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Home Game Hoodoo: Blackburn Preview
Lee Clark’s Blues take on Blackburn Rovers today in the first of three games at St Andrew’s as his side looks to end the home hoodoo which has lasted 15 league games back to October 1, knowing that the relegation trap door has gotten much closer following defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Blackburn Rovers
Rovers come to Blues in a decent run of form; unbeaten in nine games (although six of those were draws) and unbeaten away from home since March 1 when they lost 4-0 to Bolton Wanderers. Blackburn lie seven places and eighteen points ahead of Blues in 11th with an outside chance of getting into the playoffs.
Gary Bowyer is hopeful that Tommy Spurr will recover from injury; Corry Evans and former Blues player David Dunn could both come back into the team after recovering from knocks.
Blues
Blues will be without captain Paul Robinson who picked up his fifteenth booking of the season at the weekend as he starts a three match ban. Lee Clark will also have to decide whether to pick Mitch Hancox for his second game in three days after his long layoff and may decide to go to a 3-4-3 formation to reflect his lack of defensive options.
For Blues this is the first big crunch game at home and I’m fearful for them. Defeat today isn’t necessarily the end of the world and as Doncaster play Millwall it will take a specific set of results involving wins for Blackpool and Charlton as well as a draw at the Keepmoat for Blues to drop into the bottom three. That being said, it is easily feasible we could finish today outside the bottom three on goal difference alone if results go the wrong way and I cannot see us winning this game.
Clark has talked about trying different ways of motivating his players but he has to get past this horrible home form and find some way to get the players to get the collective monkey off their back. For once I don’t think it’s about formations, or about team selection – what has got to happen is that when they cross that white line all eleven players picked have got to perform to their best of their ability for the whole game and the fans have got to get behind them.
edited 11:10 BST – due to a couple of errors…
Tags: Blackburn Rovers, Lee Clark, Mitchell Hancox, Paul Robinson
38 Responses to “Home Game Hoodoo: Blackburn Preview”
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I’m pretty sure we can go in the bottom 3 if we lose – if Charlton and Blackpool win and Millwall and Doncaster draw
You are correct
Can anyone enlighten me as to why Clark did not start Macheda against forest?after all he is scoring goals
This guy would have put Francis on the bench to prove some ridiculous point.
Stan is quite right dont try and negate the opposition just go for it
Macheda didn’t start as we have 2 games in three days and we need him for Blackburn.
I left at half time. Can we now say that the back slappers have got it wrong, you can’t even say that Clark put 18 names in a hat and picked it that way because he had a centre half at right back a right back at centre midfield a centre midfield a left back and a left back at centre half…….. Rubbish isn’t a good enough word
wait till zigic goes this summer. we will suffer i tell you now
There are a few apologist for Clark but they have been proved wrong, time after time he does this playing ridiculous formations with players out of position. He made an enormous mistake he knew this and changed it after 25 mins, but by then we were 3-0 down. He never tells us the reasoning behind his selection because there can not be any .
He then comes out and tells us we will survive and he has faith in the players, problem is the players do not have faith in him and who can blame them?.
Put him on gardening leave and give the job to the kit man no one could do worse than this moron.Once again i appeal to him to do the manly thing and walk but he wont. I will personally drive him to the nearest pit up his beloved north east. There he can drink as many brown ales as he wishes.
I don’t excuse clark, but we are just not at championship level anymore, I said at start of the season. League one sides have more money than we do. Any club is only as good its playing staff and chairman’s cheque book. I should have emphasized in the comment on how much that i think he ‘doesn’t have a clue’ or what i believe he is doing just stabbing in the dark with his wild strategy. hes never had my backing!
an yes clark don’t have a clue but lets be honest who else would take a job with both hands tied blindfolded without a bucket to p?!?!
We would be better off without a manager, especially with the players picking the formation.
its all very well slating clark but its not as though the club has the money to go out and install the new alex ferguson.
Even more reason not to make mental starting selections.
I read earlier he picked the team because 5 players were left footed and 5 right footed. Perhaps next time he should ask them their favourite colours and base it on that.
Yes, or Rock Paper Scissors, or is that too advanced? I think Lee Clark is a liability and will send us down.
Totally agree, even my 5 year old grandson, sorry to say, Vile supporter, picked a better team.
Hancox on the bench, Blankett is a decent player on the ball but will never make a left back, Reilly does his best but again will never make a left back.
Lovenkrands is just going through the motions and should be with Scott Allen, in the wilderness. Scott Allen must have committed murder or worse to not even be considered above Lovenkrands, what has Ibe done or even Koby Arthur done not to be selected.
I have backed Clark A) because we can’t afford to sack him, B) he is or was doing a thankless job under extreme circumstances but today I cannot see any logic in his selection, even given he had to change it at the last minute.
Macheda and Zigic were the obvious front two, everyone knows my opinion of Ziggy, but he is the best of all other options unless Asante is fit. Caddis, Packwood, Thorn, Hancox at the back, Burke, Reilly, Huws, Adeyemi midfield.
With what we have it is not rocket science, If options were needed as was suggested then we had Martin for centre back and Lee or Gray in Midfield. As I said it is not rocket science.
KRO+DNM
Gary Bowyer surely
LC has tried everything to break the hoodoo, how about playing in our away kit… Just a suggestion.
I don’t see that LC has too many defensive problems as he has Will Packwood fit again and Mitch Hancox so in that department we are fairly well covered.
The main problem, as has been all season, is finding the right combination up front, Macheda is obviously scoring goals so is a must to start, who to play along side him has proven a dilemma, more so now Novak is out. How far off is Asante? Could he be our saviour in these last three home games?
This disastrous home run has to end, so why not today… 2-1 Blues… COME ON
KRO+DNM
I honestly can’t see us winning another game.
Zigic and Macheda up front and we might stand a chance.Looking at everybody,s remaining fixtures,one win could be enough.
I just cant agree that LC has tried everything at home? Here’s an idea LC -stop picking a team to stop the opposition and go for it, how about you play 4-4-2 with your 2 best strikers up front in Ziggy and Macheda flanked by Ibke and Burke and give them the 3 home games without you tinkering. To much to hope for though I fear.
I don’t think 442 is the answer myself. Too simplistic
Too simplistic!? Well I hate to say this but LC clearly has no grasp of the basics in football- let alone getting his team to play on a higher plain than the opposition. he can’t even pick players in their right positions!? Simple works…….right now we need to stay in this league by hook or by crook and personally I think we’d be better off with out LC. Get rid now and however, takes charge – KEEP IT SIMPLE and play a team that has a fighting chance of beating Leeds on Tuesday. If we don’t, we are down SIMPLE!
we played 4-4-2 today ;)
What bothers me is David Dunn. He always has a good game against Blues.
How about getting Lovencranz into the mix? An old hand might help the kids.
He should never ever have been given a chance to play for us after snubbing us twice. Waste of space.
Lovenkrands – for real? I wouldn’t even have him on the bench……way past his best IMO. Got to be Ziggy and Macheda from the start for me.
I was at the City Ground and only Huws, Caddis and Burke played anything like their best. Zigic remains an enigma. His body language gives the impression that he is just going through the motions. He must be the most immobile of immobile strkers.
We must play Macheda and Lovenkrands in a 4-4-2 formation against Blackburn, with Burke and Ibe on the flanks. Adeyemi and Huws holding with Caddis, Thorpe, Packwood and Hancox/Reilly in the back line.
Well he played Macheda and Lovenkrands and it was a complete disaster.It only improved when Zigic came on.what has Lovenkrands done to deserve a start ?Zigic can’t help his body language.Has to be Macheda and zigic every time now.
Can’t see us getting anything from this. A 1-4 defeat on the cards.
3 down after 25 mins.
We need a miracle or two!
Ok then,lets have people come on and defend Lee Clark tonight.A left back at centre half,a centre half at right back and a left back on the bench.And why Lovenkrands instead of Zigic?The man is an absolute joke.Put him on gardening leave and put Robbo in charge.Surely he will at least play players in their right position.
your forgetting the centre midfielder at left back and the right back in centre midfield. It was obvious after 5 minutes what was going to happen but he waited till we were 3 down to change his mistakes. Idiot, Robbo should be able to fire them up at least
Everyone can see it but him! Do the decent thing LC, give the fans a lift now and walk……the guy doesn’t have a clue. Forgetting the ownership situation, if he is the manager next year I won’t be renewing my season ticket for the first time in 20 years.
Time to start preparing for League One. Couple of derbies in Cov and Walsall.
LC a clown, sadly it appears we are going down. A sadistic side of me hopes we are relegated then BIHL will get next to nothing for the club!
Although some think admin/relegation would be a disaster, i really don’t think it would because these Chinese aren’t going anywhere until they get the money they want, which is well over any sane person would offer. so if someone did buy it they too would most likely end up in a rut at the end of it all
you said today it was not about formations well you were so wrong, never been so disgruntled by the lack of sportsmanship
Before the game in the bar below the Tilton Michael Johnson told us that Clark had the players turn up & get on a coach as if they were going to an away game, that on top of the players out of position just shows he’s lost it. It’ll be magic potions next, but the problem will never be that he got it wrong.
His comments on the game “no one was played out of position” ludicrous if he actually believes this & if her honestly believed it then he wouldn’t have reverted to the correct players in correct positions after 25 mins.
Cut the crap Clark & own up to messing it up, your over thinking things so please just get back to basics. Some players may have had knocks or you didn’t want to risk them for the full 90.. Ok but at least put the starting 11 in their strongest positions.