On 21 October 2020 at 04:58, roversfan99 said:

I know its hardly Cantona and Ferguson but I also heard a story on a podcast the other day of Neil Warnock giving Adel Taarabt the captaincy at QPR to try and focus him, but he was a terrible professional who never used to turn up etc so the senior pros were not happy, Paddy Kenny, Clint Hill etc all went into his office and said what are you playing at, Warnock said trust me and go with it because he will get us promoted. He did and they all went into his office at the end of the season and said yeah you were right!

That story is recounted in the podcast below along with some interesting insights about the Rovers during the Steve Kean era.

Worth a listen.

https://onestreaminbristol.libsyn.com/a-cider-with-bradley-orr

15 hours ago, Mercer said:

If we are serious about promotion, we HAVE to be 'routinely dispatching' the likes of Barnsley and Millwall at home.  If we are incapable of that then we are not really at the races.

You too will remember those first three years in the PL under Kenny, we all went to Ewood not in the hope of winning but in expectation of winning and rarely were we disappointed.

You're right, Merce.

Notes of caution creeping on to this board post-euphoria.

I will add mine.

We have to make an impression on the league this season or we'll lose some of these players.

Holtby's two year deal ends tthis season for starters.

9 hours ago, Dolly blue said:

We are all aware of Joey Barton’s past! As a young player he made many mistakes and many enemies.....and I , in no way condone his actions. 
His name has been mentioned at various times on here, in fact, this morning. ....and usually been met with a mix of derision or disgust

I would just like to add a little to the pot. I have 2 friends, who currently work with him in his back room team at Fleetwood. Both have worked at Burnley, with Dyche, at Bolton , with too many managers to mention and at North End. Both share the same view......he’s the best manager they have worked for! 

Why ???????.......he is totally straight will his players and staff......he sets expectations and standards which must be hit........he has a methodical approach to patterns of play......he lives, eats and sleeps Fleetwood......he’s intelligent and he’s hungry.....and finally, he’s modelled himself on a bloke who he believes to be  the best he’s ever worked with....Dyche.

No doubt there are many good manager qualities missing from this but....take from that what you will. His early days and his Burnley connection will have many on here running from any possible appointment at Ewood ..........

......and then, there’s Tony! 
Just a thought . 

 

 

Events this week back that up.

From what I heard, Bolton have borrowed one of Fleetwood's keepers this season.

Evatt hung the young keeper out to dry after a defeat. Barton went public at Evatt regarding his reaction and man-management.

Barton then phoned the keeper and told him he had his full backing and support.

No specific links but it's 'out there' to be found if you want to search for it.

24 minutes ago, philipl said:

I'd promote Damian Johnson to boss.

We are the England of the Championship - flat track bullies who go missing when the big guys turn up.

Let's adopt the England manager appointment approach, swing from one extreme to another.

Joey Barton, anyone?

54 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

The first goal was tragic. A long nowhere ball that shouldn't have troubled the " Dog & Duck "  2nd team yet an experienced full back turns his back on the ball, the keeper comes a mile out of his goal for no apparent reason, and it's a gift my mum could have scored.

"This lot can't defend for toffee. Get it down field into their centre halves and test them out early doors. Bounce into making a mistake and see what happens."

We've been rumbled for the slow-witted and naive defenders we have. That's my view anyway.

9 hours ago, Parsonblue said:

No complaints about the result.

Reading's first goal was unfortunate but after that we defended very poorly.  Mowbray and Venus were both very good defenders in their playing days and yet we seem unable to construct a defence that actually looks the part.

At the moment we look far too suspect at the back - Lenihan has been dreadful this season and tonight was embarrassing.  JRC and Douglas both look good going forward but defensively look suspect.  Up front we rely far too much on Armstrong and need others to chip in with goals.

As for the great debate on statistics there is only one that matters - Rovers 2 - Watford 4 - everything else is window dressing.  A bit like Kean wittering on about entries into the opposition penalty area when you've just been hammered!

My complaint: We scored two goals at home but were sitll beaten.

it's the defence, as you say, and it's screamingly obvious.

There's no point being nice on the eye and still losing.

Every training session should be about sorting the defence out.

Oh, and bring Nyambe back.

Same as Watford.

No-one on the bench who can make a difference.

15 minutes ago, rigger said:

We have still got the half time team-talk

Lads, it's Reading...

Slightly related to the virtual match day theme, Times Radio this morning reporting that WBA vs Burnley last week on pay per view managed to attract 74 paying fans.

16 hours ago, bluebruce said:

Even more worried now. The mighty Rotherham were allowed to have the ball, more than any other team had allowed them.

You can be absolutely certain they will play the same way against a team that have handed out three heavy drubbings already but been stumped by teams playing that exact way. And that really won't play into our hands, especially against a defence who have only conceded one. I think we're going to be praying for the lucky bounce of the ball on this one, so we can grab a goal and force Reading to open up.

Gallagher scored on Saturday from a chance even he couldn't miss.

Tbf to him, Gally has rarely had regular chances like that since he returned. Central, facing the goal, five yards out. 

Elliot's cross was perfect, right on Gally's foot. Scored before he realised it.

But wIth his back to the goal, more than six yards out, he's a pudding and leaps like one.

Elliot is turning into what we hoped Chapman would be imo, and what Dolan might one day turn out like.

Holtby and Elliot the keys to five yard tap-ins.

Rhino on hand to intimidate the Reading flank and charge down any errors. 

1 minute ago, philipl said:

Having lost 3 games to teams which will surely be top half by season end, here come another 3 all within 7 days for us to try to beat.

A casual look at the table and Reading are already out of sight at the top 5 points clear.

P7 W6 D1 L0 F10 A1 Pts 19

A careful look at their opponents to date though- well you can only beat the team you are playing, but...

I know I have stuck my neck out and said Reading are going to stay in contention all season. If they keep this up beating bottom half teams every time they play them, there's 78 points available... so I am sticking with that prediction.

However, regardless of opponents, that is still a mighty fine record Reading have so will Rovers prove even mightier?

I would have been much more nervous about this one had we not returned to Genghis Khan form against Coventry and slaughtered another bunch of footballing innocents.

Against Reading, I would start with Ayala in place of Lenihan as the height of Joaoa needs defending against and Williams had the more assured performance against Coventry.

We might see Pears make his debut if Kaminski really did himself some damage with that late late save against Coventry.

Otherwise same team and same result please...

Not being greedy but we should be a different level of forward threat for the Reading back line to try to cope with.

True.

My one concern is that Tony will have one of his 'Spider in the bath' moments when he sees the league table.

And revert to type.

I hope not. ??

This season, it has been possible to follow the Rovers from the comfort of your front room with a beer for a measly tenner on iFollow.

Plus the quality of our play so far - we are an attacking team - and the hatful of goals we'r currently scoring and chances we are creating.

This adds up to a boon for the club.

Fans who normally wouldn't attend Ewood maybe because of distance, other commitments or who have simply got out of the habit have seen possbily some of the best football in the last ten years.

The club couldn't have timed the situation better if it had tried. Hopefully, Waggott is lining up some interesting deal to get us out of our armchairs and into the ground. Because that day will surely come. And I hope it is before the end of this season. Because, if we keep up our present levels of intensity and key players remain injury-free, (Ayala and Kaminski are recent incumbents on the treatment table as I write) we must have a decent chance of the playoffs.

All we have to do is keep this up for the next 39 games.  ?

Our ground will open up to all fans sooner or later. We could be building up a decent TV following.

if we played in front of a paying crowd, what would the attendance be? Has our play warrented a big attendance or has the famous Rovers fan scepticism - in evidence throughout my fifty-plus years, it has to be said - started to give way to genuine enthusiasm and translated into higher attendances? Plaudits from the armchair are one thing, creeping praise on the messageboard is emerging, but the real proof times are a-changing would be in terms of attendances.

Rovers vs Reading Tuesday 27 October 2020

Reading are top of the league with some fans saying they are not playing that well. Not a club to get you out of your warm seat on a wet and windy Tuesday evening in Blackburn with doubts after two mediocre home performances still in the air.

I'd predict 11,000 hopeful virtual souls scattered around the ground largely expecting a dour draw against a resilient Reading team with Lucas Joao leading line like he did for the occasional brilliant ten minutes in games for us.

250 Reading fans adding nothing at all to the atmosphere.

Come On You Blues - We're virtually there. ?

The upcoming PNE game will be the yardstick for me. 

Those overachievers down the road have had the hex over us for some time now.

It's been hard to witness tbh. 

Beat them playing like we are at the moment and I'll start to truly believe. 

8 hours ago, Roverinbelfast said:

Yep it's do or die for this current squad. If we get promoted great. We will strengthen further and the contacts will all get renewed, if not I can see players leave and another rebuild is needed 

Isn't Holtby signed on a two year deal ending this season?

16 hours ago, Paul Mani said:

I agree...it’s not done and dusted mate. Far from it. But we haven’t been good enough to put that level of performance in for many years. Absolute domination away at a team like Watford with what 5 times our budget?

I’m just saying that with Dack, Rothwell, Trav, Trybull, Douglas to come back, I’m very excited to see where this team will finish. ??

In Elliott, Rothwell, Holtby and Dack we’ll have a better chance of beating teams who defend deep against us. There will be a few more after teams watch that tonight! 

Agreed. The sings are definitely there. I can understand people hesitating. 

But, I for one enjoyed watching us play. With better players to return and newbies looking the part, we're on the rise, watchable and an attacking mentality at last.

Dolan the only forward on the bench? There's a proven striker-shaped hole in our team. Without one, a tilt at promotion is much l ss likely.

We are going to see the measure of the V.s ambition in January, I think. 

12 hours ago, Herbie6590 said:

The issue that causes me most concern is that this is a Trojan Horse. Once voting rights have been surrendered there is no going back. Rafa Honigstein on Twitter refers to this (perhaps tongue in cheek) as football’s version of the Enabling Act.

Can't find the Tweet though I can understand if he's deleted it.

Pretty incendiary stuff from a renowned journalist with contacts to maintain. 

'Jokes' by Germans about the Enabling Act don't slip out very often - for a good reason. 

46 minutes ago, Mercer said:

What is plain wrong is to state, as you did I recall, Mowbray has more career wins when he's substantially 'managed' more matches than Hughton!!!!

Churchill once reportedly said that “the only statistics you can trust are the ones you have falsified yourself”!!!

 

Maybe it's not just about the manager - Mowbray vs Hughton etc. - maybe it's more about the players at their disposal - which also comes down to the upper echelons.

You are only as good as your weakest player etc.

Then again, rolling the dice with Gallagher, on the wing?

Yeah, maybe it is more about the manager. ?

On 03/10/2020 at 12:06, Stuart said:

It really is critical for the future of the club that Waggott doesn’t set out a ST strategy next season that penalises fans who didn’t buy this season - for whatever reason.

because...

Hanley annoyed more people off-stage than Lambert managed to do. Beware.

11 hours ago, Hoochie Bloochie Mama said:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/sep/02/david-dunn-relishing-chance-to-lead-barrow-after-48-years-in-wilderness

Thanks for this.

The posters on The Guardian website know nowt. Carlisle isn't the one.

The Lancashire derby vs Morecambe is the match Barrow fans are looking forward to.

With a good pair of lenses, from Eric's statue you can almost make out Holker Street across the bay.

Good luck, Dunny. A top man.

2 hours ago, OnePhilT said:

We go again ?

One thing you can say about the V's - they drive a hard bargain.

Never say never with them. They say they have a pair of dueces - but do they really, do they really? 

2 hours ago, Mellor Rover said:

Laughable really isn’t it... I remember once seeing someone try and prove that exact point and tweeting that Jordan Rhodes was on his way to Benfica for a medical and 2 hours later it was on every Rovers facebook group as well as some twitter sites and even got mentioned in the Lancs Telegraph. He had 50 followers at the time and put a solitary screenshot in the rovers facebook group and it just took off.

 

 

 

People believe what they want to believe.

That's what I believe anyway.

And if you believe that...

19 hours ago, Admiral Nelsen said:

Seem to remember that there were some rumblings about Williams going to the MLS a while back, maybe they've resurfaced?

Agree with those who're saying he's perfectly serviceable backup, but if he wants to go then there's nothing gained in standing in his way.

Serviceable but lacked the most important element of any defender - reliability.

Always had a mistake in him, often in terms of positioning.

Inconsistent and, uneven performances so just on that basis, he deserves to be let go. 

You are only as good as your weakest player. Sadly, there's a bullet-shaped hole in his football boot..

5 hours ago, Bbrovers2288 said:

Our foreign market scouting network seem to have stopped at Germany and only Germany. Every name I’m getting is a German division player - most pretty unheard of 

Even if you have heard of them...

HSV defender linked with Rovers had a 1 year extension in his contract but this was turned down BY THE CLUB!

Very poor reputation amongst the Hamburg fans.