All Rhodes lead to Middlesbrough for Blackburn after Cup win

On the eve of a potentially tricky away tie at lower league opposition who managed to dump a Premier League team out in the previous round, the last thing any team needs is to find out that their top talisman (and alleged "jewel in the crown") is the subject of a huge bid and is being allowed to go and talk to them over a move.  The timing could have been better, however, such is football these days amid windows and the like and money talks.

No one can deny that Rhodes hasn't been a great goalscorer for the club since his move from Huddersfield in 2011/12 but the ultimate reason he came to Blackburn was the thought of promotion.  This is a player that wants to progress and play at the top level.  To be fair to him promotion was never going to be on the cards this season at Blackburn after seeing other key players sold and the club being embargoed.  The chance went a begging the last two seasons when we fluffed our lines in falling two points short in 2013/14 and then just never really got going despite goals galore in 2014/15.  In moving to Middlesbrough (should everything go through) he has a genuine chance of promotion, they sit in an automatic spot and have gathered a team together that looks capable of lasting the distance.

For Blackburn then, it would appear that we are now in the midst of another transitionary period.  This was always likely following the sale of certain players and an embargo and especially following putting a new manager in place.  Lambert is quoted as saying that the Rhodes sale will help us to rebuild the club and hopefully there is the chance to do that now.  It also means other players now need to step up and show what they can do.  In Danny Graham we have a player who has been a proven goal scorer in the past and who needs to rediscover the sort of form that made him a wanted player, Tony Watt is young and appears to have a talent that needs to be nurtured but could be promising, whilst Simeon Jackson has so far sounded lively each time he has taken to the field.

You would have been forgiven for thinking that in the middle of all this Blackburn might meekly succumb to a defeat to Oxford in the cup, however, they responded with the perfect answer and gave the fans something to be cheerful about.  The defence was resolute, chances were created and the midfield took a hold of the game.  A comfortable 3-0 win, which could have been more and a place in the hat for the 5th round of the FA Cup.  Watts more (sorry couldn't resist!) a goal from that man Tony on his debut will have helped to settle him following his move to Blackburn.

So whilst Rhodes is already up in the North East, Blackburn's next trip is ironically away to Middlesbrough - so quite literally all Rhodes seem to lead there.  It wouldn't surprise anyone if Jordan scored against his old team but if the transfer is completed we now need to move on and find new "heroes" in the team.  With Middlesbrough and Hull up next, now is the time for the squad to stand up and be counted.

Blackburn: The Need to find Focus and a Killer Instinct

Saturday, an away game and an opposition who have shipped 11 goals in two matches, against whom Blackburn have a great track record, an ideal time to pick up three points?  Not so, the final whistle blew and another draw.

Blackburn fans have become accustomed to draws, it is this which inevitably cost us a place in the playoffs a couple of seasons ago.  I like to point to the home draw against Brighton, a highly entertaining 3-3 match for neutrals but a game in which we should have won and in doing so perhaps finishing above Brighton in 6th spot instead of 2 points shy of the very same team we drew against.

Whilst draws away from home could be considered useful, those at Ewood do not help the cause.  We have drawn a stalemate in 12 games so far this season, the most in the league.  7 of these have come at home.  It is significant that this season our most likely score currently stands at either a 1-0 loss or a 1-1 draw (at home 0-0 or 1-1 and away a 1-0 loss) - this does not bode particularly well.  Last season our most common scoreline was also a 1-1 draw.  The season before that? A 0-0 draw or a 1-0 win and the season before again?  A 1-1 draw.  There's a certain pattern emerging.

The last few games, performances haven't been good enough.  The team have largely failed to make a case that they're about to turn a corner and go on the sort of run Rovers' fans been craving for for a long time.  At times, the players haven't looked like a team, one who are willing to fight for the cause and badge.  Whilst the season is a bit of a write off, these players should be putting up a case for still being here again next year.  They need to find some focus and discover the sort of killer instinct they have been lacking in many a close game that would bring along 3 points at a more regular basis than that bus that only travels 1 a month on the last Sunday.

February looks daunting and there's a very tough FA Cup match against Oxford coming up next.  Focus will very definitely be needed against Middlesbrough and Hull (our first two matches in February) who currently occupy the top two places in the league at this point but it is a chance for the players to stand up and be counted and show whether or not they have what it takes to move this club forward.  It will certainly be a time for Lambert to assess what more he might need going forward.  He has said the Summer will be the biggest window for this side and on current form it will have to be.

A Striking Problem - How can we get Blackburn's Strikeforce scoring again?

In Jordan Rhodes, Blackburn have one of the most prolific strikers outside of the Premier League yet he is currently on a goal drought stretching 9 games (his last goal being a penalty).  For a lot of strikers this wouldn't be unusual but 9 goals in 24 appearances is at odds with his overall 1 goal in every 2 games ratio.  Admittedly he went on a similar run during the 2013/14 season but had already scored 16 goals by that stage and ended the season with 25.  So what is the problem at Blackburn and how can we get our main goal getter scoring again?

This season Blackburn have mustered a total of 23 goals in the league, only Bolton, Charlton and MK Dons have so far scored fewer (all of whom have conceded far more goals and currently sit below Blackburn).  It is clear that to win games, goals are a rather important part!  Blackburn's most common scoreline this season so far is a 1-0 loss, our issues don't specifically lie at the back but rather further forward as can be seen by our defence ranking of 4th in the league up till now.  Compare our attack to this time last season when we had scored a total of 36 goals and these are worrying signs.

Some will point out the loss of Gestede from the forward line as one of the issues (22 goals in 44 appearances in 2014-15 is certainly a big gap for any team) but prior to his arrival Rhodes scored 27 in 43 during 2012-13 in one of our most turbulent seasons since relegation whilst playing largely alone up front.  This season Rhodes has been paired with a few people in an attempt to spark some life up front but none of which have really showed any signs of taking off yet.

Rhodes is someone who is best played in the box, ball to feet or through decent crosses into the danger area for him to attack.  He is wasted outside of the box, trying to bring others into play or hold the ball up.  This season, he hasn't had that sort of supply and has often been dragged out of the area in an attempt to even see the ball.  The centre of midfield lacks a bit of guile - a plethora of defensive players in there doesn't help matters.  The ball is too slow coming forward and we don't take on opposition players enough.  We need a creator.  There is a burden on Conway who is our main assist maker that should be distributed around the team.  Marshall has often disappointed this season on the wing and has now been put back into the right back slot where he has looked pretty decent.  It is early days with Bennett but the run he made against Brighton that won us a free kick was a rare bright spot in an otherwise dreadful game that other players should take note of.  A player running at the defence at pace and trying to create something.

Whilst a centre back being brought in (given lack of cover and injuries) is a concern and a priority, this January we need to see a couple of players coming in who will provide genuine creativity.  Someone who can play with the ball at their feet and find a killer pass.  We need extra pace in there too and perhaps someone with a genuine engine in the centre of the park to link defence with attack rather than the midfield being bypassed.  Teams can have all the strikers they want but to get the best out of them you need providers - that is the key I believe to unlocking more goals for Blackburn.

Damp Squib December, Hang over January - What's the Forward Forecast for Blackburn Rovers?

December, the period when traditionally football gets just that little bit hectic for teams.  Games galore and not much time to think about things in-between.  Blackburn entered this period off the back of a 5 game unbeaten run interspersed with the arrival of a new manager.  Sitting in 14th, 7 points off the top 6 and more importantly, a reasonable 6 points away from the bottom 3.  You'd have been forgiven for thinking that there was reason for some optimism going into December, the fixtures looked winnable (in the main) and the team seemed to be gaining confidence.  However, after a bright start, it all started to turn just a little bit sour.

Damp Squib December

A run of fixtures against Bristol City (A), Rotherham (H), Nottingham Forest (H), Reading (A), Middlesbrough (H) and Bolton (A) started reasonably well with a solid if unspectacular win against Bristol City, aided in part by the sending off of Nathan Baker on City's side.  Hanley weighed in with a goal and since Rhodes had been subbed off a 1st goal of the season by Marshall from the penalty spot was enough to bring home 3 points for Rovers.  Marshall has, by the early standards he set in his Blackburn career, been very much off the boil this season and needs to weigh in with far more goals than he is doing so this goal should have been a welcome relief to him and perhaps a catalyst to go out and score more but in the games that then followed the whole team as well as him became somewhat of a damp squib.

Lancashire's weather in December could almost be used as a metaphor for Rover's performances and results in this period: miserable, damp and turgid.

Whilst a win against Rotherham followed the 3 points against City, the performance left much to be desired and the win came courtesy of an own goal by Hyam, in fact Marshall's goal against City was to be the last goal scored by any Rovers' players to date.  However, the team had somehow managed to drag themselves up to 12th and 2 points off the top 6.  Many say it's the sign of a good team that can win whilst playing badly but the games that followed that certainly didn't give any credence to that for Rovers.

A dour 0-0 against Forest at Ewood was followed by a 1-0 defeat to Reading under their new manager.  It didn't bode well going into a Boxing day game against high flying Boro, whose excellent defence has conceded just 12 goals this season and sees them top of the table.  The heavens opened, rivers raged and Ewood's pitch got waterlogged - game off then, as much for the safety of others as anything else.

So it was off to Bolton, a team in dire straights right now, on the brink and with just one win all season. Whilst our record at their ground was dreadful, it was reasonable to think we could go and put in a performance and come away with 3 points. Surely a game off would be helpful?  Not so, our performance, like the weather got worse and we deservedly lost 1-0.  5 games in December, 1 goal from open play and 4 games where not one of our players could hit the back of the net for themselves.

Hangover January

Champagne corks popped and New Years Resolutions aplenty, time to start afresh - new beginnings?  Not so for Rovers, who went into January with a game against Cardiff.  Another poor performance followed and another 1-0 defeat.  A hangover from our performances in December.  As if to mock us, the FA Cup draw had paired us with another team from South Wales.  A chance to try and re-find the goalscoring habit or a banana skin?  That will have to wait for another time as the weather once again intervened and unfortunately for the many bedraggled Rovers fans who'd made their way down got called off an hour before kick-off.

Forward Forecast

The rest of January should give the manager a chance to bring in one or two reinforcements (one already in is Bennett who has experience at a higher level, in the Championship and has played under the manager, Lambert before) and hopefully get the team back on the scoring and winning trail.  There are no easy fixtures but those for the rest of the month look winnable, whilst February's look much tougher on paper.  However, with 3 potential home games (Newport FA Cup result pending) we need to be looking at this month as one to be picking up points in.  Now is a good time to bed in any new players ahead of games in February against the likes of Boro, Hull, Ipswich and Derby all sitting in the top 6 of the league currently.

Consistency is something we have lacked for a long time - stringing together a few wins on the trot is something we should be aiming for.  If we can get the right players in, particularly to help up front with goalscoring we have the capability of picking up points, more points than we have done so far.  Expectations for the season as a whole have to be tempered but given a bit of time and the right personnel, the sun may start to poke out of the clouds.  It just won't be this season.

Blackburn Rover's January Transfer Window Musings

Yes it's that time of the year again folks (in football anyway).  No sooner have we all said Happy New Year to each other then that window that has been shut since September creaks open and rears its panes (or should that be pain) again. 

This window is very slightly different for us Blackburn fans than the last two we've dealt with in that the transfer embargo imposed on us after failing the Football League Fair Play rules has (at least for now) been lifted.  That isn't to say that we can suddenly start to spend copious amounts of money, far from it.  The talk is of playing in the loan market (in the main or perhaps entirely).  The biggest advantage then of the embargo being lifted is the ability to pay a fee (for a loan), be more competitive in what we can offer wage wise and not worry about being 1 or 2 players over a certain squad size limit.  Not a lot different but hopefully enough to make possible the signing of some better quality loan players than may have previously been available to us.

The other interesting bit for us is the arrival of a new manager in Paul Lambert.  This will be the first chance he has to start to make a stamp on the type of players he may want for the team and get the team moving in the right direction.  He has already talked of being more creative and having to be a bit more clever in the way we create for Rhodes.  There has also been some suggestion of a recognition of the fact that we have lots of midfielders who essentially do the same job.

Working from the back forwards, my personal opinion is that we are well provided for in the goalkeeping stakes.  The defence is much improved (one or two lapses aside) from last season but there is a lack of competition in the right back spot.  In central midfield we have Williamson, Lowe, Guthrie, Akpan and Evans who are all similar in style, I would put Evans at the top in terms of offering the team something different and more forward movement.  What we lack is in creativity in there, Lawrence (on loan from Leicester) is about it unless you count Chris Taylor who works hard and gets forward.  Conway remains our best "creater" of opportunities and for me Marshall has been well under par this season - again there is a lack of competition here.  We also lack pace in this department too.  At the front, aside from Rhodes (who by his standards is on a goal drought and a half at the time of writing) there is not much to talk about.  Koita obviously is still very raw and Brown hasn't shown enough to suggest he is a solution.

For me, I would hope that we look at bringing in someone else up front as a priority who will do the work outside the box and look to bring Rhodes into play.  A creative midfielder is also something I'd look at and also bring some pace into the team.  If there's still enough to play with, I'd been trying to get competition in at right back as well.

Outgoings wise, there is an opportunity to try and move on any fringe type players if possible and free up some space but I would hope that we try and rebuff any big bids for our better players at this point unless Lambert is convinced it would help to improve the team and that he would then get the funds to put towards buying in players to do the job of moving us up the league.

Blackburn fans shouldn't be looking at this window as being a complete game changer, it's going to take time to get the team the way Lambert wants it but if it paves the way for improved performances in 2016 then that would be a good start.