Omer Riza: Things will get ugly and we were robbed

Omer Riza's post match comments, although it sounds like he won't be around much longer:




“If I said disappointed it would be an understatement. We are not doing all the things we need to be doing to win games. We are still making fundamental mistakes. We played into their hands, didn't get the ball down well enough. We forced balls, lost balls too easily and allowed them to apply pressure.

“The goals we gave away were comical. We didn’t get back into position quick enough from a throw-in. Not enough people getting out to the ball and putting their bodies on the line to block the first goal. The second goal was comical as well. We are just not doing the basics well enough and it's costing us heavily. We put a lot of energy into games, get into good positions at times and the same mistakes are happening over and over.

“Players are not taking responsibility and we are in trouble. If we are going to keep doing that we will be in big trouble. We’ve got nine games left and we need to stop doing this stuff. Otherwise we’re not going to win games.

“I can't knock the effort and commitment. All the games we’ve lost or drawn is because of these reasons. We are talking about it and I’m not seeing it. Now this is a fight. Now we are going to see the boys who are going to step up and fight for this club. It’s fight or flight. We are in a real tough spot at the moment.

“We have got nine games and we have got to fight for every game, every minute, every inch of grass. It's the message I can give the players. They will know after tonight.

"You're saying this squad shouldn't be where it is - this squad is where it is. This squad is where it is because of what it's doing. Whether you look at a player and say he's good enough, or better than what he's performing, this is the situation we are in - together.

"We have to get ourselves out of it. Whether we have got players who have the nitty gritty to be brave and to win battles against people. Well, the jury's out on that because we have faltered at times when we have needed it.

"The boys have got to dig deep to help get us out of this situation because we will have to pick the squad accordingly to get us out of that now.

"We will go back in on Thursday and reassess the squad. I will be making the changes necessary to get a result. Will it be ugly? It looks like it. I want boys on the pitch who are going to fight. If we can't do it the other way around, we will have to do it that.

"Luton weren't great. They weren't great today. They're not a great team. We've given them the opportunity to claw back some points against us and that's on us.

"Whether they can continue to go and rob other teams like they've robbed us today - which seems to be a common theme with us at the moment - I'm not sure. Probably not. But we have got to worry about ourselves.

"We have got to reflect, like we do as coaches, I hope the players are reflecting today, looking at themselves, because I'm sure after our talk in the changing room they will be, and we will do what we think is necessary for Blackburn. We are in a scrap."

Fooking clown

What a shambles. He's just put the players under a bus there hasn't he .They didn't look tonight like they had a clue what they were doing the shape the tactics the lot was shocking. Unfortunately buck stops with riza

Educating kids on good footballing fundamentals is one thing, managing a championship club is entirely a different ball game.

The chef in my local cooks a lovely roast and a cracking burger, he went to catering college and got all his certificates, I doubt Tan would appoint him executive chef at his most exclusive resort. Its all on Tan.

What a shambles. He's just put the players under a bus there hasn't he .They didn't look tonight like they had a clue what they were doing the shape the tactics the lot was shocking. Unfortunately buck stops with riza

Exactly right mate.
Says the same thing after every loss. ‘We keep making the same mistakes’. We’ll drop the player who’s making them, change the tactics. wtf is Purse actually going there if he’s unable to attempt to sort out defensive frailties

he got the tactics totally wrong just just tonight but has cost us quite a few times this season i said before half time the team looks lost like they dont understand how he wants them to play

No continuity between midfield and attack simply because he doesn't play with two upfront poor Salech doing what all previous forwards did fight off 2 or 3 defenders on his own.... most damning thing was his knowledge of using subs... 1st set was 15 mins to late from time we needed them to time brought on was 15mins in those t15 mins nothing had changed on pitch except lost that time to get players into game......then they score 100% of decent coaches would have made sub immediately to bring on a forward he waits 10mins why? You don't wait 10mins when you're needing a goal you get him on immediately ... just one of his failings or his coaching staff hard to tell.

He’s used his con talk to get where he is tells people around him what they want to hear , how the fk he’s a championship manager I will never know only the board knows. He wouldn’t even be a good Sunday league manager why the fk is he here. I would have Simic over Meite too but Simic is way off apparently by what Riza says.

As far as I am concerned we are down because I have absolutely no faith in Riza picking the right team or tactics to win enough points to keep us up. Until last night I thought we would be safe, but his obsession with playing Salech on his own up front with nobody within 30 yards of him, what does expect him to do on his own. I think their winner was a bit unfortunate as Bowler's shot took a deflection as Goutas had to try and block the shot but only fell straight to their striker who had a simple goal he will ever get. Chambers had a a brilliant strike hit the bar (3 games on the trot we've hit the woodwork with the keeper beaten), but Riza should not have been given the job we all know that Tan does it on the cheap, how is he a successful businessman but his 2 football clubs are all over the shop. So fuckin angry at last night's performance.

Makes me laugh when he said we were robbed. I saw two poor sides and one simply wanted it more than the other.

The first half was one of the worse games of football I've seen since... Most of the games this season funny enough.

I was on the fence with Riza up until now but after tonight that's done it for me.

We were going 8 points clear of Luton when we took the lead and probably sending them down, instead of capitulating Luton rolled their sleeves up showed heart, fight and desire and deservedly took the points imo.

I very much doubt that under Riza this squad would do the same if the roles were reversed, it looks to me that the players don't have a clue what they're supposed to be doing and are just sent out on a whim and a prayer.

The bigger picture here is I don't blame Riza, he should never have got the job in the first place. It's groundhog day again and another terrible appointment by Tan and his cronies have put us in the position.

We've got away with it for a few seasons now but eventually it catches up with you and unfortunately I think this season is the one.

I can't agree with Riza that we were robbed.

It was two poor teams but Luton did more than us so deserved to win.

Throwing the players under the bus like he has here doesn't help.

The better team won, and the better team were shite. Strong management sometimes is to come out and stand by being the worst team on the night; then doing something about it.

Under massive pressure.

Tick Tock.