Mowbray men hard to dislike
BLUE-EYED BOY’S BLACKBURN VIEW
IT was impossible not to savour a whiff of hope and redemption in the air walking away from Ewood on Tuesday, supporters abuzz with conversation after an extremely spirited second-half display saw a t horoughly- deserved point rescued to make Tony Mowbray’s (still unbeaten) tally an impressive eight out of 12.
Nobody’s fooling anyone that Rovers have even done the minimum requirement job of ensuring continued Championship status yet .
Other teams are sure to pick up points, two places and two points above the drop zone are gaps which can be frittered away before your eyes in a week which will see us visit two of the best footballing sides in the division on their day (although Norwich’s days in particular are becoming rather more infrequent than most at Ewood predicted on the season’s opening afternoon).
But there is an undeniable togetherness and commonality of purpose among a loyal bunch of Rovers fans who finally actually have a manager they can relate to and like.
Tony Mowbray’s team, too, are becoming as hard to dislike and disdain as they have been to beat, a welcome and important development at a time when any strength we can find in unity can only augment the footballing cause.
No-one’s talking about the ultimate dream of removing Venkys or persuading them that it’s time to leave – it’s obvious to most that that will occur at a time and circumstance of their choosing, not as a result of any sporadically conceived and supported publicity stunt – but while the twin possibilities remain that they could pack up this summer or stay for another five years (and nobody truly has any idea which is likelier) you can waste your life away waiting for the correct terms and conditions to be put in place to earn, if you’ve absented yourself from the cause, your renewed patronage.
In truth, lying 20th we’re not a lot better or worse off than we were four seasons or one season ago.
With six matches of the 2012-13 campaign remaining we lay 22nd, before Jordan Rhodes’ phenomenal goalscoring in his first season, not to mention a mazy Grant Hanley dribble followed by a theatrical tumble, kept us up.
Rhodes scored either our first goal or winner in five of those six games, probably earning us 10 points. Five less and we’d have gone down.
A year ago a crushing defeat at home to Huddersfield saw us slump to 18th, practically safe I’ll grant you but wondering how much lower the dreadful Lambert could take us before rallying with a handful of decent late results which put a flattering spin on our finishing position (one of the few things Coyle correctly identified!)
This time around there’s no Rhodes, the danger of relegation is still as foreboding as it can be and the players have clearly demonstrated that they are benefiting and thriving with a coach at the helm they respect and respond to while the supporters who are turning up give their unqualified and enthusiastic backing.
Never has this been typified more than the second half against Cardiff.
I said in advance of the game that one of the tests remaining for Mowbray was to see how he, and his team, responded to going a goal behind.
Rather splendidly, as it happens, was the answer. I didn’t see the first half at Burton but if it was a better, more concerted, panic-free sustained three-quarters of an hour of relentless knocking on the door than that it must have been enjoyable.
I was particularly pleased to see one message board poster state that he’d have warmly applauded the effort at the final whistle even if a determined Derrick Williams – his newly-found willingness to thrust towards and into the box has been one of the more noticeable improvements and his MOTM award was well-merited – hadn’t managed to stab home the leveller. I concur fully.
There were many plusses. The enthralling Mahoney has added an undreamt-of dimension of impudence, imagination, trickery and directness to our attacking artillery.
I can’t remember the last time a player getting the ball has filled me with so much anticipation as seeing the young Mill Hill lad receive possession.
Nyambe too is improving and gaining in confidence by the game.
Lenihan is back to the player he was looking before the aberration at Deepdale seemed to take the wind out of his sails for a few weeks.
Feeney seems to have been infused with a rush of self-belief and is showing a little more than the straight up-and-down poor man’s Windy Miller one-trick pony act he appeared locked into under previous leadership.
Mulgrew had an off night with his set-piece delivery but offers such beatific calm and composure on the ball in general play that it looks a different game to, say, when Jason Lowe is in possession. Guthrie is similarly comfortable but is yet to find a killer pass or shot to actually win us the points in a match – but there’s time yet.
Norwich, and quickly after Fulham, are daunting away games next week.
You might despise Venkys and resent where they’ve taken us. If you’re staying away now, though, you’re denying yourself something you enjoy at a time when you can do more good for the team than any dent you can make in the owners’ pockets.
ASFC COMMUNITY TRUST COLUMN
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