It would be churlish in the extreme to find fault after two more Rovers victories making it four in a row overall but fear of coming over as an old curmudgeon has never stopped me before and you guys seem to enjoy a bit of grudging levity at times.
I recall a little spell during the 2009-10 season, around January/February when Sam Allardyce’s side looked to be heading for a bit of bother after a 4-1 defeat at The Etihad and I looked at our fixtures and thought: “If we don’t win our next four at home we can get dragged into it here.” It was the only time under him I really feared his reputation for keeping sides up was in peril.
We had Fulham, Wigan, Hull and Bolton at home amid a series of difficult aways (from which, as I suspected, we got practically nothing) and we won them all. Without being anywhere near the best side in any of the four games. Pretty much outplayed in the first three in particular.
I knew at that point that we were blessed in having Sam, not because I particularly admired him, his management or football style, far from it in fact.
I knew he was a lucky general. But so lucky so often in the same types of situations that it couldn’t actually just be luck.
Similarly, Tony Mowbray has piloted Rovers to the very cusp of the top two – always a comfortably achievable target in my view despite fits of vapours thrown by those who considered the early November gap between us and Wigan and Shrewsbury unassailable – on the back of two of the strangest matches I’ve seen in a while.
Enough’s been said about Bury and Oxford so my starting point is the Bristol Rovers game.
Let’s be honest a draw would have flattered us, we got the benefit of decisions which would have caused utter outrage had they been given at the opposite ends and for large segments of proceedings the visitors, well backed by a creditable volume of support, moved themselves and the ball around with a fluidity we seldom find.
The Rovers substitutions were inarguably successful however and Danny Graham’s decisive cameo was his most positive contribution for some months. Samuel took his goal superbly – a rare sand-wedge of a cross from Williams who usually favours a flat one iron into thickets of bodies – but I’d have given the veteran the MOTM award for turning a soporific display into a “how the hell did we win that?” rumble of post-match conversation.
If that was a rather odd game, Blackpool was almost hallucogenic watching at times.
Gary Bowyer’s side were by far the more enterprising and threatening from the off and it was almost embarrassing to go one up when we had barely put two passes together, never mind look like scoring.
The marking was so absent it almost seemed like one of those goals you give the oppo because you’ve been unfairly given a freak one by the officials when Blackpool equalised with an unchallenged header:”There you go, chaps, sorry about the misunderstanding, let’s start again with a centre.”
To give one howler away is unfortunate, but careless Blackpool duly obliged again after another 15 minutes of home domination so nobody in another big Rovers following was complaining about a second free gift. Credit to the ever more impressive Dack whose awareness, strength and panache in applying the insouciant finish reminded me, I’ll say it again, of Duncan McKenzie. Antonsson had taken his goal well too.
I remember Coyle going on about getting four strikers in double figures. Graham and Nuttall will have to hit a streak apiece for that to happen but Antonsson, Samuel, Dack and Mulgrew all appear likely to hit that mark which can only be a healthy thing.
It really was pitiful to see what I’m pretty sure was a sub-2000 home contingent in Bloomfield Road (whatever the official gate given says, no way did they outnumber our lot) and there seemed an inevitability that, with noses in front, Rovers could only improve kicking towards their own fans.
However well or badly you think the team have played in recent weeks there’s no denying that the relatively superb away form in a sequence of games which have seen big travelling support – not just the five Lancashire derbies but other handy games like Bradford and Shrewsbury – has engendered a connection and bond of trust between team and fans which was only briefly breached at Oldham.
Blackpool were as woeful second half as we were in the opening 45 minutes however and there never seemed any prospect of them regaining a foothold.
Rovers came out looking a different side, more determined side second half and it was a surprise they didn’t add to the two goals just after the hour.
Nobody in that end doubted for a second that Charlie Mulgrew was putting that free kick away and as it became evident that Blackpool simply couldn’t cope (another Bowyer side with stamina deficit syndrome?) the only disappointment for the 2,215 away fans besides me and my pal Steve who weekly back us to win 4-2 was conceding another dopey consolation.
I loved seeing our girls celebrate the goals and the sheer joy of Rovers winning away. If I’m honest I’ve probably deposited the best Rovers experiences of my lifetime in the memory bank so it means more to me that they get something to celebrate this season and something to pin future hopes on. Just the one gripe – I like the team to look like Blackburn Rovers when there’s no need not to. Get some blue away shorts ordered for goodness sake.
Are we really on an inexorable course to promotion or are we getting away with murder just as Sam (see above) sometimes seemed to and Kean, Berg, Appleton, Bowyer and Lambert definitely did during periods we fooled ourselves that we’d turned the corner?
A bit of both, I think. The quality in the division is so poor that even with only three or four players outstanding – Raya, Mulgrew, Dack, maybe Downing (though he was shaky at Blackpool) and one or two passengers (I’ve yet to appreciate what Bennett offers) you’ll see most opposition off.
I truly think that two new driving, athletic full backs would improve us 50 per cent.
Fourth, three points off second place with a (home) game in hand and Shrewsbury to play at home looked a long shot to many a month ago but as ever in football runs of wins take you a long way in a short space of time.
The fact that there is room for a great deal of improvement is something to anticipate with relish rather than live in fear about. Where, in divisions above, you might say: “We won’t get away with playing like that against so-and-so,” in League One it seems you often can.
A modicum of January investment, a luxury few others will be able to enjoy, and the message board “Mowbray out” miserabilists will be back under their stones as the rest of us hopefully continue to relish the renewed joy of turning up for games and seeing our team win them.
If we beat Crewe in the FA Cup on Sunday another fixture, Wimbledon away, will have to be rescheduled but I really do hope we progress. I know we aren’t going to win it this year but an attractive home Third round tie or even an intriguing away challenge can never be a bad thing for someone who loves the ancient competition as much as I do.
As I exclusively revealed on Saturday lunchtime – with a few local and national journos and former Rovers directors following up hours later, as ever trailing the Blue Eyed Boy by some distance, – I understand the club is shortly to appoint a CEO. I gave a name but that was my surmising as I was told by my (excellent) source that the person in the frame has Coventry City connections.
It can’t be a bad thing for me if an able body comes in to help the beleaguered and, in my opinion, wrongly vilified Mike Cheston. The eve of the window would seem an opportune time for a new face and an analysis of what would make the business more attractive.
We’ll see about that.
For the weekend let’s just enjoy the table looking much, much healthier and a free-hit cup tie.
Save a bit of that luck for the Posh trip, Tony.
BLUE EYED BOY
blueyedboy 