Optimism to be a fleeting visitor
OLD BLACKBURNIAN’S ROVERS VIEW
WELCOME back my friends to the show that never ends. We’re so glad you could attend. Come inside! Come inside!
With 2016 robbing the world of two-thirds of ELP (one for the teenagers…) – has anyone checked for empty milk bottles outside Carl Palmer’s house recently by the way ? – it seemed fitting to start with a lyric that could be lifted straight from Rovers’ half season-ticket marketing blurb. Rovers – the show that never ends; just regularly re-cast with inferior actors, slashed budgets and poorer quality scripts; desperately in need of a plot twist.
What better time than the New Year ? A time for reminiscences, reviews, fresh starts, resolutions, clean slates and let’s be honest; after a tumultuous 2016, the chance of a blank sheet of paper upon which to start afresh is very welcome.
That said, new isn’t always better (Venky’s for the Walker Trust), change isn’t always an improvement (Lambert & Coyle for Bowyer) and just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean that it won’t…(the R word looms large here).
As far as BRFC is con- cerned, the trend since Venky’s takeover over is inexorably one of sustained decline and another New Year under their “care” offers precious little hope of any sea-change in our fortunes.
The owners and their Ewood acolyte Mike Cheston, appear to have resigned themselves to the inevitable consequences of the death of a thousand cuts.
However, the current manager continues his cliché-ridden rhetoric insisting relegation is not on the cards. Forgive us this one Owen, we’ve heard it before, quite recently and in a similar brogue.
Intriguingly, Coyle also opened up a new battlefront (moving on from referees & South Yorkshire meteorological phenomena) by attacking his own fans; the very lifeblood of a football club.
He has accused some of “having an agenda”. I’d be amazed if they didn’t frankly.
Fans tend to want what’s best for their club, to see everyone pulling in the same direction and ideally for those at the top to have an obvious emotional connection that suggests they care. They will forgive an awful lot if those conditions prevail. The current regime is no Bill Fox / Howard Kendall “courage in the midst of austerity” package.
The squad, swelled with Coyle loan signings – many of whom he soon deemed not good enough for 1st XI consideration – is like many of us postChristmas, now on a crash diet.
Failed loanees are being shipped back to their parent clubs and Rovers’ last non real-estate saleable asset, Ben Marshall, has amazingly decided not to entertain the “excellent” new contract offer belatedly presented to him.
By the time you read this, Marshall will probably have relocated to the West Midlands and renewed acquaintances with Paul Lambert. Local press interviews seemed to suggest that “one or two” (© Owen Coyle) replacement players are on the radar but no word yet from the Pune paymasters as to whether they would cover the costs. Maybe they have an agenda Owen?
On the field, New Year’s Eve saw a trip over the Pennines to visit Huddersfield Town, the club that Jordan Rhodes left as he believed his Premier League prospects were improved by playing elsewhere. Well, I guess ultimately he was proved correct, just not in the way we’d all hoped.
A proper “backs to the wall” Dick Turpin-esque attempt at highway robbery this; with Rovers wearing the mask. It failed only because of the now inevitable, deep into injury-time opposition goal.
After the first 30 minutes, BBC Sport reported that Huddersfield had enjoyed 73 per cent possession. The BBC Leeds correspondent covering the game Tweeted “Didn’t think I’d see a worse team than Forest at JS Stadium this season, but then Blackburn arrived.”
At 12:30pm, a point seemed fanciful, at 2:30pm it felt more like a defeat.
Post final whistle, Coyle seemed solely concerned with berating the referee for adding on five minutes. Not an edifying spectacle and an utterly futile gesture.
The first fixture of 2017 brought with it so many memories of famous clashes down the years. David Speedie’s Geordiebaiting, Shearer’s towering VE Day header, Flowers’ “bottle”; Rovers’ legend Oumar Konde even played in an FA Cup flavour of this fixture.
Newcastle, clearly keen to wreak revenge for Rovers’ victory at St James’ Park in November, fielded a side with such talent in abundance, that it com- fortably had Rovers’ measure on paper. On the grass, the first half served only to reinforce that opinion.
After 45 minutes, Rovers had failed to record a single shot, Newcastle had rattled the bar, camped in the Blackburn End penalty area, kept Jason Steele’s hands nice & warm and enjoyed 72 per cent of possession. An improvement upon Huddersfield you might observe.
Football though embraces the unpredictable with relish. With coincidence to the fore, up stepped Charlie Mulgrew to fire home a free kick, giving a precious 1-0 lead with about 15 minutes to play.
Déjà vu all over again ! The Geordie fans’ observations of “empty seats here, there and everywhere” (not a verbatim quote) was the only point they were going to win.
It was a battling performance; rugged, determined, ugly and exactly what was needed. A fresh start then ? Some New Year resolution where previously all too often frailties and confusion have handed opponents easy points?
We’ll see, but welcome back my friends; hope & optimism…come inside, it’s good to have you back, could you stay a while ?
Happy New Year !