The Rovers Return

A dark day

Crap manager Paul Ince is in talks with League One MK Dons, the club he left to join Rovers after the worst appointment in Rovers’ history since Brian Kidd.

Fair play to the lad. He left Rovers early on in his Premiership management career having proved he is a long way from having the qualities required to succeed at this level.

However, Pete Winkelman has obviously not let that cloud his vision of the man who led his side to promotion and the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in his only season as the club’s manager.

I quite like Pete Winkelman, he seems a nice chap when he’s interviewed and he obviously loves his football team.

The Rovers Return would like to wish Paul Ince all the best. Despite the bad memories of his time here at Ewood, he was clearly out of his depth, and I hope the MK Dons give him his chance of a return to management and, if he is successful again, he hangs around longer to get the experience he needs to succeed!

- Hughes lining up one last Santa bid Telegraph

- But will he pay £40-million? Lancashire Telegraph

- Ince to take over at Norwich? Sky Sports

- Zoro decision soon Daily Mirror

- Huddersfield bid for Gallagher? Terrior Bites

- Legend Jansen in Carlisle bid to save his career Sky Sports

I’ve been meaning to blog about this week’s goings on for a while but festivities and work have both stopped me.

I’ll start from the end. Ie the match!

An absolutely terrific performance from a team bearing no resemblance to the one we saw every week under Paul Ince. Not in terms of the players on the pitch, who were largely the same as we’re used to seeing, but in terms of performance.

We looked a team with confidence, belief, passion and, probably most important of all, quality!

Whether this is a case of new manager syndrome is yet to be seen. But Allardyce has been welcomed by the fans, hopefully he’ll forgive us for the ridiculously fickle treatment we’ve given him, indeed, he was no good for us whatsoever back in the Summer! He also appears to have been welcomed by the players judging by this performance.

Not one player had a bad game and we dominated from start to finish. If you didn’t see the game then don’t believe Tony Pulis’ inexplicable comments on Sky Sports.

“We started really well and the stats say that they got in our box three times and scored three goals,” Read more »

It’s been a while since I last penned my thoughts on here. Mainly a mixture of being busy in my new job and being chronically depressed at the whole situation.

However, it’s match day, and that undying enthusiasm and optimism that fills every football supporter on the day of a game has returned. Whether you’re Grimsby playing Real Madrid, or Rovers playing Wigan, you always believe your team will come up trumps!

Today is very much make or break for the Guv’nor. The game at Wigan sees us start a huge run of games, all of which are very much winnable!

Yes, we haven’t won in ten, but we must take heart from the fact that run included games against United, Chelsea, Aston Villa, a resurgent Tottenham and Portsmouth, then Liverpool last week. The Liverpool game could have been something of a turning point. We played with character and strength, the fans got behind the team and we controlled the game in periods, the game put beyond our reach as we went all out for the equaliser and got caught on the break. Read more »

Very interesting questions asked by The Mirror’s Oliver Holt on why Paul Ince has been given so little time as Rovers manager:

Why do you think it is that Paul Ince is being written off as a manager only a few games into his first job in the Premier League?

Why do you think nobody’s cutting him the same kind of slack we cut Roy Keane, even though Keane’s spent 10 times as much money?

Why do you think Ince is characterised as a novice when he stands up for his team while other bosses doing the same are praised for their passion?

Why do you think nobody’s mentioning the fact that when he took over at Blackburn, he had to cope with the sale of his best player? Why do you think that, given his budget restrictions, few people are suggesting he’s not made such a bad start?

Why do you think when Tony Adams failed in his first chance in management, his second came in the Premier League?

Why do you think that when John Barnes failed in his first chance in management, his second came with Jamaica?

Why do you think it took 120 years for a top-flight club here to appoint a British black manager?

Why do you think people are calling for Ince’s head when he’s barely been in charge for 120 days?

Although, on reading the headline you start to wonder where the article could be going, the questions do raise a very good point!

I mentioned the other day about the Facebook group entitled ‘sack paul ince’, so I thought I’d have a quick glance to see what other groups relate to Paul Ince’s association with the Rovers.

A quick search for ‘Paul Ince’ in the group search function brings up several pages. Here’s a selection:

Paul Ince’s Blue & White Army – Mainly filled with people now bemoaning the manager

Paul Ince out and take Robbie Fowler with you – Can’t argue with Read more »

I have just been invited to the Facebook group entitled ‘sack paul ince’ (yes, all in lower case which about sums up the intelligence of the people who have set this group up!)

I have rejected my invitation as I do believe it’s too early to start talking about getting rid of the manager. Although he does need to make things happen soon or my mind could be changed.

It is groups like this that do my head in though, how about a group called ‘Get behind the manager and the team’ or ‘I’m going to the game this weekend’? I wonder how many Rovers fans would be able to join those groups?!

The winner of the daft quote of the day award goes to Rovers Guv’nor Paul Ince:

Scenario: Rovers are 1-0 down at half time.

Ince: “Second half we took the game to em and to be fair we were the only team who looked like getting back into the game.”

Well I certainly can’t think of anyone else who could get back into the game… The ballboy perhaps?

The Paul Ince era is now well and truly into full swing and it’s been a mixed start to the new season.

The opening day win at Everton echoed the Guvnor’s statements that team spirit is high and that there is no uprising within the Rovers ranks. Andre Ooijer’s last minute smash in from three yards confirmed maximum points at Goodison and things were looking up, especially with a visit from soon to be whipping boys Hull City in the following game.

Not the case Hull ground out a 1-1 draw in, what has to be said, was not the prettiest game of football the Premier League will see this season. A midweek hammering of Grimsby in the Carling Cup saw a debut goal from Carlos Villanueva. Read more »