21 minutes ago, Mercer said:

One swallow doesn't make a summer but Eustace's overall management was excellent last night.  Let us just hope this will be replicated every game.

It was quite clear the 3 'coaches' calling the shots were Eustace, Gardiner and Downing.  Lowe cut a forlorn and peripheral figure and, hopefully, his career at Rovers is now over.

I agree, but there's something in the way we've come from behind now twice in two games, it's at total odds to recent performances - if we go 1-0 down now, I don't feel as hopeless as I once did. There's every chance we go back to type at the weekend, but something feels different.

Nice to know we have some English football experience on the bench for a change, who get how a team should navigate tough Championship season. 

There's a reason we're catching teams offside more since Eustace took over, Fadz is always holding their line and screaming at them to push up. Good to watch, reassuring even. 

He was great when he came on, I'll hold my hands up, in every other game he's come on as a sub I've always sank in my seat, it felt like nothing would be created but he proved me wrong last night. 

As Lancaster Rover said, he seemed to come inside more and be more direct, rather than hugging the wing, prepared to link up more. Maybe it's the fact the pressure was off and the whole team had raised their game, I don't know, but he needs to adopt the role of "super sub" and actually come on and hurt teams rather than just make up the numbers.

That shot that lead to the goal was unreal, no backlift, crazy the amount of pace he got on it, very unlucky not to score. 

When he got that standing ovation after his double save last night, it nearly brought a tear to my eye. Class.

It doesn't take much for a team to get the Ewood crowd behind them, it's a symbiotic relationship between fans and players. Last night all it took was seeing some heart and commitment, graft, nous whatever you want to call it, to get the fans going and the players going in return.

Some genuine goosebump moments last night, like the old days - "Rovers 'til I die" being sung all round the ground, when Pears took a goal kick after his double save and the crowd gave him a standing ovation - great to have moments 

I heard from someone last night that a team should represent and play like the town/city in which they are based - it felt "right" last night.

If anything, a "morale boosting defeat" was maybe just what the team needs, they'll be knackered but surely these experiences help bind groups together? 

All credit to Eustace, I thought our recent cup runs were purely down to JDT's positivity, and I thought we'd bottle it tonight and play safe, but we saw a side to this squad that we maybe didn't know existed. 

Just now, tomphil said:

I thought Siggy was ok when he came on but he really does need to track back more and more importantly get moving when hes either lost it or passed it to a team mate outside the box.

Was a time or two last night he dropped into midfield, passed then just stood there as the team broke forward.  Got to support team mates at all times going fwds sideways or back in this league if you want to make an impact.

Think it's a mental thing with him it needs hammering home what you have to do, get to grips with that he ca be a more important contributor.

In recent months I have not known what Siggy actually brings to the side, what he actually does as a footballer, I was concerned when he came on for the second half. Last night he showed it though, calmness on the ball and a quality of pass, the right weight etc bit of extra quality.

As fans you just want "moments" to celebrate, things to go completely bonkers for  - will be forever thankful to Sammie for last night's goal, and the one against Sheff Utd in the FA Cup at Bramall Lane, good memories. The effort this lad puts in is unreal. 

Burnley fans and Kompany moaning about being "hard done to" after Adam didn't get a second yellow...boo hoo

They didn't mind Barnes antics at the t'turf last season. Having a good laugh at him pushing Kaminksi in the net, the handball at Ewood etc. Can't have it both ways.

Wonder how long JDT was chatting with the Swedish FA... 

I've actually forgotten what it feels like to play slightly better in the second half and come back to draw a game.

When was the last time/how many times other than Millwall on the final day we came from behind to gain any points?

14 minutes ago, yankfan said:

Can’t help but feel the pendulum has swung too far in the conservative direction since JDT left. Lots of balls hoofed forward in the direction of the front three. Midfield playing negative. 
 

if this is our style for next year we should sell Sammy in the summer. The style doesn’t suit him and his value will drop the longer he plays in it. 

We weren't scoring when we were trying to pass through the middle either, so f*** knows what we are to do. Just got to get hard to beat and keep working on it. 

6 minutes ago, DE. said:

Another result to add to the rest where we go behind and can't come back to win. 

Finding it difficult to be thankful for a point at home to Norwich, who we handily dispatched at Carrow Road only a few months ago. How the tables have turned. They've gone from strength to strength whilst we've transformed into one of the worst teams in the league. 

Can't wait for the season to be over, regardless of the outcome. 

Me neither but remember though how poor Norwich were in that game? Their fans wanted Wagner out afterward, a game too far for many of them. We just need patience, get this faltering squad playing together in some form, whatever it takes. Not going to happen overnight. 

If the other results hadn't gone the way they did, that's a good point.

We were poor the last 15 when I thought we'd started to get a foothold, but I'm impressed with how we are fighting and getting stuck in, disrupting play, we're also talking more on the pitch.

A point not ideal but but against an in-form Norwich side I'll take that, however, we had our chances, and on another day we win that 3-1. 

Difference between the two sides is they can pass it about quickly to feet, we can't.

Our passing has been atrocious over the last month, regardless of who's in the dugout.

Positives: nice to see us being a bit more physical, we're also mixing it up and we've been unlucky not to score. 
Negatives: we can't seem to get our top scorer involved in the game, with zero midfield he's just not seeing the ball, and we're not winning those second balls from knockdowns. As above, our passing and general touch is so off, it's alarming - it must be a confidence thing.

A terrible challenge by Buckley to concede the free kick, but the guy had beaten him, if he didn't make it, he would get slated for not doing anything, something to stop a clear chance at goal. 

Seeing so many comments over the last few days of "not watching any more" etc (pathetic view in my opinion) and general negativity regarding the manager, give him a chance FFS, this is such a disjointed squad who seem to need telling how to play the game. Tough job for anyone. COYB.

6 minutes ago, superniko said:

I mean come on, your argument loses a bit of credit on that sentence.  Some grim individual performances (which in fairness is your point), but we saw exactly that and far worse under every other manager, was it 7-0 against Fulham under Mowbray. Worst memories as a Rovers fan is over doing it I think. 

Rotherham away, Reading etc and Turf Moor, the 4-1 at home to Preston - there was just something about those defeats that will always stick with me, the fact that after the first goal goes in you know you have zero chance of getting back in it, sat there for the rest of the game just taking it...

I also said recent worst memories, and it's all relative for each of us, without giving away my age.

Yes the 7-0 at home was a disgrace, but we went down to 10 men against a top side in the division, a freak result, not a steady familiar pattern.  I agree injuries etc but we have to pick up points somehow and build, JDT wasn't doing anything about that. 

Definitely can't read too much in Szmodics looking angry and fed up etc, he's seems like one of those rare players that is as close as you're going to get to watching an actual normal "fan" playing football - stick any of us on the pitch and we'd be moaning and screaming at our team mates to pass the thing to feet. I think he just feels it like the rest of us.

He'll definitely be off at the first chance though, but to be honest, if we'd had a striker all season do you think he'd have scored as many? He's scored goals in spite of the team's issues, forced into that role, of which we're all grateful. 

6 minutes ago, M_B said:

You've got to take it in context though, we'd taken 5 points from Tomasson's last 11 games, we've taken 5 points from Eustace's first 4. You have to consider the form and morale of the team when Eustace took over. 

Exactly. Well put. 

1 minute ago, superniko said:

I honestly don’t think we looked hard to beat though, we lose that match to 85% of this division, we were as bad as Birmingham, it’s just Cardiff are even less clinical than them. 
Cardiff had 10 points from their last 15 matches, not scored a goal in their last 3 home matches, won 1 of their last 7 matches. They’re basically neck and neck with us in the form table across 10, 15, 20 games. 
Yet they still did more to win that match than us, a lot of recency bias to suggest we lose that 3-0 under JDT. We were on a shocking run under him, riddled by injuries yes, but he’d won 3 in a row against Cardiff including a 5-2 battering 

But that was in the cup, with the pressure off and two changed sides...can't compare them.

I admit teams with quality would have put us to the sword, but the side is shot of confidence. We actually had a decent chance to snatch it, and we defended well on the whole, the offside trap working.

They need to get together as a squad, find some confidence that they ain't going to ship 2 goals a game, and build from there.

There is no recency bias at all - look at Sheff Utd, Rotherham, Reading, Dingles away last season as three examples off the top of my head. One flowing attack in those games doesn't not make me feel any better about those memories, some of the worst moments as a Rovers fan in recent years. 

I loved the way we played under JDT, it was the hope and the ambition and it was nice to see that happening at our club, but I didn't like the way we committed men forward and I didn't like getting hammered week in week out with zero fight. 

People critiquing the style of play and the manager after 3 games really need to take a deep breath. Judge it next season.

16 minutes ago, TonyM said:

I hope it works out for him, and sure it will, but looking a bit lost in the game tonight.

I don't think so at all, maybe the first 20, but he grew into the game, didn't have many touches as Chelsea had all the possession, on the rare chance he did get it, he played a few of his trademark positive first time forward passes. He does like that high looping one that bends inside the full back.

But yes, as @simongarnerisgod said, he should have been racing back to close down Gallagher, shame that...

I do think as someone else has said, the game is a lot quicker than what he's used to. 

Neville on comms was impressed, is that good or bad?!!?? 

22 minutes ago, DackDackGoose said:

It is interesting, as we were quite effective, gally won a lot of flick ons and Dolan was there to pick up. 'Releasing the shackles' were they really told not to cross it? Mad. We don't have a plan b target man mind.

I did think we didn't play amazingly also though, and Stoke were awful but had chances. We'd lose against a better team.

Going to be very interesting seeing how we play now, its a great jumping off point for Eustace my opinion. As JDT had some very positive attacking aspects drilled into them.

I suppose we may have an actual plan b now, go more direct, or pass it around and play possession as before, why we couldn't ease the pressure in previous games when we clearly under the cosh, the mind boggles. 

How many times have teams come to Ewood and got it forward with a few passes, played it into the channels, bypassing our entire midfield who are half-way up the pitch. Been frightening to watch.

I've always thought that we got a lot of injuries, a lot of muscle strains, hamstrings - I know JDT blamed sitting on the coach, but I just wonder if the demands he set were too high, not only tactically but fitness wise. This desire to press with his famous "intensity" meant that we were burnt out after the first 30mins, and after 65mins just totally not in the game especially when the opposition making subs that we couldn't dream of.

It' goes back to a manager using the strengths of his squad. 

Someone mentioned Hedges come straight back in, maybe he wasn't "JDT fit", but he's fit enough to do a role for Johnson and/or Eustace?

I'm not bashing JDT after the event, there's just so many unknowns with this squad.

On Gallagher, I'll admit I was one of them fans getting frustrated with him, now he's had a run out of the team I'm eating my words - we've seen how much we miss him. It's just more for opposition defences to think about, one big guy and a little guy tirelessly moving and harrying.

I'm not sure it's fair to judge him either, under JDT and Mowbray I feel like he's been played everywhere other than the role of big lad up front - let's see what happens if he gets a run in a more typical role. The guy works dam hard. 

Was chatting to my Dad this weekend after the Stoke game, who has witnessed far more football in his 74 years than I have, we're both delighted with the win but almost a deep frustration who it can take a change in manager to totally shift the players as a group. To him, having watched some of the most famous successful sides down the years, he finds it almost unbelievable that a team can be so wedded to a set of tactics even though it clearly ain't working, with players just doing what they are told. 

I'd like to know from people who have played to a decent level, how is t possible for teams to continue with systems that clearly aren't working, following them to the letter. What's it like in the dressing room? Is it just a case of the players with their heads down, shrugging their shoulders, "it's what the gaffer wants"...

Is it case of the game now being so professional that players carry out tactics regardless, or is coupled with the fact that we haven't had any real leaders or experience on the pitch to help manage certain situations - i.e at Turf Moor last season, "put your foot through it Clinton!"

I've been guilty of being jobsworth at times when certain bosses, managers and clients treat you in certain ways or tell you what to do even though you disagree - I suppose you just coast through, get it done and go home. It's so hard to imagine this happens in football, but it must like any job. 

If anything the game on Saturday made me more and more angry at the last 6 months of JDT's reign if I'm honest, that through this blind commitment to this style of play we're risking a dalliance with relegation.

I find Brittain's comments pretty revealing:

"As a group, we have spoken in the last week about using Gally's strengths. Hedgey coming in at the back post, we don't do it enough."

"I think we turn down crosses and we come out too much. We want to put the ball in dangerous areas and we did, it caused problems.

"I think it is a strength for me, crossing. It wasn't something the last gaffer wanted, it was a different style," he explained.

"The manager (Eustace) told us to take the shackles off, I think we did that today. I'm very excited to work under him."

They obviously know what they want, but under the previous regime couldn't do anything about it. I find it really frustrating.
 

Just now, TommyRovers said:

GB is alive 

People are gonna rip that statement apart, so much to talk about