Rovers vs Stoke City, 06/04/18, Ewood Park, 3pm Kick Off.

[SBlue]

14 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

 Corry Evans was briefly sensational when he first joined the Club but after getting injured on international duty shortly thereafter he has been absolutely chronic

 

I must’ve still been in the queue on the concourse.

 

Edited April 7, 2019 by S8 & Blue

[RevidgeBlue]

3 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

 Jesus Christ!

My reaction entirely whenever I watch him. 

Time to stop being so soft on some of these underperforming players, they haven't been "good servants" at all on the whole, they've been instrumental in years of mediocrity/failure punctuated by one decent season in a League we should arguably never have been in in the first place.

[RevidgeBlue]

Just now, S8 & Blue said:

 

I must’ve still been in the queue on the concourse.

 

Not remember the 30 yarder he scored?

[SBlue]

Just now, RevidgeBlue said:

My reaction entirely whenever I watch him. 

Time to stop being so soft on some of these underperforming players, they haven't been "good servants" at all on the whole, they've been instrumental in years of mediocrity/failure punctuated by one decent season in a League we should arguably never have been in in the first place.

Bennett was atrocious yesterday.

But he was my player of the season last year. 

[SBlue]

Just now, RevidgeBlue said:

Not remember the 30 yarder he scored?

Was it after half time?

 

Sensational??

You’re talking about THE Corry Evans?

Edited April 7, 2019 by S8 & Blue

[DE.]

Just now, RevidgeBlue said:

Not remember the 30 yarder he scored?

Judging by his shooting since then he probably miskicked it.

[K-Hod]

It was a deflection, but yeah, against Bolton I believe. Nowadays he gets a nose bleed at the very thought of passing the half way line....

[roversfan99]

Just now, S8 & Blue said:

Bennett was atrocious yesterday.

But he was my player of the season last year. 

I dont have a clue how.

He was absolutely shocking in the first half of the season, no goals and very few assists as he played very ineffectively out wide (very limited striker Marcus Antonsson was far better than him on the other side) before he moved into central midfield for a bit and was impressive v Shrewsbury but ultimately the effectiveness of his partnership with Smallwood waned and he moved to right back to cover the (if I recall correctly) injured Nyambe, with Evans proving more effective in central midfield following that change.

I get that he was full of passion, effort etc, but work rate wasnt a problem throughout the whole team, so that doesnt mean he stands out.

Dack and Mulgrew were far, far better than Bennett, not to mention a few others.

 

[roversfan99]

Just now, K-Hod said:

It was a deflection, but yeah, against Bolton I believe. Nowadays he gets a nose bleed at the very thought of passing the half way line....

Scored a lovely curler into the top corner away at Wigan.

[Stuart]

3 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Not remember the 30 yarder he scored?

You sure you’re not thinking of the actual Jason Lowe?

Btw, Bennett isn’t great at this level but he’s no Jason Lowe. Smh.

[Paul Mellelieu]

8 hours ago, K-Hod said:

Have you anything real to add, or are you just going to continue to passive aggressively slag people off that you don’t agree with? 

It's a JOKE.  It's not passive aggressive - that's something else.

 

Edited April 7, 2019 by Paul Mellelieu

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

2 hours ago, MarkBRFC said:

If we're drawing or a goal down when the board goes up at the end of 90 minutes you might aswell go home, coming upto 26 months since we last scored a injury time winner/equaliser in the league.

That tells me all I need to know. Team Spirit ? Don't make laugh.

[OldEwoodBlue]

[blueboy3333]

THEY'RE NOT ARSED, ARE YOU? 

[Stuart]

That’s looking more and more foolish a marketing angle the longer the second half of the season goes on.

Did the players pull their fingers out in January because they thought they might be replaced? Because as soon as they no longer could be the wheels very quickly fell off.

[Bigdoggsteel]

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/rovers/news/17556246.how-the-rovers-players-rated-in-stoke-city-defeat/

Actual quote from the article-talk about a Freudian slip 

Corry Evans 5

Restored to the side after injury, but needed to play with a little more injury. Played higher up the pitch in the second half, but too many stray passes

 

[SydneyRover92]

Never done one of these before but figured, given it was my first visit to Ewood (something i've dreamed of for the past 23 odd years growing up on the other side of the world), I'd give some thoughts. First, big thanks to those who gave the seat recommendations a while back! We ended up sitting towards the back of NO4, and the view was fantastic. Anyways, some thoughts in no particular order;

Lineup - well I was really really looking forward to seeing Dack in home colours for the first time (i'd previously had the pleasure of attending the away fixtures at Millwall and Brentford - which i'd prefer not to talk about) and was really disappointed when the lineup was released. Not sure if i was more disappointed in Dack's omission or the rest of the lineup with the addition of the usual suspects of Evans, Smallwood and Bennett (in a 10 role this time - i'm starting to feel Mowbray uses a Magic 8 Ball to confirm his selection proclivities). No creativity from this lot and at that point confirmed (in my mind at least) it would be much of the same stuff we've seen for the past 15 off games.

Regarding the Dack fiasco, i'm not looking for sympathy, just trying to provide an alternative perspective - to get to the game my missus and I spent £120 on trains, £70 on accommodation for the night (granted, we didn't have to stay the night) and £55 on tickets. That's almost £90 each (£125 including accomm). To not see our star player (for any reason besides injury, or an egregious personal issue) was extremely disappointing. My girlfriend recalls how much my mood changed from the pre-game excitement, to when the lineup was announced. So that was a real dissapointment, especially considering he may not be here next season, so that opportunity has sailed into the sunset. Anyway, sob story over.

Mulgrew - how is this guy our Captain? After the first goal it was hands on hips and zero talk. My missus doesn't watch any football but when I pointed out Mulgrew was our captain she was shocked. She remarked something like 'Why isn't he trying to pick up the team? Or encouraging them? Or ripping into them? Or saying ... anything? Why isn't anyone saying anything!?'. 

We were directly in front of the foul that led to the penalty and Mulgrew just looked like he didn't care. If you watch the replay, the hoof ball caught him (actually, the entire defence) off-guard and he seems to plod back to catch Afobe for about 20 metres, before finally putting the burners on to meet him in the box. Once the foul was given he just sits there, spits a couple of times, and plods to the penalty box like a sulken teenager. No reaction after Raya pulls off that fantastic save either. Not sure how this guy makes the team (on account of his 'wand foot', sure), let alone has the armband. It's either an indictment of Mowbray or an indication of how bereft we are of leaders in the team. Most likely both.

Ref - he was woeful. Not sure how you can give a penalty for the Mulgrew foul but no card? A heap of hands in the back fouls that weren't called, Brereton was pretty much body checked and there was no call, and Graham was copping elbows and full-nelsons all game and didn't receive a thing. Not the least of our worries but added to the frustration.

Brereton - wow, his positioning was bonkers. When he wasn't man-marked and within 5 metres of the ball-holder he might well have not been on the pitch at all. Does he have a 'highlight reel' or something that gives me faith he's a professional footballer and not one of the guys I play 5 a side with?

Reed - I feel for this guy, I really do. I understand why he isn't playing as I doubt he'll be here next season, but to be sidelined for the likes of Smallwood or Evans continually is embarrassing. The small vocal crowd in the corner of the BBE were chanting his name (to which he clapped) but you can see the guy burning up inside. If Mowbray is using that logic to bench Reed, then it gives me chills that Smallwood and Evans will play roles in the team next season.

Rothwell - glad he got a start, and although he's not the final product, he's very exciting to watch. It would have been fantastic to see him, Dack and Graham as the threats up-front. He pushes forward with purpose and speed, but it's such a shame the rest of the team doesn't share the same attacking nous. No one running off him, or moving in general. I don't care if he lost possession a few times (generally due to holding the ball for too long), i'd prefer he attacks and lose possession a handful of times than stay stagnant like the rest of the team and pass it mindlessly around.

Raya - MotM for me - two world class saves.

General Performance - thought we dished up much of the same, stagnant, boring and toothless 'football' we have for the last 15 games. The crossing was nothing short of abysmal. If it managed to actually clear the first defender, then it sailed either out of bounds, or 5 metres beyond the intended receiver. The missus actually asked how does this level of football compare to the A-League (Australia's domestic football comp) and it pained me to say that I thought the top few A-League teams could probably get a result against this lot. There were mostly boos when we pushed forward (or tried to) but I don't think it was enough. Felt for Nyambe being burnt on the right a fair few times, but think this was mostly due to being so far up the pitch and not having any defensive help from Armstrong or Smallwood. Nothing more I can say about Bennett that hasn't already been said here - he was rubbish. I'm somewhat sick of 'putting effort in' absolving you of not having the footballing ability to compete at this level. If i 'put the effort in' at work, but it's of sub-standard quality, then i'd be having performance management meetings with my boss, not being promoted to playing an even more integral position in my team.

Mowbray - I like the guy, but I think he's well and truly run his course. 4 points from 33 games is woeful, and if we hadn't secured so many points in the first half of the season, there's no doubt we'd be scrapping it out with Bolton and Rotherham in the relegation zone. Do I think he's going to turn it around in the Summer? No. Do I want him to turn it around in the Summer? Yes?? ..... Maybe?? The more I think about it the more i'm of the opinion the club should sack Mowbray now, appoint Damien Johnson until the end of the season and ruthlessly pursue some of the better available managers.

Anyway, those are just (some of) my thoughts! I don't want to let the above imply I didn't enjoy myself. I've followed Blackburn for as long as I can remember, and growing up in Australia I could easily have switched teams to follow any of the successful Big 6 teams in the Premier League. But I haven't. Seeing the Rovers play live at Ewood for the first time in my 26 years was an experience i'll cherish forever. Sure, I wish it was under better circumstances, and with a different result, but football is football.

That Sunday hike up to and around Darwen Tower was really nice though!

Edited April 8, 2019 by SydneyRover92

[Tom]

I thought Brereton looked quite desperate not to get the ball at times, a couple of times he ambled outside the box rather than busting to get in it 

[Mattyblue]

Did I imagine it or did he duck when the ball was crossed towards him in the 6 yard box?

[DE.]

20 minutes ago, SydneyRover92 said:

Mulgrew - how is this guy our Captain? After the first goal it was hands on hips and zero talk. My missus doesn't watch any football but when I pointed out Mulgrew was our captain she was shocked. She remarked something like 'Why isn't he trying to pick up the team? Or encouraging them? Or ripping into them? Or saying ... anything? Why isn't anyone saying anything!?'. 

I've commented on this before - Mulgrew's body language after goals are conceded is absolutely pathetic. Same for the rest of the team, but he's supposed to be our captain. Instead he walks off, hands on hips, looking like a teenager who's just been told the WiFi isn't working. Not captain material and needs to be gone in the summer if possible. He's run his course here. His set-pieces are obviously going to be missed but we shouldn't be relying so heavily on them anyway. Plus an analysis I did a little while back shows we rarely actually win when Mulgrew scores.

[Mattyblue]

Shame he’s been signed up till 2021 on no doubt good money.

[Bigdoggsteel]

We just don't have enough winners in the team. Mulgrew aside, how many of them have ever won anything? We are a team of journeymen. You can't just expect them to turn into winners. We need experience and player who are winners in the summer 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

We just don't have enough winners in the team. Mulgrew aside, how many of them have ever won anything? We are a team of journeymen. You can't just expect them to turn into winners. We need experience and player who are winners in the summer 

There's a reason why they haven't won anything.

[AllRoverAsia]

53 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/rovers/news/17556246.how-the-rovers-players-rated-in-stoke-city-defeat/

Actual quote from the article-talk about a Freudian slip 

Corry Evans 5

Restored to the side after injury, but needed to play with a little more injury. Played higher up the pitch in the second half, but too many stray passes

 

The LT and also the Rovers website are noted for their lack of journalistic skills never mind checking for Freudian slips. I doubt they check and edit at all.

 

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, AllRoverAsia said:

The LT and also the Rovers website are noted for their lack of journalistic skills never mind checking for Freudian slips. I doubt they check and edit at all.

 

Ya, I notice a huge amount of typos on the LT