Over 4000 Preston North End fans travelled to Blackburn on Saturday in terrible conditions only to see their side lose a second derby game this season.
One goal from Ben Brereton Diaz was enough to give Rovers the win, as Preston lacked any creativity yet again.
It was a predictable result but that doesn’t make it any easier to take.
Wet and miserable, and the weather wasn’t great either
There was a downpour ahead of the game which made the pitch sodden, and the rain continued throughout as well. Fans were soaked through by the time they got to the ground, and were hoping Preston could give them something to smile about.
It was pointless trying to pass the ball on the ground because it was just getting stuck in the sitting rain. It was always going to be a physical battle, and it looked like one goal would win it, which proved to be the case.
Surprisingly there weren’t many defensive mistakes on the ball which you would have expected in these conditions. It would have been tough for the goalkeepers as well but we didn’t test Aynsley Pears. We should have had more shots from long range, or put better balls into the box, but yet again it seemed as if the team went into this game with no plan at all.
A first sighting of Matthew Olusunde
It’s taken until December for summer signing Olusunde to make his debut for the club, He was thrown in at the deep end in an important game for the club in treacherous conditions. Olosunde played well on the whole from a defensive side. He made some good tackles and did a job in the poor weather. He didn’t really offer anything going forward though, which he will need to in that wing-back role. We will need to see him making runs, and being able to whip a good ball into the box. More concerning though is that he didn’t manage to complete the 90 minutes. Not really surprising, but he looked to have a groin injury and had to go off towards the end of the game. He is now awaiting a scan.
Stop the long throw ins, they do not work
Every throw in we get now finds itself in Emil Riis’ or Tom Barkhuizen’s hands because they have a long throw in their armoury. Yes, it may seem impressive at first, but we never even create any chances from them. The ball may travel far, but it’s easy to defend, because it’s just looped high into the air. We never win the first header from them, and rarely even the second ball. Riis is our top scorer, he needs to be in the box hoping a chance falls to him, not standing on the touchline. When you’re chasing the game in the last few minutes, it’s frustrating to see this tactic still employed. Take a short throw in, and cross the ball into the box with more power that can allow you to score straight from it.
Blackburn prove what can be done in this league
Brereton Diaz aside, there wasn’t a great deal of expensive talent on show in that Blackburn team. They’ve brought a lot of young players through their ranks or from other teams in the past few years, including Tyrhys Dolan. They’ve also exploited the loan market and the foreign market very well. They weren’t at their best on Saturday but they didn’t need to be and they still got the job done. They are up to fourth now, 11 points ahead of North End.
This league isn’t full of quality this season, and there’s plenty of teams who will be in with a shout of the play-offs. It takes some organisation, some tactics, and ways to see out games – things Preston don’t have.
Already an ‘end of season’ vibe
We’re not going to trouble the teams in the top six, whilst there are a handful of others who are struggling much more than us (thanks to points deductions) which means it’s unlikely we’ll be dragged into too much of a relegation battle. So it just feels like we’re going through the motions. A dull season can be brought to life with wins against your rivals, but we’ve already passed up at two of those opportunities.
It really does just seem to be a case of throw 11 players out there and see what happens. If we win, great. If not Frankie McAvoy will just talk about ‘fine margins’, ‘a wee bit of luck’, ‘it’s our job to try and win games’. It’s boring and this club needs a new lease of life from somewhere. Over 4000 away fans may seem a good attendance, but considering we’ve taken 7000 plus in the last few years, it should raise the alarm with the powers above at the club.