Rovers are still a form team

It was only after looking back in last season's record books that you discover that Blackburn Rovers have gone unbeaten at home in the Championship since March last year, when they came a cropper to guess who? Yes, that's right a 0-1 home defeat to the Cherries. Since then Rovers have managed six draws and seven wins with just one slip up in the Capital One Cup against Scunthorpe Utd when they played a slightly weakened side. Well that was until last Tuesday when they fell to 3-1 reverse at Norwich City. So what are the chances of AFCB repeating their great away performance of last season at Ewood Park?

Blackburn players at the Goldsands stadium last season.

I believe this is a perfect warm up game for when the Cherries follow Blackburn in going to East Anglia at the end of the month, but AFCB are certainly capable of going to both of these away grounds and retrieving all six points. The fact that every one has been chasing the Cherries means that all teams were lifting their game when they saw AFCB on the other side of the pitch. Blackburn Rovers are one of those teams that will roll their sleeves up to try and batter our players into submission, but the Cherries have to be cleverer than that as the players we have can't out muscle Rovers. The stage is set for Callum Wilson and Junior Stanislas among others to give Blackburn plenty to think about, but given the recent performances of Rovers a draw would still be a very good result for the Cherries.

It is not that Jordan Rhodes has been banging in the goals but strike partner Rude Gestede has. It looks like the Frenchman has finally got used to the Championship and is consistently putting the ball in the back of the net. Tom Cairney has also been in good form with the goal against Cardiff and against Norwich, and his midfield shooting is something the Cherries will be looking to shut out. Cairney was voted Blackburn's player of the year last season and it kind of underlines the fact that Blackburn are far from a one-man goal scoring machine.

So expect a tight match and maybe just one mistake or two to settle this encounter. Eddie Howe and Gary Bowyer are great tacticians and previous contests indicate the first goal again will be crucial as both teams won away against each other when they scored first last season.

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No easy ride expected for Cherries at Blackburn

The Cherries played fantastically at Ewood Park last season but will need similar resolve this time if they are to come away with anything. Blackburn are one of the side I believe should be in the top 10 with their quality and perhaps the form they showed against Cardiff indicates that they could do even better. I think a lot of how well Blackburn do will depend on not only Jordan Rhodes but Rude Gestede has started most matches with Rhodes this season.

Blackburn will be another difficult test
that will show whether AFCB are
likely to be top challengers this season or not.

Gary Bowyer has not signed that many players in the summer or at least has not splashed the cash. Alex Baptise was a loan deal from Bolton, Chris Brown also joined on a free transfer from Doncaster. Looking at the signings though they don't look like players who will put Blackburn in the top six, but stable performers is perhaps how I see the squad as a whole and I imagine the club's financial circumstances are starting to dictate how much can be spent now.

On the pitch it appears that Balckburn are going to be hard to beat and in the Championship that is not a bad starting point. Kilgallon and Hanley will make sure that they don't concede that many and Dunn and Tom Cairney are always powerful in midfield. AFCB have to make sure they keep things tight and don't overplay against Blackburn because it only takes Rhodes a second to get the wrong side of defenders and punish them with his quality. Coming away with a point from Ewood Park is never a bad result and if that is what the Cherries get rewarded with this weekend it won't be anything to moan about.

If you had not noticed Kyle Cotter has been busy checking out new possible talent for England's next campaign in the Euros. He has a profile on Calum Chambers who is at Southampton - see Kyle's Cups.

Good luck to Jayden Stockley who has gone on loan to Cambridge Utd until January 2015.

Blackburn are still finding their feet

The heavyweights are starting to make their move in the Championship table. Among them are Blackburn Rovers who have steadily seen performances come together under Gary Bowyer, despite losing their last two games. While it is hard to read anything from the fiery derby match against Burnley, Rovers will be aiming to win at home no matter who they play in this division.

Blackburn players warm up at Dean Court.

Despite their upward graph since Bowyer's appointment, Blackburn are a team that you still feel could be doing even better. A thoroughbred that is shaking off the burden its recent past and still not quite sure how it should refine itself in a Championship that is unforgiving for big spenders that don't then perform week in and week out. If Rovers results had been more consistent since the New Year rather than being a bit up and down they could have been sitting much closer to the play-offs. Still, four wins and three draws in the last 10 matches is not a bad stat. What has slowed for them are the goals from Jordan Rhodes, just one goal in his last 10 games.

Rhodes still currently stands on 17 goals and we know he is the archetypal predator that marks out the top teams from the also-rans in the Championship. Once a player has his instinct and knowledge of where to be at the right time it is not usually much of barren spell before you start sticking the ball away again. He even managed it with a bad hand against AFCB earlier in the season and he alone makes this game against AFCB at Ewood Park a match that is so much harder than the average away fixture. There will be no hiding place for AFCB's back four and not a moments peace. The bad news is that he scored against Burnley in Blackburn's last game and we don't need him finding top form again now.

Rhodes is still the main man to watch.

Luke Varney similarly seems to know where the goal is and AFCB will do well to try and get on the front foot with such a potent attack force lining up against them.  We know that they have also added Liam Feeney to their squad and at the back they have Michael Keane, who is an England U21 player, to add some strength who is also on loan until the end of the season.

A point at Ewood Park would be huge for the Cherries having had good success in the last two matches, but this one won't be at all easy. Blackburn won 1-3 at Dean Court last September, but the Cherries are a better team now and I want that unbeaten run to continue so 1-1 would do nicely tonight.

Blackburn Home Form:
DLWDW

AFCB Away Form:
DLDLW

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Who else will line up with Rhodes?

Blackburn Rovers have had quite a new team to bed in this season as Gary Bowyer has brought in a string of new signings that are hoping to make the grade at Eawood Park.

Among the new defenders are Mathew Kilgallon from Huddersfield in July but he hasn't featured for them yet this season. He has played for Sunderland in the Premiership and was a former team mate of keeper Paul Robinson at Leeds Utd. Tommy Spurr, who wears number 3, also signed from Doncaster, but hasn't had much of a run in the team yet.

The wing threat will come from Ben Marshall who signed for Blackburn in the summer from Leicester City. Some of you may also remember Chris Taylor who was a mainstay of the Oldham team in recent seasons. Another familiar name, Alan Judge is also at Blackburn having signed from Notts County. Cory Evans who plays in midfield is another summer signing having come in from Hull City.

Having such a crop of new players can of course work for you if they can gel together quickly and I think it is a wise move for a club that has been in the Premiership and needs ambitious youngsters to fit in with some more of its experienced players. 

The task facing AFCB is not a faded Premiership team then that has run out of steam but more of a revitalised team that has something  to prove. A few of their players have chosen to stay at Blackburn rather than seek moves, but it is a young team as a whole. They have not won away from home yet and AFCB will be trying to make sure that they are not the first of Blackburn's triumphs on the road.


Last time out against Huddersfield the Balckburn team line up was:
Kean, Kane, Spurr, G Hanley, Dann, Lowe, King, Taylor, Evans, Rhodes, and Cairney.

Subs
Eastwood, Kilgallon, Marshall, Olsson, Williamson, Judge and Best. 

Blackburn Rovers Away form
DLDL
AFCB's Home form
WWLW

Enjoy the game today. I'll have another story going up mid-morning today - a mascot special!

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