bluebruce

Proper nostalgic 90s kit this keeper has on.

Armstrong doesnt offer a goal threat in some games either, the ones where he smashes it against defenders all match. I think you judge players too directly on assists and goals. Dolan put it on a plate for BB the other game early doors with a brilliant bit of work, they pulled BB down and we should have had a penalty and played the rest of the match against 10 men. Dolan didn't score or assist in those two games, but the latter isn't always his fault. He makes things happen and is well worth a place in the first team.

Playing right into the hands of a counter attacking side by having no real 'spoilers' in the middle. No, Johnson doesnt count. For a man who usually spends too much time worrying about the opposition, and has been talking about their counter attacking threat, I'm a bit surprised by that. Also not sure why we are taking the risk with our only other major asset and goal threat now Dack is paggered, just to try win a dead rubber.

Wow, that post is going to be absolute message board gold in time. In fact, now - he's already clearly better than L1.

Yeh he was decent against Brentford. Somewhere between the last game and the one before that in terms of level. He is in good form over these last 3 games, long may it continue. It's nice to finally feel I can be a bit excited about the lad and his future here.

Are you suggesting there is no link between the amount of possession we have and the results? Because the data, and last season's data too, suggests there is, but that it's an inverse relationship. I get what you're saying that at the end of the day what matters is what we do in the opposition's box and what we let them do in ours, and ultimately that's largely true and there have been numerous individual errors, I don't know if any more than a normal season though. But possession does matter, because it ties into what happens in both boxes. But it isn't the quantity of possession that counts, like TM seems convinced of, but the quality, and that's where our inability to pick up points when we have most of the possession comes in. We look crap in the final third as you say, because of how we are more focused on keeping the ball than going for the throat quickly. We have some quick players, and that's more of an advantage when there is a lot of space to run into. We should focus more on countering quickly, and sometimes you need to take risks to do that, but instead we slow play down until the opposition have tons of bodies in the box. Then, space is at a premium, and we ineffectively tap it round the box waiting for the opponents to make a mistake, opening a gap. We also fail to really move inside the box, since everybody seems to be trained to want the ball to feet, so those mistakes and gaps rarely come. The chances we do create this way are in a more congested box, and again space is at a premium. Decisions need to be made quickly, shots taken at short notice, making them a little harder to execute, more bodies in the way, tighter angles etc. If you look at even a game like Wycombe at Ewood, one where we did dominate possession with 70% and played about 35 minutes against 10 men, most of our goals came on the counter attack, as did the red card. 3 goals were counter attacks, 1 was a penalty that came from a moment of Dolan brilliance and risk-taking, and the other came from the risk of shooting from outside the box. At the other end, we ship quite a lot on the counter as we over-commit bodies forward, including fullbacks, trying to break through that wall that opponents set up for us frequently as we are so poor at breaking it down. Same principles for why it's easier to do a counter apply for trying to defend one. There's a lot more space, we can get pulled out of shape more easily, and we don't have the quickest centre halves around. I'm not suggesting that having possession means defeat, nor that having less means victory, more that these heavy possession games tend to signify games we approached the wrong way for the team we have. And of course that TM's assertion that having high possession will result in success is blatantly, and statistically demonstrably, wrong.

Did I name Dack specifically? No, but as soon as I saw the lineup, and before the game started, I highlighted the general risk of most of these lads playing 3 games in 6 days. I didn't bother going into specifically who should sit out, I was a little busy at the time, but I'd say it stands to reason that the top-end asset lad who had fairly recently recovered from an ACL and was only just looking like he could handle a full game at anything like his old level would be a prime candidate for not starting a third game in six days, if I'd had the time to go into who to rotate.

Mowbray said the doctor thinks it's an ACL, he wasn't giving a personal diagnosis. Dack also said it felt like last time.

Glad we trained on Ewood when it was at its most vulnerable instead of training on the indoor pitch to 'prevent injuries'....

Always amazes me that TM rotates regularly, sometimes when, to my mind, he shouldn't, but then we have three games in six days and quite a few players have played in all three. Not the first time he hasn't made changes when they do seem merited (and that's before we get into continuing to play out of form players week in week out, whilst rotating players who do better). I get why the same team is out though, they've done fairly well the last two games, just hope this isn't a game too far for their legs.

You definitely win.

I remember finding a player on an old FM that was called Angel Fux (may have been spelt Fuchs).

Nah not for me. I've considered his ball-winning a weakness until now, due to his light weight, easily knocked off the ball, lacking aggression approach. Now he is applying himself in terms of aggression and being braver, he is winning the ball well too.

Nah I'd say that's a relatively recent development as far as his first team performances go. The last two games in fact. The odd patch aside.

Here we had two players going in for the ball, both having every right to, a 50/50 basically where our man was slightly slower to it. It was facing away from goal, in a fairly innocuous position, and as you say, landed at their lad's feet for a chance anyway, which it wouldn't have done without the contact. Compare that to 2 minutes into the game, BB bearing down on goal with only one defender to stop him, who simply throws his whole body at him, clattering him off the ball and making no real attempt to play it. And that one isn't a pen but the other is? Fuck off ref, you biased bastard.

Well, it's been a long time coming, but Buckley finally had a game. Not a few flashes, or a solid game still speckled with some wtf moments, but an honest to god full performance where he finally showed the majority of us that he can impact games, and that he could be a proper player for us to merit all the hype he has had. Well done John Buckley! Long may it continue. Nobody plays without the odd bum match, and this one swallow doesn't make a summer, but if he can continue in this vein he will be a good player for us. In this game and the one before, his application has been exactly where it needs to be. He looks braver, more committed, more confident, and I think that's made all the difference. Even when he was playing sloppy passes first half against Millwall, his head didn't drop and he kept getting stuck in and wanting the ball until it clicked. Go on lad!

Would have likely been game over at that point.

We have one, he is injured.

Today, yes.

Jesus BB, really has to be finishing that. Chipped it to the wrong side.

Oh look, that stupid kickoff we always do failed again. Shock!

I could perhaps have forgiven that penalty decision if it weren't for his other calls. Bottling the early one for us which was far easier to spot. Letting us get smacked around all half. To give that in light of his other decisions was absolutely unforgivable. Amazing how they get away with it all the time at this level, total fucking buffoons.

Buckley looks like he wants it today. Playing well.

I can see why. He's fucking atrocious. Playing well so far. Dolan is important for us.

There's a ref, I forget who, that never gives Brereton anything. Clearly seen that he dives quite a bit so assumes nearly every fall is a dive rather than calling them on merit. I know other posters have mentioned it before, so although I can't remember the game, anyone know if it's this ref?