PL: Blackburn Rovers vs Arsenal | 19/08/07

[Nutsy]

It's the first away game of the new season 2007/2008 English Premier League season and It's against Blackburn Rovers.



Blackburn Rovers Club Profile

The birth of the Premier League also heralded Blackburn's return to the top flight for the first time in 26 years. They underlined their ambition by breaking the English transfer record to sign a 22-year-old Alan Shearer for £3.5million. Other expensive signings ensured they finished an impressive fourth.

Owner Jack Walker continued to splash his cash and in their second season, his team were runners-up to arch North Western rivals Manchester United in 1993-94. The positions were reversed the following season as Rovers pipped United to the title on the last day of the season.

The team have failed to reach those heights since then and in 1999, Rovers became the first former Premier League champions to be relegated. The club bounced back in 2001 and progress under Graeme Souness and then Mark Hughes has seen them qualify for Europe four times in six years.

Club Heritage

Blackburn Rovers were born at a hotel meeting on November 5th 1875, organised by Shrewsbury school old boys Arthur Constantine and John Lewis. The club's patronage by the wealthy middle classes helped it stay afloat and outlive many of the other clubs in the area.

As one of the top clubs, they were approached in 1888 to become one of the 12 founding members of the Football League. They finished the inaugural season in fourth place and unbeaten at home.

Rovers moved into their permanent home at Ewood Park in September 1890 and marked their first season there with a fifth FA Cup win. But a downturn in fortunes saw them narrowly escape relegation on several occasions and the 1928 FA Cup victory was their last major trophy for 67 years.

Rovers were relegated from the top flight for the first time in 1936, signaling the start of their long struggle to regain their status as a top team. Relegation in 1966 saw the beginning of their 26-year exile from the top flight and it was not until Walker and his millions came on board in 1991 that Blackburn returned to their glory days.

Premier League History

1992-93 - Blackburn, recently promoted via the play-offs, break the national transfer record by signing Alan Shearer from Southampton for £3.5million.
1993-94 - Finish runners-up in the FA Carling Premiership
1994-95 - Break the English transfer record again, signing Chris Sutton from Norwich City for £5million. Win the FA Carling Premiership
1995-96 - Manager Kenny Dalglish becomes Director of Football. Former assistant, Ray Harford, becomes manager
1996-97 - Shearer sold to Newcastle for a record £15million. Harford resigns in October after failing to win any of the ten opening matches. Tony Parkes takes over as caretaker manager
1997-98 - Roy Hodgson appointed as manager
1998-99 - Hodgson sacked in December and replaced by Brian Kidd. Relegated
1999-00 - Kidd sacked. Parkes takes over again until March when the club appoint Graeme Souness
2000-01 - Jack Walker dies. Promoted as runners-up
2001-02 - Break club transfer record with £8million signing of Andy Cole from Manchester United. Win their first-ever League Cup
2004-05 - Souness leaves to Newcastle. Replaced by Mark Hughes

Source of Information - <a class="postlink" href="http://www.premierleague.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.premierleague.com</a>" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Direct Link

From the sources of respective Blackburn fans,

Benni McCarthy, the obvious one would be Santa Cruz, obviously these goal hungry players can cause us some problems. If we cannot sort out our set pieces, Defensively, surely we will concede and offensively, we won't be attacking. Wasting corners after corners. Chances after chances.

However, very very content with the win tonight against Spart Prague, last minute goals, Hleb scoring more and more and Fabregas woken up from somewhere.

Building up confidence after the European win, we will see how Blackburn will do in their Intertoto Cup game, but games away at Ewood park is never easy. We lost to them before, but We may fancy a chance to win this most definitely. but it will be a very tight game.

Moreover, after our game, not to over exhaust our players, playing for 90 mins would not start with possible exceptions of Lehmann.

but nonetheless, it may aswell be the very same line-up against Sparta only to change them in the second half. And I hope to go, Arsène will not play another defensive 4-5-1 with RvP up there all alone. It's been known that RvP cannot play alone upfront.

so my predicted starting line-up would be :

Goal Keeper

Jens Lehmann

Defenders

Emmanuel Eboue
Kolo Toure
William Gallas
Gael Clichy

Midfielders

Tomas Rosicky
Mathieu Flamini
Cesc Fabregas
Aliaksandr Hleb

Forwards

Robin Van Persie
Eduardo Da Silva / Nicklas Bendtner

Provided if Eduardo is match fit. and Hopefully Adebayor will be fit aswell.

I am at the moment working on the Match Preview Article - "What They Say" - in Blackburn Rovers' Fan Forum. Will post it here once I'm done with it, should be between some time around Saturday or Sunday before the game

Credit goes to RC8 aswell for helping me with the graphics in thismatch thread.

 

[qs]

This will be a real test. Don't fancy our defence much.

 

[asajoseph]

Van Persie looked very isolated today, and Eboue was absolutely dire.

I'd be tempted to do what Nadz suggested, move two up front, Hleb into midfield, and drop Eboue (and play Sagna in defence). I'd also drop Flamini for Denilson, if he's fit.

Qs is right though - this has the potential to be a very difficult match.

 

[Tony Montana]

Cheers Nadz, I apologise for my Sparta thread.

And I agree with QS but i love these tests. It's these games, not the ones against Manure, Sp**s etc that show whether we're true title contenders. I expect us to win and will be gutted if we even draw.

 

[USgoonergirl]

Ade and Eduardo should be healthy for this, right?

 

[famous no 10]

Ade and Eduardo should be healthy for this, right?

I think Ade is still a week or so away...

 

[USgoonergirl]

And i agree this will be a difficult match but i expect us to win
i think we need a goal in the first half in this one, so they cant sit back in the second and defend. If we do that i could see us winning 2-1 or 3-1, i dont think we will get a clean sheet

 

[qs]

Van Persie looked very isolated today, and Eboue was absolutely dire.

I'd be tempted to do what Nadz suggested, move two up front, Hleb into midfield, and drop Eboue (and play Sagna in defence). I'd also drop Flamini for Denilson, if he's fit.

Qs is right though - this has the potential to be a very difficult match.

I think Flamini might be needed, we'll need a bit of steel in the middle and while he isn't exactly Vieira he's probably the toughest we've got available.

I wouldn't mind seeing Theo in place of Eboue but I want Hleb in the hole for at least the first half hour. If it isn't working we could shove Theo up front and Hleb onto the right. We'd see pretty quickly how isolated Robin is or isn't.

TBH today I don't he was isolated that much, more kicked out of the game. We got a free nearly everytime he had ball at feet. Doesn't suit his game if he cant move with the ball.

 

[celestis]

I think Bendtner and Walcott wil come in this match . The boys looked spent haflway through tonights match.

 

[awooga83]

Certainly going to be a big game, this is the exact type of game that we could get pushed out of or couldn't be bothered to turn up for. It will be interesting to see how we react to our first away game and outside London as well, how far has this team come.

 

[Tony Montana]

Certainly going to be a big game, this is the exact type of game that we could get pushed out of or couldn't be bothered to turn up for. It will be interesting to see how we react to our first away game and outside London as well, how far has this team come.

This is what i'm looking forward to. I'm relishing this.

 

[celestis]

Only thing that worries me is fatigue and I am afraid that RVP gets to frustrated in 4-5-1and might do something silly.

 

[go49oner]

I think by the end of this game will find out whether we're are really ready for title challenge or anther transition season.

 

[Nutsy]

Cheers Nadz, I apologise for my Sparta thread.

No worries Tony. No need to apologize there .

Anyway, I was looking towards more of Newcastle's clash will be the ultimate test of our new squad here. And sad to say, Bolton has really sank down. but I agree though, this game will be a very hard test and if we can with stand this. with a comfortable win, I'd say, we'll do well, in the coming games. Though I don't fancy much on last minute goals, it really is not good for health.

but I fancy Hleb to see this through. but Our defense really need to be sorted out.

 

[thegame24]

tough game but we should win.

end of the day we are better than them and fact is we should be clear favs

 

[thegame24]

tough game but we should win.

end of the day we are better than them and fact is we should be clear favs

 

[thegame24]

tough game but we should win.

end of the day we are better than them and fact is we should be clear favs

 

[tactica442]

I hope two things on Wenger's decision in this game. The first is to start Ade because he can fight for the ball; the second is to bring Denilson and/or Diaby to the North West. If Wenger insists placing Song on the bench and play him, I'd say Wenger is mad.

 

[Juicy]

It should be interesting to see who Wenger picks with possibly Eduardo back and maybe Diaby and Denilson. People are saying are players are going to be fatigued, but I really hope they aren't. If they are tired after two games what about after 38 Premier League (official name), a few FA cup and hopefully 10 or more Champions League games?
I agree that this is the kind of game we need to start winning, and (even though it is probably just random chance) our midfielders seem to have started scoring so we can win this game. Manchester United have had a shocking start to the season so we could very well challenge for the titleand I certainly hope we are up there for the top two. Whether Eduardo is back will make the selection very different, although I'm not entirely sure I would want him in the starting line up. It's too early to expect him to play in a tough away fixture. I would favour playing 4-5-1 like today or playing Robin with Adebayor. What Eduardo has done in Croatia has been good, but I'm not sure he's quite ready to be in our first team.
PS The format is great Gunners_Nadz and RC8

 

[Dreath]

Eduardo's debut will not be away to a bunch of notherners. He'll come on as sub at best.