Blackburn Rovers (a); The Preview

Andy – Saturday marks the halfway point of the season, you’re halfway up the league and you’ve drawn almost half your games, are Blackburn the personification of “mid-table mediocrity”?

Pete – If you’d said we’d be 12th midway through December, having lost only 5 games, before the season began I’d have bitten your hand off. It makes it even more satisfying that we’re above Wigan and Rotherham who were promoted with us. After relegation a couple of years ago, mid table mediocrity is bliss.

Put a bet on Blackburn to win promotion in 2020/21, though.

The ten draws you mention were mostly due to us conceding the last-minute goals that teams such as Norwich are so good at scoring (apparently, I went to the Millwall and Bolton games because I live just down the road. Great football, pies could be improved). Once we sign a few more robust defenders, we’ll be mounting a pretty serious challenge to anyone. We beat Leeds, there aren’t any better teams in the league this season (apart from maybe Norwich, you’ve got Teemu Pukki baby) – and that was with a few players who I would say are definitely League 1 quality.

Tony Mowbray is building a revolution at Ewood, I’m happy to wait…

The loss of only 5 games is particularly impressive and suggests Mowbray has installed a solidity, but has that come at the cost of entertaining football? Beating Leeds would suggest not? It’s fair to say they blew us away.

As you have seen, we are pretty good at coming back late on and never knowing when we’re beaten, so the message will again be don’t leave early on Saturday. That should always be the message though, people who leave football early make me a special kind of mad.

Who are the big stars of the RevoluTony (doesn’t quite work does it?)

I’d say Leeds looked absolutely awful against Sheffield Wednesday, so you never know which team might turn up on any given Saturday. Blackburn Rovers have been set up as a good footballing team under Mowbray – we absolutely blew away teams in League 1 and have been doing so again this season on occasion. We somehow lost 3 – 1 to Swansea away yet we played them off the park. The fact they scored 3 goals from 2 on target indicates how fortunate they were that day.

We play good football, we sometimes pay the price for not taking our chances. In fact, we sometimes pay the price for playing football at a level beyond some of our players.

Word on the ground is that Danny Graham is the driving force. Bradley Dack gets all the plaudits, maybe rightly so considering his stats, but without Graham we look pretty average. Harrison Reed seems to be a big fans favourite at the moment, he’s everywhere, in every game. Raya, though he’s made some errors, has made some magnificent saves in the last couple of years and we’d be much worse off without him. Charlie Mulgrew has also been pretty majestic, always delivering a free kick goal when required.

On the fans leaving early front – I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a family get up and leave at Norwich 2 – Bolton 1. I had put a wager on 3 – 2 Norwich as soon as Norwich went 2 – 0 up. (What is it with your defence falling asleep in the second half?)

Awww our old friend Harrison Reed. I didn’t realise he’d joined you this season. We had him last season and after a slow start, he was a little terrier, even filling in at right-back on occasion. There was lots of talk of trying to get him back, but the suggestion seemed to be we couldn’t afford it. I’m glad he isn’t rotting away at Southampton and is out getting some games.

Football is supposed to be fun and we like to entertain, what can I say? Looking at our results this season, it could be another case of that Saturday, it seems with you there are either no goals, or bucket loads, with lots of 1-0s coming on the back of 2-2s or 4-1s. That said, last time out you drew 2-2, so perhaps a dour 0-0 is on the cards after all?

I wouldn’t bet against it – who hasn’t got half an eye on mince pies, pigs in blankets and copious amounts of stuffing already?

I must say, it was Christmas come early for you guys bagging Jordan Rhodes on loan. He is a true goal machine and might be the difference that gets you promoted automatically this season. I miss his unbelievable finishes from unlikely positions and obscure angles.

I certainly do. Why don’t we have pigs in blankets all-year-round?

He has been a solid signing for us, despite Teemu taking his place and all the plaudits. Knowing Jordan is just sitting there on the bench all fresh and eager is like having your favourite childhood toy just tucked safely in your back pocket, all reassuring and promising of good times to come.

How did you feel about Leicester stealing your “unlikeliest ever winners of the Premier League” crown by the way? It still freaks me out that you did that.

I think that, deep down, the world understands that the mighty Blackburn Rovers won’t be held back from winning another Premier League title, while Leicester will never do it again. We won the FA cup 6 times you know, three times on the bounce in 1886 – and who else has done that? The answer is no-one. Not even Arsene Wenger.

I think Leicester won the Premier League at a time when it was more unlikely to win it, probably. In 1995, even Norwich had a chance of winning the Premier League. Though we did beat you 7 – 1 in the early nineties (even with Chris Sutton still at Norwich), just to remind you how emphatically excellent Blackburn were at the time.

It’s quite the achievement but you are starting to sound a little Ipswichian in your harking back to days of yore.

That season is on the very fringes of my memory, but I think we played alright that day you tonked us 7-1, but you scored every time you came forward. Those were glory days for us both however and reflected in two fantastic kits.

While we’re on tonkings at Ewood, last time we came to visit we came home 4-1 victors and top of the league. Even Steven Naismith looked good. Shall we shake on the same again Saturday?

They were some great times – some good times to come for both teams I’d hope.

I would have feared Norwich a bit more on Saturday (and any team should fear your attack) if I hadn’t seen Bolton score two goals at Carrow Road last week – and it’s hard to imagine a game in which neither Bradley Dack nor Danny Graham score a goal. We’ll see.

I think your money would be safe on a Norwich win, but I’ll go for 3 – 2 to the Rovers because I’d be a rubbish fan if I didn’t.