Over the next few days, I’ll be posting write ups or podcast episodes of a review of the month I missed. With this new feature, I to invite anyone and everyone to be as involved as possible. If you have a question a comment or anything at all, email it to me and we’ll get it talked about on any future episode. Feeling bold? Even if you just have a simple built in mic or a whole studio, record a comment or question and I’ll throw it in the episode myself.

As always, discussion starts in the comments where I hope to see some of the posters return. Sorry again for the month long hiatus, but we’re back baby.

(EDIT:This next paragraph was added after initial posting)However, I am really tired of players thinking that it is so bad here at Rovers. To be fair, in interviews since the move Warnock has not slated the team or club, and has actually been pretty classy. But when the fan’s player of the year jumps ship for “European football” (which villa were eliminated from today) you really have to wonder. It wasn’t too long ago Rovers were in Europe. And we all know what happens when individuals feel too big for the club: See Bellamy, Bentley, Santa Cruz, etc. I like Warnock, the guy always gave his all and usually I like Villa too, only rooting against them when they play us. But the sad truth is Warnock will probably be one of those to see the hard way that the grass isn’t always greener. All the same, I dont wish him bad, but if Villa finish 16th, I won’t be shedding a tear.

What I didn’t expect though, was this move for Chimbonda right away. Now, some people have been concerned that this gives us a million Right backs and no leftbacks up to par and still hasn’t addressed the midfield situation. However, I think Salgado was brought in to play a holding midfield in front of the back four as a transition guy and first line of defense. I see Chimbonda playing the RB off and on with Jacobsen until one of them lock up the spot with Samb and Nelsen at CB and Givet on the left. Not too shabby if you ask me.

Plus, this is pretty shrewd money wise as well. The deal is reportedly in the £1.5m-£2m pound range and the 30 year-old defender has signed for two years while the Warnock sale is speculated at around £7m.

For the sake of sanity, I will keep my blue and white Spectacles on, and not get into the reasoning behind letting a player like Warnock leave.

Also, we beat Gillingham to advance to the Carling Cup third round. Goals from Dunn, Junior Hoilett and MGP secured our passage through. No highlights available for posting, will update when I’ve got my hands on them.

West Ham preview up tomorrow and as always, UP THE ROVERS!

Here’s how we’re looking: Robinson, Brown, Jacobsen, Samba, Nelsen, Givet, Khizanishvili, Warnock, Olsson, Diouf, Hoilett, van Heerden, Doran, Nzonzi, Andrews, Pedersen, McCarthy, Roberts, Di Santo.

Look at that list and remember who’s out and doubtful and try and build a solid starting XI. Our midfield can’t even be completed let alone compete. Very worried about what we could see if Nelson and Samba don’t make the cut.

Citeh will be probably fielding a 1-0-9 formation, with a team looking like this according to SkySports:
Given, Richards, Dunne, Toure, Bridge; Wright-Phillips, Barry, Ireland, Bellamy; Robinho, Tevez.

Let me just say, I am looking forward to a win. But if we draw or even lose I can not say I’ll be surprised. I just hope the boys are ready to get the season going the right way.

Now the invitation. I invite all Rovers fan in the NYC area to make the trek into the NYC and come watch the game with me and a bunch of other Rovers fans at Nevada Smiths. We’ll be there a little before kick off and through out the match so please come by if you are able to.

Hopefully the next post will be a victory review. Until then, come on new season AND UP THE ROVERS!

Excited for the league to start this weekend? Can’t wait to sit down and turn on your Rovers, after waking up early to make sure you catch them on TV? Well, you wont be turning on Fox Soccer Channel, at least not till after September.

Setanta isn’t showing us much love either, with only 2 matches being shown in August, and only one of those 2 is live. To quote the wise words of Mr. Rodney Dangerfield, “I get no respect!”

However, a new option has emerged. Just a few days ago, The Offside’s very own Daryl wrote a piece talking about ESPN showing 2 premier league matches a week on ESPN2. Read that blog here. That would be exciting stuff indeed, and would offer more chances to watch our Rovers.

In this edition of “Did I Miss Something?!” I play the fool as I clearly have missed the official signing of Nikola Kalinic. I had referenced it a few posts ago, but it wasn’t until I checked my fantasy team that I realized he had been officially signed. (Click the picture for full size)

Now that’s all well and good. Celebrate a new striker right? Yeah, hold the champagne, because he hasn’t been given a squad number. Curious.

Last but not least at all, Rovers are facing a small injury scare. Big Sam was quoted as saying “Unfortunately I think from our point of view that the game was over when Gally, Ryan and Chris got injuries, and they are looking pretty serious as well for next week.” AKA all three are doubtful. Awesome…not. Basically no midfield, a weakened defense, and a strike force that can’t score goals? I went from kinda hopefully optimistic to straight up afraid of this game against Citeh this weekend.

I won’t be talking about the friendlies for two reasons.
1. They’re friendlies.
2. We lost or tied them.

So, coming up this week you can look forward to a preview and some big hype leading up to the kickoff of the 09-10 season. As always, UP THE ROVERS!

You can read the article here (click) and from some of the quotes, you can almost sense Nelson being just as annoyed with all the speculation and being linked to EVERY striker in the world.

“The club is being linked with different strikers everyday, but we ignore all the speculation. We are just concentrating on getting ready for the new season.”

Solid, that’s what I want to hear coming from the Captain leading the squad through pre season. Let’s see what else he had to say…

“I am sure the manager will make the right decision in the market, his track record suggests he will. Until then, we will carry on doing what we are doing and looking forward to the season.”

Sounds like he has more than enough confidence in Big Sam and how he is handling the transfer window, while still pushing the fact that we do NEED a striker. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

What it comes down to though, is Rovers have to play the waiting game. We need that one transfer to spark the movement in the market, because right now, we have a ton of strikers looing to move at silly prices. Once someone lowers their fee and gets snapped up, a lot of other striker will follow suit.

Case and point, Sunderland took their bid off the table for Peter Crouch today, not going to wait around to pay silly prices. So it would seem that all clubs that aren’t Man Citeh are content to sit and bide their time while they wait for some sense to be knocked into the transfer market. Smart, calm, and wise I’d say.

But as a fan, the waiting is horrible for my mental health and my nerves as everyday I look to see who we’ve signed, only to be linked to another striker I’ve never heard of.

Hang in there my friends, this has to turn out right in the end. Or else we’re screwed. UP THE ROVERS!

The Hammers are sitting pretty comfortably in the top half, holding onto the 7th place with 40 points and fighting for a place in the UEFA Europa League. Robert Green has recovered from the knock he picked up during the Hammers’ Monday game and fill be starting between the sticks against us. West ham also won 4-1 in the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign.

Lucash Neill, ex Rover extraordinaire will be captaining the West Ham side like usual, but it always does the heart good when we beat him.

Points are points and boy do we need three. We could also use some luck in the resukts of the teams aorund us but if all goes according to plan, while we won’t jump too much higher in the league ladder, we will put some space between us and the bottom three. So lets shake off the Le Arse crushing and come out string. Some solid, physical work to take out their jets and confidence, a goal or two early and we’ll be on our way. UP THE ROVERS!

Aside from Ryan Nelson doing all that he could to slow down and help the ball along for Shrek, Rovers did a lot right. The 4-1-4-1 Big Sam threw out had a shaky start, but by the equalizer were playing up to the level of ManUre. After that first goal, Ooijer made a fantastic individual effort. Stealing the ball, he took a touch or two and threaded in it nicely for RSC who dribbled around TK and shot it in from a hard angle to equalize.

Late on, Nelson was denied by the post and just the slimest of margins, and Diouf’s rebound shot was goal bound when TK flew in out of no where to smother and stop the shot.

What really gets me, is the luck of the call Rovers never seem to get, and No one seems to get at OT. Howard Webb was in the perfect spot to see C.Cheat7 kick out violently (in the highlights) but didn’t show him the yellow or even the red. He did almost make amends for it by catching the Diver red handed, but the yellow card should have been his second, and he should have been off. But no, just the one yellow and nothing more. Then he gives the Scum the lead later. Pederson gets absolutely thrown by Rafael in the Man U box and nothing is called as he flies down (also in the highlights). Either it’s a penalty, or its a card for diving, and at those speeds, a torque that violent will bring a man down.

The One or Three points that were robbed from us leaves us two points out of safety going into the game against Hull. UP THE ROVERS always. Survival is key.

Man utd v Blackburn

A Big Sam soundbite and some interesting facts here. IE: Blyth Spartans are 118 places below Blackburn in football’s pyramid system.

A preview from The Guardian with some cheek quotes in it.

Big Sam- “Nothing to gain and everything to lose.”

Also, the winner of this Match will face…Sunderland! Again! Really……again. I’m starting to dislike them simply due to playing them so much, but not a terrible draw and we didn’t draw the links of Man U, Villa or Chelsea.

Maybe a live blog later on today, but for now UP THE ROVERS!….(who should win 7-0)

“We should have sealed the game, at 2-0 it was finished. But we showed a lack of experience, we should have kept the ball and finished the game off.”

Rovers stay in the drop zone but remain unbeaten under Big Sam. The gaffer was quite dissapointed after the match being quoted as saying,

“I feel like I’ve had all my Christmas presents taken from the bottom of the tree on Christmas morning”

(I swear I didn’t make that up.) He also added,

“Generally in the course of the three games we have now thrown away at least two points, probably four, and I thought that those three points were going to come here today and put us on a level playing field almost with some of the people slightly above us.

So, some good things to take away, like the blooming partnership on Benni and Jason. RAM perhaps? But, Rovers back line collapses again and that’s never a good thing. Also, Nelson out v Blythe for picking up his 5th yellow. Highlights after the jump.

Lineups:
SUNDERLAND: Fulop, Bardsley, Nosworthy, Whitehead (c), Malbranque, Cisse, Richardson, Collins, Jones, Ferdinand, Henderson.

Subs: Colgan (GK), Tainio, Diouf, Murphy, Leadbitter, Reid, Kay.

ROVERS: Robinson, Simpson, Khizanishvili, Samba, Olsson, Haworth, Tugay (c), Mokoena, Treacy, Fowler, Derbyshire.

Subs: Brown (GK), Ooijer, Warnock, Nelsen, Santa Cruz, Villanueva, Judge.