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Blackburn v Middlesbrough 1-0


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Disappointing result and performance, but nights like last night are standard in the Championship - even for promotion candidates. Even during our promotion under Karanka we had many of these types of away games where things just don't click for the team. We're on the right track under Wilder so it's just a bump in the road.

For a team flying as high as Blackburn are, they didn't do anything special to make me think they're looking well set for promotion in the way Fulham look. They pressed well and were aggressive but showed nothing to make me fear them if we were to play them in the play offs. They did nothing that a basic team like Millwall couldn't. We were simply awful in the first half so the players rightly got rollicked at half time. Crooks should have done a lot better with his header and Connolly wasted two good chances, so we could have quite easily scored at least one goal. Things improved in the second half and our xG actually out performed Blackburn's by full time so we can count ourselves pretty unlucky despite an awful first half.

I had a feeling that a result like last night was coming as our performance levels haven't been at the same level during our games against Blackpool, Mansfield & Reading - despite the exciting late shows. The fluidity and control of games just hasn't been there in recent weeks. 

Roll on to Coventry on Saturday looking to bounce back.

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Disappointing result and performance, but nights like last night are standard in the Championship - even for promotion candidates. Even during our promotion under Karanka we had many of these types of

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5 minutes ago, AnglianRed said:

Interesting to see Tav was top of the xA stats, given all the stick he gets. 

 

I imagine a lot of this was down to him being on corners, although the defence splitter he played through to Sporar was exquisite.

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I don't agree with that assessment of Blackburn @p_mards

I thought we were poor because of how Blackburn impressed themselves on us. They were very well organised and well drilled which is exactly what you'd expect of a team grinding out results at the business end of the table.

Worth noting that the xG is skewed a little and not really reflective of the game as a whole, because we were throwing the kitchen sink at them at the end of the game as we were chasing an equaliser. It tells it's own story up until Blackburn scored.

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3 hours ago, Humpty said:

Seems a little bit of an unfair assessment to me given the run we've just had. 

I don't disagree that we're not at a level that's needed to be competing for the automatic places but the fact we're all disappointed with a narrow loss away at 2nd in the league in indicative of how far we've come. We are top 6 ready under Wilder in my book and ready for promotion.

It's just my assessment based mostly on a poor and arguably ill-disciplined first half performance but I'm not as informed as many of you guys so I'm probably wrong. I'm also worried about the loan players, how long will they be here and other questions.

If we are top 6 ready, Good, but I wouldn't say the team I watch yesterday in that first half was a good team or anywhere near promotion ready and the lack of finishing has to be a worry.

Here's hoping Boro can prove me wrong but having been hopeful seeing highlights recently I was disappointed to see the live match, and that IMO poor first half performance.

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Blackburn were nothing special, we started very slowly and never got into first gear in the first half. Was annoyed that we did not change the team at half time. Whatmore would have given us more penetration coming on at half time. The result and the performance puts more pressure on Saturdays game, we need to start on the front foot.

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2 hours ago, Foogle said:

I wouldn't say they were particularly weakened they were without their top scorer but they were pretty healthy everywhere else. They got the lucky break in the match that seemed destined for a draw. Blackburn are pretty similar to us where they struggle to create chances when they have more of the ball (like they struggled against Hull), they much prefer to play patiently and win the ball back in dangerous areas to create chances.

Wilder is trying to give us a framework to create chances when we're dominating the ball but it will take a while for players to snap out of the last few years of hoofball. Either way the sky isn't falling just because we lost one close game away from home against a team that's second...

I agree with most of what you said but.
They were a much weaker team missing Ben Brereton and Joe Rothwell. They were not 2nd place when we played them. We got sucked in by default believing we were better then we thought and lost our heads doing so. Our weakness is creating chances and putting away the good chances when we do, which other teams do quite well. 
It was a bad day at the office of our own creation and simply not good enough according to Chris, I agree. 
loosing is part and parcel of any game but it’s the manner in which you apply yourself when you do. 
Over the last few games Chris and the squad will have learnt a lot about each other  which hopefully they will build on. One thing I will say i thought Chris got the selection wrong, we are lopsided in attacking options, he is predictable with substitutions but I like the fact, loose by how many trying then not try at all. 
The question is what will be the reaction. Let’s see next game.. 

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3 hours ago, p_mards said:

Disappointing result and performance, but nights like last night are standard in the Championship - even for promotion candidates. Even during our promotion under Karanka we had many of these types of away games where things just don't click for the team. We're on the right track under Wilder so it's just a bump in the road.

For a team flying as high as Blackburn are, they didn't do anything special to make me think they're looking well set for promotion in the way Fulham look. They pressed well and were aggressive but showed nothing to make me fear them if we were to play them in the play offs. They did nothing that a basic team like Millwall couldn't. We were simply awful in the first half so the players rightly got rollicked at half time. Crooks should have done a lot better with his header and Connolly wasted two good chances, so we could have quite easily scored at least one goal. Things improved in the second half and our xG actually out performed Blackburn's by full time so we can count ourselves pretty unlucky despite an awful first half.

I had a feeling that a result like last night was coming as our performance levels haven't been at the same level during our games against Blackpool, Mansfield & Reading - despite the exciting late shows. The fluidity and control of games just hasn't been there in recent weeks. 

Roll on to Coventry on Saturday looking to bounce back.

 image.thumb.png.1814c614631b7d570b77db2018666078.png

How did Blackburn & Boro rack up 10 yellow cards and not lose a man?

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4 hours ago, Humpty said:

I don't agree with that assessment of Blackburn @p_mards

I thought we were poor because of how Blackburn impressed themselves on us. They were very well organised and well drilled which is exactly what you'd expect of a team grinding out results at the business end of the table.

Worth noting that the xG is skewed a little and not really reflective of the game as a whole, because we were throwing the kitchen sink at them at the end of the game as we were chasing an equaliser. It tells it's own story up until Blackburn scored.

From the start we didn't seem right with our mentality as we were sloppy with the ball and collected lots of needless yellow cards, which made quite a few tread on eggshells for the rest of the match. Blackburn pressed well which made it harder for us to keep the ball and create chances, which deserves some credit, but we were well below par and if we were anywhere near our previous standards under Wilder, we should have been able to deal with it and either play through them or over them and press high up the pitch to regain more control of the game; basically what we managed to do a lot better in the second half.

From the start of the second half up until the break in play in about 60/65 minutes due to a medical emergency, we performed a lot better while Blackburn had a quiet spell (also seen in xG timeline). Then they caught us with a sucker punch against the run of play in the second half - which often happens in the Championship. We had an off day (especially first half) and Blackburn had an ok day. Credit to Blackburn for grinding out a hard fought win, but for me it wasn't worthy of a huge amount of praise as it was just a standard Championship performance against a below par team. It was certainly nowhere near the level of other teams that have qualified for the play offs in previous season who have looked very dangerous and incisive opposition such as Brentford last season, that I really wouldn't have wanted to play in the play offs.

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1 hour ago, p_mards said:

From the start we didn't seem right with our mentality as we were sloppy with the ball and collected lots of needless yellow cards, which made quite a few tread on eggshells for the rest of the match. Blackburn pressed well which made it harder for us to keep the ball and create chances, which deserves some credit, but we were well below par and if we were anywhere near our previous standards under Wilder, we should have been able to deal with it and either play through them or over them and press high up the pitch to regain more control of the game; basically what we managed to do a lot better in the second half.

From the start of the second half up until the break in play in about 60/65 minutes due to a medical emergency, we performed a lot better while Blackburn had a quiet spell (also seen in xG timeline). Then they caught us with a sucker punch against the run of play in the second half - which often happens in the Championship. We had an off day (especially first half) and Blackburn had an ok day. Credit to Blackburn for grinding out a hard fought win, but for me it wasn't worthy of a huge amount of praise as it was just a standard Championship performance against a below par team. It was certainly nowhere near the level of other teams that have qualified for the play offs in previous season who have looked very dangerous and incisive opposition such as Brentford last season, that I really wouldn't have wanted to play in the play offs.

9 times out of 10 that shot on the swivel is blocked or saved and we'd be talking up a credible draw. Although I'd say there is always a workman like, defensively solid team challenging for promotion. 

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Lots of ifs and buts but Wilder was spot on we weren't at it. Personally thought both strikers should have been off at half-time and we needed a midfielder who can spot a pass through their packed defence. 

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2 minutes ago, estonpidge said:

Lots of ifs and buts but Wilder was spot on we weren't at it. Personally thought both strikers should have been off at half-time and we needed a midfielder who can spot a pass through their packed defence. 

Think the early yellows made that harder, just in case we needed to switch one of them

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13 hours ago, Brunners said:

I will say I was happy to see that Wilder was thoroughly unimpressed. Got so used to "Can't fault the effort" after losses, to see him call us *** was pretty refreshing.

You know that Warnock would have spent the entire interview moaning about the penalty decision that never went our way, glossing over the rest of the game and pinning the entire result on something out of his control.

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