The Rovers Return

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A 2-1 defeat to the Scottish champions is nothing to be too ashamed of.

Unfortunately, I’m not in Australia, so I wasn’t there, and there was no chance of me getting up at 6am on a Sunday to watch the game online, so I haven’t seen it, but most are saying it was a poor performance.

Gleaned from the comments section of the Telegraph website from people who, I assume, did see the game:

Roberts up front on his own failed to impress. I still reckon Roberts is a decent player who can score goals, he just needs support. He is coming in for a lot of criticism at the moment, but maybe it’s a little harsh to judge players in pre-season …

One commenter says we did nothing until the introduction of Grella and Emerton. That’s good to see, at least we’re giving the locals something to cheer about. Apparently, Brett Emerton, who was born in Sydney, got a great standing ovation from the home crowd.

There is more, but it’s largely negative.

What I think people are forgetting is that Rovers landed 33 hours before kick off, so were full of jet lag. They were always going to struggle against a team that had had more time on Australian soil to adjust to the change of time zone. Read more »

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Rovers flew to Sydney on Thursday in preparation for the Sydney Festival of Football.

While in Australia, Rovers will play in a three-match series against Scottish side Glasgow Rangers tomorrow, AEK Athens of Greece on Wednesday and home side Sydney FC on Saturday.

I, personally, don’t see anything wrong with Rovers agreeing to this festival. By the time it finishes they will have two weeks to prepare for the first game, with two friendlies in Scotland to help them in that aim – Hearts on Saturday, August 7, and a newly arranged game with Celtic on the Sunday after the Celts’ game with Inter Milan was cancelled. Read more »

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Rovers lost 3-0 at Preston last night.

We shouldn’t really take too much from the result, as it was a friendly afterall, but a 3-0 defeat is slightly worrying.

I was unable to make the game as I was on the late shift at work, but what I have heard is this:

It was the worst game of football ever. Probably.

Keith Andrews was head and shoulders the best player, the majority not looking even remotely interested.

Dunny and Pedersen looked as though they were still on holiday.

Allardyce was there. There was some talk that he was absent yet again, as he was at Fleetwood on Saturday. That turned out to be wrong.

Keith Treacy skinned Salgado on a number of occasions.

Brazilian trialist Rodrigo Branco looked lively. Hopefully see more of this kid in future.

We need a new striker. Junior Hoilett can’t do the job on his own. Big Sam has admitted this in today’s Telegraph.

Rovers fans outnumbered heavily the PNE faithful, outsinging them throughout, even with the score at 0-3.

A win at Huddersfield tonight and the PNE result is forgotten about.

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A day out at Fleetwood followed by a night on the lash round Blackpool. Can it get any better?

It was a typical pre-season friendly at Highbury, with Rovers winning comfortably, despite often finding it difficult to break down a resolute Cod Army that defended reasonably well.

There was a goal in either half. One for Roberts in the first and N’Zonzi in the second. Both headed in after crosses from open play.

Nothing to note really. It’s very difficult to analyse a friendly performance, and half of the squad were in Southport for another friendly that no one knew about until Friday.

That one was also won by Rovers. Chimbonda, Rigters and a 40-yard screamer from Dunn providing the goals in a 3-0 win. Slightly annoyed that the squad was split over two games considering most of our better players had headed for a different match, if I’m honest.

(**reference to Keith Andrews removed to avoid causing offence!**) Nobody played particularly well, but a young defensive line of Jones, Hanley, Gavin Gunning and Jackson Ramm (at right wing back) looked solid when tested. Neither Paul Robinson nor Frank Fielding, who replaced him in the second half, made a save throughout the match as far as I can recall. Read more »

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The moment everyone had been waiting for came this morning, with the announcement of next season’s fixture list.

Here are some particularly juicy days to watch out for.

First game – August 14 – Everton at home

August 28 – Arsenal at home

September 25 – Blackpool away

October 23 – Liverpool away

October 30 – Chelsea at home

November 27 – Manchester United away

December 11 – Bolton Wanderers away

January 5 – Liverpool at home

January 15 – Chelsea at home

March 19 – Blackpool at home

April 2 – Arsenal away

April 30 – Bolton Wanderers at home

May 14 – Manchester United at home

Last game – May 22 – Wolverhampton Wanderers away

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A nice view - FROM THE BBC

A positive end to the season for Rovers in several ways.

First off, what a great result. A win at a ground we have been beaten on in six of our previous seven visits and the scene of the end of both our cup runs this season.

Villa are now a top side with bags of money. They had Champions League ambitions for much of the season so we had to be good today. They may have knocked us out of both cups, but we have beaten them home and away in the Premier League, which is a great feather in our cap.

I t was also the first time we’ve ended the season with a win since beating Manchester City 2-0 at Ewood at the end of the 2005/06 season.

Secondly, we’re in the top 10. Again. Apart from last season, we’ve been a top 10 side in every Premier League season since 2004/05 – the season that Souness left and Mark Hughes took his place.

This is in spite of the fact that, every season, without fail, we are tipped for relegation. This is also in spite of the fact that we have a meagre budget. Read more »

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Head-to-head (not quite) - O'Neill and Big Sam

Our last chance to win outside 1974 Lancashire this season.

It’s also our last chance to win at Aston Villa this season, having been beaten there in both the FA Cup and that immense League Cup semi.

However, it does represent an opportunity to complete our third double of the season, having beaten Villa at Ewood in an impressive performance at the start of the season.

It’s also historically worth noting that, should we complete the double over Villa, it would be the first time since 1998/99 – when we were relegated – a season in which we managed to win only one away game. So, despite our poor away form, we all know anything can happen.

With Manchester United needing a win at home to Stoke to challenge for the title, Rovers still have a good chance of an almost unthinkable top-half finish.

At the end of October, when Rovers fans wanted Allardyce out after a month that saw three defeats – against Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd – who would have thought that, with one game to go, we had a pop at finishing 10th? Read more »

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Samba celebrates Rovers' winner

With Sam Allardyce as our manager, we will never be loved.

What some brand as ‘anti-football’, ‘hoofball’ or ‘thuggery’, Big Sam brands a legitimate tactic – and it’s a tactic that works.

Yesterday was yet another example of why it works.

Rovers have no money, Arsenal have lots. We have a decent Premier League team. Arsenal have a world class team. Who won? The underdogs.

Why did the underdogs win? Because we played to our strengths and attacked the few Arsenal weaknesses that do exist.

If Sam told Dunny, Keith Andrews and MGP to pass the ball fluidly and play Arsenal off the park. “Go on lads, use your flair,” we would lose … Heavily.

That’s why our tactics are more rugged and physical.

Arsenal are a team of young European pansies with a crap Polish goalkeeper. And our tactics reflected that. Be more physical, hard in the tackles. Play it long into the box and put the keeper under pressure and you give yourself a chance. Luckily, for once, we took our chances.

Arsene Whinger hates Rovers. He has done since the days of Mark Hughes, when Rovers first established themselves as a “bully boy” team.

The mere fact we are revered is a proven fact that we are feared. No one complains about Wigan’s awful brand of football, because they know Wigan are not very good and, if you put in a decent performance against them, you’ll come away with a result. Read more »

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"Where's my hairline going?" asked McCarthy

Hopefully, Rovers can use today to break the hoodoo and win outside Lancashire (I’m including Greater Manchester as part of Lancashire before anyone starts being sad) for the first time this season.

It definitely won’t be easy at Wolves, who have exceeded all expectations will definitely still be around next season.

Unfortunately, in my time watching Rovers, we have never had a win at Molineux – our last win there was in October 1990, when I was three – so today is a chance to break that hoodoo as well.

To be honest, to anyone without an interest in either side, this really is a nothing game. In fact, in many ways it’s a nothing ae for Wolves and Rovers now. Both of us have achieved safety and both managers have an eye on next season, with potential transfer deals probably already being negotiated.

However, as I’ve said on several occasions, each league place is worth £750,000, which as an amount not to be scoffed at, certainly not by a club as skint as Rovers, so it’s definitely a case of points win prizes, even when those prizes aren’t trophies.

The importance of that extra few bob gained extra significance this week, with Big Sam seemingly priced out of a move for Polish hot shot Robert Lewandowski after it became apparent Lech Poznan are hanging on for a fee of about £5m. Should Rovers sneak up a couple of places in the Premier League table, that may make the difference between signing someone decent and signing another Nick Blackman. Read more »

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