[Archived] Match Report: Blackburn Rovers 1 - 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers

[Kamy100]

Parsonblue's match report from yesterday's game:

Saturday 8^th August 2015 – Football League Championship

Blackburn Rovers 1 v 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Blackburn Rovers (1) 1

Ikeme (own goal) 39

David Raya; Adam Henley. Shane Duffy, Grant Hanley, Marcus Olsson; Danny Guthrie (Corry Evans 75), Jason Lowe; Nathan Delfouneso (Fodé Koita 75), Ben Marshall, Craig Conway; Jordan Rhodes.

Subs not used: Jason Steele (gk), Tommy Spurr, Matt Kilgallon, Chris Brown, Lee Williamson.

Manager: Gary Bowyer

Wolverhampton Wanderers (2) 2

Afobe 29, Edwards 45

Carl Ikeme; Dominic Iorfa, Richard Stearman, Kortney Hause, Scott Golbourne; James Henry (Matt Doherty 90), Kevin McDonald, Conor Coady, Dave Edwards; Nouha Dicko (Sheyi Ojo 84), Benik Afobe (Adam Le Fondre 90 + 1).

Subs not used: Aaron McCarey (gk), Rajiv Van La Parra, Jack Price, Ethan Ebansk-Landell.

Manager: Kenny Jackett

Referee: Mr. M. Haywood

Bookings: Blackburn Rovers – Danny Guthrie, Marcus Olsson

Wolverhampton Wanderers – Dominic Iorfa, James Henry, Sheyi Ojo

Attendance: 16,159

There are times when you know the footballing gods are not smiling upon you and this was one such day. After hitting the post in the opening minutes, the Rovers conceded a soft goal – nothing new there then – before hauling themselves back into the game courtesy of the Carl Ikeme palming one into the back of his own net. At that point, enter the hapless Mr. Haywood, another in a long line of inept officials that the Football League seems to specialise in these days. When Nouha Dicko fired in a shot from the left it seemed destined for the safe hands of David Raya until Dave Edwards flicked out a hand and diverted it into the net. The dithering Mr. Haywood seemed to hesitate for moment and then looked across to his assistant who, clearly in need of a good optician, pointed to his head suggesting that Edwards had headed the ball home. Haywood immediately awarded a goal to the consternation of the Rovers’ players and the Ewood faithful who have become accustomed to the appalling standard of officialdom which the Football League seems to churn out week after week. After the break the Rovers hit the woodwork and the usually lethal Jordan Rhodes fluffed a good chance as ‘Lady Luck’ turned her back on the men in “Blue and White.” Nonetheless, there were a number of encouraging signs to take from the game despite the disappointing result.

Gary Bowyer opted to continue with the tactical system which he had employed throughout the pre-season with two holding midfield players, three attacking midfielders and a lone striker. Danny Guthrie made his debut alongside Jason Lowe in the deeper role whilst Nathan Delfouneso came in on the right of midfield. In goal Bowyer opted for young David Raya over Jason Steele.

The Rovers made a quick start to the game and after just two minutes when Ben Marshall played an inch perfect pass into the path of Rhodes who took a touch and then hammered the ball from 20 yards against the post. More good work from Rhodes and Guthrie enabled Marshall to have a crack at goal but, sadly, he dragged his effort wide.

On twelve minutes it was Shane Duffy who got in on the act after a Marshall free-kick had been cleared and Marcus Olsson had whipped the loose ball back into the box where Duffy met it with a powerful header only to see Ikeme tip it over the bar.

Both Craig Conway and Guthrie had efforts which flew wide of the post as the Rovers continued to dominate the opening period of the game.

However, on 29 minutes the Rovers old Achilles’ heel was highlighted again when they conceded a rather soft goal which was very much against the run of play. A long ball forward skimmed off the head of Guthrie and into the path of Edwards. In an instant the midfielder had headed the ball through to Benik Afobe who had managed to find a gap between Grant Hanley and Shane Duffy. Afobe then flicked the ball with the outside of his boot to produce the deftest of finishes to beat Raya who had raced from his goal to try to cover the gap in the defence.

Fortunately, the Rovers didn’t dwell on the setback but continued to press forward in search of an equaliser and it came after 39 minutes following good work by new boy Delfouneso. The former Aston Villa and Blackpool striker picked up the ball and drove at the heart of the Wolves defence in a run which took him into the penalty area before a tackle saw the ball break into the path of Conway. The Scottish international wasted no time in getting away a shot which struck Richard Stearman and then looped up into the air towards the crossbar. Ikeme made a complete hash of his attempt to tip the ball over the bar and seemed to palm the ball into his own net. It was the first and only piece of good fortune that the Rovers enjoyed throughout the afternoon.

Six minutes later the bumbling Mr. Haywood took centre stage. Dicko collected the ball on the left and then cut in to hit a rather optimistic effort goalwards but the ball was well covered by Raya until Edwards managed to get a hand to the ball and deflect it past a startled Rovers ‘keeper. The home players immediately appealed for handball and even Edwards was too embarrassed to celebrate but the officials, incredibly, awarded a goal.

It was rough justice on the Rovers who didn’t deserve to go in one behind after a very encouraging opening period. The officials left the field for interval with a chorus of boos ringing in their ears from a very disgruntled Ewood crowd.

Two minutes after the restart and Wolves almost caught the Rovers cold when a cross from Dominic Iorfa flashed across the goalmouth with Afobe unable to get to the ball as Shane Duffy put him under pressure.

The half settled down into a somewhat scrappy affair but came to life when the bungling officials again appeared to get a big decision wrong. Adam Henley raced into the area to get onto the end of a forward pass but Kortney House attempted to intercept and seemed to upend Henley in so doing. It seemed a more than justified claim for a penalty but Mr. Haywood ignored the appeals.

However, on 70 minutes the Rovers ought to have been level when Delfouneso cleverly flicked the ball into the path of Rhodes on the left of the area and he, in turn, forced his way past a defender and found himself on a one-on-one situation with the ‘keeper. It was the sort of chance the Scottish international would normally tuck away with ease but on this occasion he pushed his shot wide of the far post. Rhodes claimed the ‘keeper got a touch but, once again, Mr. Haywood saw nothing.

With fifteen minutes remaining Bowyer rang the changes with Guthrie and Delfouneso, both of whom have not had a full pre-season’s training, giving way for Corry Evans and Fodé Koita.

James Henry then showed a neat piece of skill in evading a couple of tackles before blasting the ball against Raya’s crossbar.

The Rovers pushed forward in search of an equaliser and it was Koita who led the charge with a very powerful cameo in the closing stages. He sent in a powerful long range effort which Ikeme held and then Marshall tried to catch out the ‘keeper with a free-kick to the near post but Ikeme got across his goal to make the save.

Koita then got to the bye-line and then pulled the ball back into a sea of ‘Blue and White’ shirts but not one could get the touch that was needed to convert it into a goal.

Three minutes into injury time the French striker almost snatched the equaliser with a powerful effort which Ikeme did brilliantly to tip the ball onto the woodwork and away for a corner. From the corner Koita headed the ball towards the post but although Evans slid in he was unable to reach the ball.

Deep into injury time Ojo broke clear and raced into the Rovers area only to be stopped by a last ditch tackle which could easily have been a penalty. However, Mr Haywood stunned the Wolves fans by booking Ojo for a dive – yet other unfathomable decision by an official who had an afternoon to forget.

For the Rovers it was a desperately disappointing afternoon in terms of the result but there were enough encouraging signs in the performance to suggest that things aren’t as bleak as some would have us believe. Guthrie and Delfouneso did enough to suggest that once they are fully fit they will be valuable additions to the squad whilst Koita made a very favorable impression with his powerful display of running and shooting. There are still question marks against the centre-back pairing, although Hanley looked much fitter and sharper than in the past. David Raya confirmed his number one status with a confident display and couldn’t be blamed for either goal. His kicking was good and he dominated the box coming to catch crosses with confidence.

In midfield, Jason Lowe struggled at times whilst Marshall drifted in and out of the game. Rhodes, despite his miss in the second half, looked very lively and more mobile than in the past.

The visit of Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday night will no doubt give the manager the opportunity to look at other members of his senior squad as he tries to get the right combination and mix of old and new faces. The Rovers are a team in transition – both in personnel and tactics – with the manager and his coaching staff adopting a different formation to compensate for the loss of Rudy Gestede. It will clearly take time to come together but there were positives to take from this game as the club continues to move forward.

[Takemyhandsboss]

Great report as always. Much appreciated.

[Feniscowles Blue]

"The club continues to move forward????"

Using the sale of Rudy to buy time again?? He hardly started him anyway so to use his sale as an excuse is beyond the pale

Can we get someone who isn't deluded to paint a more realistic picture from now on.

[joey_big_nose]

"The club continues to move forward????"

Using the sale of Rudy to buy time again?? He hardly started him anyway so to use his sale as an excuse is beyond the pale

Can we get someone who isn't deluded to paint a more realistic picture from now on.

Parson puts a lot of time to give an excellently written, optimistic yet balanced view of a match, a hell of a lot more than you do.

Understand you disagree but have a bit of class about it.

Thanks Parson for the report. Much appreciated.

[Feniscowles Blue]

It's not balanced. There's always a tinge of GB love in there and it's all someone else's fault

[Stuart]

I agree the reports aren't balanced but are written as they would be by someone at the club or Radio Rovers (not that Parson is either). However, don't underestimate the time and effort that goes into producing stuff like this. It's a fan site after all so, unless anyone wants to put the effort into a glass-half full counter match report then take it for what it is. It's certainly not an opportunity to have a pop, there are plenty of threads for that.

In terms of on the field events. Isn't it about time that there was retrospective punishment for goals where a player has cheated to win a goal? If a defender prevents a goal scoring opportunity by unfair means he is sent off. If a forward scores a goal by unfair means he too should see red - retrospectively if necessary. Those ill-gotten two points (although there was more to that than his goal in the end) could be the difference for Wolves come May.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

"The club continues to move forward????"

Using the sale of Rudy to buy time again?? He hardly started him anyway so to use his sale as an excuse is beyond the pale

Can we get someone who isn't deluded to paint a more realistic picture from now on.

Hardly started him ?? - what - you make it sound like he was a fringe player.

I agree that GB is spending more times coming out with excuses than positives - but to say Rudy hardly started and his absence doesn't have an impact on team formation is ridiculous.

BTW - I found the report balanced and a fair report on what I saw yesterday. There was some encouraging signs - mixed in with some more traditional worries (like the centre back pairing). Seeing the positives doesn't make it a GB or Venky love in.

[Riverside67]

Good report but the last phrase bothers me

As the club continues to move forward.........................................are you joking

To my mind other than the odd promising performance a couple of times a season we have been in perpetual decline since Venky's took over.

First priority now and has been for two seasons is to make ourselves difficult to beat and that we are patently not.

Bowyer has not got the ability to sort that out.

[chaddyrovers]

It's not balanced. There's always a tinge of GB love in there and it's all someone else's fault

that's your opinion but his match reports are balanced and fair.

[Parsonblue]

The phrase which seems to cause concern is that the "club continues to move forward". The meaning I intended was that after the departure of King, Cairney and Gestede and the arrival of the four new players the club continues to move on. Whether you feel that the club is moving forward in the 'right direction' is another matter and very much a cause of debate.

[JBiz]

Can we get someone who isn't deluded to paint a more realistic picture from now on.

Thanks again Parson

Disgusting, whether you have the same opinion or not is completely irrelevant to how much effort that goes in.

I appreciate PBs reports and his work on the u21s et al, and if this kind of comment stops him from doing it, I'll be extremely annoyed.

[Hasta]

that's your opinion but his match reports are balanced and fair.

Err, that's also your opinion though !!!

[Feniscowles Blue]

that's your opinion but his match reports are balanced and fair.

I agree the reports are fair, it's the Bowyer propaganda in the closing comments that I struggle to stomach .

And who are you to think your opinion is more valid than mine?

[Mike E]

I agree the reports are fair, it's the Bowyer propaganda in the closing comments that I struggle to stomach .

And who are you to think your opinion is more valid than mine?

Bowyer propaganda? Did you read it properly or at least Parson's clarification?

[Feniscowles Blue]

Yes but the clarification only comes when he's pulled up about it Mike

[Mike E]

Yes but the clarification only comes when he's pulled up about it Mike

I think it was a needless pull up.

You referred to a single phrase at the end of a well-written, balanced report and appeared to slate the whole thing as propaganda.

You could've done it in a respectful way, such as:

'Thanks for the time and effort here Parson, good read. Could you clarify what you mean re: 'moving forward' at the end? I'm not sure the club is moving in the right direction, myself.'

Manners cost nothing.

[Al]

You are right Mike. Manners do cost nothing but to not pull him up when he goes too far is to leave him and his doppelganger free to conduct their "The management never err" campaign without challenge.

[Parsonblue]

Yes but the clarification only comes when he's pulled up about it Mike

If you don't like the reports the answer is simple - don't read them. At the end of the day I write them because I have been asked to write them. Am I going to change my style to appease you or fit your own agenda - clearly not. Therefore I suggest you give them a miss if you find them so delusional.

[Baggie192]

Wo1ve5 forever cheating

[Feniscowles Blue]

If you don't like the reports the answer is simple - don't read them. At the end of the day I write them because I have been asked to write them. Am I going to change my style to appease you or fit your own agenda - clearly not. Therefore I suggest you give them a miss if you find them so delusional.

the report is just one strand of your delusional support for GB to stay as manager. Your language would suggest that we're on the up, making a push etc. In reality we have a youth team manager who looks uncomfortable in a suit and in front of the interviewer, can't settle on a formation he thinks can work, buying loads of average midfielders and is slowly turning us into a bang average lower league team.

[DE.]

Just pretend the last sentence says backwards instead of forwards, and there's no problem.

[joey_big_nose]

the report is just one strand of your delusional support for GB to stay as manager. Your language would suggest that we're on the up, making a push etc. In reality we have a youth team manager who looks uncomfortable in a suit and in front of the interviewer, can't settle on a formation he thinks can work, buying loads of average midfielders and is slowly turning us into a bang average lower league team.

And this response is part of your delusional idea that anyone wants to hear you moan and complain about a quality piece of work someone has put a lot of time into.

Yes you may not agree with what he says, but please phrase your comment decently or even better write your own match report and submit it. We'd love to read it.

[Tom]

Thanks Parson good read as always.

I do think we had a few pieces of luck yesterday (both teams should have had a penalty, both hit post twice and our goals was a freak against the run of play) it's just rank bad officiating proved costly.

[RevidgeBlue]

I have to agree with FB's criticism of Parson's report. I feel like I watched a completely different game. I appreciate all the hard work and effort that is involved in producing a well written piece like that, but if he is going to put his own subjective slant on proceedings as opposed to merely listing what happened then he can't really complain or be too precious if people have a different take on it.

The other option would be too disable comments on the thread if the report is intended to be a stand alone piece with no praise, criticism, or discussion permitted.

[Al]

I rarely read those reports anyway. Having been to the matches I can see that they are written wearing blue an white glasses and the manager can do no wrong despite his tactics being little short of tragic. A typical example is Delf doing very little on the right wing then being switched into the centre with Marshall going into his proper position. Both played better and Delf was the main provider of the goal. So what does the idiot do? He switches them back in the second half and both become anonymous again. Bowyer is holding this team back and must be replaced.