Views Of The Rovers
Yet another of the incredibly popular questionnaires, this time pre Blackburn game, feel free to reply to any of the answers, that's what they're here for. The first from.... American Rover 12 What do you think the scoreline will be? 2-1 Rovers What player you think we should fear? If Santa Cruz plays, which in all likely hood he will, him. Which Villa player do you think will give you the most problems? Laursen. Guy's an animal. Good for a goal now and again too. What are your memories of previous Blackburn v Villa meetings? That crap pen that Barry converted last may. Do you think Bentley deserves a place in the England starting line up? Absolutely. More then father time Becks. Is Samba the best defender in the premiership this year? That's a loaded question, but for the sake of being a Rovers fan and the fact that he is, I'm gonna say yes. How do you rate your progress compared to Villa over the past couple of seasons? They certainly have their ups and downs like us, but Rovers seem to stay a little higher each time. That said, AV is having a very good start this time round. Which of your youngsters should we look out for in the future? Samba! laugh.gif Given the pedigree of Mark Hughes, do you think it is at all possible for yourselves to be competing for Champions League football if you progress at the rate you have been? In a few seasons, i expect that to be a reality. What would be a good season for you? Top 6

NellyBC said.... What do you think the scoreline will be? 2 - 1 What player you think we should fear? Bentley Which Villa player do you think will give you the most problems? Agbonghlahor wWhat are your memories of previous Blackburn v Villa meetings? Dont remember many victories recently, although a dodgy pen last season sticks a little bit. I do have a memory of rovers signing gordon cowans from yourselves. Do you think Bentley deserves a place in the England starting line up? Yes Is Samba the best defender in the premiership this year? No Not yet, but wont be far away come the end of the season How do you rate your progress compared to Villa over the past couple of seasons? We are making steady progress without overspending and slowly improving. It seems you have been stuck in a rut for a couple of seasons now. Maybe with the finance and change of manager that will bring you more consistency Which of your youngsters should we look out for in the future? Derbyshire Given the pedigree of Mark Hughes, do you think it is at all possible for yourselves to be competing for Champions League football if you progress at the rate you have been? If we can make the most of our games coming up to and over the xmas period and still be withing shouting distance then anything is possible What would be a good season for you? Good Season = European Qualification and a good cup run

Anti-Dingle-Brigade :hehe: said... What do you think the scoreline will be? 2-2, Santa and Dunn for us, Carew x 2 for you. What player you think we should fear? Santa Cruz if he plays, also Benni if he is fit. Which Villa player do you think will give you the most problems? Barry, Abonglahor or Carew What are your memories of previous Blackburn v Villa meetings? Us beating you 2-0 at Villa Park, Flitty and Stead with the goals smile.gif Do you think Bentley deserves a place in the England starting line up? Bench, yes, starting line up, only when in good form. Is Samba the best defender in the premiership this year? Not sure about the best, but within the top 5 certainly. How do you rate your progress compared to Villa over the past couple of seasons? Both teams have progressed well and look good for Europe. Which of your youngsters should we look out for in the future? Matt Derbyshire, Keith Treacy. Given the pedigree of Mark Hughes, do you think it is at all possible for yourselves to be competing for Champions League football if you progress at the rate you have been? With a hell of a lot of luck, yes. Realistically we can just about steal 4th if we have an absolute blinder, the gap is too big for us to do it consistently though. What would be a good season for you? Good - Top 8. Excellent - Top 6. Incredible - Top 4. And Benni should be fit, fingers crossed smile.gif

Wolverine said... What do you think the scoreline will be? 1-1 What player you think we should fear? Samba, by a country mile. Which Villa player do you think will give you the most problems? Barry. If he performs, he controls the game. What are your memories of previous Blackburn v Villa meetings? I came and watched us play you in 1994. I can't remember the score as I was young (I think it was 1-0 to us), but I definately remember my brand new denim rovers jacket got a cigarette burn right through it from the guy behind me... Do you think Bentley deserves a place in the England starting line up? Yes. Along with Warnock, Barry and Agbonlahor. Is Samba the best defender in the premiership this year? Quite possibly. Certainly the best value and he can only add to his game. How do you rate your progress compared to Villa over the past couple of seasons? Sporadic, but this season seems to be going OK so far for us. You haven't had the indignation of relegation, but you haven't made too many headlines, either. I really think your time is coming though, with so many decent young players ready to mature. Which of your youngsters should we look out for in the future? Matt Derbyshire is the most obvious, but it is worth remembering Samba is only 23. Players we are expecting to come through include Rigters, Nolan, Treacy and Taylor. Given the pedigree of Mark Hughes, do you think it is at all possible for yourselves to be competing for Champions League football if you progress at the rate you have been? If we progress at the rate we have been, we will be champions of all there is to be in a couple of years! Realistically, though, Sparky can only work with what he has, and taking into account our maximum possible attendances and a lack of substantial investment, I can't see us being any more than a team pushing for a stray Champs League place along with several other clubs. What would be a good season for you? Fifth. Or relegation for West Ham (justice), Birmingham (too big a club for the prem) and Bolton (GM rejects).

Hasta posted: - What do you think the scoreline will be? 2-0. Sunday was a bit of a stumble against Fulham but we played well enough. I fancy us to return to winning ways. What player you think we should fear? Santa Cruz is a class act, probably better than most of us thought when we signed him. Which Villa player do you think will give you the most problems? I liked Agbonglahor last year but he seems to have improved again, adding goals and a bit more of an end product this year. Along with James Vaughen at Everton I think he's possibly an England striker of the future. If his name was Theo he'd probably be in the full squad already. What are your memories of previous Blackburn v Villa meetings? No Premiership meeting really stand out. I remember Savo spitting at your own fans at Ewood. I also remember when we won 1-0 at Villa Park the day Man U put 9 past Ipswich in our Championship season. The FA Cup game at Ewood in Pre-jack Walker 1990 was a good one., Rovers twice coming from behind to earn a 2-2 draw. Andy Kennedy then put us infront after 40 seconds of the replay at Villa Park but we ended up losing 3-1 Do you think Bentley deserves a place in the England starting line up? Most Rovers fans will undoubtably say yes. My view is that he will offer more nowadays than Beckham. He can do the crossing but is also mobile and can get into the box. When was the last time you saw beckham arriving late at the back post?? However if everyone was fit I still think Aaran Lennon is the one that should play on the right. Bentley should definately be in the squad though. Is Samba the best defender in the premiership this year? Yes. Certainly the best value at £400,000. I can honestly say I would not swap him for any other central defender in the league. I know that sounds like a bold statement but believe me it's true. He's a collosus. How do you rate your progress compared to Villa over the past couple of seasons? Our progress has been excellent since Hughes arrived. We've had a couple of cup semi finals and qualified for europe twice via the league. The problem now is the fact that the next step would be to break into the top 4 which most experts reckon is impossible. It's difficult to judge Villa. The Doug Ellis era must surely be dissapointing for you. A quick look at your record sees you've only finished higher than 10th once in 5 years. However the O'Neill / Lerner era is looking promising so far. Which of your youngsters should we look out for in the future? Keith Treacy is often referred to as the next Damien Duff. The young irishman hasn't broken into the side yet but, with MGP badly out of form, he might get a chance at some point. If your good enough your old enough and all that. Given the pedigree of Mark Hughes, do you think it is at all possible for yourselves to be competing for Champions League football if you progress at the rate you have been? Unlikely but you have to have some goals don't you. It would need one of the top 4 to badly underperform. There was hope that Chelsea would implode after losing Jose but they seem to be back on track. Maybe this Benitez fued with Liverpool will open the door. Even then we would still have to outperform the likes of yourselves, Everton, Pompey and even Man City (!) What would be a good season for you? Finishing in the top 6 and a trip to Wembley. We're in the QF of the league cup at home to Arsenal's kids. If we get through, with one of Liverpool or Chelsea going out, we've a decent chance of being in the final. Once you get there anything can happen.

Fife Rover posted: - What do you think the scoreline will be 2-2 What player you think we should fear? Andy Todd. Which Villa player do you think will give you the most problems? Agbonlahor. What are your memories of previous Blackburn v Villa meetings? FA Cup:3rd Div Rovers giving 1st Div Villa a fright. Do you think Bentley deserves a place in the England starting line up? Yes. Is Samba the best defender in the premiership this year? No, but he will be. How do you rate your progress compared to Villa over the past couple of seasons? Rovers very good under MH; Villa getting much better under O'Neill. Which of your youngsters should we look out for in the future? Derbyshire, Samba, Treacy. Given the pedigree of Mark Hughes, do you think it is at all possible for yourselves to be competing for Champions League football if you progress at the rate you have been? No reason why not. What would be a good season for you? Top 4 or 5.

Roar of the Rover posted: - What do you think the scoreline will be? 1-1 What player you think we should fear? David Bentley. Which Villa player do you think will give you the most problems? Agbonlahor What are your memories of previous Blackburn v Villa meetings? I think it was in the F.A Cup, a Matt Jansen Hat-trick, 1-4 at Villa Park? Do you think Bentley deserves a place in the England starting line up? Well ahead of SWP, certainly Is Samba the best defender in the premiership this year? Nearly, Rio has had a good season for United, so has Laursen How do you rate your progress compared to Villa over the past couple of seasons? Don't really know about Villa, bit of a stop start, looked good under DOL but then went a bit pear shaped. Rovers are going strength to strength and we're just hoping to break into that top 4 in the next couple of seasons. Which of your youngsters should we look out for in the future? Matt Derbyshire, good finisher. Given the pedigree of Mark Hughes, do you think it is at all possible for yourselves to be competing for Champions League football if you progress at the rate you have been? Yes, in the next couple of seasons, if he's still here that is. What would be a good season for you? Top 6 finish.

Tim Southampton Rover posted: - What do you think the scoreline will be? 2-1 What player you think we should fear? Santa Cruz - He is top class striker who has impressed since day one. Which Villa player do you think will give you the most problems? Young and Agbonlahor have a lot of pace in their game and both are on fire at the moment so we have to make sure they see as little of the ball as possible. What are your memories of previous Blackburn v Villa meetings? Usually losing to Villa is usually more painful for me than most other defeats as my granddad has supported Villa for the last 80 years...he doesn't let me forget the scores! Do you think Bentley deserves a place in the England starting line up? It's tough because he has some great players competing for the same position. Beckham, Bentley, Wright-Phillips and Lennon are all great players who can offer something different. Bentley has the class but just needs a chance. Is Samba the best defender in the premiership this year? He has been outstanding since he signed for us and he will only get better. Samba has all the attributes to become one of the best defenders in the Premier League. If he carries on the way he's been playing then I'm sure he will definitely start being recognised as a top class player. How do you rate your progress compared to Villa over the past couple of seasons? We've done very well in the cup competitions and regularly qualify for European positions. Despite limited resources at Blackburn, we have bought some fantastic players who have made an impact on the Premier League straight away. We can only thank Mark Hughes and his team for finding such great talent on a restricted budget. We are also playing some great football at the moment. Aston Villa are definitely a team who have the foundations to be a top 10 club. They have a great stadium, a big following, a great manager and some quality players but they are also a team who just don't reach their full potential which must be very frustrating for the fans. Despite winning 2 cups in the mid 90's they haven't really done anything for the last 10 years. Which of your youngsters should we look out for in the future? A lot of people are already taking note of Derbyshire but we have a great academy who have a few gems in the side already. Recently we had Keith Tracey make his debut in the Carling Cup. He's been touted as the next Damien Duff. If he's half as good as Duff was at Rovers then we'll have one hell of a player. We also have young Swede Martin Olsson at fullback who looks to be a decent player. Given the pedigree of Mark Hughes, do you think it is at all possible for yourselves to be competing for Champions League football if you progress at the rate you have been? For us to continue to compete at a top level then we need someone to invest in the club to give Hughes the funds to really bring the top players to Ewood. Despite bringing in some top players for next to nothing, you won't find many Benni's for £2.5m, Samba's for 400k or Nelsen's on a free. There will be a time when it's vital that we have the financial support the rest of the Premier League clubs seem to have. What would be a good season for you? A top 6 finish and a great run in the cup....and not having to lose our best players to other clubs!

Scotty posted: - What do you think the scoreline will be? I think it will be close. Villa are in good form and will be full of confidence after their result at Boro. They've also had an extra days rest which can be so important these days. That said though, we're a good team and are playing well in virtually every game at the moment. I'll take home advantage to get us over the line and a 2-1 Rovers win. What player you think we should fear? Our main strength is that we play well as a team and, as such, it's difficult to pick out individuals. However, Bentley tends to be behind most of our good work and consistently carries a threat to the opposition. Which Villa player do you think will give you the most problems? Agbonlahor's pace can hurt anyone and he seems to have that bit of steel about him that most good players have. What are your memories of previous Blackburn v Villa meetings? I really don't mean any offence here but I always think of Villa as a bit of a non-descript club. They seem to spend most of their time drifting along comfortably in mid-table, sometimes playing well, sometimes not, and it's not usually a fixture that quickens the pulse much. I do remember though a cracking game between the two clubs in the late 80's at Ewood, when both clubs were fighting for promotion up to the top flight. We won the game 3-2 (with two goals from an on-loan Steve Archibald) but lost out on promotion in the end. Do you think Bentley deserves a place in the England starting line up? It depends on how England want to play. Bentley can cross a ball as well as anyone, in fact he's almost a carbon-copy of Beckham in that respect (although he's a lot more mobile than Beckham). So, if we play with a forward who likes to get on the end of crosses then he'd be a good option. However, he lacks the pace and trickery of SWP or Lennon, and consequently won't be as good in a counter-attacking team. He should definately be in the squad though. Is Samba the best defender in the premiership this year? He's not even the best defender in our team! Don't get me wrong, Samba has been a revelation ever since he joined and seems to be improving game by game, but I don't think he's as good defensively as Ryan Nelsen yet. Samba is more eye-catching though, particularly as he makes the occasional charge up field taking on defenders like an old-fashioned winger. He really has got the potential to be as good as he wants to be - but he's not there yet. How do you rate your progress compared to Villa over the past couple of seasons? Our progress has probably been quicker, and I think we've progressed further, but both teams are going the right way. We both have good managers that we may have trouble keeping hold of in the years to come. Which of your youngsters should we look out for in the future? Matt Derbyshire is the only player to really break through from the academy in the last couple of years, although I still think he's a little way off commanding a regular first-team spot yet. It will be interesting to see how our youth team gets on this season as there have been a few rumblings about us having some talented youngsters - but that seems to happen every year yet the conversion rate from academy players to first-teamers is disappointing. Given the pedigree of Mark Hughes, do you think it is at all possible for yourselves to be competing for Champions League football if you progress at the rate you have been? Realistically, we'd need one of the "big 4" to implode for us to have a chance. Thankfully, Liverpool look like they may do that, which could leave the door open for one of a number of clubs to sneak in. Personally, I think we'll be competing with Portsmouth, City & Everton as the best of the rest. Maybe Villa could be in that group as well if they strengthen in January. What would be a good season for you? 5th in the league is a realistic target. We're in the quarter final of the Carling Cup, where we have a home draw against Arsenal's kids. If we perform to our maximum then I would expect us to get to the semi - and then who knows what could happen. We also got to the semi-final of the FA Cup last season and no-one will want to draw us again this year. So, a successful season would mean European qualification. However, there's a feeling around the place at the moment that something special could happen this season, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if we see Rovers walk out at Wembley sometime next year. Good luck for the season - after Wednesday.

Grizfoot posted: - What do you think the scoreline will be? Rovers 3-0 Villa What player you think we should fear? Bentley, Santa Cruz Which Villa player do you think will give you the most problems? Agbanlahor What are your memories of previous Blackburn v Villa meetings? Playing absolutely terrible and losing 3-0. Do you think Bentley deserves a place in the England starting line up? Now that Beckham is likely to retire, yes why not he's better than SWP anyway. Is Samba the best defender in the premiership this year? Definately up their with the best, but outright the best would be pushing it a bit too far. How do you rate your progress compared to Villa over the past couple of seasons? Now they've got a good manager in charge, they've looked a decent outfit and could push for europe this season. Which of your youngsters should we look out for in the future? Derbyshire although I suppose he's not much of a youngster anymore. Olsson a young left-back is apparently one for the future. Given the pedigree of Mark Hughes, do you think it is at all possible for yourselves to be competing for Champions League football if you progress at the rate you have been? I think it's definately possible if we manage to keep hold of Hughes and he is given the funds to strength our team, I see no reaosn why not. What would be a good season for you? Top Six finish, a good run in one of the cups.

'arrod rover posted: - What do you think the scoreline will be? 2-1 (Bentley, Santa - Agbonlahor) What player you think we should fear? Bentley Which Villa player do you think will give you the most problems? Agbonlahor/Young What are your memories of previous Blackburn v Villa meetings? seem to remember a game at Villa Park a few years ago when Andy Cole chipped Peter Schmeichel...pure class Do you think Bentley deserves a place in the England starting line up? He deserves at least a chance to show what he can do as his form for us is outstanding Is Samba the best defender in the premiership this year? I wouldn't swap him for anybody...he is pure entertainment How do you rate your progress compared to Villa over the past couple of seasons? European football 2 years in a row says it all... Which of your youngsters should we look out for in the future? Treacy and Olsson are huge talents, as well as Derbyshire who can only get better Given the pedigree of Mark Hughes, do you think it is at all possible for yourselves to be competing for Champions League football if you progress at the rate you have been? Under Mark Hughes anything is possible What would be a good season for you? A great season would be top 4 and a cup win :-), although we will settle for top 6!

Capt Kayos posted: - What do you think the scoreline will be? I always think goals when we play you so certainly won't be 0-0 , however you've not been bad at Ewood recently so anybody's guess - it'll be tough but I expect a win on home ground What player you think we should fear? SSW - Santa Samba and Warnock Which Villa player do you think will give you the most problems? Agbonlahor/Young What are your memories of previous Blackburn v Villa meetings? The cup replay and Andy Kennedy's goal before the game kicked off ( in my case anyway) and the magic roundabout player father of Crouch - Ian Ermintrude - oh and of course the Archibald show at Ewood Do you think Bentley deserves a place in the England starting line up? He certainly should be considered and be given a chance Is Samba the best defender in the premiership this year? No - but he could be and certainly will be one season. How do you rate your progress compared to Villa over the past couple of seasons? Better - although Villa seem to be picking it up now- which is not bad in itself as I think Villa could be one that could attach itself to the Big 4 tag if you get yourself sorted - good support and ground with the foundations to grow bigger. Which of your youngsters should we look out for in the future? My little lad Dominic currently - Samba and Treacy if reports are to be believed and Derbyshire Given the pedigree of Mark Hughes, do you think it is at all possible for yourselves to be competing for Champions League football if you progress at the rate you have been? Hey come on ... this is little olde' Blackburn we are talking about here - but whilst we still have Sparky anything is possible. What would be a good season for you? Wemberlee and European qualification - The FA being totally cleared out and refreshed and the Officials actually being told to officiate a game with common sense with common sense rules being adopted

Everybody is shit scared of Agbonlahor!!!

Some great questionnaire replies, cheers :thumbs: Not surprisingly, none have gone for a Villa win, which is good for us, it's the underdog thing, we play better when we're not favourites to win, so thanks for that :D I really don't mean any offence here but I always think of Villa as a bit of a non-descript club. They seem to spend most of their time drifting along comfortably in mid-table, sometimes playing well, sometimes not, and it's not usually a fixture that quickens the pulse much. No offence taken, to be honest that's how it's been for a while with Villa. For many years, the main objected of Doug Ellis was to keep the club in the black, money was released to buy new players, but only after existing ones were sold on, and maybe a portion of the cash was not spent wisely, Balaban springs to mind straight away. But those days are over, there is money available when Martin O'Neill needs it, we are is moving on, and with a bit of luck, and a lot of hard work, we will no longer be a bit of a non-descript club.