Quarantine On the Bike Edition: Blackburn Rovers v Reading, Tue 27 Oct 2020, KO 1945

[mcteeth]

They were good and it's one thing to be clinical, but on the other side of the coin our defending was total shit. First goal Douglas was laughably bad, turns his back to the ball and loses it's flight terrible start. 2nd and 4th Lenihan extremely poor. 3rd as good as JRC going forward I don't see Nyambe getting put on his arse as easily by Meite. Just so so awful it's painful.

[Thorisgodpoo]

Overall it was woeful defending. Also, Pears is not exactly anything like Kaminski. I think Kaminski is able to save one of those goals. And that Douglas backheel in the first 10 seconds just really sours it for me.

It's sad because I felt midfield and attack did all they could to put up some goals. Defense did not help at all. I think we see Nyambe out there Saturday.

[yankfan]

They were good and it's one thing to be clinical, but on the other side of the coin our defending was total shit. First goal Douglas was laughably bad, turns his back to the ball and loses it's flight terrible start. 2nd and 4th Lenihan extremely poor. 3rd as good as JRC going forward I don't see Nyambe getting put on his arse as easily by Meite. Just so so awful it's painful.

Without Travis and a lesser capable Johnson, against a quality side, we had no business playing two back that are not great defenders. Nyambe has to be on the pitch to help us defend. Maybe when Travis is back we can get away with playing wingers as outside backs, but not with Evens in there. In fact, I'm not sure if Evens is capable of being the sole cover even with actual defenders as the backs. Without Travis and Johnson we might have to play two deeper CM in a 4-2-3-1. Have to be smart enough to realize you have the wrong pieces of the puzzle and find a different picture.

[Thorisgodpoo]

Also something to say is I think Kaminski is able to keep a more solid back line organized than Pears. I think we definitely missed that on a couple of those goals.

[Gibbon]

It all went a bit Pears shaped! Guffaw.

[RoverthePennines]

He’s 22, don’t make a scapegoat of him on his first match. We could have had Alisson in goal and we’d have lost defending like that.

[mcteeth]

It starts with the first goal, a lot of the reaction seemed to be it's just one of those freak occurrences but really it was a catalogue of errors. Williams gets preoccupied with Joao instead of routinely attacking the ball. Why Douglas turns his back and runs away from the ball I have no idea, imagine he is assuming Williams wins his header so is just fanning out to take a position but for me that's naive to assume and turn your back on the ball. Pears comes miles off his line when really it should have been dealt with by Williams or Douglas and come nowhere near him which then also leaves an open goal his where the ball ends up.

Something that shambolic within 10 seconds I think rattles any side, eventhough we equalise quickly I just have no idea what Lenihan is doing for the second goal so far out of position and really for me we'd lost the game in that moment. Reading are a good side, they're playing well but we allowed them to boss the game with such little fight and basic errors. All of their goals were avoidable if we'd defended properly.

I just don't get why we start the games so open, likewise against Watford. We're playing a top side there's nothing wrong with a compact cagey 45 minutes to set your stall out and have a foothold in the game.

[Thorisgodpoo]

He’s 22, don’t make a scapegoat of him on his first match. We could have had Alisson in goal and we’d have lost defending like that.

Not trying to scapegoat him, trying to be realistic that the two play completely different. Kaminski plays much more of a sweeper role, and Pears is more of a traditional keeper. Age does have something to do with it when you're thrown into the fray against the early league leaders. Still a good learning moment for him none the less.

[WacoRover]

Keeping could have been better, but defending was very shaky. Kaminski & Nyambe would’ve been better, imo, put JR-C back in midfield where he belongs.

Lots of work (& some injured returnees) to take Rovers from where they are now to a playoff place.

[stillgrowling]

Lenihan played much better with the class of Tosin alongside him. I think we'll see Ayala back when he's fit - just not sure which of the cbs he'll replace. Could really do with Wharton stepping up.