Weekly previews and review of Blackburn Rovers games for the 2023/24 Championship Season.
This video is a Blackburn Watford preview video with our resident Blackburn and Watford fans.
Blackburn Rovers vs Watford FC – 23/12/23
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In this video our podcaster Harry reviews:
– Blackburn’s trip to Southampton,
– all things defensive woes
– the team last time Rovers played Watford
– the Christmas fixtures
#blackburnrovers #rovers #brfc #jdt #blackburnroversfc #blackburn #brfc #blackburnroversfootballclub #skybetchampionship #blackburnwatford
Money talks in the championship Southampton for Blackburn nil um Harry just one of those days yeah one of those days very much it was um it was they they were the better side throughout I they couldn’t really have any complaints about it in my notes that I’ve written the one word I
Put was silly the the red card the red card that spoiled the game Callen Britain on already on a yellow the ball’s got the fouls been given and he Boots the ball away CLE couple seconds after the
Whistle already gone gets himself Center they were the better side at 11 men um but we were still in it it was one nil um one nil by the time the sending off happened we weren’t really creating
Too much chances but I could have seen us nicking something we we were looking like we could have done something on the Break um but after that it was just sort of free free play like Southampton
Knocked it us around as they they they were taking the Mickey really at some at some points uh it was it was painful to watch but we were just sort of ragged defensively um we were not uh tight at all
We we TR I spoke last week when you asked me how how we thought we were going to set up for this game and I thought uh John Del Thomasson doesn’t really sit back and play defensively he wants to
Bring the game to him but he did he did sort of invite Southampton to come on to us and I don’t think rowers can play like that we’re sus we’re susceptible to that we um I think if we if we
Played a bit more Forward Thinking football uh we would have been much closer but we let them play pressure on put pressure onto us and they’ve just got quality players at this level I think Stuart Armstrong was very good against us uh and it just showed the difference between a side that fighting
Up there and us they a little bit further behind unfortunately yeah I felt slightly bad because I when I read the the Blackburn Twitter feed after the game it was so much com like you said there
Which was sitting back no press holding up for a nil nil this is not our style what is he doing um so he got it wrong and I I don’t think like you say you can have any I mean people don’t
Mind losing 4-0 if you have a go and I think it’s losing 4-0 and and you know Holding On For Nothing is is you know it disappoin espe when you’ve shoveled um all that way which um 1,300
Blackman fans did which is I tell you what it’s a good turnout isn’t it for you know Saturday um Saturday fixture against a team flying so yeah credit credit to RS fans um want to talk to you
This week also about your goalkeeper um because I thought he was really good game against Bristol City could he have done better with the first goal um well the F first goal I was actually in
The concour so I missed it um it was um I think I think can’t put too much stick on him I think uh he sort of started quite shakely coming in start of the Season quite shely I mean coming in from
I think the Danish second tier not a high Lev of football sort of thrown at number one as Andy pe’s injury but I think he’s he’s sort of grown into it Bristol City I thought he was exceptional made
A couple really good saves and I don’t think he was bad at all against Southampton either um second first goal I think the real blame is on James Hill I know we ever since we praised him so
Highly he’s not been the curse of the commentator I think it is we haven’t he hasn’t quite been up there because he’s been playing right back which is not superable for him at all but he
He lost that initial header uh and then it took a deflection so I think it I don’t think I can blame the goalkeeper I think the goalkeeper was one of the only players after that game who can sort of
Hold their head up high and say that he didn’t play too badly because without him it might have even been six or seven to be honest okay let’s talk about then um any injuries that are due to
Be coming back over the Christmas period are you likely to be getting um some players back from the uh from the medical room yeah well there’s players on the grass ranking Castello is on the
Grass which I think would be a big uh boost for us because we’re playing Hill at right back and Britain in Midfield and uh we it’s exactly last week we said that those were the problems and that was the problem at Southampton um getting rank Castello back in gives an option at right
Back uh or may even moving Britain back to right back and playing rank Castello further forward uh a couple of players back uh I think Hedges is back on the grass he’s another option out
Wide uh we talk we talking about the game against Watford and he scored a wonder goal in the reverse fixture um so we’re starting to get the spine of the team back I think uh Gallagher and Dolan are
The ones that you really need back some sort of a center forward kind of presence I think we played uh Arnold sson and Sammy smik sort of rotated up front and you lose smodic playing up front uh in
That 10 he sort of makes runs and the Defenders don’t track it because they’re focused on marking that number nine um so yeah hopefully Dolan and Gallagher aren’t too far away we can start moving back to our form earlier in the season okay let’s have a look then at your uh Christmas fixtures
Then and let’s see how many points you reckon you’ll get from them all right we’re going to review the Watford game uh in a second and uh and uh preview start again okay we’re going to
Preview the Watford game in a minute but after the Watford game then you’ve got a a nice trip um across a penin to Huddersfield um away at Hall and then home to rotheram so okay Harry I’m going to put it to you there’s potentially after Watford nine points there isn’t there yeah
There is there’s there’s a couple of fixtures that you you you sort of rubbing your hands at Huddersfield and rothers particularly I know huller in a decent form they got good manage a couple good players that’s still a side that um Rovers could get at we uh I don’t think we played
Too badly against that last season I think we were won one the up with 10 minutes to play with 10 men um You’ backers against Huddersfield uh I think Huddersfield they’re they’re there they’re down
There they’re going to be down there at the end of the season and you’d like to think that we would get uh three points against them same for R I think r a ship that sailed unfortunately I think
They’re right one uh Hull will be difficult um I’d say I’d be happy with six anything more than that uh would be great I’ll say six maybe seven points because it’s fair to say isn’t it in terms of
Rover the results against leads and Saints aren’t going to dictate your season are they it’s going to be these results against Watford Huddersfield and and you know and rather them that are um are you um you happy that you know you’re still in Touching distance of that playoff positions it’s
A case of you you know you’re battling for fifth place now yeah you you about 10 teams yeah I said this earlier that uh the top four seems to be nailed on there two teams uh two spots up for
Grabs uh yeah I don’t think we’ll lose any sleep over losing to the Leeds in Southampton I think everyone saw that coming uh they’re two good sides with a lot of money uh and R struggle to compete
With that I don’t think we ever really expected to be competing with them at the very top it’s the teams like your your West Brom your Hull your Southampton uh your Sunderland sorry that
You’ve got to be you taking points off them if you want to be in that top six it’s really competitive championships high quality this season and if you want to be up there you’ve got to win those games
Against the teams around you um I think Rover’s struggle uh potentially in a few of those games but you know you you got you got to be optimistic uh I I think we could be up there but I again I
Don’t know it’s Rovers you never tell okay let’s chat team again Watford then there we are okay Harry so um last time of course this fixture was played was the bank holiday weekend in August
Where Blackburn um beat Watford 1- nil um like you say with a a fantastic goal by Hedges um what um what you can see there is is the differences between the starting 11 against Southampton and
That team that uh beat beat Watford um first of all I mean you you can see can’t you just how many uh injuries first of all you uh you’ve got who gets the start who gets the nod for you
Um in the backline against Watford yeah well um I think it’s going to be difficult even more with Callum Britain suspended uh Dominic H was on the bench again for Southampton which means he can’t
Be far away from full fitness uh I think pickin’s a stall wart he’s but mainly for the reason he’s the only left back we’ve got but he also uh GES he’s very consistent he’s never really had a bad
Game for us he’s always sort of solid seven out of 10 every game at least uh Carter and w I may there may be a few questions around warton’s Fitness I know he came off BR against Bristol with an injury
Uh seemed a little bit laggy against South Hampton maybe he’ll bring highum back in and unfortunately i’ really rate Hill as a center R but as a right back not as strong I think he will probably get the nod because there’s not really not really much other option unfortunately all right let’s
Bring in a Watford fan then and let’s preview this game okay Aaron last time Blackburn and yourselves played um they beat one nil um this is a different Watford side though to that one
We saw in August isn’t it yeah yeah I think that was still the sort of period where we were a bit unsure of what our tactical identity really was and perhaps the mentality wasn’t there either remember the game s of we dominated large spells and this just couldn’t put the ball in the
Back of the net and when you don’t take chances in this league you’re only asking to lose points and that’s actually what happened yeah um what do you make of Blackburn this uh this year um they were
A weird one but um I I think on the whole positive things to be honest with you I I think they’ve got some real good players I mean Samy smic for one seems like a really good player at this level um
I quite like their manager as well I think uh he definitely has Forward Thinking ideas and a clear brand of football he likes to play um yeah I I’m surprised they’re maybe not doing slightly
Better than they are but um yeah all in I think they’re quite a good side all right um Harry you remember the game at Watford um do you expected um a similar kind of game kg not high scoring
This time around yeah well watford’s what was a difficult one they sort of have hit form uh they’ sort of found their feet a little bit they sort of getting into the right areas uh getting result picking up results uh we’ve gone off a couple of difficult results but we’re playing against really
Strong opposition um Watford again is is going to be a difficult one i’ I’d like to back us at home uh it’s yeah it’s not going to be high scoring it’s going to be kg it’s not it’s not going to
Be one for the neutral it’s not going to be one worth watching if you’re not a fan of either team uh it’ll be a close one I think it could go either way right let’s get some predictions then uh Harry
You at home you can go first what Watford yeah well last few weeks I’ve gone head over heart and that’s not done me any fav so it’s yeah it’s going to be close it’s going to be tight I think
There’s goal in it either way uh I will just favor Rover one nil maybe Samy smodic for the odd goal and Aron same question to you you’ll be heading to Ewood yeah I I mean last weekend’s result was just
It’s nice to see the culmination of all the hard work these guys put in we made four changes with players that are like sort of first few names on the team Sheet normally like Andrews and stuff put
On the bench and we still can a 5-1 win um I don’t think the squad Spirit could be higher at the moment and I really think that will carry through I think we’ll win 2-1 all right fellas thanks for
Joining us we will catch you next week and see how you’ve got on thanks fellas no worries cheers
