v Sunderland (h) - 26/12/2024

[Forever Blue]

3 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Was only asking because I didn't know the actual ST number. I wasn't trying to catch you out.

Personally I don't think 18k home fans is that much to crow about - but then again under this regime and given we have so few ST holders - may be it is.

I didn’t think you were trying to catch me out👍

I agree it’s nowt to crow about, just posted it as a point of interest (or not!)

[Andy]

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

Pears is playing well so is getting praise, when he was playing poorly he was slagged off, was ever thus.

Yeah, this.

He cost us so many points last season, with his performances.

However, aided by a much more organised defence this season, he's done well.
Recent games especially, he's looked a very competent GK at this level.

[BlackburnEnd75]

Nice to see a bumper crowd given a good game of football. Was a good atmosphere in the blackburn end too.

Thought we were good value for the half time lead. Dolan and hedges both wasted good chances either side of the goal and again those wide areas seem to me to be the area in greatest need of improvement. 

I need to see their two goals again but they looked somewhat similar with Roberts running 1 v 1 vs Beck with little support around him. I thought Beck made a poor decision in the build up to the 1st but thought he was left exposed by others for the 2nd.

Once they got in front their quality showed and they really should've extended their lead but we fought back well to get a point applying pressure at the end.

Pleased for Leonard who I think there is a player in there. 

I've previously formally apologised to Pears for previous comments but I feel I should do it again.

Dolan was club motm, must say i didn't quite see that, a very mixed bag as always from him.

Cantwell has been a little off it since his suspension

I don't particularly rate baker. It may just be a lack of match fitness but he's a nothing player to me. Reasonable technically but can't impact games with it as he looks slow to the ball and poor physically. We missed Travis I thought, I would play Buckley in his absence as I suggested pre game.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

8 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Of course 18k home fans isn’t anything to crow about in and of itself, but where we are right now with only 9k ST holders it very much is. Cracking gate, with another one to come in a week or so.

After what feels like a lifetime of the chicken chokers chaos it’s a miracle that that many turn up.

[Paul Mellelieu]

To be where we are with these players is a miracle.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

30 minutes ago, aletheia said:

Not really. He had a one on one with a winger and was not close enough and too slow. (I say this as a fan of his.)

Maybe whoever was playing outside him could have prevented the situation arising in the first place.

[47er]

3 hours ago, Forever Blue said:

Eustace wants a striker and a left winger in Jan so let’s hope his prayers are answered.

After every game Eustace is careful to emphasise our lack of finishing and the dire need for a striker.

I hope someone ifs listening.

[Forever Blue]

7 minutes ago, 47er said:

After every game Eustace is careful to emphasise our lack of finishing and the dire need for a striker.

I hope someone ifs listening.

He deserves to be backed, he’s squeezing every last drop out of that squad. 
 

Waggott and Gestede  will probably tell him the cupboard is bare but that Eustace should still be grateful!

[47er]

28 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Pickering won't play again this year.

There's only 4 days left!  (Sorry!)

[47er]

30 minutes ago, BlackburnEnd75 said:

Dolan was club motm, must say i didn't quite see that, a very mixed bag as always from him.

His work for that first goal was absolutely top drawer. We mustn't lose him, especially for next to nothing.

He has that pace and ability to drive at the opposition from deep positions.

[TugaysMarlboro]

He needs backing in Jan. I'm still not convinced he trusts Gueye.

[Exiled_Rover]

13 minutes ago, 47er said:

His work for that first goal was absolutely top drawer. We mustn't lose him, especially for next to nothing.

He has that pace and ability to drive at the opposition from deep positions.

Pace? Dolan?

[Ghost7]

2 hours ago, Rogerb said:

Sunderland's no10 did exactly that this afternoon.!

Sunderland's number 10 is Patrick Roberts, who is literally another left footed right winger. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

18 minutes ago, Ghost7 said:

Sunderland's number 10 is Patrick Roberts, who is literally another left footed right winger. 

He managed to play the ball in right footed for their second goal. That was after he’d got around the outside of our defence.

[BlackburnEnd75]

33 minutes ago, 47er said:

His work for that first goal was absolutely top drawer. We mustn't lose him, especially for next to nothing.

He has that pace and ability to drive at the opposition from deep positions.

Wouldn't describe dolan as having pace. He's got good agility and a little burst of 5 metres but isn't quick over any distance further.

His burst through the middle for the goal was fantastic but he then mucked up the pass and got a bit lucky.

Same with his big chance before that. Great first touch into the space with a finish even gueye would be ashamed of.

A mixed bag for me.

[47er]

32 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Pace? Dolan?

Watch it again.

[Exiled_Rover]

49 minutes ago, TugaysMarlboro said:

He needs backing in Jan. I'm still not convinced he trusts Gueye.

Eustace is in a difficult situation. 

He's actually got two useful CF in Gueye and Ohashi, but they offer different things and they're both massively hampered by the players around them.

Ohashi is a really good finisher with excellent movement, but doesn't offer a great deal in terms of leading the line. Gueye is a really poor finisher, but leads the line really well and brings others into play (7 assists now is it?).

The problem is that our wide players neither create enough or score enough chances, so you're not playing to either Ohashi's or Gueye's strengths. 

As much as I like him I'd like to see Cantwell score / create a little more - but granted it's difficult to do when you're effectively playing with 9 men when you go forward if you're starting Hedges / Dolan. They need to give ACD an extended run in the side and sign a pacey winger in January. 

[Exiled_Rover]

6 minutes ago, 47er said:

Watch it again.

I've watched him for 4 years. I'd fancy my chances in a foot race against Dolan.

You absolutely cannot fault his work rate, it's phenomenal, but he's a slow player and his decision making is poor. Like Hedges he'd be an excellent squad player for most Championship teams. 

[Penwortham Blue]

1 hour ago, BlackburnEnd75 said:

Nice to see a bumper crowd given a good game of football. Was a good atmosphere in the blackburn end too.

Thought we were good value for the half time lead. Dolan and hedges both wasted good chances either side of the goal and again those wide areas seem to me to be the area in greatest need of improvement. 

I need to see their two goals again but they looked somewhat similar with Roberts running 1 v 1 vs Beck with little support around him. I thought Beck made a poor decision in the build up to the 1st but thought he was left exposed by others for the 2nd.

Once they got in front their quality showed and they really should've extended their lead but we fought back well to get a point applying pressure at the end.

Pleased for Leonard who I think there is a player in there. 

I've previously formally apologised to Pears for previous comments but I feel I should do it again.

Dolan was club motm, must say i didn't quite see that, a very mixed bag as always from him.

Cantwell has been a little off it since his suspension

I don't particularly rate baker. It may just be a lack of match fitness but he's a nothing player to me. Reasonable technically but can't impact games with it as he looks slow to the ball and poor physically. We missed Travis I thought, I would play Buckley in his absence as I suggested pre game.

A good post but I disagree about Baker, I thought he was excellent and proved a great replacement for Travis.

Unless we win, I generally leave Ewood felling pretty low but today, I left happy with the point and having witnessed a great game. What a difference a winner or equaliser at the death makes to raise your spirit and mood, something that we have seldom seen and experienced at Ewood in recent years. Credit to Eustace, he is making the sum of the team add up to much more than the constituent parts he has available.

[jim mk2]

1 hour ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

To be where we are with these players is a miracle.

Such a limited squad, so little quality. Without reinforcements (highly unlikely) you have to think we’ll finish up somewhere in mid table 

[Andy]

Probably fanciful, but I felt like the feel good factor from the late equaliser could tempt some of the casual fans back to Ewood on a more regular basis.

I know it's the Xmas period and people have more spare time / tickets as gifts / etc, but the fanbase is clearly still there, we just need to attract them back.

Pleased to see Leonard score also today, I genuinely think there's a potentially good striker in there.

[Old Codger]

9 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

I've watched him for 4 years. I'd fancy my chances in a foot race against Dolan.

You absolutely cannot fault his work rate, it's phenomenal, but he's a slow player and his decision making is poor. Like Hedges he'd be an excellent squad player for most Championship teams. 

It was a poor decision to flag the 'second goal' scored by Dolan as offside, as he wasn't in an offside position when the ball was played forward and it came back to him for the strike that went into the net.  At 2-0 Rovers might have had more momentum to carry through the rest of the game. And, much as I'm delighted for Harry Leonard, he doesn't seem to have the quick feet and speed of thought that are the hallmark of a good striker. Maybe more game time will sharpen him up..

Overall a good result in a surprisingly even contest against one of the division's form sides. I'll take that, all day!

Well done JE for instilling some bouncebackability into this group of players.

John Eustace' Bounce Back Army!

[Mattyblue]

Not fanciful at all. We are attracting casual fans, we now get substantially more walk ons every week than we did a couple of years ago. The key to supplement that is sell more STs as that’s the base of the support in the tent each week regardless of a dip in form, it being a wet day in January, a midweek etc - and that can only happen in the summer. Bit of a feel good factor this season and an enticing offer and we’d sell plenty for next season and we’d see decent gates every week, alas Swag et al aren’t interested.

Edited Thursday at 22:24 by Mattyblue

[Forever Blue]

Harry Leonard has excellent movement , that was obvious under JDT. Unfortunately he just kept missing the target with the chances he created with his movement. 
 

In the post match interview today Eustace referenced the difficult time HL has had over the last 7 months, but said he’d seen a difference in training over the last 10 days. Hopefully HL can now put the difficult period behind him and start  fulfilling his obvious potential. 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 22:26 by Forever Blue

[den]

I grew up with right footed wingers playing on the right wing and vice versa. It’s really easy to see why the modern coach plays them the opposite way around. The tactics of get to the bye line and cross it died decades ago. Rightly so as well.

We should be proud of rovers performance today. I thought they worked so hard and played terrific football for the most part. Neither side deserved to lose that one. After the Milwall defeat coupled with the injuries to Pickering and Travis I feared the worst.  Maybe we shouldn’t underestimate what Eustace is doing here - but he is going to need some meaningful support from the owners in the new year.

Edited Thursday at 22:28 by den