v Derby County (h) - 8/11/25 12:30pm ko

[...]

Eustace returns to Ewood on our 150th anniversary....

Can Rovers extend their run and spoil the party for the Rovers reserves....

[MarkBRFC]

It's been a great 2 weeks since that Sheffield Utd game.

I think this will be one game too far for our fragile squad though, Toth, Wharton and Tronstad missing on top of Cantwell makes this game really difficult for us I think.

Expect Riberio to come as the left sided centre back with McLoughlin moved to the centre.

Derby are in even better form than us too.

Felt at the start of the season that this would be one of the biggest humiliations of the venkys era with out ex manager, staff, captain & god knows how many players coming back on our birthday to take the piss.

Rovers 0 Derby 2

Hope I'm wrong.

[...]

I'm going for a 1-1 comeback draw. We need to score first to keep our heads up. Play like we have in last few games though and it's ours for the taking

[Elrovers]

Confident with this one. Think we can win this one and head into the international break full with confidence to face pne. Concerned about the injuries hopefully not too bad. Wouldn’t mind a draw. 0-0

[roversfan99]

6 minutes ago, ... said:

I'm going for a 1-1 comeback draw. We need to score first to keep our heads up. Play like we have in last few games though and it's ours for the taking

Obviously the first goal is important but we lost v Swansea, Birmingham and Sheff United after scoring the first goal. And our only home win (and draw) came after conceding first.

[roversfan99]

15 minutes ago, MarkBRFC said:

It's been a great 2 weeks since that Sheffield Utd game.

I think this will be one game too far for our fragile squad though, Toth, Wharton and Tronstad missing on top of Cantwell makes this game really difficult for us I think.

Expect Riberio to come as the left sided centre back with McLoughlin moved to the centre.

Derby are in even better form than us too.

Felt at the start of the season that this would be one of the biggest humiliations of the venkys era with out ex manager, staff, captain & god knows how many players coming back on our birthday to take the piss.

Rovers 0 Derby 2

Hope I'm wrong.

Has to be the concern. Squad is really thin beyond the first 11 or so and we may need to peel too far beyond that main team on Saturday.

[benhben]

Hard game this. They've won 4 on the spin and have a few players in the side and manager who will want to prove a point back at Ewood. Weve just lost our GK,CB and CM as well. This has a slip up written all over it.

Id take a draw at the moment and move on. 

Edited 4 hours ago by benhben

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Going to predict a 2-1 win but we might lose this 0-1...expect the unexpected,Roll that Dice,spin that Wheel!

Crazy Club in a crazy League.🙃

15,400

Edited 4 hours ago by SIMON GARNERS 194

[M_B]

Ismael goes back to the well for one last time before the international break.MIght we see Cantwell make a surprise return ? 

[davulsukur]

Not having Toth, Cantwell, Wharton or Tronstad will make this game significantly harder.

We have no other first team centre backs available, so should Wharton not make it, you're either reverting to a back 4, or dropping someone like Ribeiro into the back 3. Either way, it's risky.

Centre mid also presents a problem, as we either have to start with TGH and Forshaw (seems the most likely), or risk starting Montgomery or Taveres (who's been poor)

Pears is a huge problem regardless and Eustace will know how to unsettle him.

Edited 3 hours ago by davulsukur

[...]

7 minutes ago, M_B said:

Ismael goes back to the well for one last time before the international break.MIght we see Cantwell make a surprise return ? 

A cantwell return for this would be handy 

[Tugayisgod]

1 minute ago, davulsukur said:

Not having Toth, Cantwell, Wharton or Tronstad will make this game significantly harder.

We have no other first team centre backs available, so should Wharton not make it, you're either reverting to a back 4, or dropping someone like Ribeiro into the back 3. Either way, it's risky.

Centre mid also presents a problem, as we either have to start with TGH and Forshaw (seems the most likely), or risk starting Montgomery or Taveres (who's been poor)

Pears is a huge problem regardless and Eustace will know how to unsettle him.

Would Puckering not be a better choice as a 3rd CB if that's the way we go ?

His height would give him an advantage over Ribeiro, but he seems to have fallen out of favour with VI

[Andy]

They've won a few recently, as have we, but I've not been convinced at all by them.

They look typically 'Eustace'; defensive, pragmatic and play on the counter.

It'll be a tricky game, but if we continue with this current shape and style - and manage to get either/both of Toth and Wharton ready in time (both unknown at the time of writing), I think we'll add another win to the tally.

On the flipside, if we are relying on Pears in goal and a left-back filling in at CB (as well as missing Tronstad in the middle), I'd be a bit more nervous.

[TheKitGuy]

Pears

Miller Mcloughlin Ribero

Alebiouso TGH Montgomery De Neve

Cantwell

Gueye Gudjohnsen

 

Have left out Ohashi as he's been battered around a bit and image he will be tired,  i'd instruct Gueye to put himself about leave a few on their centre halves and make himself a big nuisance - he must use his size better. He's a target man not a poacher. 

 

Morisihita/Hedges/Ohashi triple sub on the hour tireless legs run them ragged in the second half. 

 

2-1 Rovers. 

[davulsukur]

50 minutes ago, Tugayisgod said:

Would Puckering not be a better choice as a 3rd CB if that's the way we go ?

His height would give him an advantage over Ribeiro, but he seems to have fallen out of favour with VI

Probably would be, I was just going off last night. Picks didn't even make the squad.

[Exiled_Rover]

If we play Pears we'll lose. 

Besides the fact he's awful, Eustace had him worked out when we played them last season - the game was over almost before it started because he just told him team to pile pressure on Pears. He crumbled.

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, Tugayisgod said:

Would Puckering not be a better choice as a 3rd CB if that's the way we go ?

His height would give him an advantage over Ribeiro, but he seems to have fallen out of favour with VI

Am I going mad or is Pickering smaller than Ribeiro?

[jim mk2]

Eustace is no fool - he'll tell his players to bang in the crosses and shoot from distance because he knows Pears is always liable to make a mistake. Ismael is going to have to work out a way of setting up the defence to protect him

The injuries are very unfortunate and this match against this particular opposition has come at a bad time. I'd happily take a draw

[Mashed Potatoes]

9 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

Eustace is no fool - he'll tell his players to bang in the crosses and shoot from distance because he knows Pears is always liable to make a mistake. Ismael is going to have to work out a way of setting up the defence to protect him

The injuries are very unfortunate and this match against this particular opposition has come at a bad time. I'd happily take a draw

Didn’t Eustace choose to start Pears ahead of Toth?

[davulsukur]

18 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Am I going mad or is Pickering smaller than Ribeiro?

Not going mad, Picks is the smaller of the 2.

 

[...]

45 minutes ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

Didn’t Eustace choose to start Pears ahead of Toth?

Yea when Toth wasn't proven in the championship. Pears was. 

[Tomphil2]

Big game, bigger than usual  crowd, returning manager and players ( or judas and his greedy snakes, depending on which narrative you believe) and of course Blackburn Rovers being Blackburn Rovers.

Just when things are finally going well......

Rovers 0  Rovers B  1

[rigger]

No trains between Preston and Blackburn on Saturday.

[J*B]

Big occasion, good sales (by Venkys standards), a bit of a grudge match, former players starting against us. I've watched enough of Rovers-under-Venkys to know what happens next.

[aletheia]

Dogs of war on both sides..