We have pretty much gone to a 4-4-2, we started the season with a 4-4-1-1 but Ross apparently has requested to play further upfront.
Yup, not a diamond in sight. Although rather perversely we could have done with it in the second half when Pringle and Cairney out wide went AWOL. And yup, Ross much further forward, especially in the first half when he and Moussa worked well together.
Just looking through the Blackburn forums and they are rightly disappointed but a few of them have admitted that although they weren't given a goal for the ball that crossed the line it came from a corner that should have been a gaol kick!
On the positive side today, we managed to hold on and get the win despite a second half onslaught which we invited on at times. After a good first half display, where - although Blackburn did have some chances - we looked solid across the pitch for the first time in ages, the second was horribly familiar. Stearman looks a class above and our natural captain, he's a great addition along with magic hands Lonergan and Ream, who didn't have the best game but looked an upgrade on Burn and Hutchinson. I had a good position for Loners save and it was a beauty. Tunnicliffe did well again in midfield and Ohara worked hard. Neither Cairney or Pringle really did too much, Cairney looked gutted to miss the chance he had in the second half and his head dropped a bit in the minutes after. It was the best game I've seen Dembele play and he kept on in the second. I was a bit disappointed in McCormack in the second half, with his captaincy duties in mind. For me he is too immature and indisciplined for the role, he could have been sent off for a professional foul near the end and berated Dembele for not passing it to him when he was behind him and outside the box. After a period of pressure he got the ball with his back to goal and lost it immediately, too easily, and then stood there looking miffed. A bit later on he got the ball 40 yards from goal, when we should be holding it up, and blasted it into the crowd. By no means has he been a bad captain, but I think he got it as one of best players and his senior status in terms of experience, not because he is a leader. Now that we've got Stearman in who has been captain previously and can organise from the back I think we should try a discreet handover and let Ross get on with scoring., Fredericks had a good cameo, I wonder how Kaca felt when he saw him come on for Pringle. Kit comes out of it with the win and the team he's put together with the other staff is very competitive, but it is worrying how much the performanve dipped immediately following half time. Can only wonder what he's said to them, far too many home games where we lead end up with these late scares.
Have to agree with a lot of what silkship said. I thought 1st half Blackburn tried to play football, but lost out to us, so 2nd half they decided they couldn't beat us playing the ball on the floor, they went more physical and decided to launch the ball and try and get second balls. Our midfield dropped deep to defend against their midfield who had pushed up more, and we were too slow in moving forward. It seems to be the story of this season so far that we have one good half and one poor half.
I hear what you say Cookie but Kit’s reluctance to make subs seems worthy of some consideration. As I said earlier Fredericks for Pringle on the hour was a good one. The timing in itself is so predictable of Kit though and that’s my first point. The second is to question why he didn’t at or around that point do something to bolster the midfield? Tunnicliffe and O’Hara were running in circles and in the case of the latter, ‘treacle’. Why not bring on the fresh legs and energy of LVC? My third point is his other change – Burn for Husband with 10 minutes left. Don’t know if Husband was suffering from the bump he took to the head in the first half but if he was, that was late in the day to do something about it. If he wasn’t it was a questionable decision. Okay neither Stearman or Ream were winning the ball in the air but frankly Burn wasn’t an improvement and a couple of times made what could have been costly errors. Not really surprising in some ways - we’ve talked about Stearman and Ream only saying ‘hello’ to each other on Friday and here we were with the three of them chucked in together. Would it not have been better to get two players on who could stop the crosses coming in (and much earlier)?
Finally got to see a Fulham game on TV ... decent, though somewhat undeserved win. Hope everyone had a nice summer.
Don't have an issue with bringing Burn on to be honest in fact with Blackburn going more direct as they became more and more desperate, I think there is a strong argument the change was made to late. If 6 feet 7 inch Burn didn't perform much better in the air than Ream I would suggest that's more down to the player than the manager. I get what your saying about stopping the crosses at source and in normal circumstances that would be the preferable option in those last 20 minutes they were going straight up to there big centre forward from anywhere and everywhere on the pitch.
3 points is 3 points. I'm not bothered if it was lucky, ugly or thoroughly deserved. 3 wins on the spin too. I'm thankful for the points to be honest.
What really baffles me is Kit's apparent reluctance to make substitutions. Is he scared that he will upset some players? Frankly, he's not actually doing them, or us, any favours leaving them on - for instance O'Hara for 96 minutes when he was knackered after 75 (and Tunnicliffe wasn't far behind).
Whereas 'Arry, regardless of any other issues, was brilliant at tactical changes. Remember that FA Cup tie at White Hart Lane when we battered them in the first half and he turned things round with his half time subs. Still, I suppose one is now the England manager and the other isn't.
For those interested Blackburn are currently one up away at Loftus Road after 20 minutes and sound all over Rangers, 55% poss 4 shots 3 on target to Rangers none
I think not having a game mid-week has hurt us a bit. Wolves would have been tough but a good result would have kept our momentum going forward, but now the pressure is to get a result against Sheffield to not drop back down the league. I suspect Symons will play a weakened team against Stoke with the QPR game being on the Friday.
