Over the next few days, I’ll be posting write ups or podcast episodes of a review of the month I missed. With this new feature, I to invite anyone and everyone to be as involved as possible. If you have a question a comment or anything at all, email it to me and we’ll get it talked about on any future episode. Feeling bold? Even if you just have a simple built in mic or a whole studio, record a comment or question and I’ll throw it in the episode myself.

As always, discussion starts in the comments where I hope to see some of the posters return. Sorry again for the month long hiatus, but we’re back baby.

The famous Blue and Whites put on a show today in front of a rockin house of 24,845 at Ewood Park. Three goals brought the Rovers three points and their first win, as well their first home goals.

Not being able to watch the game really can be the worst some time, but you know as well as I that sometimes we just gotta roll with the punches.

Highlights after the jump, but some really promising signs about the game.
1. We won. Can’t overstate the importance of getting that first win and 3 points under the belt.
2. We scored 3 goals. Dunny seems to be the spark we need and if he stays fit, we could find up setting up and scoring a ton of goals.

Quite upset we didn’t keep the clean sheet, with Rovers’ defense spacing out on the Wolves goal. And while the win was against lower opposition, confidence is needed at this point of the term.

Rovers take on Everton Sunday, but not the Everton we’re used to. This Everton team sits in 19th with a pretty lame duck start by their standards as a side usually pushing top 6. Hopefully we can go in and attack right from jump street and take them out of the game early and quickly. I’m calling a hard but deserving 2-0win for Rovers as our win streak grows to 2 with goals from Dunn and Roberts.

The game we be delayed aired on FSC in the States, so better late than never eh? We’ll see. UP THE ROVERS!

Possession: 54% Rovers
Shots: Rovers-9 Hammers-5
Shots off Target: Rovers 10 Hammers 6
Corners: Rovers 5 Hammers 2
Fouls: Rovers 13 Hammers 18

Basically every single stat you want to see except Final score. That was alllll Zeros.

But we got our first point. And the team isn’t playing poorly, they’re just not playing great. Even with our rag tag midfeild and our brand new injuried strike force, our defense is still playing solidly. And that’s something we can’t take for granted. The goals will come…..or they better come, and the defense just needs to keep doing what they’re doing and we’ll be climbing the table quickly. Highlights below, and enjoy cause it’s an off week this weekend.

(EDIT:This next paragraph was added after initial posting)However, I am really tired of players thinking that it is so bad here at Rovers. To be fair, in interviews since the move Warnock has not slated the team or club, and has actually been pretty classy. But when the fan’s player of the year jumps ship for “European football” (which villa were eliminated from today) you really have to wonder. It wasn’t too long ago Rovers were in Europe. And we all know what happens when individuals feel too big for the club: See Bellamy, Bentley, Santa Cruz, etc. I like Warnock, the guy always gave his all and usually I like Villa too, only rooting against them when they play us. But the sad truth is Warnock will probably be one of those to see the hard way that the grass isn’t always greener. All the same, I dont wish him bad, but if Villa finish 16th, I won’t be shedding a tear.

What I didn’t expect though, was this move for Chimbonda right away. Now, some people have been concerned that this gives us a million Right backs and no leftbacks up to par and still hasn’t addressed the midfield situation. However, I think Salgado was brought in to play a holding midfield in front of the back four as a transition guy and first line of defense. I see Chimbonda playing the RB off and on with Jacobsen until one of them lock up the spot with Samb and Nelsen at CB and Givet on the left. Not too shabby if you ask me.

Plus, this is pretty shrewd money wise as well. The deal is reportedly in the £1.5m-£2m pound range and the 30 year-old defender has signed for two years while the Warnock sale is speculated at around £7m.

For the sake of sanity, I will keep my blue and white Spectacles on, and not get into the reasoning behind letting a player like Warnock leave.

Also, we beat Gillingham to advance to the Carling Cup third round. Goals from Dunn, Junior Hoilett and MGP secured our passage through. No highlights available for posting, will update when I’ve got my hands on them.

West Ham preview up tomorrow and as always, UP THE ROVERS!

Here’s whats been going on:

First off, Sunderland stole three points from us. With more corners, shots, and two disallowed goals, stole is the only word to use.

Sam comments on the Rovers’ luck and even about Stephen Warnock here…click BBC Sport.

But Sam is resigned to him leaving with Villa still putting bids in…..click FoxSports.

And on top of All that….Injuries out the arse.

Cup tie against League One side Gillingham tomorrow. Really hope we don’t slip and bow it here; the lads really need the morale boost. Highlights from the Black Cats game after the jump.

you’re going to lose.

Emmanuel Adebayor’s goal in the second or third minute was a nice shot but was hard to swallow and it went in off of Robbo, who really did all he could to save the bending laser strike. Ireland’s 90+2 strike was just a result of the Rovers trying to push off and leaving the back weak.

For most of the first half, Rovers were the better side. We dominated the run of play and kept the ball in the Citeh half for most of the opening 45. However coming out of the gates in the second half, Sparky clearly made some changes. Citeh were the dominating side, with Rovers literally just running around trying to catch them.

A more accurate review later on, with some pics and a link to highlights.

What I can do is this though….

Link to the live blog on the offish site for the 45 min match against CD Nacional – Click here

The write up of the 4-0 win v Cambridge – Click

The write up of the 2-2 Draw v Roma – Click

And some high lights of the Roma game. Links thanks to Metaler on BRFCS. Enjoy:

Goals

PK Shotout

With no actual strikers in the starting XI (does anyone know why Benni mac wasn’t? Does Big Sam really not like him that much or is he hurt and I missed it?) Rovers were forced to play with Samba and Villanueva up front. They took their chances where they could with MGP and Nelson all having attempts that failed to really materialize into much.

The stand out performance of the game I think was Robbo. Without him between the sticks the scoreline would have been a much different and higher digit. Highlights after the jump, I hate reporting losses, it makes me feel like a journalist and not a fan. So here’s looking towards West Brom, let’s go out on a high. UP THE ROVERS!
Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers

This past weekend though, Rovers were not to be denied. Having the lion’s share of chances and controlling most of the game, the lads went on to beat Portsmouth decisively 2-nil. The win also left Big Sam heaping praise all over the squad.

Samba played up front again and cause all sorts of problems for the back row for Pompey. A goal from MGP calmly cleaning up the spill David James left and a Benni Mac spot kick were all the lads needed. Pompey even had a chance with a PK themselves courtesy of league 3 superstar Keith Andrews but failed to hit the target to sum up their afternoon.

From here we have Chelsea next, and I don’t relaly expect anything form the game, but I don’t mind. Right now I’m happy we’ve hit 40 and I’m gonna enjoy it.

UP THE ROVERS!

“I have to say I thought if we could have come away with a 0-0 it would have been a fantastic point for us because at the end of the day we didn’t really create as much as I expected today.

That pretty much sums it up for the day the Rovers had against Stoke. The loss leaves us hangin by a thread in 17th place just 3 points clear of the drop. Our next game is against Wigan at Ewood Park on April 26th.

Some RSC news though. This lovely story appeared in my RSS reader yesterday. He really gets on my nerves sometimes. Who does he think is going to buy him with that knee of his? No one, not even MH. Whatever. Highlight of the lone goal from yesterdays game after the jump.