Blackburn Rovers

ShriekingSheet

The good thing about not supporting any of the 'red' teams is no one hates you!

So gimme some decent insight into this!

I am from Dublin, never lived in England or anything but am Rovers thru and thru! I know my football but I am at a loss (awful pun!) with this...

WHY IS MY TEAM CRAP NOW!!!???

cournioni

Because Greame Souness is crap at managing players (ie. Dunn, Cole, Yorke). You got rid of Hakan Sukur who was coming good at the end of last season. And you got rid of Duff one of the best left wingers in the world IMO. There is a number of reasons.

Tellox

They didnt get rid of Duff, they did absolutly everything in their power to keep him. imo if he didnt have a release clause in his contract, I doubt he would've budged.

cournioni

Yeah but regardless. They are missing those players right now.

uberwolf

Souness is too emotional, too many arguments with other mangers, couldn't do press confernces, not reacting well to the pressure IMO. Players won't respond to that well. Plus you lost Duff,

super_furry

Emerton and Ferguson aren't as good as Duff and Dunn were - although Ferguson may improve if he settle's and Cole and Yorke aren't the players they once were and Yorke seems to be a passenger at the moment.

jesus_thats_gre

The man takes everything as a personal attack. If he has a petty argument with someone or some disagrees with him, he wont let it go. No matter how trivial.

ShriekingSheet

Originally posted by Tellox
They didnt get rid of Duff, they did absolutly everything in their power to keep him. imo if he didnt have a release clause in his contract, I doubt he would've budged.

^^this is the truth!

I, for one, hope Souness stays.

He's a very easy target for those who don't know enough about football to come up with any other explanations for a team doing terrible!

"The man takes everything as a personal attack. If he has a petty argument with someone or some disagrees with him, he wont let it go. No matter how trivial." -jesus thats gre

^this could easily be describing Alex Ferguson if you've heard anything about his behaviour at AGMs dealing with shareholders or the boot throwing incident or his managing of Dwight Yorke during his playboy days!
You can't blame the team's poor form on the managers personality -a personality very similar to the best manager in the counrty's!

The truth about Dunn is he was Captain of almost every England underage team up to and including U21s, played extremely well in patches at club level but at times dissapeared from games (Matty Holland style). In the space of a month he played 3 consecutive good games for rovers, got on the England team and scored a goal. There the fairytale ends. Birds, Big Macs and Booze, below par performances, no more England -Souness is hardly going to be patting him on the back now is he? - I would have sold him!

smiaras

This post has been deleted.

jesus_thats_gre

I was simply quoting Jason McAteer from the coverage of the Liverpool - Blackburn match recently on Sky..... Maybe I was being presumptuous, but he did play under him and had a few run ins with him as well.

ShriekingSheet

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
I was simply quoting Jason McAteer from the coverage of the Liverpool - Blackburn match recently on Sky..... Maybe I was being presumptuous, but he did play under him and had a few run ins with him as well.

I wasnt taking an all out offensive on you!

Yeah I saw that too in the pre-game bit. Macca said he was a 'man to hold a grudge!' Id say he's an absolute bastard to have as a manager but I don't neccessarily think thats a bad thing! Brian Clough was a stark raving lunatic, a complete nutter, hated everyone accept his son and the guy turned a crap football club into a respectable force!

Besides all that, my view on this is based mostly on what a then very good manager in irish junior soccer, now a senior FAI guy told me. He said something like '...at times, you have to hate your coach. A good coach will want you to hate him. That way you'll fight hard on the training ground and on the pitch to prove a point to the bastard!'

Im not saying this is the ideal player/coach relationship but a couple of years later I really understood what the guy meant. Top football is a tough game for tough people.

The Muppet

simple really, they sold good players and replaced them with players who are not as good. Souness is not very hot on the man management area either . It all combines to give the poor performances we have sen this year so far.

Oswald Osbourne

Originally posted by ShriekingSheet
WHY IS MY TEAM CRAP NOW!!!???

Here's a run down of Blackburns time in the league over the past 30 years or so up to the start of the Premiership
1966-71 DIVISION 2
1971-75 DIVISION 3
1975-79 DIVISION 2
1979-80 DIVISION 3
1980-92 DIVISION 2

CRAP? You don't even know what crap for Blackburn is!

ShriekingSheet

Originally posted by Oswald Osbourne
Here's a run down of Blackburns time in the league over the past 30 years or so up to the start of the Premiership
1966-71 DIVISION 2
1971-75 DIVISION 3
1975-79 DIVISION 2
1979-80 DIVISION 3
1980-92 DIVISION 2

CRAP? You don't even know what crap for Blackburn is!

Idiot!

what, am I supposed to apologise for not being in the stands (due to not being born yet) while they were in the old div 3 or be grateful that my team has lost 5 in a row in the prem and not in the 2nd division!??

Ive been a fan since promotion from the old 2nd division when i was about 7or 8 years old. Ive seen great players sold, great managers lost to 'upstairs' and then relegation, I dont really give a sh1t about the old form books that youve gone and dug up to imply that im a fair weather supporter.

eirebhoy

Souness payed £7.5mil for Barry Feguson which wasn't the best buy in the world and he could have done much better than that considering he sold Dunn for £5.5.
The biggest change to the team was losing Duff and he was a player who would win games for Blackburn. People may say that its not a one man game but players like Duff and even Andy Reid change matches for their clubs.

I think Souness should have spent between 10-17 million on one player to replace Duff and he could have got a super player for that. Every single player Chelsea bought he could have bought himself.

johnor

I dont think it was the loss of duff as duff was out for large parts of last season when blackburn were playing very well...I think its more to do with the loss of henning berg and the introduction of amoruso. I think amoruso aint up to the premiership and i think if souness buys in another defender they will begin to gain ground again....i think they've replaced dunn well by buying ferguson and now they should spend the remaining money from the duff deal buying in a good centre back, possibly a rightback....

just a thought

Oswald Osbourne

Originally posted by ShriekingSheet
Idiot!

No, you're the idiot. I'm just pointing it out to you whilst you sit her bitching about some second rate team who are out of their depth and are only even in the position they are thanks to Old Daddy Paycheck. You should be grateful they're even in the Premiership, not crying over a bad patch!

I'm sick of you bloody fairweather supporters who don't have a clue about football and act like it's the end of the world when your team lose 3 or more in a row. You're the same kind of supporter who presumes it's Irelands birthright to be up in the top 6 soccer nations in the world and calls for the national managers head any time we lose two matches in a row! You haven't got a clue about the history of any of the teams you follow from beyond what was written in yesterdays newspaper and then all you can do is sit here bitching and moaning because you have absolutely no perspective on things.

Well Guess what! Blackburn aren't meant to be in this league and sooner or later you're going to find that out just like they will - only it'll be for a generation next time they drop not just a season.

And it doesn't suprise me for a second that you started supporting them when they got promoted in 1992 thanks in full to Jack Walker. After all, that was around the time that they were turning peoples heads and being touted as future league champions - thanks in full to having a blank cheque written for them of course!

BTW, you might want to book your 2004-05 season ticket for Stamford Bridge right now. I hear they're in high demand.

eirebhoy

Originally posted by Oswald Osbourne
No, you're the idiot. I'm just pointing it out to you whilst you sit her bitching about some second rate team who are out of their depth and are only even in the position they are thanks to Old Daddy Paycheck. You should be grateful they're even in the Premiership at all.

Oswald, He has a right to be bewildered that his team are second last in the league after finidhing 6th last season and still have a team capable of doing to same again. Chelsea will probably win the league this year because of Abramovich's money just like Blackburn did a few years ago and they have the right to be given all the money they like.

I'm sick of you bloody fairweather supporters who don't have a clue about football and act like it's the end of the world when your team lose 3 or more in a row. You're the same kind of supporter who presumes it's Irelands birthright to be up in the top 6 soccer nations in the world and calls for the national managers head any time we lose two matches in a row! You haven't got a clue about the history of any of the teams you follow from beyond what was written in yesterdays newspaper and then all you can do is sit here bitching and moaning because you have absolutely no perspective on things.

SS said that he wants Souness to stay and he never mentioned wanting him gone and he didn't say anything to presume that he is not a real fotball supporter.

Well Guess what! Blackburn aren't meant to be in this league and sooner or later you're going to find that out just like they will - only it'll be for a generation next time they drop not just a season.

Why aren't Blackburn meant to be in the premiership. If you are talking about their rich chairman that won them the leage, its called investment.

And it doesn't suprise me for a second that you started supporting them when they got promoted in 1992 thanks to Jack Walkers money. After all, that was around the time that they were turning peoples heads and being talked about as future league champions - thanks in full to having a blank cheque written for them!

As he said he was only 7 or 8 when he started supporting them so I don't think he could predict that they were gonna win the league soon after he started supporting. The majority of the fans in Ireland support United, Arsenal and Liverpool because they are winning teams so why don't you say the same to them?

ShriekingSheet

yeah what ^he^ said!

jesus_thats_gre

Originally posted by ShriekingSheet
yeah what ^he^ said!

haha legend


As for Oswald, give the chap a break will you. He has every right to be concerned as to why his club is not performing, especially considering how well they done last season and some of the additions they made to the squad during the summer break.

ShriekingSheet

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
He has every right to be concerned

Yeah "concerned" (!)

That's one way of describing how I was watching BRFC go down 2 nil to friggin Leicster!

try teary-eyed teeth gnashing angry! ha ha!

went to see them play Charlton there Monday before last. Really should have brought my boots!

jesus_thats_gre

I am Liverpool supporter, two great games against ye this season too ;o)

da_deadman

I too am a Blackburn supporter and am very disillusioned with the season so far. Its so annoying. We have such a strong squad this season, despite losing Duff and Dunn. I felt we made some good signings, especially Emerton and Ferguson. Before the season began I was hopeful and reasonably confident of another top 6 finish. But this has been such a bad start, I feel we really have to turn it around soon. It gets very hard to change things the longer the bad spell continues. We have been in this situation not too long ago and that ended in relegation. So Im praying now that that does not happen again.

By the way, Im glad to see that there are some reasonable people here, that don't have the same stupidity as Oswald. His post is the most stupid I have read on Boards. What team does he support? And why? I started supporting Blackburn in late 1992, based on watching a game of theirs. They were playing really good football and had a legendary manager, and had my fave player Kevin Moran. I knew nothing of Jack Walker and his cheque book. Does this make me a fairweather supporter? Just because I didn't start following Liverpool, Man Utd, or Arsenal when they are regularly winning trophies.

And as for jesus_thats_gre, I felt that Lucas Neill had 2 great games against ye :-)

jesus_thats_gre

Originally posted by da_deadman
And as for jesus_thats_gre, I felt that Lucas Neill had 2 great games against ye :-)

I would argue he had a great half

Oswald Osbourne

Originally posted by da_deadman
What team does he support? And why?

Why? So you can sit there going MY TEAM IS BETTER THAN YOURS NAH NAH NAH etc? Christ that is the most tedious aspect of this forum t.b.h.!

But I'll tell you that the team I support is located less than 3/4's of a mile from my home (yes I realise that supporting your local side isn't something most of you footy fans can understand - but there you go) and that I started supporting them back when it was neither popular or clever to do so. They finished in the bottom half of the table during my first season and avoided relegation the following year by just 4 points! Nevertheless I've stuck with them thru thin and thin and fortunately they're doing a LOT better now.

Originally posted by da_deadman
I started supporting Blackburn in late 1992, based on watching a game of theirs. They were playing really good football and had a legendary manager, and had my fave player Kevin Moran. I knew nothing of Jack Walker and his cheque book. Does this make me a fairweather supporter? Just because I didn't start following Liverpool, Man Utd, or Arsenal when they are regularly winning trophies.

Surprise surprise! Another member of the Blackburn class of '92 eh? Did something tremendous happen to the club that year or is it just pure coincidence that you both jump on board the bandwagon at the exact same time?

But to answer your question you're even worse than people who follow ManU/Arse/Liver. They're just sheep but you're the kind of supporter who thinks they're being an 'indivdual' by supporting a team like Blackburn. It's the same mentality as people who follow Newcastle or ManCity. They think they're GREAT fans because they follow a team 100's of miles away that never (or rarely) win anything.

Originally posted by eireboy
Oswald, He has a right to be bewildered that his team are second last in the league after finidhing 6th last season and still have a team capable of doing to same again. Chelsea will probably win the league this year because of Abramovich's money just like Blackburn did a few years ago and they have the right to be given all the money they like.

He does indeed have that right - but he doesn't have the right to go round calling people IDIOTS just because they're highlighting that he doesn't know how good he actually has it.

Originally posted by eireboy
SS said that he wants Souness to stay and he never mentioned wanting him gone and he didn't say anything to presume that he is not a real fotball supporter.

So you're saying that just because he does (or does not) want a manager to remain after a string of bad results that that therefore makes him a real football supporter? Maybe in some peoples minds, but I'm afraid as far as I'm concered being a SUPPORTER (as the word implies) has more to do with turning up at games rain or shine and cheering on your team. Voicing your opinions on how a team should be run has its place but it really pales in significance with actually getting off your arse and physically and financially doing something for a team.

Originally posted by eireboy
Why aren't Blackburn meant to be in the premiership. If you are talking about their rich chairman that won them the leage, its called investment.

No it's called BUYING THE LEAGUE pure and simple. Show me proof that Walker personally made a profit (or even foresaw that he'd ever make a profit) out of what he spent on that club and I'll believe it was an investment (even in the loosest form of the word.)

And when a team
1)buys it's way into a division it hasn't managed to reach under its own steam for nearly 30 years
2)has the 3rd lowest average attendance in the division for 2002-03 (despite it being a very succesful year!)
3)has an average of 6,000 empty seats in its ground EVERY home game
then yes I think questions should be raised as to whether this team TRUELY belongs.

Originally posted by eireboy
As he said he was only 7 or 8 when he started supporting them so I don't think he could predict that they were gonna win the league soon after he started supporting. The majority of the fans in Ireland support United, Arsenal and Liverpool because they are winning teams so why don't you say the same to them?

Like I said to da_deadman I don't have time for fans of the 'Big 3' either but these Blackburn fans are just as bad - if not worse.

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
give the chap a break will you. He has every right to be concerned as to why his club is not performing

Absolutely but he was the one throwing the first stone after all. My first post just told him to put things into perspective and he replied by throwing insults.

eirebhoy

Originally posted by Oswald Osbourne
So you're saying that just because he does (or does not) want a manager to remain after a string of bad results that that therefore makes him a real football supporter? Maybe in some peoples minds, but I'm afraid as far as I'm concered being a SUPPORTER (as the word implies) has more to do with turning up at games rain or shine and cheering on your team. Voicing your opinions on how a team should be run has its place but it really pales in significance with actually getting off your arse and physically and financially doing something for a team.

I was actually replying to this:

You're the same kind of supporter who presumes it's Irelands birthright to be up in the top 6 soccer nations in the world and calls for the national managers head any time we lose two matches in a row!

Oswald Osbourne

Originally posted by eireboy
I was actually replying to this:

Yes, I can see where you're coming from there but the main point of that sentence was the piece you didn't hightlight. The Ireland sacking part was more of an afterthought.

That statement was made to create an image of a generic supporter who (thru either bandwagoning or pure timing) startes supporting a team during the peak of their success and then gets a big shock when things start to go 'wrong' because all they've ever known is the gravy years.

It was meant to imply that he is a bandwagon jumper who doesn't know how good he has it, not that he wanted Graeme Souness sacked specifically.

ShriekingSheet

I now support Chelsea

Blackburn scum!!

grrr!

Come on you Blues!

smiaras

This post has been deleted.

Tellox

Originally posted by ShriekingSheet
I now support Chelsea

Blackburn scum!!

grrr!

Come on you Blues!

Fair weather supporter.

ShriekingSheet

Originally posted by Tellox
Fair weather supporter.

yeah that was the joke!

read the damn thread! ha ha ha!

ShriekingSheet

Originally posted by smiaras
Hopefully tonights result will start a turn around, the club deserves better than this so far. At least Souness came out and publicly acknowledged that the club are missing Duff, he's put his hands up on that one.

Yeah I hope so!

Souey had to admit that at some stage but in fairness to the guy he tried his utmost to keep him at the club, there's nothing he could've done really to keep him (as someone pointed out earlier in the thread)

Doubt anyone noticed but the Blackburn chant has changed over the last couple of games since tabloid talk of Souness being sacked!

It was "Souness' blue and white army!"

and last few matches (almost all on sky sports bizarrely!) Its been "Rovers' blue and white army!"

I hope he stays.