Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park doesn’t usually fill me with much hope. I went three times in the 1990’s and never saw Forest win. Played 3, scored 1, conceded 11. You get the picture. I witnessed a 7-0 demolition there once (you can enjoy the highlights in Russian below). Lars Bohinen scored twice on his Blackburn home debut. I can still see Alan Shearer laughing at the Forest fans when Graeme Le Saux completed the rout in the last minute (*shudders). It could of been a different afternoon if Colin Cooper had not had a shot cleared off the line in the 2nd minute. The experience was football hell in its purist form. Horrendous. To make matters worse, I remember the coach dropping us off in Ilkeston on the way back home….
Putting that nightmarish flashback behind me, the Blackburn game tomorrow night offers a different type of pressure for Forest to contend with. It’s alright doing it at Stoke in front of TV millions (ok thousands) but a true test is if Forest can do it on a wet and windy Tuesday night in Lancashire. Any team with Championship aspirations needs to come away from this type of game with their cajones in tact.
Without Michael Dawson and Forest coming to Ewood Park as one of the teams to beat so far this season, it’ll be tough; I’m certain.
In days gone by I’d have taken a point but now I’ve had a taste of top of the league, I’ve gotten greedy and think that this is a game that we can actually win. A lot will depend on if we turn up but given the recent run of performances, Sabri Lamouchi’s Forest are providing me with hope that this won’t just be a damage limitation exercise. Confidence will be high and if we start well tomorrow, then I’d fancy us to pick up another win. David Prutton was right about the giddiness I’d encounter after Stoke.
I’m probably going to put the kiss of death on this but I’m going to predict a 2-1 win for Forest with Joe Lolley and Joe Worrall on the scoresheet.
Blackburn fan @Ollywally12345 provides his thoughts on what to expect from a Blackburn perspective.
How is your season shaping up? e.g, form, style, manager, signings, etc. What are your expectations for the season?
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Overall, it’s probably quite an average season for us. We’ve had some good results as well as a few poor performances and that leaves us mid-table, where we’d probably expect to be. Last weekend Luton ended what was a good run of form for us and left some fans hopeful of us making the playoffs, but that’s probably more a dream than a reality for us come May.
What was the team’s performance like in your last outing?
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Our last outing was at home to Luton Town, where we fell to a 2-1 defeat. It was a mixed performance really, we started off brightly and looking like we’d win comfortably, though a goal against the run of play from Luton knocked us off balance and we never fully recovered.
What are the key strengths and weaknesses of your team? Who do forest fans need to be worried about the most?
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Our midfield is probably the strongest, and also deepest, part of our squad. The main man to worry about for Forest fans will likely be Bradley Dack as he can be near unstoppable when on form. As for weaknesses, we’ve been caught sleeping way to much at the back so far this season and it’s cost us results.
What are your thoughts on Forest?
Who do you see as our main threat/best player?
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Forest have had an unbelievable start to the season, being just one point off the top after nine games. From our meetings last season, I remember Joe Lolley causing us problems throughout the match so I think we need to watch out for him, as well as our defence being aware of Lewis Grabban’s goal scoring threat, as he’ll likely take advantage of any of our lacklustre defending.
What would you give the clubs rivalry with Forest out of 10? 1 – being your 2nd team 5 – being a mutual respect and 10 – your most hated team.
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I don’t think there’s any rivalry between the two clubs, so I’d probably say a 5.
Your most memorable encounter with Forest and why?
For me, it’d have to be when Rovers won 1-0 away to Forest close to the end of the 16/17 season. Both clubs were in a real threat of danger from relegation and it gave the fans a real boost as well as a great away day. Blackburn still went down a few weeks later, but it felt good and instilled belief at the time.
What’s your predictions for the game with scorers?
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I think the game will finish 2-2. We usually play well against the better teams but have been caught napping recently. Bradley Dack and Joe Rothwell off bench for us, plus Lewis Grabban and Albert Adomah for Forest.
Many thanks to Olly for his contributions in keeping up the away fans 100% record for contributions on this seasons blog! Top Banana 🍌