Blues Firing Blanks – But Is Expectation Too High?

You can split Blues fans into two categories. A) Those who expect too much and B) realists who can see that by sitting in 6th, Blues are still punching well above their weight. But no matter what side of the fence you sit on, we all want to be entertained.

Last night`s goalless snore fest against Blackburn was another example of Blues` tendency to struggle at St. Andrew`s. In four of the last five home fixtures, Blues have failed to score.

Please do not take this blog as me having a pop at Gary Rowett. I, like most Bluenoses, appreciate the job he is doing. My thoughts here are merely observations.

Firstly, at home, the lone striker is not working. Clayton Donaldson needs help. Last night, he won every ball, chased everything down and tried to create that spark. Problem being, support for him is severely lacking. Add to that that he is clearly running on empty, it isn`t a great concoction. We have a half-a-million pound striker sitting on the bench and we have two out on loan.

The wide players, particularly Demarai Gray, offer very little. Gray is full of pace and heart, but in the last four or five games, he has put probably two decent balls into the danger area. He never wins a fifty-fifty challenge and his set plays leave a lot to be desired. Simply put, Dimmy has been swallowed up by the hype and expectation surrounding him.

An article I wrote earlier this week called for Rowett to make changes to the team. The likes of Koby Arthur and Reece Brown should get a look in, at the very least, it`ll give a few players the chance of a rest, freshen things up.

Last night, Blackburn came for the point. The first half was a drab affair, the second slightly better. In the second 45 minutes, Blues had a go. The desire cannot be faulted, but the creativity has vanished. Rovers, like many before them, stifled the game fully aware that Blues would find it difficult to break them down.

Blackburn attacks were few and far between (contrasting view the Daily Mirror which claimed they ‘dominated for long spells`) and credit must go to the two central defenders, Jonathan Spector and Michael Morrison, who were solid. But in truth, they were never put under any lasting danger.

Right, I am going to take a positive turn now. We`re sixth. After one third of the season, Blues are in a play-off berth. Although the gap between Blues and the teams above has widened to five points, I would have snapped your hands off for this position at this stage, if offered to me in August. I just hope that Blues can find some kind of life to inject into their displays at St. Andrew`s.

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