Rovers Fans Messageboard
Have to agree. I remember absolutely fuming after that match - not the fact we lost, but the fact we barely laid a glove on them and didn't look up for it at all. JDT's lack of apology - I think he actually called it just another game - was galling. -
Jon Dahl Tomasson - no longer Sweden coach
DE. replied to Tom's topic in Blackburn Rovers Fans Messageboard
I was, at times, slightly more critical than most of JDT's tactical nous whilst he was here. Nonetheless I understood he was an inexperienced manager learning on the job with us. First season saw some minor experimentation in play - second season felt like he was just being stubborn because the project had been undermined by the owners and he wanted to be sacked. Difficult to make much of a judgement on it. If he'd been backed in his first season I think we'd have made the playoffs, which would have been very impressive considering his relatively limited tactical flexibility. Alas, we'll never know. I appreciated his candour and always felt he was on the fans' side rather than the board. Wouldn't have done much for him professionally here, but it was nice to have someone willing to take the board to task (and deservedly so). His repeated jabs about the coach farce were particularly amusing. I was surprised he went to international management after us. Weird move for a manager his age with mostly club experience. In hindsight, the wrong move. Will be interesting to see where he pops up next. Don't think this will be his last job, and I assume he'll return to club management next. -
Javi Gracia: Watford reappoint former boss after sacking Paulo Pezzolano - BBC Sport The Watford managerial merry-go-round continues. Gracia hops back on.
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Have to admit I didn't expect it to go quite that wrong for Martin at Rangers. His final season at Southampton aside, he's always been more of a deeply average manager than an outright bad one. It was obvious he was going to sink when he criticised the players after league game number one, though. No chance of it ending in anything other than tears after that. As an aside, if we'd treated Kean how Rangers fans treated Martin, there would have been media campaigns to have the club dissolved and the fans jailed. Guess Russell needs more friends in high places.
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Disappointing. It was fun while it lasted.
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What worries me is that a lot of performances people are classifying as "good", like WBA, I found to be very average if not poor. From memory we had a single shot on target in the WBA game. We finished 7th last season and have been in and around the playoffs in most seasons since L1 promotion. I understand standards being lowered a lot due to the choice of manager and suicidal transfer policy, but still, it's tough for me to call much of what I've seen this season as good. At best the odd 15-20 minutes here and there where we look a bit threatening, but is that where the limits of our ambitions should be?
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Even though Ipswich didn't play especially well, it was obvious their players were a class above Norwich's. Much smarter passing and movement. Another superb goal from Philogene as well. At some point defenders will presumably be advised to close him down rather than stand off and let him pick his spot. The lad is clearly deadly from outside the box if he's given time.
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Coventry are one of very few teams in this division who look like the real deal. The difference between us and them is tragically vast these days, and the best we can realistically hope for is a smash and grab.
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v Stoke City (h) - 4/10/25, k/o 12:30pm
DE. replied to Herbie6590's topic in Blackburn Rovers Fans Messageboard
From the reviews I've done this season he is generally very good, but definitely has mistakes in him too. -
v Stoke City (h) - 4/10/25, k/o 12:30pm
DE. replied to Herbie6590's topic in Blackburn Rovers Fans Messageboard
Not based on that performance, or quite a few of their recent ones. Robins was excellent at Coventry, time will tell if he can replicate that success at Stoke. -
v Stoke City (h) - 4/10/25, k/o 12:30pm
DE. replied to Herbie6590's topic in Blackburn Rovers Fans Messageboard
They aren't, they just had a good start. Their recent form shows that they'll be back in mid table pretty soon. My fear is that we have a lot of players who can play well in short bursts, but few players who can consistently perform for an entire match. -
v Stoke City (h) - 4/10/25, k/o 12:30pm
DE. replied to Herbie6590's topic in Blackburn Rovers Fans Messageboard
Have to take a point gratefully in the circumstances, but it would have been more acceptable if we hadn't lost to Swansea midweek. Tough run of fixtures coming up. Really needed to win one of this or the last match, a single point from both is pretty disappointing. At least we're temporarily out of the relegation spots, I suppose. -
v Stoke City (h) - 4/10/25, k/o 12:30pm
DE. replied to Herbie6590's topic in Blackburn Rovers Fans Messageboard
What a missed opportunity this is going to be for Stoke if they walk away without three points. Looking at their recent form they are reverting to normal after a good start, though. -
v Stoke City (h) - 4/10/25, k/o 12:30pm
DE. replied to Herbie6590's topic in Blackburn Rovers Fans Messageboard
Indeed, almost like getting rid of all of our Championship experience and replacing it with bargain bin nobodies was not the master plan certain friends of the recruitment team and the boardroom would have us believe. -
v Stoke City (h) - 4/10/25, k/o 12:30pm
DE. replied to Herbie6590's topic in Blackburn Rovers Fans Messageboard
Could do with a rainstorm right about now. -
v Stoke City (h) - 4/10/25, k/o 12:30pm
DE. replied to Herbie6590's topic in Blackburn Rovers Fans Messageboard
Ideally the owners. -
When you're playing Football Manager you can download tactics to plug and play - sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. It's more rewarding to develop your own tactic and style, but if you're struggling then downloaded tactics can at least give you some idea of how the game engine works. Managers like Ange and Amorim are essentially the real-life equivalent of an FM player who downloaded a tactic, it worked once and so they use it all of the time, unable to change it even if it doesn't work because they don't really understand the game itself particularly well. No modern manager should have one style & shape that they are anchored to come hell or high water. It should be an instant red flag to any managerial recruitment team.
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v Stoke City (h) - 4/10/25, k/o 12:30pm
DE. replied to Herbie6590's topic in Blackburn Rovers Fans Messageboard
In fairness it is quite funny when things get so bad even Chaddy starts to turn (eg. Ismael's first few games), everyone falls over themselves to praise and congratulate him, only to then react with shock and dismay when after a win he returns right back to his default position. -
Lost all of their home games so far, which is a very quick way to get the fans to turn on you.
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Into the relegation zone we go. Lost more games in 7 matches than Sheffield Wednesday have in 8 - a team whose fans are in open revolt against their rogue owner, who are regularly having to play u18s due to barely having an eligible squad to pick from, who have been under a transfer embargo all summer, whose players often aren't even being paid... we've lost more matches than they have so far, having played one game less. 5 defeats in 7 matches, absolutely pathetic when we haven't even been playing most of the better teams in the division yet. That's coming soon, though, and I expect things will look even more grim by then. Exciting summer indeed.
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I like him. Decent defensively and likes to attack and put in dangerous crosses. Works hard, doesn't shirk tackles or commitments. No cover that comes remotely close to replacing his attributes if he's injured or suspended though.
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Valérien Ismaël: Blackburn Rovers Head Coach
DE. replied to DE.'s topic in Blackburn Rovers Fans Messageboard
If you can't be a good manager, you have to be a lucky one. Ismael appears to be neither. -
v Swansea City (h) - 30/9/25, k/o 19:45
DE. replied to Herbie6590's topic in Blackburn Rovers Fans Messageboard
Let's at least be thankful Ismael was supposedly focusing on the important things before the match - like flying home and having a birthday party. -
I also no longer agree with myself. Not convinced our first 11 are up to it, let alone when injuries and suspensions hit.