Herbie6590

“Just do whatever Pep would ask you to do in these circumstances”

Thanks for the feedback, appreciated

Cheers Philip

Cheers ??

Thank you, much appreciated.

A slightly longer version of this week's Accrington Observer column Is This Is A Crisis...a Large Crisis ? It’s the crushing inevitability. The sense of foreboding that comes from fearing something going so well can’t possibly continue. The growing fear that fate is conspiring to snatch glory away from you in the cruellest possible way. However, England responded to the pressure, dug in at 13-7 and eventually added a further 6 points to record a handsome victory and book a place in the Rugby World Cup final, against the odds. A fast start, early scores, discipline, tenacity and team spirit all combining to make light of the fact that New Zealand had won 15 of the previous 16 encounters. Now, let’s do that “A Level” arts staple of the compare and contrast exercise shall we ? Deepdale, Saturday afternoon and a chastened Blackburn Rovers team facing a Preston team that they have failed to beat in any of the previous five meetings, comes out of the traps very much on the front foot, looking for all the world like a side re-born. Sam Gallagher is straining at the leash like an excitable Golden Retriever keen to chase squirrels in the park. Amari’i Bell is prowling down the left flank, probing for weaknesses, daring Preston players to even try and stop him. Adam Armstrong is the coiled spring, his raw pace a weapon to be unleashed on a Preston defence seemingly wearing leaden boots. Just a minute in, Gallagher scores or if you are a killjoy of epic proportions, Gallagher powers a header off the inside of the post, the diving Declan Rudd flails and the ball touches his shoulder on the way into the goal and it’s apparently therefore an own goal (it really isn’t...). Roughly four & a half thousand Rovers fans housed behind the goal at the opposite end celebrate wildly, irrespective of the designated scorer. The game continues in the same vein. Rovers are irresistible, attack after attack, Preston are much like the Led Zep classic, “Dazed and Confused”. Just ten minutes later, Gallagher strikes again, this time shaping a lovely left-footed curler inside the far post and on this occasion, he definitely has his first league goal of the season. Rovers are two ahead after just eleven minutes, on the “Stairway To Heaven” ? How do Rovers fans react ? Well, jubilation obviously, but thoughts drift, memories of Brentford in February seep into the conscience. It’s the crushing inevitability. After thirty minutes, Preston boss Alex Neil decides that enough is enough and he turns to his bench and deploys a six-foot, two-inch battering ram by the name of Jayden Stockley. A man with nine appearances and three goals on his CV whilst on loan at Accrington Stanley in 2011. The sacrificial lamb is former Rover and playmaker Paul Gallagher. The “Gallagher of the Match” award is to be Sam’s, not Paul’s. For the rest of the half, Rovers try to work out how to handle Stockley and Preston work out how best to use him. Rovers reach half-time largely unscathed with the two-goal lead intact. But Rovers fans just know. Nothing in life is achieved without a struggle, there has to be labore as well as arte. "Just keep it tight for 10-15 minutes at the start of the second half, put Adarabioyo on Stockley, sit a bit deeper, use Armstrong’s pace and Gallagher’s strength and a third breakaway goal seals the deal. Ten minutes, just keep it tight, because if we concede one, well that changes the dynamic". That’s the crushing inevitability, right there. Rovers managed just eight minutes before Christian Walton decided to perform the goalkeeping equivalent of an opening batsman; not sure where his stumps begin and end, shouldering arms, only to see the ball nip back late and hit off stump three quarters of the way up. As a pretty harmless and aimless cross drifted over to the back post, Walton allowed it to pass clean over his head to where Sean Maguire was standing. Maguire who probably couldn’t believe his luck, nodded it back to Barkhuizen, one down. “Good Times, Bad Times” is added to the "PNE Led Zep" playlist. At that moment, Rovers on-field presence seemed to evaporate. All the first half energy evidently dissipated as a result of just one fatal error by Walton. From that moment on, the momentum was flowing in one direction; away from the Rovers fans in the Shankly End towards Walton’s goal, Stockley the North End focal point. Elliott Bennett reprised his Huddersfield trick of conceding a clumsy penalty. Johnson took an eternity to take it but converted cleanly and Rovers’ lead had evaporated inside twenty minutes of the restart. From here on in, there was only one winner. Barkhuizen finally administered the mercy killing with a fine third with less than ten minutes to go and Rovers fans knew deep in their hearts that it was coming. You knew, I knew, we all knew, it’s the crushing inevitability. The pressure on Rovers boss Tony Mowbray is obviously growing with each successive slip up. That comes with the territory. But this time, this sequence feels a bit different somehow. The terrible run of February and March was eventually turned around and promises were issued that lessons had been learned and that defenders were coming. One of those mooted defenders played on Saturday, just not in a Rovers shirt. This time it has a whiff of the last days of Souness, a generally well-respected, well-liked manager in danger of tarnishing his legacy. If Middlesbrough sack Woodgate and come in for Mowbray the parallels will be adding up. That second half capitulation showed just how fragile the team’s confidence is currently. A relatively benign fixture list has yielded just two points from the last six games and now throws up matches at home against Sheffield Wednesday and away at Leeds United, two teams presently lording it in the top five. Tony Mowbray has to find a solution and quickly, or else the cries for his removal will grow yet louder. That too is a crushing inevitability. We are not yet quite at Captain Blackadder levels of crisis definition, “...a twelve-storey crisis with a magnificent entrance hall, carpeting throughout, 24-hour portage, and an enormous sign on the roof, saying 'This Is a Large Crisis'..” but that run of “winnable” games seems to be well and truly over. The key question now is "Does Tony have a Baldrick-style cunning plan ?" Six without a win.

Agreed, TM has this precise dilemma; to lose one goalkeeper is unfortunate, to lose two might be deemed careless.

I don’t totally absolve the players, that’s my point ??

OK, I’ll have one more go at explaining what I mean via an analogy...bear with...? i have a leaking kitchen tap. I conduct due diligence & select a plumber who is suitably qualified & so seems capable of doing the job. He comes in, starts work but accidentally drills through the pipe causing a leak. The plumber is Responsible for the mistake, I am Accountable for choosing the plumber & therefore ultimately, the leak & the damage caused. if I KEEP using that plumber for all my requirements & accepting risk of further collateral damage then my accountability for the performance of my kitchen tap might suffer & Mrs H might decide that in future, somebody else might be better placed to choose which plumber we use. Ultimately the buck stops with me (until MRS H intervenes) but it doesn’t give the chosen plumber carte blanche to go nuts knackering my pipe work, he has a duty of care....that’s the difference between responsibility & accountability in this instance... *retires to drawing room, pours glass of scotch, slumps back in easy chair* ?

Read my later post Stuart

No, I’m pointing out the difference between responsibility & accountability as we all seem to keep mixing up the two. Mowbray is ultimately accountable, end of, we all agree on this. However, once he has picked the team (for which he is accountable) the players have a degree of personal responsibility for their individual performances. Walton dropped a clanger. Bennett dropped a clanger. The players solely are responsible for those errors. They are experienced professionals who will know they cocked up. Mowbray now must decide how to react to those mistakes & for that reaction he is responsible but he can only react post-event, the players react on the field, real time. Mowbray buys, sells, trains & sets them up - in game, the players need to stand up & take some share of the blame for what’s going on IMHO. Tommy Spurr said as much on the Radio Lancs preview on Friday. He said the players need to ask themselves some searching questions. Nobody comes out of yesterday covered in glory save for Gallagher who seemed to discover himself at least for 45 minutes.

Of course he is, but at 4pm yesterday as that cross came over...Mowbray is powerless. He can only react post event.

I think we are agreeing. The manager sets the team up, organises, ensures everyone knows their job & is in the best possible shape physically & mentally. Once on the field the players are responsible for their actions. The manager is ultimately accountable for the performance/result & if he doesn’t like any aspect, he is responsible for changing tactics, formations, substitutes etc during the game. The manager is not responsible for individual players dropping a gonad. He is responsible for reacting to that in whatever way he thinks fit. Cowley changed it last week. Neil did today. In each instance, we failed to react effectively & it has cost us 5 points.

Mowbray is ultimately accountable but individual players are responsible for their own performance on the field. Mowbray isn’t playing FIFA controlling their movements and decision making. Mowbray can drop Walton next week but he can’t guarantee that whoever he brings in doesn’t make a mistake. Let’s keep a sense of perspective here.

Cowley changed the game last week, Neil did today. Mowbray has been serially outthought but that said, some glaring individual mistakes which are hard to legislate for don’t help.

He’s doing his coaching badges now, hopes to get back in the game

I’m too old to play left back... ?

Thank you...interestingly Tommy said that JB’s role model is Sean Dyche & that he organises training & drills based on what he learned at Burnley from Dyche

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07q4332 Radio Lancs preview show link here

Really enjoyed it doing it, hope it was a decent listen. Tommy Spurr is a lovely chap...link here if anyone fancies a listen https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07q4332

A slightly longer version of this week's Accrington Observer column Rovers Struggle To Find A Winning Formula It’s somewhat disconcerting to have your Saturday timetable re-arranged at short notice, but sometimes pressing needs mean that sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. All in all, I’m sure Tim Farron would much rather have been at Ewood on Saturday lunchtime than ensconced in Westminster. What with the breakfast coverage of Rugby World Cup and Rovers lunchtime appointment on Sky, it seemed that Saturday’s sporting timetable had been designed by Jeff Stelling in a cunning ruse to boost Soccer Saturday ratings. These days, Rovers appearances on Sky are somewhat infrequent so it was perplexing to read the paradoxical quotes attributed to Rovers marketing head Greg Coar. He implied that a full ground makes for a more compelling TV attraction and went on to add “a better visual spectacle is more likely to make us chosen for television again”. Notwithstanding this, the policy of tucking away fans into the top tier of the Darwen End with its consequential impact upon atmosphere continues. The rationale apparently, being that there are marginal gains to be had from the opposition not being motivated by the close proximity of their fans, nor will the referee be influenced by claims from a vocal away support. It does however strike this correspondent as “a bit petty” to be honest and seems to discount the possibility that our own players might conceivably be motivated by a hostile away section. Imagine David Speedie and Alan Shearer being cowed by a noisy Darwen End full of away fans ? No, neither can I. Anyhow, at the end of a traumatic international week which demonstrated the ugly side of football support, it was nice to return to more familiar domestic matters and with a home fixture against struggling Huddersfield, a three-point return was a distinct possibility. Except, that really should read “formerly struggling Huddersfield” as they are currently the beneficiaries of that football staple, the new manager bounce. Since appointing the Cowleys, two defeats were swiftly followed by a draw and then reinvigorating back to back wins. Mowbray was hampered by the loss of Lenihan, Cunningham and Bell through injuries of varying severity, resulting in a back four that accommodated Elliott Bennett at left back. The opening goal was a direct result of that selection as Bennett was adjudged to have fouled the tricky Diakhaby resulting in a penalty. I use the term adjudged advisedly, as whilst there was indeed “contact”, if this degree of contact in real life resulted in regular human beings falling over, then the post office queues on pension day would resemble a battlefield. Rovers recovered well from the setback with Dack seemingly finding a kindred spirit in Lewis Holtby and their burgeoning partnership was a particularly encouraging bright spot. The equaliser coming from a sloppy Elphick mistake as the Terriers tried to play out from the back only for Rovers to pinch possession, Dack’s vision setting up Holtby in front of an open goal. Holtby then reciprocated by teeing up the ball much like a willing caddy, almost obliging Dack to shape a nine iron into the bottom corner. It was a lovely move and exemplified the passing style that Mowbray is evidently championing. The second half however, saw Danny Cowley exercise his tactical acumen, introducing the exciting Dutch midfielder Juninho Bacuna and asking questions of Rovers defence that like an ill-prepared Mastermind contestant, they increasingly struggled to answer. Rovers had lost the momentum, the draw probably reflecting the balance of play across the ninety minutes. Once again, Rovers fail to win at home, once more Rovers run out of creativity; less “Fortress Ewood” these days, more “Drive-Thru Ewood” – turn up, place your order, enjoy your happy meal, shakes all round. Four without a win. A chance for early redemption presented itself on Tuesday with a visit to St Andrews, a ground that when I lived in Birmingham didn’t even feature in my “Top Three Grounds in Birmingham Welcoming to Away Fans”. It’s not been a happy hunting ground of late; one league win in the last twelve visits suggested a downbeat evening might be on the cards, the performance on the pitch sadly rather confirmed it. Whatever “hap” Rovers might have had, it has certainly disappeared. Rovers seem to be toothless in attack away from home, bereft of confidence and poor old Sam Gallagher really does look like a striker without a league goal since January 2018. It was only the introduction of Danny Graham that briefly suggested the potential for some form of redemption but it wasn’t to be. The best chance in the last quarter falling to City’s Jutkiewicz, whose strike from distance hit the underside of the bar but was ruled not to have crossed the line. Almost inevitably, the murmurs of discontent amongst some Rovers fans are slowly gathering momentum and volume; much as they did in February and March, with regular expressions of dissatisfaction with Tony Mowbray’s tactics and formations across social media. Results of late have been at best disappointing, performances have shown only fleeting promise. There seem to be some fundamental problems right now that need to be fixed. The biggest and perhaps most justified criticism of Mowbray however, is possibly his record of spending big money on strikers. If indeed the signings of Brereton and Gallagher were at his behest, the jury is being presented with overwhelming evidence for the prosecution. At a time when the team boasts a loan keeper behind an injury-ravaged, leaky defence; if you spend £12m on two strikers, then they really need to score some goals. To top off the dispiriting run of recent results, next up is a visit to Deepdale; the scene of last season’s winner of the “Most Spineless Capitulation Away From Ewood” award (in amongst it has to be said, some stiff competition from Bristol City, Swansea City, Wigan Athletic and Sheffield Utd). What better place to return this season to the right side of the tracks? Preston enter this derby on the back of a defeat at Reading but a creditable midweek draw with Sky Sports in-house club, Leeds Utd. That Reading result serves to illustrate that on any given day, in this league, any result is eminently possible. If anything should give Rovers some encouragement, then perhaps this is it, because the same cannot currently be said for the on-pitch performances. Five without a win.

Ask Newcastle fans about branding in their stadium ?

Kinky Knee’s Blue & White Army

You’re quite right...edited accordingly. How the memory plays tricks !!! ??

My personal bias ? He took Sir Roger to Newcastle & that was unforgivable. Kendall did even more with less IMHO ?‍♂️