[theo_luddite]

EFL Chumpionship
The Old Ground by the Stream
A short walk from the M65
A long walk from Darwen Station and Blackburn Station
Kick-off 14:00 UK Time
Sunday 02/01/22



Town head across the Pennines for the first Roses derby of the New Year to play Blackburn in their shiny new(ish) on 3 sides Ewood (Chicken Run) Park.
It took a long time but they finally moved the TV gantry over to the older and still only partially covered but fully seated Riverside Stand.



How to get there, pees and pies and all that - here

Don't expect Bodgits newly nationalised Northern Rail train set (or Transpennine Express) to get you there and back though. While services may be advertised, there's no guarantee they'll run. Those travelling from further afield might want to find alternative transport all together, but there may be the odd pleasant surprise.

Of course when Jack Walker took over the club and redeveloped the main stand and the Blackburn and Darwen ends he'd no idea that the club would later be owned by a bunch of Indian chicken fanciers. Those stands are however built with about enough room between each row for someone with chicken legs rather than normal length human being legs. I think only QPR have less leg room in their Subbuteo sized stands, and that's only a shade less.

On the tellybox

Not showing anywhere at the moment other than iPlayer or Rovers TV - this match was moved to Sunday as a result of Town's televised game at Forest being moved to Thursday. Note the 2pm kick-off.
The other 3 Chumpionship games currently scheduled for Sunday are planned to be available on the Sky Red Button. What did we do wrong? It was Sky's fault it was moved from Saturday to Sunday in the first place.

Latest news

Huddersfield Town chief executive Mark Devlin left the club with Dean Hoyle taking the interim post- just in case you missed it.
Is Deano Blofeld planning on taking over the world again?



Deano in the Board Room at the McGalphsmiths.

Perhaps we'll have to get Mr. Bond onto it?



In an early start to the January sales, former Town keeper Jonas Lossl has been loaned to Brentford by Midtylland in Denmark, both clubs are owned by the same chap, Matthew Benham.

Follow Snoots's thread on Town rumours and movers here - http://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=10919

Out Injured/Suspended/Isolating

Tom Lees is following concussion protocols, this might be a game too early for him to come back.
Naby Sarr picked up a back injury and didn't play v Forest and Danny Ward went off after feeling unwell on 15 minutes to be replaced by Jordan Rhodes.
All three could be available.

Nicholls picked up his 4th yellow card for time wasting, so only one more before Schofield gets to pull his goalies gloves on again? Nope, that was in the first 19 matches and as we've now played 25 it reverts to 10 cards in 37 matches. Expect him to keep on strolling around the box if we get in front.

Back training but not oven ready/Back in the frame

Pipa was a late sub for Sinani at Forest and likely will be on the bench again unless he pulled something in those 10-15 mins.

Last time out

Town extended the winning run to 3 games (now 5 unbeaten) and stay in the top 6.
We last won 3 away on the trot however when most of us were nobbut a glimmer in our granddad's eyes.



Blackburn extended their winning run to 6 with a 2-1 win over Barnsley.
Had the match at Hull not been called off on Sunday at short notice, it might well be 7.



Direby surprised everyone except maybe themselves with a 1-2 win at Stoke.
They've taken points off many of the "promotion" favourites this season.



Back at ours

We won 3-2 at home on 28th September. Brereton Díaz equalised twice for Blackburn that night before Danny Ward got on the end of a Harry Toffolo assist to score a late winner for Town.

That was only the 2nd league defeat of the season for Blackburn but they then went on to lose a Lancashire derby at Blackpool (2-1) in their next game. They've only lost two more Chumpionship matches since, one of which was a very sobering 0-7 defeat at home to (who else?) Fulham. That consistency has seen them climb back into the top 6 for the third time this season from a relatively lowly 12th after that heavy defeat and are currently 3rd, 6 points and 3 places above Town. Goal difference keeps them a place below er, Fulham.

Tables, Form & Stats



No surprise to see Blackburn at the top of the Form Tables, however Town have a new found belief away from home too. 







Musical Interlude

Punk Band The Stiffs hail from these 'ere parts



Radio 1 DJ, John Peel, had high praise for the band who said their anthem "Inside Out" was the greatest record in the history of the universe.



Other folk from Blackburn include 1960's band The Four Pennies (Juliet) (see previous Blackburn thread) and a young lass called Diana Vickers apparently found fame on a tellybox show called The X Factor.
Never saw it. Don't see much Saturday night telly tbh after the football until MOTD comes on and sends me to sleep.

Ewood Park is set to host a music festival over Spring Bank Holiday weekend - https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/ne...-festival/

Innies and Outies



Tony Mowbray has yet to spend much of the money obtained for Armstrong so the question is will he get to spend some on a sustained promotion push, or just get chicken feed to throw around again? That chicken feed has been several £millions over recent seasons.

Who's banging 'em in

That chap Brereton Díaz tops the charts with 20 goals so far, last season's leading scorer Adam Armstrong has barely been missed.
Díaz was bought from Forest for £6m in 2018 and only bagged 2 in each of his first two seasons but was often behind Danny Graham and Bradley Dack plus Armstrong in the pecking order.



They can't all win

There were two off at the time I took this screen clip, Blunts v Boro has since been added, I'm badgering for at least another 3 to be off 



Expect more to be called off as more players are tested over the weekend.

We've played 'em before

Blackburn have their noses in front in and there's nearly always a bagful of goals.
We could do without a repeat of last season's shellacking though.



Next up?

Town are at Burnley on Saturday, up t'other end o't' M65 in t'FA Cup 3rd Round.
This game will be televised all over the world except here and it's also an early kick-off.

Pressers

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/foo...i-22618218

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/fo...an-3512387

https://www.htafc.com/news/2022/january/...rn-rovers/

Some of the views from behind the chicken wire
https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sp...on/?ref=ar

All together now ....

[Lord Snooty]

Nice one, theo.

The defeat at Ewood last season was utterly pathetic and really should've been the last nail in the coffin for Carlos. Big Phil stuck by him though and so we go into this one looking more secure. I can't see Blackburn being as generous in front of goal as Forest were though, so it's important that we take our gift wrapped chances and don't blaze them over the bar.

[jjamez]

Agree snoots, they ain't gonna squander as many chances, especially with el brereton up top.

I've got nothing but praise for Blackburn as a club for the help they gave when I was doing my degree

[theo_luddite]

That's an interesting post jjamez.
You don't have to (It's your Life, as Smokie might have said, or It's my Life as Bon Jovi might have said) but any more meat available on that little bone you're prepared to share?
I may have missed it before but an interesting little teaser.

[Lord Snooty]

Yes, I'm sure you've mentioned it before, jjamez. But my memory is shocking.

As for the trains, theo. Johnson and his cronies must be the first fascists ever who couldn't get the trains to run on time.

[theo_luddite]

Maybe we need to change the names of our stations?

No, don't go there.

I don't want to give them any more ideas than they already have for making us all sit down and behave like good little nursery school children and do as we are told.

---

Speaking of the Darwen End, here's a link to a few Darwin Ends - https://darwinawards.com/

Enjoy. You might need to go back a few years to find the real gems.

[jjamez]

it was nothing major as such, but I was supposed to do an assignment at a midweek game at Halifax which got called off, so at late notice I contacted recently relegated from the premier league Blackburn as they were the closest team of a standard deemed acceptable by the course. This was probably the Friday afternoon for a Saturday 3pm and they allowed me in the press area, they also allowed my dad to park with the players seeing as I told them he'd be coming and we didn't know the area and they offered him a free ticket for the game in the home end, but on the day they said they could fit him in the press area instead if he would like, so he ended up gabbing away to Ian Dowie and Matt Murray amongst others making everyone cups of tea and what not, they also allowed us to interview the players and coaching staff (might have been steve kean at the time and jordan rhodes had only just signed for them), which having only just started the course and this being the first real assignment, they made it a hell of a lot easier, but its more for how they treat my dad.

---

bit long winded but hey ho

[theo_luddite]

Fantastic - thanks for sharing that jjamez and good to know Blackburn were very willing to help you out as a stoodent and accommodate your dad at the same time.

[theo_luddite]

If Direby continue with their current average points per game, minus 21 points they'll have ~38 points come the end of the season. That will probably still relegate them but the full 59 points would put them well up the table. A few points more might see them safe, as many years it's the low 40's that survive. There's been a couple of well known recent exceptions to that. Posh and Charlton amongst them. This season might be one of them as Direby have already taken 17 points off the top 9 before this weekend (6 v Stoke, 4 v WBA, 3 v Bornmuff, only Blackburn and QPR have beaten them).

[jjamez]

No Carlos with the squad today