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Reply | In the blue corner – Report
at 08:12 13 Feb 2025
I wonder if we spend too much time going after the wrong protagonists.
Generally, we’ve risen from 24th to 13th courtesy of a goalkeeper, back four and CDM that largely works.
When your CDM matches the total number of goals as the three in front of them, you’ve got a problem. When your right back has outscored all of the three number tens put together, it’s a wonder we’re not staring into the abyss.
Chair - 0 goals
Smyth - 1 goal (solo effort)
Saito - 1 goal (solo effort)
Morgan - 1 goal (in fact the only goal where the forward 3 linked up for a goal, vaguely recall from Smyth cross)
It’s not just the lack of goals from that department but more worrying is the total lack of link up in the few goals they have scored.
Admittedly only watching the Coventry game via a tv screen so I stand to be corrected but one ‘move’ summed up a serious problem in this side.
At one point, Saito picked the ball up deep in our own half, on the left, and brilliantly took on and beat a number of marking players. He correctly cut infield, into wide open space and rightly ran with it, probably some 50 yards of ball. In all that time he was looking ahead, as was i. What I saw, and I suspect he saw was Frey isolated up front, Smyth for some reason didn’t come into picture at all and Chair, the only player out of possession, sprinting up, aware what he should be doing, but despite Saito having carried a ball for best part of 50 yards, still Chair hadn’t even got level with him.
Smyth should have been making a diagonal run across their defence, Frey could then have gained room to make his own run and Chair should have arrived far sooner than he did. None of this happened, Saito had no where to go any more, got dispossessed by a tracking back midfielder and ended up looking the mug when it really wasn’t his fault.
Everything around him was simply not good enough. The problem is a mindset of players who don’t score enough goals, don’t link up as a three.
Could Paal do better, probably. Could Varane step a few yards further up the pitch, maybe but ultimately these are just sideshows to the deficiencies in front of them. |
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Reply | Consistently inconsistent
at 08:54 12 Feb 2025
What has been particularly consistent is the three behind the striker not only don’t score goals but rarely ever look like scoring a goal.
Saito 1
Smyth 1
Chair 0
Morgan 1
In modern football, with only a lone striker, it’s imperative you get a greater goal contribution from that area of the field.
The remarkable thing is they’re all good players and have played well for us. The problem is the two wide players are a little too one dimensional. With the old two up, having one dimensional wingers was fine, but in the modern game you’ve got to be able play through the middle rather than constantly going wide. We are trying to play 1970’s football on the wing and 21st Century football up front and it clearly doesn’t wash against good opposition.
Marti has done an excellent job getting what is probably the personal best out of those players, but if you can’t score goals you cant score goals. |
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Reply | Kolli Injury?????
at 22:40 11 Feb 2025
I wouldn’t worry too much. We play with a lone striker and hes not a lone striker in a million years. |
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Reply | Consistently inconsistent
at 22:37 11 Feb 2025
We’re consistent for a mid table side, we win games against teams below us, we don’t beat many above us. |
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Reply | QPR v Fat Frank's Lady Godìva first eleven match thread
at 20:40 11 Feb 2025
Doing alright but there’s a lack of movement on the front line.
Great run from Saito but had to wait so long for someone to make the right run, he got dispossessed.
Sort that out and we could have a good 25/26. |
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Reply | Min-Hyeok Yang
at 11:13 6 Feb 2025
I bow to your better knowledge, you are the chef.
Last had one pre pukka and I’m still waiting for the skin to grow back on the roof of my mouth. |
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Reply | Min-Hyeok Yang
at 08:58 6 Feb 2025
Fair point, with a 17500 capacity that could easily happen here.
That said, as Landshark mentions, we do need the money and they do spend. Any regular down here knows any culinary matchday experience is best carried out in the pubs and restaurants away from the ground. I baulk at the cost of a bottle of water inside and steer well clear of warm beer and volcanic balti pies these days.
As Hoopstar says, think our support thrives on adversity, it traditionally improves the worst we get so there is room for more, particularly whilst we are on an upward trajectory.
Shame we haven’t got a bigger ground so we could welcome rather than be guarded about a new input of support but that’s out of our hands. |
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Reply | The hand of fortune – Report
at 08:37 6 Feb 2025
Could be wrong but think it was Saito who headed back Cooks cross for our second but, no matter, love the overall attention to detail.
Looks like Clive is building a decent bench too. |
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Reply | Songs for Ronnie
at 11:48 5 Feb 2025
Is he the love child of Ronnie Biggs and Buster Edwards? |
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Reply | Blackburn Reflection
at 11:38 5 Feb 2025
All the above but great to play a side who embrace a game of football without constantly rolling about on the floor. Referee certainly helped with that, largely ignoring any malarkey early on, and set the tone. |
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Reply | Subs last night....
at 08:11 5 Feb 2025
Frey had stopped their centre backs from pushing up the field. I’m guessing Alfie was more likely to do more of the same than Kolli who isn’t so adept at that part of the game.
I’m still getting used to not being frozen with fear with every additional sub that comes on! |
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Reply | Chair finally in the middle long term?
at 08:01 5 Feb 2025
About bloody time id say.
With the ability he has he should have been in that role for years. Apart from his contribution which was immense, it freed up Paal in open play, who looked a totally different player to the one we’ve been watching through 2024.
Blackburn are decent but the sort of side we enjoy playing against. We need to find a way to knock it about against this leagues ruffians but winning last night, in the fashion we did, against a top six side is a step in the right direction. |
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Reply | Match Thread: Blackburn tonight
at 23:30 4 Feb 2025
Good to see Chair allowed to play central and roam, far more movement all round.
Edwards was superb, his runs are simple but it drags oppo in and creates space when he puts the ball out wide.
Thoroughly enjoyable game and thought the ref was excellent. |
| | stevec
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Site Scores| Forum Votes: | 4655 | | Comment Votes: | 11 | | Prediction League: | 0 | | TOTAL: | 4666 |
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