Bonkers isn't it. Absolutely no issue when we're comfortably drifting to mid table finishes which has often been the case, fine take the cash (we're usually major underdogs anyway against teams that bring that size of crowd)... however, it was complete stupidity to give a relegation rival that kind of backing in such a massive fixture and it predictably backfired.
It will haunt Pears a bit more too knowing his error was in front of them. Waggott helped the opposition more than us. Was it even a coincidence the mistake happened down that end? It was a pressure fixture, with an intimidating crowd - the Newcastle game was not this. Wednesday took full advantage of the allocation, they were never going to stop buying because they knew the fixture was huge, (bigger for them than us) and they knew they could impact it.
If anyone thinks differently I can only assume you've never played competitive football at any level.
The crowd at Ewood can be a weakness, largely due to the owners (the CEO must have his head up his arse if he isn't receptive of this) and it was criminal to give them that many tickets. The fixture became neutral. It will have felt like a home game to them and what a feeling to get during a season like they're having.
Confidence is key and when you're in the relegation zone it's low. As an opponent you've got to do everything possible to capitalise on that on and off the pitch in this kind of fixture, yes we didn't do enough on it but giving them a fan backing of that size was one way to level the playing field a bit more.
Most clubs would take any advantage they can to help their players at home, - it should mean everything... but not ours.
I can't wait for the season to end, I'm not renewing - the decision making behind the scenes isn't anything I'd ever want to be part of. Absolutely criminal stuff.