v Leicester City (a) - 28/02/23 (FA Cup 5th Round)

[Guest]

Anyone else feel the envious gaze of many a club looking at our superhuman efforts, team cohesiveness, and manager getting a brilliant tune from a badly dented instrument last night?

No doubt whatsoever that last nights performance was a massive advert for the JDT brand and strategy. We may have to fight tooth and claw to keep the man if this continues with any consistency to the end of the season, as I am sure there are plenty of clubs out there (with superior resources) that would love to tempt him away..

That said, unless there really is a strategy at Ewood (unlikely given the past 12 years of having our heads rammed down the bog) I think most of us are resigned to this being a stepping stone for a young manager like JDT. 

Who knows? But I'm loving the light at the moment. It almost feels like I might dare to believe again...

[Reginald]

4 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

Can we improve gradually without it being a "project"?

I was feeling upbeat until then

Call it what you like, but planning what needs to happen in order to improve the team over a reasonable period, whilst acknowledging that you're not going to turn into world beaters overnight, is better than making it up as you go along, surely?

[redroser]

11 hours ago, JHRover said:

Wow. What can I say. The best performance I have seen from a Rovers team in many years. i'm struggling to think of the last time we played to such a standard against such opposition and so deservingly won. I can't remember another occasion.

Should have been out of sight and done and dusted by 60 minutes and thought we would pay dearly for not finishing them off but we then showed the other qualities to our game in the last 20 so much so they threatened little despite having most of the ball.

Some effort to churn out that sort of performance and result away at a PL side. Another when it is the 2nd time we've done it this season, comparing to year after year of dismal cup efforts under the last manager.

The magnitude of the effort to me summed up seeing Dack and Brereton sat in the commentary box, bringing Jack Vale on for the last 20 minutes and having other youngsters on the bench. We are down to the bare bones and are desperately short on options, depth and experience but boy are they stepping up to deal with it. Still think the squad depth issue will be our downfall thanks to incompetence upstairs.

Unlike our media frenzied neighbours who have got to the cusp of the QFs having to deal with Crawley Town and Fleetwood at home we have got there the hard way playing 2 solid Championship sides away and a solid PL side 

 

Dingles played away at Bournemouth in round 3 JHR, followed by an away tie at Ipswich which they won after a replay. Think they played Crawley in the League Cup.

[wilsdenrover]

10 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

Can we improve gradually without it being a "project"?

I was feeling upbeat until then

Yes we can, stay 😀

[LDRover]

Shout out for Hayden Carter, the lad is turning into a player.

[roverandout]

This reminded me of the game at anfield in 2000 I think it was when we beat Liverpool as first division team which I attended. Nathan Blake scoring the winner. We had a better team then but the feeling of beating Liverpool away 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 minute ago, roverandout said:

This reminded me of the game at anfield in 2000 I think it was when we beat Liverpool as first division team which I attended. Nathan Blake scoring the winner. We had a better team then but the feeling of beating Liverpool away 

Just about the only thing he did for us.

[rigger]

11 minutes ago, Shirley Crabtree Wrestler said:

Showing your age there perhaps? Filbert street was a great stadium in the old fashioned sense of the word - it radiated character and was a difficult place for opposing teams to go and get a result.

 

Much as I detest Wikipedia, perhaps it is a suitable place for this..https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filbert_Street 

No. I was commenting on someone saying the game last night was at Filbert street. Keep up.

[wilsdenrover]

16 minutes ago, Reginald said:

It was a great night, but let's not get carried away 😃 I wonder how many of those that are now grudgingly on the JDT train after a few good performances will be jumping off again as soon as we inevitably lose a few?

It would be nice if fans generally could accept that this is actually a project, through which we are gradually improving, and just be happy about it. But I suspect many will be too fickle for that.

To accept things are improving (gradually or otherwise) you need to be able to see that things are improving (and not just be told that they are/will) - nights like last night will certainly help with this.

Long may it continue 

[Groundhog]

I'm trying to not get carried away but it's hard not to, as many have said one of the most enjoyable games to watch in recent years. Leicester played right into our hands, but I fully expect more games like Wigan at home etc. 

I'd forgotten what it was like to have an "exciting" season with stuff happening in it rather than just toil without pleasure 😂

League 1 was sort of fun, but there was an air of expectancy and it was nail biting at times, the pain of missing out and spending another season down there was too much to bear.

Football's mad what it does to you, after games like the dingle disaster and Rotherham I didn't want to even see anything round or football shaped, after last night I'm literally scouring social media for every scrap. 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Groundhog

[1874]

33 minutes ago, rigger said:

The difference being that our midfielders were taking the ball on the half-turn, then turning away from their markers and into space. This then gives them time to pick forward passes. Leicesters mid-field were doing what we have been doing most of the season. Receiving the ball from the defence facing their own goal, then playing the ball back into the danger zone.

It's all about decisions. Pears makes better decisions than Kaminski who often plays a suicide pass into the midfielders whereas Pears is more likely to lump it rather than be too brave.

[booth]

Has there been any updates on the fitness of JRC and Gallagher?

[tomphil]

21 minutes ago, LDRover said:

Shout out for Hayden Carter, the lad is turning into a player.

Another that plenty wanted to move on before he got going again here.

Patience.

[tomphil]

12 minutes ago, 1874 said:

It's all about decisions. Pears makes better decisions than Kaminski who often plays a suicide pass into the midfielders whereas Pears is more likely to lump it rather than be too brave.

Something i touched on a few games ago he keeps it simple where TK gets caught up in wanting to be too involved in the passing.

Those around him don't seem to put him under the same pressure as TK either.

[wilsdenrover]

 

 

[Wheelton Blue]

30 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Looking at that pitch last night - what would Ewood have been like with that rain ? The quality of what you’re playing on makes a massive difference. It’s the difference between playing one touch football in areas and having to take an extra touch just to be sure the ball is where you want it to be.

The Ewood pitch doesn't run true.

At the Swansea and Blackpool games, I saw the ball bobble up a few times. One instance in particular, a simple ball across the back line bobbled over the foot of one of the Swansea defenders. Luckily for them, the defender recovered it quickly, but it could easliy have caused them a problem. That could be us next time.

'Penny wise, pound foolish'.

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

 

 

Cracking video

[Groundhog]

15 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Those around him don't seem to put him under the same pressure as TK either.

The woolly blanket and thermos brigade can't see past Mr Lemon Drizzle.

If big Tone came over he'd asked nicely before taking another custard cream, he'd talk about the weather and agree that "things aren't what they used to be".

JDT on the other hand, he'd nick the last one while your Nan's back was turned and give her a cheeky flirtatious wink afterwards.

[jim mk2]

19 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Another that plenty wanted to move on before he got going again here.

Patience.

He got criticism playing at full back - which he isn't.  Agree he's playing very well at the moment with Hyam. It's a good partnership

[Groundhog]

Mendy...Trav got right in his head. Love it. 

Buckley got sent off for far less. 

 

[Mattyblue]

54 minutes ago, Shirley Crabtree Wrestler said:

Anyone else feel the envious gaze of many a club looking at our superhuman efforts, team cohesiveness, and manager getting a brilliant tune from a badly dented instrument last night?

 

Thought he’d lost the dressing room?

[Polky]

Go on, how many times have you rewatched the highlights? 
 

I think I’ve rewatched them 5/6 times today!

[Guest]

19 minutes ago, Groundhog said:

Mendy...Trav got right in his head. Love it. 

Buckley got sent off for far less. 

 

I shouted at the telly 'That's a sending off Ref!' but he didn't seem to hear me. Question is though, why wasn't it a sending off? Baffling!

[bigbrandjohn]

What a difference a month makes.

To rearrange David Coleman’s quote, JDT has changed from “an idiot to a hero” and is apparently being looked at by Feyenoord. 
https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2023/03/01/blackburn-boss-could-replace-a-manager-leeds-want-to-hire-this-summer/

Players out the door are now first choice picks, fringe players are now in the heart of the team, and our captain who was written off and slagged off, is MOM and earning  rave reviews. 

It’s a funny old game. Luck, momentum and belief can make all the difference.  
 

Glad we all have the patience and wisdom to see the longer term picture. 🤔
 

[broadsword]

On 28/02/2023 at 12:32, Hasta said:

We had it for the 3rd round tie against Newcastle a few years back.

It was controversially used in the first game but not in the replay, when they went in front with an offside goal in extra time.

Mowbray whinged about it here.

I can't remember that. But I do seem to remember losing to Newcastle in the 4th round in 99, after we'd beaten Liverpool away.

I also seem to remember Jansen scoring a peach in that Newcastle game, and the following season we went up?