Blackburn Rovers away match thread

[Jerseybean]

It’s 198 miles each way from Ashton Gate to Ewood Park, so well done to the legendary members of the Cider Army who will make the long trip and hope to see us extend our unbeaten run of seven games in all competitions. 

Formerly known as Ewood Bridge, Ewood Park has been permanent home to Blackburn Rovers since 1890, after they moved from their previous ground, Leamington Street. The stadium underwent a number of developments, most significantly under Jack Walker, when Ewood Park became one of the most advanced stadiums in the country.

Indeed, the biggest stand is named after former club owner Jack Walker, who did so much for them during his time at the club. This has 11,000 seats and also contains the home and away dressing rooms as well as the media facilities. There is also a statue in his honour which is situated behind the Ronnie Clayton Blackburn end.

Away fans visiting Ewood Park are located in the Bryan Douglas Darwen End, usually taking up around three quarters of the stand with an allocation of around 4,000 tickets.

Tony Mowbray left at the end of last season after a five year tenure, https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61382412

His successor is Dane Jon Dahl Tomasson. In his playing days he was a forward, his most notable run of football came in his first stint at Feyenoord, with whom he won the 2002 UEFA Cup, and Italian club AC Milan, with whom he won the UEFA Champions League in 2003 and reached the final in 2005. He also played top-flight football in England, Germany and Spain. He is the joint all-time top goalscorer for the Denmark national team with 52 goals in 112 games and was also honoured with the Danish Player of the Year award in both 2002 and 2004. He played at the UEFA European Championship in 2000 and 2004 and the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and 2010.

After his playing career, Tomasson went into coaching, being both assistant and manager in the Netherlands, before becoming assistant manager in the Denmark national team under Åge Hareide. In 2020, Tomasson became the manager of Malmö FF and left two years later after winning the Swedish championship for two consecutive seasons. In June 2022 he signed a three-year deal at Blackburn Rovers.

This ten minute video is well worth a watch, it’s entitled ‘how Blackburn Rovers shocked the Premier League’:

 

 

Given SLs recent comments here is a timely and sobering reality check re foreign ownership!

Last season Rovers Trust called on owners Venky’s to engage in ‘face-to-face dialogue’ to discuss the future direction of the club. The Trust said they welcomed the financial support of the owners, but that their absentee ownership is ‘an unacceptable situation’.

The Trust published a letter stating: “It is now eight years since the Venky’s, the owners of Blackburn Rovers, last stepped foot in Ewood Park. That visit was not even to watch football, it was to host The Queen who was giving out Easter Maundy Thursday monies at Blackburn Cathedral in 2014.”

“While the Supporters Trust welcome the financial support the Venky’s put into Rovers to support the Academy and keep the club afloat it is an unacceptable situation.  A visit was promised this season but has yet to materialise with only two home games left.”

Venky’s took over ownership of Rovers in November 2011, with the club remaining reliant on their funding, net liabilities of the club, as detailed in the club accounts to June 2021, stood at £135m. Losses were cut to £5m, but only due to the sale of the Senior Training Centre at Brockhall to a newly-formed company of the owners.

On Monday they signed Coventry defender Dom Hyam for an undisclosed fee (rumored to be £1.5m) the 26-year-old centre-half, who made 192 appearances in five years since leaving Reading for the Sky Blues in May 2017, has signed a three-year deal. Rovers director of football Gregg Broughton said: "Our initial approach to Coventry City in July was met with a clear message that he was not for sale."However, when it became apparent this week that their stance had changed, we had no hesitation."

They also signed Leicester City striker George Hirst on a season-long loan, with an option to buy.

On deadline day they signed defender Clinton Mola from German Bundesliga side Stuttgart on a season-long loan with an option to buy. The 21-year-old began his career with Chelsea and won the FA Youth Cup as part of their academy setup.

Mola was their last signing, following earlier deals for Tyler Morton, on a season-long loan from Liverpool (the 19 year old midfielder bolsters Jon Dahl Tomasson's midfield options), Callum Brittain - Barnsley, undisclosed, Ethan Walker - Preston North End, free and Sammie Szmodics - Peterborough, undisclosed.

Star man Ben Brereton Diaz has apparently declared he wants a new challenge. Everton and Leeds were both reported as being interested and Nice reportedly made a £10 million bid for him, though that was rejected by Blackburn. So, he is staying at club for now as the £20 million asking price hasn't been met despite rumored bids from Fulham and Everton of £12 million.

After opening the season with three straight wins they then lost their next three games, then on Wednesday they won 1-0 away at Blackpool. After 7 games they are in 5th place on 12 points.

Over the years we have a decent record against them having won 21, lost 16 and drawn 13. Last season we drew at our place and beat them at theirs.

 

 

Referee Tim Robinson, assisted by Andrew Fox and Craig Taylor. Fourth official John Busby.

Here is hopefully a good omen! Last Sunday Bristol City marked their first home game of the Barclays Women's Championship season with a 2-0 win after a dominant display against Blackburn Rovers. First-half goals from Shania Hayles and Emily Syme secured Lauren Smith’s side all three points at the Robins High Performance Centre.

Pubs

• The Fernhurst, 466 Bolton Road, Blackburn, BB2 4JP. Closest away dedicated pub to Ewood Park. Provides match day parking for £5, a 5 minute walk to the stadium.
• Navigation Inn, Canal Street, Blackburn, BB2 4DL, https://www.facebook.com/navigation.inn1/ 17 minute walk from Ewood Park.
• The Golden Cup, 610 Blackburn Road, Darwen, BB3 0AJ, https://goldencupdarwen.co.uk
• The Postal Order,15-19 Darwen Street, Blackburn, BB2 2BY (Spoons) https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/lancashire/the-postal-order-blackburn
• Oyster and Otter, Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn, BB2 5DQ, https://oysterandotter.co.uk/ About a ten minute drive from the ground. Distinctive clapboard and stone building in modern New England style; open-plan interior with cushioned dining booths by big windows on one side, other cosy seating areas divided by shoulder-high walls and large central hearth, end part with comfy sofas, good food including signature fish/seafood from open kitchen, Marstons Wainwright, a guest ale and over 30 wines by the glass; background music; children welcome, seats on decking above road, open (and food) all day.

Away guide with thanks to Jack Phillips:

Tickets:

The club have been given an allocation of 1,012 tickets which includes 10 pairs of wheelchair tickets.

The pricing is as follows:

Adults: £25

Senior 65+: £20

Aged 18-23: £15

Under 18: £10

Under 12: £7

Supporters coaches are £22 for season ticket holders, and £27 for non-season ticket holders.

Coaches leave Ashton Gate at 8:45am, you can park in Ashton Gate car park but remember to register your car on the screen in Kofi Lounge.

Parking:

Ewood Park:

Can be booked in advance or paid on the day

£10

Car parks B, H and F

Fernhurst Lodge Pub:

BB2 4JP

5 minute walk to Ewood Park

£5

Pub welcomes away fans

Traffic post-match can be bad

Darwen Vale High School:

BB3 0AL

£5, money donated to East Lancashire Hospice

15 minute walk to Ewood Park

Trains:

Mill Hill is the closest station to Ewood Park, around a 15 minute walk. You’ll have to travel via Manchester Victoria to get here however.

Blackburn’s main train station is a 33 minute walk from Ewood Park.

Food:

Romero's is the best fast food place to go in Blackburn (try the Grill Thrill Pizza).Romero's is right outside the stadium (BB2 4HY).

Alternatively, there is a McDonald's nearby too (BB2 4LQ).

If you want a decent pie try Leavers. This shop is opposite Ewood Park and is a must visit for pie lovers. Even on non-match days you are likely to have to get in the queue for one of the traditional pies on offer. The steak and meat and potato pies are particular favourites although there is a wide selection usually available on a daily basis.

Now the transfer window is closed we can concentrate solely on playing well and picking up points. For those City fans in attendance be loud and proud and have a great day, here’s to a great City performance and three points, COYR.

 

 

 

 

)

[Jerseybean]

From the OS, give me strength! 

City fans will be able to pay on the day for the Easter Monday visit to relegation rivals Blackburn Rovers (3pm kick-off).The club’s initial allocation of tickets, totalling 660, sold out over the weekend. A further 399 tickets have now been placed on general sale.Sales will end at 4pm on Thursday, ahead of the Easter weekend. Fans will also be able to pay on the day from the away ticket office from 1pm.Meanwhile, tickets are also on general sale for the Good Friday home clash with QPR.A crowd in excess of 18,500 is already guaranteed for the clash with Ian Holloway’s side in BS3 (kick-off 3pm).

To secure your seat, call 0117 963 0600 or buy online.

[Jerseybean]

Just now, Jerseybean said:

From the OS, give me strength! 

City fans will be able to pay on the day for the Easter Monday visit to relegation rivals Blackburn Rovers (3pm kick-off).The club’s initial allocation of tickets, totalling 660, sold out over the weekend. A further 399 tickets have now been placed on general sale.Sales will end at 4pm on Thursday, ahead of the Easter weekend. Fans will also be able to pay on the day from the away ticket office from 1pm.Meanwhile, tickets are also on general sale for the Good Friday home clash with QPR.A crowd in excess of 18,500 is already guaranteed for the clash with Ian Holloway’s side in BS3 (kick-off 3pm).

To secure your seat, call 0117 963 0600 or buy online.

Then replaced with this!

PAY ON THE DAY AT EWOOD PARK

 

City supporters will be able to pay on the day at Blackburn Rovers today. 

At present, over 920 tickets have been sold for this afternoon's Sky Bet Championship match, as Lee Johnson's side look to extend their unbeaten run to 14 matches and secure their eighth successive win in all competitions (February 9^th, 3pm KO).

Tickets went off sale at 2pm on Friday, so fans without tickets will need to pay on the day at Ewood Park.

There will be a £3 price increase on adult, senior and 18-21 tickets, and a £2 rise for under-18s and under-12s.

Tickets on the day of the match can be purchased from the away end ticket office, located on the Darwen End side of the ground, which open at 1pm. Card and cash payment will be accepted.

Collections and duplicates will also be from the away end ticket office.

[View from the Dolman]

Really doesn't justify it (since there's obviously a problem, they should be checking for it) but it does look like the CMS behind the City website is a bit flaky at best.

Feels like it lets you create a new article using a previously used slug but then this means people click through to see the old article.

[gornagain]

On our first league visit to Ewood this report mentions Wedlock a few times. It is from the Athletic News, a Lancashire paper. It does mention that Martin missed with a header.

Played 19/1/1907

Edited September 2, 2022 by gornagain

[Midred]

32 minutes ago, Jerseybean said:

Then replaced with this!

PAY ON THE DAY AT EWOOD PARK

 

City supporters will be able to pay on the day at Blackburn Rovers today. 

At present, over 920 tickets have been sold for this afternoon's Sky Bet Championship match, as Lee Johnson's side look to extend their unbeaten run to 14 matches and secure their eighth successive win in all competitions (February 9^th, 3pm KO).

Tickets went off sale at 2pm on Friday, so fans without tickets will need to pay on the day at Ewood Park.

There will be a £3 price increase on adult, senior and 18-21 tickets, and a £2 rise for under-18s and under-12s.

Tickets on the day of the match can be purchased from the away end ticket office, located on the Darwen End side of the ground, which open at 1pm. Card and cash payment will be accepted.

Collections and duplicates will also be from the away end ticket office.

Have the interns been given their second lesson yet?

Lesson one : cut and paste from anytime in the past three seasons.

Lesson two : check for details such as date, time, year and who the current manager is!

[WarksRobin]

If we can win at Blackburn, it will be a real statement of our progress. They are in the top 6 on merit and are the sort of side we need to be competing with if we are genuine promotion contenders.

[ExiledAjax]

30 minutes ago, WarksRobin said:

If we can win at Blackburn, it will be a real statement of our progress. They are in the top 6 on merit and are the sort of side we need to be competing with if we are genuine promotion contenders.

Yeh. This is our first big test imo. First game against a team that's likely to finish higher than us. 

Keeping Brereton-Diaz is as big for them as keeping Semenyo is for us. I reckon well be largely unchanged. Maybe James rotated with Williams and a slim chance of Semenyo starting in place of Conway. Other than that I'd expect the same 11.

[DT The Optimist]

Well done for sharing that excellent You tube video re how Blackburn Rovers shocked the Premier league. It is a great watch. As Jersey Bean alluded it shows you what can be achieved with a benefactor.  And be careful what you wish for 

[BigTone]

4 hours ago, Jerseybean said:

It’s 198 miles each way from Ashton Gate to Ewood Park, so well done to the legendary members of the Cider Army who will make the long trip and hope to see us extend our unbeaten run of seven games in all competitions. 

Formerly known as Ewood Bridge, Ewood Park has been permanent home to Blackburn Rovers since 1890, after they moved from their previous ground, Leamington Street. The stadium underwent a number of developments, most significantly under Jack Walker, when Ewood Park became one of the most advanced stadiums in the country.

Indeed, the biggest stand is named after former club owner Jack Walker, who did so much for them during his time at the club. This has 11,000 seats and also contains the home and away dressing rooms as well as the media facilities. There is also a statue in his honour which is situated behind the Ronnie Clayton Blackburn end.

Away fans visiting Ewood Park are located in the Bryan Douglas Darwen End, usually taking up around three quarters of the stand with an allocation of around 4,000 tickets.

Tony Mowbray left at the end of last season after a five year tenure, https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61382412

His successor is Dane Jon Dahl Tomasson. In his playing days he was a forward, his most notable run of football came in his first stint at Feyenoord, with whom he won the 2002 UEFA Cup, and Italian club AC Milan, with whom he won the UEFA Champions League in 2003 and reached the final in 2005. He also played top-flight football in England, Germany and Spain. He is the joint all-time top goalscorer for the Denmark national team with 52 goals in 112 games and was also honoured with the Danish Player of the Year award in both 2002 and 2004. He played at the UEFA European Championship in 2000 and 2004 and the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and 2010.

After his playing career, Tomasson went into coaching, being both assistant and manager in the Netherlands, before becoming assistant manager in the Denmark national team under Åge Hareide. In 2020, Tomasson became the manager of Malmö FF and left two years later after winning the Swedish championship for two consecutive seasons. In June 2022 he signed a three-year deal at Blackburn Rovers.

This ten minute video is well worth a watch, it’s entitled ‘how Blackburn Rovers shocked the Premier League’:

 

 

Given SLs recent comments here is a timely and sobering reality check re foreign ownership!

Last season Rovers Trust called on owners Venky’s to engage in ‘face-to-face dialogue’ to discuss the future direction of the club. The Trust said they welcomed the financial support of the owners, but that their absentee ownership is ‘an unacceptable situation’.

The Trust published a letter stating: “It is now eight years since the Venky’s, the owners of Blackburn Rovers, last stepped foot in Ewood Park. That visit was not even to watch football, it was to host The Queen who was giving out Easter Maundy Thursday monies at Blackburn Cathedral in 2014.”

“While the Supporters Trust welcome the financial support the Venky’s put into Rovers to support the Academy and keep the club afloat it is an unacceptable situation.  A visit was promised this season but has yet to materialise with only two home games left.”

Venky’s took over ownership of Rovers in November 2011, with the club remaining reliant on their funding, net liabilities of the club, as detailed in the club accounts to June 2021, stood at £135m. Losses were cut to £5m, but only due to the sale of the Senior Training Centre at Brockhall to a newly-formed company of the owners.

On Monday they signed Coventry defender Dom Hyam for an undisclosed fee (rumored to be £1.5m) the 26-year-old centre-half, who made 192 appearances in five years since leaving Reading for the Sky Blues in May 2017, has signed a three-year deal. Rovers director of football Gregg Broughton said: "Our initial approach to Coventry City in July was met with a clear message that he was not for sale."However, when it became apparent this week that their stance had changed, we had no hesitation."

They also signed Leicester City striker George Hirst on a season-long loan, with an option to buy.

On deadline day they signed defender Clinton Mola from German Bundesliga side Stuttgart on a season-long loan with an option to buy. The 21-year-old began his career with Chelsea and won the FA Youth Cup as part of their academy setup.

Mola was their last signing, following earlier deals for Tyler Morton, on a season-long loan from Liverpool (the 19 year old midfielder bolsters Jon Dahl Tomasson's midfield options), Callum Brittain - Barnsley, undisclosed, Ethan Walker - Preston North End, free and Sammie Szmodics - Peterborough, undisclosed.

Star man Ben Brereton Diaz has apparently declared he wants a new challenge. Everton and Leeds were both reported as being interested and Nice reportedly made a £10 million bid for him, though that was rejected by Blackburn. So, he is staying at club for now as the £20 million asking price hasn't been met despite rumored bids from Fulham and Everton of £12 million.

After opening the season with three straight wins they then lost their next three games, then on Wednesday they won 1-0 away at Blackpool. After 7 games they are in 5th place on 12 points.

Over the years we have a decent record against them having won 21, lost 16 and drawn 13. Last season we drew at our place and beat them at theirs.

 

 

Referee Tim Robinson, assisted by Andrew Fox and Craig Taylor. Fourth official John Busby.

Here is hopefully a good omen! Last Sunday Bristol City marked their first home game of the Barclays Women's Championship season with a 2-0 win after a dominant display against Blackburn Rovers. First-half goals from Shania Hayles and Emily Syme secured Lauren Smith’s side all three points at the Robins High Performance Centre.

Pubs

• The Fernhurst, 466 Bolton Road, Blackburn, BB2 4JP. Closest away dedicated pub to Ewood Park. Provides match day parking for £5, a 5 minute walk to the stadium.
• Navigation Inn, Canal Street, Blackburn, BB2 4DL, https://www.facebook.com/navigation.inn1/ 17 minute walk from Ewood Park.
• The Golden Cup, 610 Blackburn Road, Darwen, BB3 0AJ, https://goldencupdarwen.co.uk
• The Postal Order,15-19 Darwen Street, Blackburn, BB2 2BY (Spoons) https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/lancashire/the-postal-order-blackburn
• Oyster and Otter, Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn, BB2 5DQ, https://oysterandotter.co.uk/ About a ten minute drive from the ground. Distinctive clapboard and stone building in modern New England style; open-plan interior with cushioned dining booths by big windows on one side, other cosy seating areas divided by shoulder-high walls and large central hearth, end part with comfy sofas, good food including signature fish/seafood from open kitchen, Marstons Wainwright, a guest ale and over 30 wines by the glass; background music; children welcome, seats on decking above road, open (and food) all day.

Away guide with thanks to Jack Phillips:

Tickets:

The club have been given an allocation of 1,012 tickets which includes 10 pairs of wheelchair tickets.

The pricing is as follows:

Adults: £25

Senior 65+: £20

Aged 18-23: £15

Under 18: £10

Under 12: £7

Supporters coaches are £22 for season ticket holders, and £27 for non-season ticket holders.

Coaches leave Ashton Gate at 8:45am, you can park in Ashton Gate car park but remember to register your car on the screen in Kofi Lounge.

Parking:

Ewood Park:

Can be booked in advance or paid on the day

£10

Car parks B, H and F

Fernhurst Lodge Pub:

BB2 4JP

5 minute walk to Ewood Park

£5

Pub welcomes away fans

Traffic post-match can be bad

Darwen Vale High School:

BB3 0AL

£5, money donated to East Lancashire Hospice

15 minute walk to Ewood Park

Trains:

Mill Hill is the closest station to Ewood Park, around a 15 minute walk. You’ll have to travel via Manchester Victoria to get here however.

Blackburn’s main train station is a 33 minute walk from Ewood Park.

Food:

Romero's is the best fast food place to go in Blackburn (try the Grill Thrill Pizza).Romero's is right outside the stadium (BB2 4HY).

Alternatively, there is a McDonald's nearby too (BB2 4LQ).

If you want a decent pie try Leavers. This shop is opposite Ewood Park and is a must visit for pie lovers. Even on non-match days you are likely to have to get in the queue for one of the traditional pies on offer. The steak and meat and potato pies are particular favourites although there is a wide selection usually available on a daily basis.

Now the transfer window is closed we can concentrate solely on playing well and picking up points. For those City fans in attendance be loud and proud and have a great day, here’s to a great City performance and three points, COYR.

 

 

 

 

)

Condensed Version 

Blackburn:

Read War & Peace as it will be quicker.

COYR

[Davefevs]

2 hours ago, ExiledAjax said:

Yeh. This is our first big test imo. First game against a team that's likely to finish higher than us. 

Keeping Brereton-Diaz is as big for them as keeping Semenyo is for us. I reckon well be largely unchanged. Maybe James rotated with Williams and a slim chance of Semenyo starting in place of Conway. Other than that I'd expect the same 11.

A lot of OTIB thought most teams would finish above us!

Pre-season I had Luton 6th, above us in 12th, so we’ve had our first test!

Setiously though, looking at the transfer windows that some clubs have, I see Hull being top half, and still see Luton being right in the mix again…Huddersfield will be around us too.  Sunderland look like they’ll be better than I expected too.

It’s an open division though. Tomorrow will be another good yardstick as to how we might go this season.

[GrahamC]

2 hours ago, ExiledAjax said:

Yeh. This is our first big test imo. First game against a team that's likely to finish higher than us. 

Keeping Brereton-Diaz is as big for them as keeping Semenyo is for us. I reckon well be largely unchanged. Maybe James rotated with Williams and a slim chance of Semenyo starting in place of Conway. Other than that I'd expect the same 11.

Be amazed if Williams doesn’t start, whether that is for James or Scott (who has understandably tired of late) we’ll see.

Has to be a temptation to start with Antoine if he could manage at least 70 minutes.

[Jerseybean]

Blackburn team news: https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/football-news/blackburn-rovers-team-bristol-city-24916942

Suggests four absentees and Sammie S as being ‘touch and go’ so we’d better watch out, if he does play, for a lightening one-two from him

[Jerseybean]

Third time lucky (correct) on the OS:

PAY ON THE DAY AT BLACKBURN

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND 2022

Pay on the day is available for City's trip to Ewood Park on Saturday, September 3rd (3pm).

Supporters can purchase tickets from the away end ticket office from 1pm onwards.

Duplicates and collection can be collected from the same place.

Coach travel has sold out. 

The club have been given an allocation of 1,012 tickets, which includes 10 pairs of wheelchair tickets.

PRICES

• Adults - £25
• Senior 65+ - £20
• Aged 18-23 - £15
• Under 18 - £10
• Under 12 - £7

*Prices are exclusive of fees

*Wheelchair disabled supporters are priced at the relevant age category and can receive a free personal assistant ticket if required.

[ExiledAjax]

33 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

A lot of OTIB thought most teams would finish above us!

Pre-season I had Luton 6th, above us in 12th, so we’ve had our first test!

Setiously though, looking at the transfer windows that some clubs have, I see Hull being top half, and still see Luton being right in the mix again…Huddersfield will be around us too.  Sunderland look like they’ll be better than I expected too.

It’s an open division though. Tomorrow will be another good yardstick as to how we might go this season.

I still reckon "most" ie at least 12 teams will finish above us. I might reassess my statement and concede that Luton may be the one team that will finish above us. But as of this moment I expect Blackpool, Cardiff, Huddersfield, Wigan, Sunderland, and Hull to all be below us come the end of the season.

[Kodjias Wrist]

1 hour ago, ExiledAjax said:

I still reckon "most" ie at least 12 teams will finish above us. I might reassess my statement and concede that Luton may be the one team that will finish above us. But as of this moment I expect Blackpool, Cardiff, Huddersfield, Wigan, Sunderland, and Hull to all be below us come the end of the season.

Hard to tell how well some clubs will do with their new additions but I think Hull are still a bit of an unknown. I think Sunderland will finish above us though.

Edited September 2, 2022 by Kodjias Wrist

[cidered abroad]

My only visit to Ewood Park was in the 1990's when we came away with 3 points with a scrappy 1-0 win.

Same again will do please.

[Lew-T]

First trip to Ewood Park tomorrow. Not a clue what to expect, anything near the ground to maybe watch the Mersey derby?

Sorry OP, completely missed the guide for pubs!

Edited September 2, 2022 by Lew-T

[And Its Smith]

No Robins TV tomorrow but should be plenty of free streams to be found online somewhere 

[bcfc01]

2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

A lot of OTIB thought most teams would finish above us!

Pre-season I had Luton 6th, above us in 12th, so we’ve had our first test!

Setiously though, looking at the transfer windows that some clubs have, I see Hull being top half, and still see Luton being right in the mix again…Huddersfield will be around us too.  Sunderland look like they’ll be better than I expected too.

It’s an open division though. Tomorrow will be another good yardstick as to how we might go this season.

Agreed re Sunderland, they are aggressive and difficult to beat, but Luton ? Not for me, or Huddersfield.

Or Blackburn for that matter.

Early days, and it will probably come down to the parachute clubs, Middlesbrough will be there as well.

Open and interesting 

2 hours ago, ExiledAjax said:

I still reckon "most" ie at least 12 teams will finish above us. I might reassess my statement and concede that Luton may be the one team that will finish above us. But as of this moment I expect Blackpool, Cardiff, Huddersfield, Wigan, Sunderland, and Hull to all be below us come the end of the season.

Again, Luton ? Can't see it.

I fancy Hull to be in the mix.

I had us down for 12th-15th this season but reassessed based on what I've seen.

Somewhere in the Top ten.

Whatever, it's going to be an interesting season 

[Jerseybean]

59 minutes ago, And Its Smith said:

No Robins TV tomorrow but should be plenty of free streams to be found online somewhere 

From OS: There will be no domestic or overseas broadcast on Robins TV for this weekend’s fixture due to City clash with Blackburn Rovers being selected for overseas broadcast by Pitch International.

[ExiledAjax]

32 minutes ago, bcfc01 said:

I had us down for 12th-15th this season but reassessed based on what I've seen.

Looking back I plumped for 11th in @Nogbad the Bad Mildly Interesting Prediction thread. I probably still think we'll be there or thereabouts. Thus I think most, if not all of our seven opponents so far will be above us.

The old adage of judge after 10 games comes to mind. Our next 3 are Blackburn, Preston and Norwich. Maybe we can extend it to 11 this season to include Burnley. That will give us a truer idea off our current standard.

34 minutes ago, bcfc01 said:

Whatever, it's going to be an interesting season 

The most accurate prediction of them all.

[BigTone]

3 hours ago, Davefevs said:

 Tomorrow will be another good yardstick as to how we might go this season.

Agree 100%

[BigTone]

8 minutes ago, Jerseybean said:

From OS: There will be no domestic or overseas broadcast on Robins TV for this weekend’s fixture due to City clash with Blackburn Rovers being selected for overseas broadcast by Pitch International.

Well bollycox to that

[Kid in the Riot]

No easy games in this division, however we should definitely not be fearing Blackburn.

They've lost 3 of their last 4 games including two 3-0 drubbings to Sheff U and Reading, scoring just one goal in the process (against Blackpool on Wednesday).

Plus we have a very good recent record at Ewood Park. 

Fairly inexperienced/unproven manager too. 

[Mr Popodopolous]

Although they have bolstered a bit in the last couple of days.

Loans for a Stuttgart young defender and Hirst, Hyam from Coventry a good pickup too.

While we have the undoubted boost of keeping Semenyo and Scott, they too have retained Brereton-Diaz. Something that many perhaps did not predict..I can see a draw.

Edited September 2, 2022 by Mr Popodopolous

[And Its Smith]

59 minutes ago, Jerseybean said:

From OS: There will be no domestic or overseas broadcast on Robins TV for this weekend’s fixture due to City clash with Blackburn Rovers being selected for overseas broadcast by Pitch International.

Yeah. That means there will be steams to find at the regular websites I’d imagine 

[Sir Geoff]

My first visit to Ewood Park, tomorrow. Looking forward to another positive performance.

[AshtonRobin21]

A win tomorrow would be a big step forward for us. These are the teams we need to beat if we want to challenge for the top 6. 

I don't think Blackburn will be contenders this season, but they are in that middle bracket of teams that can prove awkward opposition. 

There's a group of 8/9 teams that we will need to overcome in order to be seen as challengers this season.

I'm thoroughly excited for tomorrow. 

[cityexile]

Three of our next four games away at teams currently in the top six. 

We know we can score goals. Will be really interesting to see how the high line and press holds up at places like Burnley, Norwich and here before the break. At Fulham last year Semenyo scored two crackers, and we still got dicked 5-2. Our midfield and defence will be tested to the fullest and hopefully we hold up better than we did then.

Enjoying the journey so far this year. Don’t think it will be 0-0 and hopefully we can shade it. Any BRFC team deserves to be put to the sword as well!