14 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

No, J*B said repeatedly last season that he doesn’t want to go up.

Ah. Still kind of get it, if/when we do get back to the prem there will be a tinge of deflation thinking about VAR and watching players earning £10m a year

I don't want Rovers to compete in the same league as state run clubs either, with plastic fans on the other side of the globe who care more about celebrity than sport, who's sole reason for success is to indoctrinate the next generation.

I want Rovers to be in the top division, I just want those clubs to either lose their nefarious owners or fuck off to a Super League so I can enjoy the football I watch without the need to scrub my soul clean at 5pm on a Saturday (or more likely 6pm on a Sunday, or 10pm on a fucking Friday).

I presume that's the same point JB is making.

14 minutes ago, PeteJD13 said:

there are so many things that could make it better, from the PA to a proper fans zone, the stadium being maintained and developed, the crap overpriced goods in the club shop, rubbish beer, rubbish tea and coffee as well, i'd actually flip that back to you. What is actually good about the match day experience.

The amount of urinals is fairly adequate

17 minutes ago, LeftWinger said:

Xavier isn't incorrect.

Fair enough. It's not what he goes by, or ever has done I guess was my point

On 07/06/2023 at 15:34, philipl said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/blackburn_rovers/1487681.stm

And we won 3-1 against Barca in Reus with a Shearer hattrick

I love how that article gets Xavi's name wrong... "Xavier". Little did they know.

I used to watch a lot of Spanish football back then, and I remember being extremely confused by the team sheet using the "proper" last names of the players. Torre instead of Gabri, Hernandez instead of Xavi, Martinez Garcia instead of Luis Enrique etc.

2 hours ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

How much is a Season Ticket to watch Rovers games in your living room?

Sold out

5 hours ago, M_B said:

The ones who used to go when the going was good and now choose not to. If we're discounting that argument, then the season ticket sales are fantastic, well up on the pre 90's.

Once again,if people can't afford to go, I really feel for them, but there's another group who have clearly stopped going regularly,for whatever reason. As I said the other day, anyone under 40, a whole generation, can only really remember the good times. This isn't what a lot of them bought into.

I'm 35, recently moved back to the area, I've had season tickets in the past, and I can afford the £400+... But there's no chance I'll pay it when the match day experience is crap. The ground is 2/3 empty and I still can't get a pint (of crap beer) at half time.

Premium price for a half arsed product. I'm not having the piss taken out of me, so I won't pay it.

A VPN and a RoversTV subscription is far better value. Or just watch the games on Sky since half are on there anyway. Shit as it is, the atmosphere in my living room is just as good and the beer is better.

Twice the number of people in, and I'd buy one. Decent beers on tap and the ability to actually buy it, I'd get one. £250, maybe I'd get one.

12 minutes ago, Mercer said:

Burnley, Sheff U (auto promoted) and Coventry and Luton (play off finalists) all have a physicality, an aggression, a fighting spirit and a will to win to supplement when they have possession of the ball.  It's no coincidence the possession based teams like Rovers, Sunderland and M'boro have been blown away. 

You need a particular type of manager to get out of the Championship - Jones ticks the boxes, Martin doesn't and very possibly JDT doesn't. 

I wouldn't use Burnley to back up that argument when they comfortably had the highest average possession in the league.

There are many ways to skin a cat. There are crap teams that try to control the ball, crap teams that play on the counter and crap teams that play for set-pieces.

You definitely don't need a "particular type of manager to get out of the championship", that's nonsense.

12 hours ago, Mercer said:

They feckin must be to have appointed Nathan Jones!

As for Russell Martin - I think the lunatics have really taken over if they appoint him.  I'd give it to Coyley before him!

I

Coyley? ... 🤮

Also, I wouldn't give him my dog's shit to put in a bin. It would somehow end up smeared on a window.

I'm not sure I agree with us having less control when we've been in the lead. The two recent example of Preston and Coventry, they didn't look like they were going to score playing for weeks until the two fluke goals. Those could just as easily have happened earlier in the season but didn't. That's kind of what I mean about the luck evening itself out.

If we'd carried on as we had at the start of the season, with no progress and still ended up where we did, I'd be much less optimistic for next season.

I think the style we've adopted - or I'd argue what was always the plan and that we've started to look like we can execute on - does suit us. How many times in the last few years have we bemoaned not being able to break teams down who have come to Ewood for a point? I can see us working towards overcoming that and actually creating chances when we're dominating the ball. We're still good on the counter, but if you want to be a top side in any league that's rarely enough. It means you've always got to score early. Concede the first goal and you're screwed (as we were for 3/4 of the season).

9 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

I don't think it is about luck and I don't think in the main that our confidence has led to any more of an attacking threat. We have also gradually lost our earlier ability under Tomasson in which our game management was excellent, indeed that has become a weakness. We had collected 5 points in 9 games prior to yesterday so I couldn't justify an opinion that we are know one of the top 6 sides in the league.

I think a lot of both seasons has coincided with Brereton and his form. Last season, he thrived in that 3 at the back formation and his injury really knocked us off stride and even when he returned he wasnt the same. This season his form has gone off the boil. The worry in both seasons is the inability of the supporting cast to step up. We need to not only replace him which will be impossible but also add more goalscorers and I fear aided with no money and a director of football with more questions than answers that the necessary attacking overhaul will not arrive.

We weren't the second best side in the league going into the world cup break. We put up some awful performances and got swept away by some crap teams. But somehow we were managing to win any game where we weren't blown out.

In the 4 games prior to yesterday we could easily have had 7 more points with the exact same performances, exact same games but with more luck or correct refereeing decisions in the last minute of each. Had those gone our way we'd be 4th. They didn't and on balance of the season I think that probably evened out.

Looking beyond the results I am confident in saying we are better now than we were at the start of the season. Better than we were when we were in second. That's the difference. The coach has actually improved the team.

Hopefully we'll get the chance to see that improvement bear fruit next season.

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

Very similar situations over both seasons, both managers deserve criticism for certain tactical choices in that time having done so well initially. But both have had limitations based on how the club is run above them.

Very similar outcomes and January windows. Very different story on the pitch.

This season we got better as the season went on. We got so much more confident in possession, the style of play became much clearer and we actually started dominating games rather than scoring with our one shot and holding on. Unfortunately we used up all our luck pre World Cup and it came back to bite us in the last month. Over the whole season we weren't good enough to be in the top 6 but by the end of the season I'm convinced we were easily one of the 6 best teams.

Compare that to last season where we looked good until Christmas and faded badly towards the end. In both results and performances. Again, we didn't deserve to be in the playoffs over the entire season and we definitely weren't one of the best 6 teams in the league by the time the season was over. So much so that most probably fearer for how we'd fare this season.

You can see what we're trying to do now, what we're trying to be. That was never the case in 5 years under the old manager.

A few astute signings in the summer, JDT still being here and I will be counting down the days to the first game.

2 minutes ago, Miller11 said:

I’m not dwelling on any positives. Why should we… this is a dark day in the history of Blackburn Rovers.

Moderate annoyances:

1. It’s all well and good sending your keeper up for a corner in injury time, but a minute prior our centre backs we’re playing one-twos with each other at the back for a good 30 seconds. We never mix it up, we are far too wedded to one style of play, and it leads to us trying (and failing) to walk it into the net. 
 

2. Greg Broughton has a lot to answer for, but so does JDT. In Adam Wharton we have an exceptional footballer. How he has played so few minutes USA disgrace. Tomasson has sabotaged us with his lack of use of him and cost us points.

 

Major annoyance:

The Venky disease. 6 defeats by the dingles on the spin. No victory against them since they darkened our door. Now they’ve won the league (albeit the second division) at Ewood. Jack would be turning in his grave. 

Have it right, they secured 21st place in the country and a pointless piece of tin. Big woop. If they want to give that the big 'un then so what? Shows their aspirations.

That's probably the best Burnley side that have shown up at Ewood since Venkys came and probably the best performance we've put up in that time too. It wasn't enough, but today wasn't the shambles of November

1 minute ago, roversfan99 said:

Apart from when they did.

A brilliant strike from outside the box against the run of play. If that goes into the stand you aren't saying they "looked like scoring". One of those things. We got done by the extra class that they have

3 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

I cant have a strong feeling of pride when Burnley have just done the double over us, won the title at Ewood and are 30 points ahead. I take nothing from battling hard especially when we never ever looked like scoring.

Neither did they

https://www.gettyimages.ae/photos/blackburn-rovers-v-kitchee-2011-asia-trophy

👍

13 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

No he isn't. Gallagher creates the impression of doing something. but at the end of the day he can't be arsed getting into the correct positions from which he is likely to score.

That's not effort you're complaining about. The lad basically needs oxygen after 80 mins every game through busting a gut.

You're complaining about a lack of striker's instinct, which he definitely lacks.

3 minutes ago, roverandout said:

Gallagher doesn't though.  Not only is he talentless he's also lazy and looks disinterested half the time

Really!? I honestly can't believe that take.

I've given him pelters (albeit not on here) more times than I can count, but not once have I ever seen the need to question his effort.

3 minutes ago, roverandout said:

Your post about them being excellent to a man is rubbish.  Gallagher was garbage.  Diaz poorish. Morton was inconsistent 

We've got a side that - odd atrocious game aside - put everything into it. Might be a minimum requirement, but a lot of teams (including our own for most of the last 10+ years) don't. Some players are rather limited (like Gally), but I love watching them put the shift in. That's what made them excellent for me

3 minutes ago, Wing Wizard Windy Miller said:

Watch his performance back second half - especially off the ball. 

Can't say I'll be re-living that pain again in a hurry!

I know you probably aren't meaning to be condescending, but maybe I just have a different opinion to you, and it's not that I need two viewings to "realise" what you saw in one.

3 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

He’s cost us a fair few goals this season and the one today, with everything on the line, for him to feign injury and not bust a gut to get back and win the ball back, when we are one game away from Wembley, no, I’ve no idea why that would anger people….

So what? It's what I think. If it angers people then they need to grow up.

9/10 the ref stops play, foul or not. That's the law of the game. If he gets up the ref stops the game 0/10 times and he's out of position.

That wasn't my point anyway, he was good beforehand and made a mistake.

JDT's subs are more justifiable of ire, that and the ref are what cost us. But again, JDT doesn't deserve undue stick for me either, it was another brilliant performance (for 80 mins).

3 minutes ago, BigBar said:

 Genuine question. Is it fashionable to try and be different and have a different views? I get it that some people will rate players others won't etc but sometimes it's cut and dry but some people will just go against the grain. Morton wasn't exceptional or standout today so maybe don't just say it when people are clearly annoyed. Its offensive to other players who performed alot better and don't get a mention.

Eh? I can't say I give enough of a shit about what randoms on a forum think about a player  to falsify a fake opinion.

If it's so cut and dry then why does JDT play him? Why do Liverpool employ him, and why do paid pundits disagree with you? I'm not saying that makes your opinion wrong, it doesn't, but it's obviously not "cut and dry".

I don't think the anger towards him is justified, so I said it.

2 minutes ago, Hasta said:

No he wasn’t. He was fairly anonymous first half, and had started tiring and giving the ball away long before the winner. We’d been saying before the subs were made that it had to be Garrett or A Wharton on for Morton, and we’re surprised that he stayed on,

I completely disagree, but fair enough. I'm not a huge Morton fan, but when he's played in the last month I think he's been very very good.

13 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

I have said more than once that he is performing at a level beyond my expectation based on his career to date. I have praised him for his quality on the ball in particular and suggested contributing factors as to perhaps how he has stepped up a level, especially playing with better players. I said that the fee isn't justifiable for a squad player but his performances in the last month or two have elevated him above merely being a squad player which changes the discussion entirely.

I don't see how that justifies a previous held opinion. I clearly have changed my mind (assuming he maintains this level of performance) and have praised Szmodics for doing so.

I stand by the fact that he had struggled at this level in the past and that most polled Peterborough fans wanted to sell for the price we paid. I feel that the widespread questioning of the signing was still justifiable, but football is obviously not an exact science and players can push on a level and/or thrive in certain situations and Szmodics seems to be doing that.

That's all cool. Was just saying it's fine to have changed your mind, you had a legit take back then based on what you knew and you have a different take now based on knowing more. It's all good.

Does show that he was well scouted and chosen by that side of the hierarchy though, because like you and many more I was very skeptical.