After leaving the derby at Ewood Park feeling rather dejected and as if we hadn’t done much wrong (apart from the one defining loose moment in the game), the previous two games have been quite the healer!
Aside from a handful of spirited draws, our latest festive slump’s winless five-game streak threatened to expose this overworked Rovers group before anyone had a chance to break their New Year’s resolution.
I also won’t lie: I would have forgiven John Eustace for safeguarding and resting the squad in the unappealing lunchtime FA Cup encounter at Middlesbrough – which is why Eustace is a manager and I am not.
Eustace recognised the opportunity to regain and maintain momentum in a ‘pressure-off’ cup tie. Aside from goalkeeper and striker, sticking with the charges who have fought so hard all season has paid off with a confidence-boosting performance, particularly in the second half. I have very great memories of backing Rovers in the FA Cup, so any opportunity to advance is always welcomed. Wolves at home in the next round, while not the most glamorous of ties, will present an intriguing test in another ‘pressure-off’ game in early February.
Back to the Championship, and for a time my focus has been on the most recent match at Ewood Park. Games in hand are always exciting since it is so easy to say the legendary lines “If we win our game in hand, we will be in X place”. Winning the game at hand is not always as simple as it seems.
The old adage of points on the board was certainly on my mind, especially after the league’s winless streak, the wider concern of only two wins in eight at Ewood Park (prior to Wednesday), and the fact that if we had played Portsmouth in November, it would have occurred right in the middle of our best stretch of the season. All of these indications set off my superstitious twitch.
What was causing this twitch was Eustace’s and the team’s importance. All I wanted by 10 p.m. on Wednesday was Rovers to be in fifth place, the ideal response to Eustace’s uninspired January transfer window conversations. Eustace is doing more than his share, and for that, we will always have hope. However, the ownership situation remains a muddle, as seen by the most recent court case adjournment. It’s unclear whether this window is even possible.
What we want or need is likely to differ from what we receive. What remains certain, however, is that Eustace deserves it more than any of his predecessors under this ownership. I only hope that someone, somewhere, is listening. If I were Eustace, I’d be holding aloft that league table at all times.
On the football, it was encouraging to see Rovers get the job done and keep the pressure on all of our opponents. At halftime, it was anything but. It had all the makings of a banana skin, with Rovers missing a wonderful opportunity to increase the pressure. The comparisons with Hull at home last month were valid. That day, Rovers squandered an opportunity to profit on defeats and dropped points for nearly all of our opponents.
However, the management was the key to our triumph on Wednesday. I’m not sure what triggered this. Whether it was the tenth and final unsuccessful effort at a long, hopeful punt to Andi Weimann. Or a growing suspicion that Portsmouth will steal it at the Darwen End in the same way Hull did. Whatever it was, Eustace was noticeably earlier with the game-changing introduction of Mahktar Gueye and Amario Cozier-Duberry.
Football can be a simple game at times, and all you need is the ‘big man up front’. I’ve criticised Gueye on the Arte et Labore podcast in recent weeks. Although he has a great first touch and can bring others into play, he has also shown sloppiness and no impact when leading the line.
The significance of his goal on Wednesday cannot be overstated since it completely transformed the course of the game. Gueye deserves to be remembered for his difficult header. A magnificent, long raking cross from the great Callum Brittain needed a lot of tracking under the floodlights as he drifted further out from goal. The header was beautiful and demonstrated what Gueye could do with a little more service from those wider areas – I don’t recall many crosses into the box for Gueye this season, so we’ll see if that changes in our play.
Todd Cantwell was another standout on Wednesday, and I believe he still has a lot to offer in a Rovers shirt. At times, I believe he overcomplicates the execution of his passing; sometimes simplicity is crucial. But on Wednesday, he outdid himself with a mix of cunning and elegance, demonstrating how crucial he is to Rovers as the season comes to a close.
Whether it was winning free kicks all over the park to stop the game and relieve pressure on our defence, seeing goals one and three with a cross-field pass and pinpoint through ball, or holding off three men at once, turning the corner, and setting us up for Brittain’s thunderbolt.
These are all the weapons at his disposal to be ‘the guy’ for Rovers and help us reach our playoff goal this season. Last season, a number eight player salvaged our season. Here’s hope that number eight will be the one to make our season.
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