Blackburn Rovers v Leeds Utd Match Thread

[DDB220]

The frustrating part is that we're better than SheffU and Burnley. Yet both (on current score line) are ahead of us. Sheff United 5 points ahead of us. We are a better team which is what makes our 1.9 ppg so frustrating.

We are a better footballing side without a doubt. Where we fall down is grinding out results in games like this. I am not assuming it will be a repeat of last year. I think we have a better squad overall.

Piroe was bossed up front by their defence for the most part, whilst he is technically gifted, for me on what I have seen of him since he arrived, is that he is very average as a targetman when it comes to holding up the ball with his back to goal, which seems wrong as he is a fairly big unit. Is he nasty enough would be my question ?
Fortunately he does not have to play that role every game, it is just games like today when we are out muscled all over the pitch and promising moves constantly break down as a result.

[SG90]

The frustrating part is that we're better than SheffU and Burnley. Yet both (on current score line) are ahead of us. Sheff United 5 points ahead of us. We are a better team which is what makes our 1.9 ppg so frustrating.

Willing to bet neither side concedes the first chance on target like we always do. A strong goalkeeper adds another 10 points on the board.

[Johnthewhite]

Willing to bet neither side concedes the first chance on target like we always do. A strong goalkeeper adds another 10 points on the board.

Fully agree with this

[Cjay]

We are just a very safe cautious team.

Mentioned it before but Piroe (wo imo surprisingly was one of our better players today) and Joseph and Bamford and any striker we have gets very very little service in meaningful areas from the attacking trio behind them.

Last season you could throw many criticisms at Summerville and Georgie, greedy, risky, but they were positive and knew the ball had to go forward.

The trio this season are ultra ultra safe.

Was one noticeable moment good run from Rodon pass into Gnonto and he passed back immediately.

Rodon was clearly fuming.

Vs a well organised low block you have to have width in attack (we play narrow) you have to play quick incisive 1 touch passing (we rarely do) and you have to be prepared to take risks with passing into certain areas and people coming out of a rigid role to make a run (our players don't they stick to the little patch they are told).

But imo the extra extra cautious attitude of those 3 attacking players behind Piroe today was very noticeable.

Dolan for Blackburn and Cantwell made more forward passes into the final 3rd than James, Gnonto and Aaronson combined.

It's just too safe and rigid.

[Ellandback1]

9 minutes

bad day at the office

The anti Farke lot will be loving this

He needs to do a lot better with his substitutions, and have plan B. It's not rocket science.

As for our wingers, they need to beat their man and they don't!!!

[Johnthewhite]

We are just a very safe cautious team.

Mentioned it before but Piroe (wo imo surprisingly was one of our better players today) and Joseph and Bamford and any striker we have gets very very little service in meaningful areas from the attacking trio behind them.

Last season you could throw many criticisms at Summerville and Georgie, greedy, risky, but they were positive and knew the ball had to go forward.

The trio this season are ultra ultra safe.

Was one noticeable moment good run from Rodon pass into Gnonto and he passed back immediately.

Rodon was clearly fuming.

Vs a well organised low block you have to have width in attack (we play narrow) you have to play quick incisive 1 touch passing (we rarely do) and you have to be prepared to take risks with passing into certain areas and people coming out of a rigid role to make a run (our players don't they stick to the little patch they are told).

But imo the extra extra cautious attitude of those 3 attacking players behind Piroe today was very noticeable.

Dolan for Blackburn and Cantwell made more forward passes into the final 3rd than James, Gnonto and Aaronson combined.

It's just too safe and rigid.

Are you sure this "too safe and rigid" is all down to Farke and not the mentally of some of the players
I agree with what you are saying (to a degree) but how can we be sure it is by design?

[Ellandback1]

And Farke has shown he's learned nothing from last season, as we had so many results like this and there's been no change of tactics or anything. Blunts and Burnley are too consistent for top 2 and we have no chance of winning the playoffs.

[Carrick Dave]

Are you sure this "too safe and rigid" is all down to Farke and not the mentally of some of the players
I agree with what you are saying (to a degree) but how can we be sure it is by design?

If ot wasn't by design Farke would change it? He's control before everything.

Unfortunately, the best flair players are chaos, not control - from Raphinha to Messi to Pele.

We need a happy medium, enough originality and risk taking to stop us being predictable without throwing the baby out with the bath water.

That means more probing, risky passing from midfield.

[Cjay]

Are you sure this "too safe and rigid" is all down to Farke and not the mentally of some of the players
I agree with what you are saying (to a degree) but how can we be sure it is by design?

Because its similar complaints to last season and at his previous clubs?

I actually think Brenden Aaronson is the biggest clue.

His best career spell was at Salzburg, he grew up in that manic always pass forward run forward Red Bull philosophy.

Watch him now when he gets the ball, his first instinct is to keep the ball, play it safe (which is why he inevitably gets pushed off the ball so much)

How often do our players turn down half a yard in behind wide first time cross to cut inside and play back for the safer option.

Our players all play too safe and too rigid for it to just be a player issue imo.

[JoeDenver]

So have we, Joe but, our lot didn't show the same quality.

I’m equally gutted, Leon. Think my comment was in response to whether Blackburn is a “crap” Championship side…to which, I think they’re solid. But no doubt, are not as good us…on paper, at least. Can probably start betting on Eustace vs. Farke in these matchups, though…

[JoeDenver]

It wasn't from the minute they scored, the game had similarities of Millwall written all over it!

And to just about all of our losses under Farke… low-block, play with physicality, score the first goal

[Johnthewhite]

Because its similar complaints to last season and at his previous clubs?

I actually think Brenden Aaronson is the biggest clue.

His best career spell was at Salzburg, he grew up in that manic always pass forward run forward Red Bull philosophy.

Watch him now when he gets the ball, his first instinct is to keep the ball, play it safe (which is why he inevitably gets pushed off the ball so much)

How often do our players turn down half a yard in behind wide first time cross to cut inside and play back for the safer option.

Our players all play too safe and too rigid for it to just be a player issue imo.

Farke wants to control games by retaining possession, I think we can all agree on that. However I can't agree that Farke has instructed our attacking players to "play safe and be less direct". If he has, it must be a new instruction for this season as Rutter & Summerville were pretty direct last season were they not.
Thinking about it, Dan James was very direct on Wednesday night too

[JoeDenver]

Blunts got lucky last night. Not that impressed with them to be honest.

Thought the same. Sunderland look exceptionally well-coached and well-drilled. One touch passing everywhere and it’s often to an advancing player (as opposed to backwards when we do it). Could only imagine what Le Bris could accomplish with some talent in that squad…

[DDB220]

We are just a very safe cautious team.

Mentioned it before but Piroe (wo imo surprisingly was one of our better players today) and Joseph and Bamford and any striker we have gets very very little service in meaningful areas from the attacking trio behind them.

Last season you could throw many criticisms at Summerville and Georgie, greedy, risky, but they were positive and knew the ball had to go forward.

The trio this season are ultra ultra safe.

Was one noticeable moment good run from Rodon pass into Gnonto and he passed back immediately.

Rodon was clearly fuming.

Vs a well organised low block you have to have width in attack (we play narrow) you have to play quick incisive 1 touch passing (we rarely do) and you have to be prepared to take risks with passing into certain areas and people coming out of a rigid role to make a run (our players don't they stick to the little patch they are told).

But imo the extra extra cautious attitude of those 3 attacking players behind Piroe today was very noticeable.

Dolan for Blackburn and Cantwell made more forward passes into the final 3rd than James, Gnonto and Aaronson combined.

It's just too safe and rigid.

Our system heavily relies on the overload on the flanks to pull the opposition defence out of position and create gaps. Bogle and Firpo were rarely in the game and when they were for the most part they did not provide much quality on the ball.
We therefore tried to play through the middle more and more but they were just very organised.
At the start of the second half DF tried BA on the left and moved Gnonto into the 10,which made very little difference

We go a goal down against this type of team, who are very well organised and we really struggle.

Similar to Millwall, we really need to convert the chances we get otherwise we inevitably rue those opportunities as players try to over play in possession and get dispossessed more often. Then the desperation and anxiety begins to appear within our play.

It is a script that hopefully is not repeated as often this season as it was last.

[JoeDenver]

But we supposedly have the best squad and best manager in the league, yet need to rely on other sides to help us? If we did, the results elsewhere shouldn't matter to us.

[andrewjohnsmith]

We are a better footballing side without a doubt. Where we fall down is grinding out results in games like this. I am not assuming it will be a repeat of last year. I think we have a better squad overall.

Piroe was bossed up front by their defence for the most part, whilst he is technically gifted, for me on what I have seen of him since he arrived, is that he is very average as a targetman when it comes to holding up the ball with his back to goal, which seems wrong as he is a fairly big unit. Is he nasty enough would be my question ?
Fortunately he does not have to play that role every game, it is just games like today when we are out muscled all over the pitch and promising moves constantly break down as a result.

Do you think it's experience we're lacking? We certainly have the quality. But we're a young team.

Maybe take that yellow that should have been a red that you say was a yellow I was watching Strujik, our captain, next to the referee, and he wasn't reacting much. You know 9 captains out of 10 in this league would be in the referees face demanding a red card. And we've seen plenty of referees that are easily influenced. We certainly don't play the dark art like everyone else and we probably lack quite a bit in experience and championship nouse.

[andrewjohnsmith]

It is frustrating I agree. It always has been, teams always up their game playing us, especially at home, apart from their local derbies it is their biggest game of the season. It is as if we need to be twice as good as the oppo raise their game in front of their home fans.
That has and always will be tough.

And it is just 3 points behind SheffU? Or are you counting the two points they were deducted?

Now we have a week to recover before the next round of three games a week madness begins.
Our players really need a rest

Exactly. On results, they're 5 points better than us this season. And if you exclude us playing each other, they're actually 8 points better than us this season.

[andrewjohnsmith]

Willing to bet neither side concedes the first chance on target like we always do. A strong goalkeeper adds another 10 points on the board.

The first shot on target today was a penalty

[andrewjohnsmith]

We are just a very safe cautious team.

Mentioned it before but Piroe (wo imo surprisingly was one of our better players today) and Joseph and Bamford and any striker we have gets very very little service in meaningful areas from the attacking trio behind them.

Last season you could throw many criticisms at Summerville and Georgie, greedy, risky, but they were positive and knew the ball had to go forward.

The trio this season are ultra ultra safe.

Was one noticeable moment good run from Rodon pass into Gnonto and he passed back immediately.

Rodon was clearly fuming.

Vs a well organised low block you have to have width in attack (we play narrow) you have to play quick incisive 1 touch passing (we rarely do) and you have to be prepared to take risks with passing into certain areas and people coming out of a rigid role to make a run (our players don't they stick to the little patch they are told).

But imo the extra extra cautious attitude of those 3 attacking players behind Piroe today was very noticeable.

Dolan for Blackburn and Cantwell made more forward passes into the final 3rd than James, Gnonto and Aaronson combined.

It's just too safe and rigid.

Never really seen much of Cantwell. But he did look a decent player today. Can see why we had interest in him. Probably only a championship player and not a PL player.

[andrewjohnsmith]

Are you sure this "too safe and rigid" is all down to Farke and not the mentally of some of the players
I agree with what you are saying (to a degree) but how can we be sure it is by design?

Pretty sure it's by design. Farke probably gets mad at them if they lose the ball or make low percentage passes and shots.

Probably the same reason we haven't seen Tanaka or Rothwell on the score sheet yet. They're both more attacking than Ampadu, Gruev or Kamara. But neither has scored a goal. I think it's by design and Farke's instructions to create high percentage chances.