I was going to wait until we lost our first game before posting this because otherwise I would be accused of just wearing rose tinted specs and praising the team when times are good. It was a poor performance on Friday don't get me wrong but I believe nevertheless that this has been a good start to the season. ....even the stats back this up (best start since 1994).
I have only attended the Hull game so far this season having given up my season ticket due to uni/work placement commitments. The performance I saw wasn't too bad, my main criticism was that we looked a bit 'kick and rush' at times and didn't create many chances. It looks as though this difficulty up front was a blip because we haven't had much trouble at all scoring goals in our other games. Rhodes and Gomes have been signed since then and they look to be terrific signings. Nunes also looks a find and Etuhu and Murphy are striking up a good partnership...both are defensively minded and can sit in to give the likes of Olsson et al to bomb forward.
I would still like to see a more obvious presence of the owners at games. At the Hull match I saw them sat in the seats above the tunnel but I gather they haven't been to Ewood since which is poor.
Overall verdict, we slipped up badly on Friday, but the table doesn't lie and if the season ended tomorrow we would be automatically promoted/in the play off depending on the full time Blackpool Huddersfield result. Thoughts?
Decent start...
posted on 24/9/12
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posted on 24/9/12
B&WH stop winding up your brother and let him sleep.
PS anyone else going to Charlton?
posted on 24/9/12
I did watch it actually.
And you've seen every rovers league performance in the past 2 decades have you pal?
posted on 25/9/12
Hence the word "arguably". I certainly can't remember one that bad anyway.
posted on 25/9/12
Great Wow's back
OTOH agt least he brings some fierce debate.
Hold my hands up - I too was excited by the danny Murphy signing. Shame we seemed to have signed his less able twin brother. He has been shocking. Etuhu (I was less excitged) less so with at least showing some desire. Unfortunately you can't be offering big wages for a player not to play.....so time to put Pedersen in the centre of the park and use Murphy slightly further forward. Except Gomes is doing that role already. And well. I mentioned previously - it looks like we've signed some decent strikers. Now if we had someone with a gameplan....
Billy Davies anyone?
posted on 25/9/12
There is nothing wrong with the squad at this level..
As Rover the Hill says just needs a puppet master (not a puppet) pulling the strings.
Please let it happen today. I could almost forgive the Venky's.
Nobody should be deceived by our position in the league. We have been very lucky and played quite poor in most, if not all, the games. If we were still in the Premier we would be rock bottom with no points.
posted on 25/9/12
"There is nothing wrong with the squad at this level.."
Not sure I agree with that. There shouldn't be anything wrong with it but Kean's had his grubby hands on it for 2 years and I think some major balance issues have developed. For me we have only 3 decent defenders now (Olsson, Givet and Dann), and only 2 midfielders capable of defending (Pedersen and Etuhu). Plus Kean has signed a number of lightweight players unsuited to this league who would in my opinion be useless to any decent manager (Jorge, Vukcevic, Nunes, Edinho, Rosado).
We've still got a decent squad, and the championship seems very poor this season, but I don't think its the Harlem Globetrotters of this league as some have made out. The massive problem to sort, as it always has been, is the defence. So Hendry would have to be right behind Kean on his way out.
posted on 25/9/12
Blue and White im glad that there are a few sane fans on here as we have won games in this league where we was totally outplayed,im glad of the wins and the points but our defence and midfield is a shambles.
posted on 25/9/12
"There shouldn't be anything wrong with it but Kean's had his grubby hands on it for 2 years and I think some major balance issues have developed. For me we have only 3 decent defenders now (Olsson, Givet and Dann)..."
Olsson ain't a defender in my book. Hanley ok but prone to too much youthfulness
"...and only 2 midfielders capable of defending (Pedersen and Etuhu)."
Would put Lowe into that bracket but he's in and out of the team (like Pedersen).
"Plus Kean has signed a number of lightweight players unsuited to this league who would in my opinion be useless to any decent manager (Jorge, Vukcevic, Nunes, Edinho, Rosado)."
Think unfair on Nunes - he has looked, on occasion, like one of our brighter players but he's a luxury attacking player when we already may have too many on the pitch. Also on Vuckevic who is not lightweight - just not played.
Think a decent manager might have him in sharpish.
posted on 25/9/12
Good point on Lowe, forgot him. I've just never had much time for these flash foreigners who aren't interested in defending. Give me a Savage/Pedersen/Diouf type midfielder anyday. The type of midfielders Kean has signed tend to make your team resemble butter and the opposition resemble a hot knife.