74th min. -- Birmingham sub, Yorke enters in lieu of Anderton (and amid a chorus of boos and catcalls at Ewood Park).
Rovers breathe a huge sigh of relief... Savage's shot from inside the box beats Friedel but rattles the woodwork, and a Blackburn defender is there to clear the garbage over the endline for a corner. Birmingham so close to taking the lead there (in the 77th minute).
85th min. -- Reid, who's had a strong match, heads just wide of Taylor's right-hand post from Dickov's cross from the left.
Full time, with a frantic finish, as Taylor saves from point-blank range off the foot of Dickov. Points shared in a six-goal thriller-- Blackburn 3 Birmingham City 3. Empassioned affair that could have gone either way. Rovers' attacking display and commitment in the first half matched only by their awful defending in the first half. Brad Friedel made a few good saves aside from the three goals allowed.
Wasn't really a sitter, as Taylor came out strongly to stop that one. We're talking of the shot in stoppage time? Even if we're not, Dickov had a few opportunities in the closing minutes, and almost won the match on his own merits and his own will. Very inspirational player for Blackburn.
You gotta think that with Blackburn's defense in shambles and Ryan Nelsen reportedly negotiating with a pair of unanmed Premier League teams that Blackburn stand's a good chance of being one of the teams Nellie is negotiating with.
As long as Blackburn's going forward and making a commitment to improve its defensive setup. If the rumor (pretty much confirmed by Mark Hughes, BTW) to bring Robbie Savage to Ewood Park is to be believed, that alone is a step in the right direction, as Savage does possess some defensive skills. Nelsen, however, wouldn't be a bad addition. Rovers could do worse...
Post-match round-up of articles: Rovers' comeback earns point -- skysports.com Friedel earned a rating of 6 in Sky Sports' player ratings. Post-match report -- Soccernet Makes mention of Rovers' determination after halftime, and their confidence appearing to be restored with the manner of the result. Also, some good quotes from Dickov at the foot of the article. Post-match report -- sportinglife.com Dickov disappointed with draw -- sportinglife.com Quote from Mark Hughes: The Rovers boss said: "I am disappointed with the way we defended. "We cannot keep giving teams head starts - it makes it very tough to get back into games. "We have to address the defensive errors we have made - and once we do will be okay, because attacking-wise we will always be a threat." Post-match report -- The BBC Hughes praises Blackburn spirit -- The BBC
If they had a stat that calculated how many touches a keeper gets big Brad would have as many touches in a game as say a midfielder. That's sad. His defense is horrible. Why haven't Balckburn addressed this? Its been an ongoing problem for 2 seasons. Their faithful better be glad that Friedel is back there. I pray they stay up this season. If not does anyone know if he has a clause that says if they are relegated he can leave?
I think the fact that Souness was daft has alot to do with why they didn't shore up the back. I'm sure that Hughes will do this. I'm almost content with our front 6, it's the back four that represents the achilles heel.
I've been singing that tune ever since they (COMPLETELY inexplicably) didn't make a run at Bocanegra. I'm sure there's 3 or 4 strikers they're looking to buy, and that'll make things all better.
Well, maybe...however, I posted as much on the Blackburn boards and got absolutely no reaction. So if there are rumors about this, they aren't known in Lancashire.
One thing's for sure-- seeing that he's from New Zealand, if Ryan Nelsen winds up playing for Blackburn, he'll play better in Rovers' back four than his countrymen can play cricket.