More action in extra time than the rest of the game.
Wanted to see how long we could stay in first on our own. One freaken game.
In Farke i don't trust.
Time to sub the energy bunny.

we were losing those type of games last year and i suppose earlier in this season. Is a draw enough, no not at home we should be finding ways to break these types of teams down and winning 3 points but yes it was BORING for the most part

2 games past the halfway point of the season and we have now opened a three point gap with 3rd.

If you had told me at the start of the season that is where we would be come the first of January I'd have taken off your hand to take it.

We remind me a little of Ipswich last year at the moment, we just keep chugging along and the teams below us just can't close the gap, look at Burnley today.

I'd like to see us add a 9 and a 10, but I doubt we are going to bring in a 9 when we have three.

Thought Solomon was MOTM. Farke takes him off?
Farke, for me at least, is terrible at in-game decisions.
His subs are baffling at best. Tactics? Not really.

He benefits from a very good squad. Comes unglued
against managers who can set up and adapt in-game.

Saying that, we got a fortunate call (I think if there
was VAR, that one gets overturned). Struijk was cool
as cucumber - thank God he took the ball away from
our current #9. But, once again, we allow a shot and
voila, it's a goal.

It was not a good day at the office. Still top, I know.
Sheff U hopefully are beaten or draw and we can
breathe a bit easier for a few days. I maintain, the club
needs to do some serious work this window. We have
three loan slots. Use them. Beef this team up.

I was puzzled by Farke’s omission of Ampadu from the tarting line-up. He’s fit, he’s our captain, and he can assert his authority in the midfield. This was his kind of game. We got bossed in the middle of the park when we needed Ampadu to get those hard tackles in and to generate more momentum.

Going to add, hope to the football gods Bogle isn't out
a few games or multiple weeks. And didn't Byram break
again? Worrying. Rodon gets battered every game.

Ref was a disgrace letting them get away with dark arts, time wasting etc. James was fouled late on and he gave the free kick to them! We were up against 11 defenders today and a terrible referee. Blackburn seem a bit of a bogie gie team for us. Should have held on at 1-0.

Thought James was quite poor today and he should have been subbed not Solomon who looked out most creative outlet.

comment by The heart of Farkeness (U19827)
posted 1 minute ago
I was puzzled by Farke’s omission of Ampadu from the tarting line-up. He’s fit, he’s our captain, and he can assert his authority in the midfield. This was his kind of game. We got bossed in the middle of the park when we needed Ampadu to get those hard tackles in and to generate more momentum.

^^^

100%.

Only reason I can think of is Farke and his data
analysts had run the numbers and felt today's
rotation was the best fit? I'm trying to find a reason
why he did this. But, can't even convince myself.

I felt Amps & Guilavoglu could've been good
against this lot. Both are tough tacklers and don't
take crap. I know Farke loves his system. But
FFS break from it when needed. Aaronson was
getting battered by them. He stood up to it and
was for me, good again. How much can he take?
He's putting in serious minutes this season.

Thought Farke's subs were wrong today. Dan James had two on him all game & was poor by his recent standards. I'm also not surprised if Solomon was angry at being subbed.

I don't understand why Schmidt isn't getting a chance, but in fairness Wober did well.

Should have left Piroe on with Joseph. The great passenger offered next to nothing as usual.

All in all a huge chance wasted to start to open a gap. Very frustrating. Mind you, i'm glad i don't have to watch Blackburn again this season. Complete anti-football but Farke has to find a way to beat these sides.

Outwood, agree. I'm starting to think the refs come
into ER knowing (as all of football knows) it's intimidating. It's as if they say before kick-off, "I know
the crowd is going to try and influence me, but they won't." That leads to them over rotating and ignoring
absolute stone wall fouls and sh1 thousery because
the crowd sees it and lets them know.

Starting to feel like ego driven "I know best" crap
from all of them. Bar Sam Allison. Love that bloke.
I'd take him every week if we could. Top notch.

And agree about Ampadu. Should have played instead of Tanaka for me who seems to be more negative by the game now.

comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 4 minutes ago
And agree about Ampadu. Should have played instead of Tanaka for me who seems to be more negative by the game now.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
spot on re Tanaka, seems to really slow things down at present.

comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 3 minutes ago
And agree about Ampadu. Should have played instead of Tanaka for me who seems to be more negative by the game now.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

We can't expect him to get 9/10's for 46 games this season.

If Tanaka is used to a winter break then I'd accommodate him for our next game as he looked leggy to me and not his usual bright spark self. We got a point though and 10 points over Christmas is one of our best returns so things are still looking rosy and I think Solomon was the one bit of true Premier league quality we possessed today.

Sadly though Farke thought it was wise to sub him on 70
minutes and although we got a fortunate pen decision
go our way for a change, the chaotic nature in which
every last remaining forward bar Ramazani is thrown on as a desperate last throw of the dice by DF, that type of tactical mayhem rarely pays off.

Another John Eustace masterclass was our treat today on how to negate and frustrate a Daniel Farke team...oh
well hopefully if we're promoted and Blackburn don't do
likewise via the play offs you'd imagine we won't have to
endure such excitement for a couple of years at least.

comment by Shaun M - supercalifragilisticOrtaisatrocious (U9955)
posted 17 minutes ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 3 minutes ago
And agree about Ampadu. Should have played instead of Tanaka for me who seems to be more negative by the game now.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

We can't expect him to get 9/10's for 46 games this season.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm sure nobody does.

The Blackburn corner wasn’t poor it was off the training ground. They put their big number 9 at the back post and Gnonto was nowhere near him when it came to him.

Soft goal but we could see it coming when they set up like that.

I hate it when teams come to play negative football and just hope for a breakaway or a goal from a set piece. Blackburn mastered it and the ref allowed it. Their keeper must have pulled his socks up more times than Katie Price’s bo obs have changed size!

Still top whatever happens tonight but I think I want a Sunderland win now rather than a draw.

“ Soft goal but we could see it coming when they set up like that.”

No one saw that coming.

Just out of interest many times have Katie Prices chesticles changed size?

comment by Jonty (U4614)
posted 1 minute ago
“ Soft goal but we could see it coming when they set up like that.”

No one saw that coming.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately we did from where we were sat in the West Stand. It was obvious the ball was going to the back post and even more obvious they would win the ball in the air. Gnonto vs their number 9 was no contest.

comment by Stoopo (U4707)
posted 8 minutes ago
comment by Jonty (U4614)
posted 1 minute ago
“ Soft goal but we could see it coming when they set up like that.”

No one saw that coming.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately we did from where we were sat in the West Stand. It was obvious the ball was going to the back post and even more obvious they would win the ball in the air. Gnonto vs their number 9 was no contest.

^^^

We do know one thing: teams don't need many
chances to score against us. So, in a way, yeah,
most probably did see it coming.

I couldn’t make my mind up whether to go for the draw or a Blackburn win, I plumped for the latter, why?

Really based on historical precedents…results for most teams over the Christmas and New Year, with games played in such a short space of time, quite often throw up surprise or shock results…most teams rarely reap maximum points and I thought the intensity of recent games would make us susceptible today.

Nothing to get uptight about though and unless the club become billionaires in 2025, with Musk owning the club we are still a win, draw and lose kinda club…Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton are prime examples of this annual promotion followed by relegation theme.

I don’t like to get into the usual substitutions arguments, because those issues can usually never be agreed on, but surprised at the Solomon substitution, no wonder he seemed angry, poor decision by Farke.

comment by Stoopo (U4707)
posted 8 minutes ago
comment by Jonty (U4614)
posted 1 minute ago
“ Soft goal but we could see it coming when they set up like that.”

No one saw that coming.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately we did from where we were sat in the West Stand. It was obvious the ball was going to the back post and even more obvious they would win the ball in the air. Gnonto vs their number 9 was no contest.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
No one saw Blackburn scoring.
No one saw Blackburn scoring from a corner.
No one saw Blackburn scoring that way by a corner.

Blackburn have to be one of the poorest teams in this league for getting corners away from home, let alone scoring from them.

By the end of the game we were down to our third choice right back and left back.

We haven't conceded in three, now point me out a team in this league who could lose both their fullbacks to injury and still be at their best.

comment by Mattyp (U8926)
posted 1 minute ago
By the end of the game we were down to our third choice right back and left back.


^^^

We signed Schmidt to back up Firpo.
But Farke left him on the bench?
Farke won't play him. Why? Why complicate things?
Why make things more difficult for your own team?

Farke takes off the best player. Puts on Bamford?
Why? Neuters his own team, time and again.

Farke loves to keep giving teams around us life.
And that's what he's doing.
He is the "tactics are a tiny white mint" joke.

Said to my better half when they got the corner, "got a bad feeling about this".

Just frustrated we couldn't keep it clean with only basically injury time left.

Also said to her, why the hell is Manor coming off?

James final ball/ decision making was sub standard today.