View from Blackburn

[terryr]

Not Much but I won't be able to do any posting tomorrow

Fulham at home
What changes would people have?

would people change formation from this diamond midfield and play 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1?

Fulham against QPR yesterday played a 5-3-2 formation and played Cairney, Parker and O'Hara as a midfield 3.

Hopefully Hanley, Graham and Akpan will all be available for this game.

my team playing the diamond midfield

                  Steele
Marshall Ward Hanley Henley
                  Evans
           Lenihan Grimes
                 Gomez
           Graham Watt

Subs:- Raya, Duffy, Jackson, Brown, Apkan, Conway, Bennett"

" Must win but I just can't see it.
1-1."

" Steele
Henley Ward Hanley New LB/Academy LB/Kilgallon
Evans Grimes
Conway Gomez Marshall
Watt
Don't want to see Spurr/Akpan/Jackson/Brown at any point. Marshall must be further forward."

" I don't mind Akpan. We missed his effort and energy on Saturday.
Times and form has changed massively in that I am hoping Hanley is fit too. He's been player of the season by a mile and he's finally put that massive heed to good use."

" You can't just stick a right back at left back, completely dropping out actual left back, and not make a proper comment.
Other than that, it looks a very narrow side and relies on your right footed lb getting forward and presumably cutting inside.
Akpan on the bench? Has Lenihan impressed you that much?
I expect Grimes to start on the bench and Conway to be given another chance. "

" Henley played at left back in his first 2 starts for Rovers at Anfield and Old Trafford.
I would give Lenihan another start.
Wouldnt start Conway as he has been very poor since signing his new contract. "

" Huge game. I commented yesterday but Fulham looked very tasty against QPR; their top two of McCormack and Dembele would get into a number of PL sides.
Desperately need the win but can see a drab draw: 1-1."

" We desperately need some width again. Hopefully the three missing yesterday will be able to come back in. I agree re the energy of Akpan was lacking Saturday! "

" everyone is fit then I would start with the same eleven that started the Middlesbrough game.  That performance was hugely impressive.  However, if Graham, Akpan and Hanley are still missing then I wouldn't see much change from those who featured on Saturday.  There isn't a great deal of depth to the squad at the moment."

" We should get a draw out of this one and another point away from those mighty teams in the bottom 3 about to merge into Barcelona's"

" Akpan has to play if fit we missed him massively yesterday, Lenihan isn't nearly as effective.
Monumental game, win and we are 8 points above the bottom 3 with a huge goal difference advantage and another game in hand, a draw leaves us still in a decent position but the lack of momentum with a draw or a loss may keep us in the spiral and momentum may take us down "

" Said the same leaving the ground yesterday. Hanley ,Akpan and Graham need to play."

" There'll be an improvement from Saturday IF there is a full squad to pick from this time. Sadly even with that we can't get away from being workmanlike at best and we'll still rely on a set piece or something to provide a goal.
Rovers 0   Fulham 1    (Cairney free kick)"

" Disappointing to hear players heads dropped yesterday. Tough opponent. Fingers crossed its a better showing against Fulham. This will give a clearer picture of where we are than playing the two best teams in this division. If we lose to Fulham then I might reach for the panic cord."

"Rovers largely toothless against the top team in the championship. Given that top team will probably be looking to be returning to the championship his time next year it just shows how bad we are. There is no disguising it. We are crap and its going to take sometime before we can look forward to becoming mediocre again. Lambert said we were masters of our own downfall yesterday. In truth we never seriously bothered then. 0-3 or even 0-4 wouldn't have been harsh. Work in progress Mr Lambert? I hope you need the overtime.
Huge gaps in the Rovers end and throughout the stadium. In a week were Liverpool fans walked out in protest over ticket prices at Rovers we have some of the cheapest tickets around and you can't give them away. What is going to happen on Tuesday?"

" Did you see what they did to QPR? Not sure I want to be there if the same turns up here"

" They did it in the first game against QPR and then dropped off.

"Fulham at home, bit of a crunch match."

"There isnt much between Fulham and us so expect a draw"

" They still have their star players. We sold ours so I'd say there is a lot of difference between us"

" anyone with actual optimism right now is barking mad. I thought we would get killed by Boro last season and must say I was pleasantly pleased with the performance but we always look like conceding at least one goal whilst we hardly look like scoring. It's depressing"

" Bad result for us  with Fulham winning too not sure what to make of Tuesday's prospects."

" we should not be losing our best players to teams we should be competing with. In the 70's and 80's we didn't have any financial backing and we had to sell players to survive. We have sold our best players recently because of failings with in the club. Failure to challenge during the Venky's tenure to be honest. Some will blame FFP but you can trace back the decline right to when they took over the club. We were not in an ideal position when they took over but the decline increased sharply under there influence. I don't fully blame them as they placed their faith in poor sources and they are as much to blame. But it is as a result of these decisions that we find ourselves yet again starting over and planning for the future instead of enjoying Premier league football again. Maybe in a few years we will see this latest chapter as just part of the rebuilding started by Gary Bowyer. But it is frustrating to see your best players going to teams like Villa, Fulham ( watch what happens on Tuesday) and now Boro and we are closer to league one than the premier league."

" Fulham, Burnley, Ipswich, etc.- I'm not seeing many wins in the future.
I'm gonna enjoy this one point today, over a relegation team...opportunities to celebrate are running out. I am afraid it's gonna be a battle the rest of the season."

" Cairney and O'Hara in the same central midfield is a defensively weak pairing, I'd keep the diamond formation to gain an advantage from that (although in the long run we really should be looking to play a variation of 4-5-1). Think this one has "shaky draw" written all over it. 1-1, Ward with our goal from a set piece. "

The difference between us and Fulham is we sold Rhodes and they didnt sell McCormick"

" I think the club need to go all out to bring in somebody with a recent proven track record of scoring in this league. The obvious one is Glenn Murray, but firstly I'd be unsure if Bournemouth would let him go, and secondly could we entice him here, even for a couple of months?
I just don't get the faith in our current crop to score the goals to keep us up. You'd imagine Lambert is gambling on Graham being that man (he's the only one who has ever done it at this level) but I have huge doubts there from a goal scoring perspective. "

" Whats the point of having reputed billionaire owners if they are only interested in selling at a profit but shopping at Poundland!
Unless they spend big in the summer we are making repetitive replies that aren't funny! . And that is assuming we stay up. "

" Yeah we need to spend largely and wisely. Too many sideways passing cowards in our team. About eight players not wanting to take ownership of the ball or take risks.
Gomez, Marshall, Watt and Bennett were the only ones who looked to beat a man or move the ball with any purpose. Duffy was utter tripe. His distribution was atrocious. We obviously had a make shift side yesterday but still, where is the passion and commitment? "

" have huge concerns for this game
Fulham have just recorded a thumping away win we have just had a morale draining defeat
There maybe trouble ahead
1-2 loss

" Calm down calm down 2-1 win."

I`ve been reflecting

Given it a couple of hours since getting home from the game to reflect on it , I didn`t want to appear too eager to criticise .
However today was pretty awful , OK 1st half there wasn`t much in it but also both sides looked a little hesitant and reluctant to have a proper go , if either had then they could possibly have won it 1st half .
Second half we were so poor , disorganised and no threat at all .
I fear for us , we don`t look like a team who has goals in it and we have a mistake prone defence who always look likely to conceding at least 1 (normally it is just 1)
Tuesday night and the upcoming MKD games are massive and we need 6 points from them .

" esterday was the first time I felt concerned we could drop
against Boro apparently we played them off the park yesterday just one week later we looked completely devoid of confidence
now I will agree with saxo to a certain degree the people dropping out would of effected the game plan but the players out there looked tentative and nervous
if you like a relegation battle
Tuesday is about as crucial a match as your ever going to get a loss isn't an option."

" think we are just a win away from our fortunes changing
forget the cup victories we need a league win it has been a while now and regardless of your abilities it weighs on your mind
which is why we are served up tentative performances
Boro was a one off brought on by a certain Mr Rhodes just signing for them
we are in a dogfight the sooner these players realise this the sooner we can put up a fight to survive
February was the bad month in terms of fixtures and we need to make sure we start picking up some points even if they are draws
if we are to stay in this league we cannot repeat yesterday's second half no show."

" I`ve thought a little more and it only gets worse . I have no faith in any of Lamberts signings , Gomes aside , who could just disappear in games (as he did yesterday)
Get used to it we are now in a battle against relelgation and if we are to avoid it it`ll be only just .
I`m going to get my Burnley ticket tomorrow and I really fear us getting a hiding off them . The first time in my life going into a derby game thinking we have no chance whatsoever ."

" No way will that bottom 3 finish above us. We'll end the season midtable."



I'm travelling pretty much all day tomorrow and dont arrive until midnight so I'll do an update  Tuesday AM Dubai time


Updated Below

"This is huge game. We really need 3 points. Fulham will have their tails up after beating qpr. They will see us as another 3 points. Hopefully Lambert drives that home before Tuesday. Unlikely the team will change too much from Saturday.
Only change I can see is Hanley back in with Duffy losing out.
Come on boys a win here could go a long way. Lose and we are in serious relegation trouble "

" Really important home game and we must see a reaction after Saturday. Lambert needs to have them fired up whoever plays.
A no show from anyone in the team is unacceptable.
There points and we relax and enjoy the cup, anything less and panic will set in. "

" 3 points is a must from this game.
Fulham have sold 80 tickets so far; expect a gate of circa 8.5 to 9K but announced at around 12.2K.
We need a must win mentality and some hard nuts in midfield and defense.
We desperately need an Andy Todd or Kevin Moran type player."

" With the exception of us lacking a left wing back, I think our squad is more suited to 3-5-2.
We have the centre halves for it now we added ward. Marshall is a perfect wingback.
Allows us to have the extra man in midfield giving gomez a bit of freedom and also lets us keep two up top.
Id start
Steele
Hanley - Duffy - Ward
Marshall - Evans - Apkan - Conway
Gomez
Watt - Graham
Obviously not seen Grimes play, but maybe he could be left wing back. Pity Olsson left as he would have been a good wing back"

" On second thoughts, I don't see the need to play THREE defensive midfielders at home to a relegation rival. I wouldn't mind us dropping Lenihan for Grimes on the left side of the diamond."

" Surely the wins will come from somewhere????
Rovers 2 (Gomez, Watt) Fulham 1 (Cairney) "

" Hoping we might try a more conventional shape for this one. Not a huge fan of diamond formations (I don't think we have the pace up front to pull it off every week) and Lambert did about having tactical flexibility with the new signings.
Steele
Henley Ward Hanley Spurr
Evans Grimes
Marshall Gomez Conway
Graham"

" Lambert has brought in Grimes to play.
I can see him playing on the left hand side of the diamond shape midfield
I would keep Evans in front of the back four and Lenihan on the right hand side and Gomez in behind the 2 strikers"

" We have 3 major attacking issues at the moment.

1) Who is going to score goals
2) How do we get width in a narrow formation
3) How do we stretch the oppo defence
All roads lead to Tony Watt for me. If he can perform he can score goals, run the channels, get in behind. Graham and Jackson are okay but they are never going to step up to the required degree to really scare the oppo and get them on the back foot.
He really is the main man for us. If he plays poorly then we are really struggling.
I wouldnt be suprised to see Grimes start. Lambert likes to throw players in. It would be supremely useful if he can both pass and tackle. A rare combo in this league... "

" Why do we have a game only a few days before the Hammers clash, but West Ham get a free week to rest and recover? How in the world is that fair?"

" Don't worry about that. Look how we rested up by having the Boro game postponed and Bolton played. Two days later a fresh Rovers were turned over by a tired Bolton, who never win at home! If anything playing and hopefully getting a win, could lift the spirits and give us renewed energy and hope."

" Needless to say, a huge game.
Think much will depend on who is fit and who isn't.
Fulham are no mugs - they have, on paper, better players than Rovers but have been playing well below their potential for some time. Impressive win at QPR and perhaps signs that Jokanović is getting them moving in the right direction.
McCormack and Dembele can be sensational at this level and providing it's not too cold for them at Ewood tomorrow night, would be no surprise if they don't run out winners by a couple of goals."

" Both Evans and Lenihan should be dropped for the Fulham game after their 45th minute surrender on Saturday.
Neither showed any fight. "

" We desperately need a win tomorrow night, for various reasons, the biggest one being no win in 10 just adds to this noose around our proverbial necks. The boost a win could give us and the cushion between us and the bottom 3 would allow us a bit of breathing space and the allow us to enjoy the cup.
If we don't get the win, it puts massive pressure on the MK Dons game and pressure we can well do without right now. I hope Lambert can come up trumps and start to turn the doubters, who are growing rapidly, around. "

"My concern is why was Duffy captain on Saturday. Surely that means that both he and Hanley will play when fit.
I think its time for Lenihen to concentrate on becoming a centre half.
I agree that Marshall should play further forward with Henley at right back but it is the left hand side which is the greater worry.
Spurr is a mistake waiting to happen. Teams have worked out that the left back position is the weak spot."

" Cairney had an absolute blinder on Saturday. Involved in all their goals. Worried."

" As I have said there were players in the side/squad whom aren't fit to wear the famous blue and white halves....up top we have arguably the worst forwards ever if anyone thinking the prolific simeon Jackson , Chris Brown ( neither have scored since 2014 ) danny Graham ( check out his awful stats in the last 4 years ) or T Watt ( still dining out on the goal against Barca a good while ago now ) needs to give their head a shake....our best option is for Gomez to hit those trade make free kicks in like he did for Wigan ( even though when the goings tough in midfield he goes hiding ) and for Marshall and Conway to chip in with a few  ..
We were abysmal Saturday no other words can describe that no excuses
we need something against Fulham...
I think we'll just have enough to stay up with the 5 point cushion and a few games in hand"

" My God do we need to win this...every game now seems a mountain to climb.
Attendance..not many. "

" I'll not lie, I missed the game on Saturday for a trip round London, and the thought of coming back to watch this is making me cringe. Sure I'm not the only one trying to think of something better to do tomorrow night right now, than freeze and watch us launch the ball up to Chris Brown. On the score front, I predict us to get hammered, meaning the up and coming game against MK Dons is massive. Sorry for the negativity, but we are utter cr*p. "

"What reason is there to expect a "hammering" though based on the whole season thus far?"

" We were solid in the first half against Hull - second half their £14m striker force, all ably supported by £8m signing Livermore - showed what money can buy, You can add Huddlestone - £4.5m and lots more to a squad which is premiership quality with wages to match. Against this we have Rovers - a team in transition - whose biggest transfer (of those playing) was probably Marshall at just over a million. Oh yes - missing Hanley and Graham - with Apkan pulling out just before the match.
Personally I'll reserve judgement - and recognise the quality of forward Hull had on display. "

"But Leeds managed to draw with the very expensive Boro tonight ?    Not starting a row but based on that theory it's a banker for Fulham tomorrow night.  No wonder no one is buying tickets for West Ham as we've no chance v them either.
Sorry but those excuses are straight out of the Bowyer handbook, it's 11 v 11 remember.  No doubt the late withdrawals affected things but the tactics should have been altered to suit what was available really.  Hull have quality but they were no great shakes at all until they were gift wrapped the first goal. The lack of effort and fight was the biggest difference between the teams imo."

" If we don't win tonight, the question has to be asked, when do we start winning???  "

" Why does everything have to be so polar on here, Hull aren't Barcelona but they are by far and away the best side I've seen at Ewood in the last 18 months. They looked strong, professional and composed all over the pitch. They have spent a lot of money and spent it wisely. They are currently a much better team than Rovers, they're the facts. Losing to Hull isn't the game we need to judge where we are at, performances and results against the teams from 8th downwards are the ones that count. Big Sam would have had Saturday's game down as a 0 pointer, however with that said I thought we matched them in the first half and was fairly happy with the performance at half time, we didn't rip up any trees but we competed well. The second half was very poor though, I can accept getting beaten by a better team but what I struggled with was the nature of the goals and basic errors being made. Barring the goal at Reading I think pretty much every goal conceded during Lamberts tenure has come from a poor individual error. Its very hard to cut out such terrible individual mistakes as they're being made due to some players being substandard."

" 25 goals scored in 29 games this season. One for the statistician's out there, but have we ever scored fewer goals than games played in our league history? I know in 98/99 when we went down for the first time we were even stevens on that front (38 from 38). "

" We haven't been 'hammered' all season long. The only games where we have lost by more than one goal have been MK Dons away and Hull at home, and MK Dons had a man advantage for 85 minutes.

I'm not quite sure why anyone would expect a mediocre Fulham side to come and 'hammer' us at Ewood.

I appreciate they had a good win against QPR on Saturday, but that doesn't immediately mean we should be quaking in our boots at the thought of the mighty Fulham coming to town. They are a bang average side and have been all season. Their results have generally been the opposite of ours in that they score goals by the bucketload but also concede at an alarming rate, whilst we can't score but also don't concede very many either.
It's a huge game and one we simply have to win."

" This is potentially the biggest game at Ewood all season - forget the cup match against West Ham.
If Rovers lose again then I cant see how PL is going to keep his job, bearing in mind the Venkys past form of sack the manager to try and stop the problem. To be honest he would deserve it... this has been the worst run of league form of all the preceding 4 managers... Kean, Berg, Bowyer(2) and Appleton.
I saw what I thought were green shoots of recovery against Middlesborough, but none of that was in evidence against Hull, even if they are a good side. The Rovers You Tube highlights of the game show 2 minutes of Hull chances and goals - not one Rovers chance, that says it all and sums up Rovers under PL for nearly three months..... no wins and no goals.
So its do or die against Fulham tomorrow IMHO. This is our cup final - lose and we are in deep relegation trouble with yet another management change. Win and hopefully it will kick start the season. I have everything crossed for a win."

" Paul Lambert: Blackburn boss has relegation concerns
"I've said to the lads 'you've got to start looking over your shoulder'," Lambert, 46, told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"You can't just think 'we'll be ok'. Football owes you nothing, you have to go an get it and we have to go and get it really quickly starting on Tuesday - we have to start to win."

" Can Grimes play immediately? If so, who can he replace in the current lineup?
I can accept the fact that nobody on this team can be considered irreplaceable."

" Erm he can replace anybody...."

" Have we lost our spirit? Has this what it has come down to, where we suffer disappointment after disappointment and can't even muster up enough grit to come out with a decent poll? I don't just come here for fun to see why thehatts believes the moon is made of spare rib, no. I come here because I believe in the one solemn truth that is everyday matchday thread will be accompanied by a poll. A poll which will challenge your inner ambitions, one which will test the obvious principles in life, or one which dares to think outside the "metaphorical" box.
Whichever this poll is made up of, there must be one. And to put it bluntly, I'm disappointed."

That's it

[terryr]

updated

[Blanco]

Lets hope Hanley, Graham and Akpan don't play. We seem the more confident set of fans. Hopefully that tranfers onto the pitch.

[snarks]

Blimey they do seem down in the dumps, like reading FOF last season

[Fulham Tup North]

They are a lot less cocky than QPRs.
They really seem concerned about losing!
COYW