COLUMNIST KEN BUCKLEY

From my seat: Blackburn (A)

By Ken Buckley   ::  27/08/2011

Blues battered by Blackburn and win 1-0

An unbelievable game that saw the hosts spurn two penalties and then succumb to a penalty in injury time and hand the points to the opposition. You can?t make this stuff up but, hell ? did we celebrate 3 points!!! All the negativity surrounding the club just disappeared as fans celebrated and I am sure some will until Monday and a feelgood factor will be back, even for just a brief moment in time.

The team was texted to subscribers just after 2:00pm and looked as good as we could put out; Cahill still not ready; Saha, who looked lively when he came on v Sheffield,again missing... his injuries beggar belief in one so young. All seemed delighted that Barkley started and that both Arteta and Fellaini were fit enough to start but Vic starting up front received a mixed reaction.

With both sides looking for their first points, the game got off to an open start but it didn?t take long for Blackburn to start to dominate and early doors some woeful marking saw Hoilett find Dunn criminally unmarked in the box; he was distraught to see his free shot rebound from the inside of a post and hacked away by Neville.

Roberts was then put through with ease and one-on-one with Howard who sprawled and deflected the ball away leaving Roberts prostrate and his team-mates belly-aching for a pen. The Ref waved play on in determined fashion.

Blackburn were well on top but were disrupted just after the half hour mark when both Pederson and Dunn succumbed to what looked like hammy?s and were replaced by Petrovic and a blast from the 70s ?Formica?... (Anybody still got a table covered in that?)

The half wore on with the hosts having the better territorially but we played some decent stuff until the highly important last third where all of any good approach play broke down mainly due to not enough players busting a gut to get in there and a fear of over committing. Big Vic tried to put it about but found Samba the boss on all occasions and whether we attacked left or right whoever was involved seemed to find more blind alleys than team mates.

We held out though until half time and the chat was more disagreement over Goodison goings on than the match, everyone was getting blame from board to blue union, manager and players. All most unsatisfactory but just the way it is at the moment. I remember thinking if we can just get a win things will look and sound much better. I could never have known how that second half would pan out.

The second half started and it was quite a shock really that instead of us having a go after the managers h/t talk it was Blackburn who bombed us. We just could not get out and were pinned back and desperate. Kick it anywhere hack away in any direction was the order of the day. Something had to give.

It did: the young and inexperienced Barkley made a schoolboy error in his own half and sent Formica heading for goal in a desperate attempt to atone for his error he felled the same man in the box and left the ref with a decision, he made it and it was a pen. Hoilett took, Howard saved and the ball was eventually cleared for a corner. He certainly made up for that error around this time last season on this very ground. "USA, USA USA" rang out.

The manager then made a superb decision and immediately replaced Barkley with Cahill thus protecting him from the ills his inexperience had brought on. He must be allowed time to truly blossom.

We were under the cosh and barely hanging on as Samba got a header through a ruck of players but was thwarted. Olsson hit a free kick very close but just over and Formica shot when he should have passed and again let us off. I am now of the mindset that says hang on for our first point of the season lads.

The introduction of Cahill seemed to bring extra effort and fight if not craft and guile and maybe the former ingredients were just what was needed in a match such as this. Cahill put Baines in and he cut in and tried a right footer that the keeper parried away. Big Vic then got in on the left of the box and found a great pass that invited Fellaini to register but alas he leaned back and the ball went over

. The end was getting ever closer but not without frights and just some 10mins from that end Howard again excelled when he dived and pushed away a close range effort from Formica. Goodwillie left Baines for dead and found Formica again but it wasn?t Argentina?s night when his shot was blocked by the reaching arm of our USA saviour.

This lad Formica was involved everywhere and about 5mins from the end Jags was adjudged to have fouled in the box, a second pen for Blackburn; they couldn?t miss a second could they? Well yes, Formica sent Howard the wrong way and hit the post. Boy was this our day for let offs or if you look at it another way Blackburn?s day for being extremely wasteful.

Both teams sort of pegged away until the injury time board went up. Get it done and let?s get back with a point I thought but in mid thought Samba climbed all over Fellaini and Mr Mason gave us a spot kick. It took some time to take as Blackburn disputed the validity of the award but after the easy way their players went over for their pens I had little sympathy for them.

A lot of us urged that Baines should take but Arteta was having none of it and pulled rank. We are at the end of time added on. One kick to win it many looked away many had hands in mouth, Arteta stepped up, keeper dives to his right, ball flies to his left... I will leave you, dear reader, to imagine the response behind that goal.....

Today we were everything that most Toffeewebbers have been saying is wrong with us: couldn?t pass, couldn?t shoot, no craft or guile, and just nothing in the final third. Yet on leaving the ground the mood was something nothing on the NHS can provide.

One game means little but I will live on that win through an International break and feel better until I turn up v Villa and it all starts again. You can?t explain it you just do it and realise that had their penalties gone in our reports and moods would have been tantamount to suicidal. Great game this footy.

Overall I thought that in the end it was a nice boost for club, players, manager and fans, nothing to get carried away by and I thought it great that the manager saw the harm a mistake could have done to our new ?golden? boy and relieved him of stress right away. We have got a good un but he still needs to learn the harsh realities that lie in wait in the EPL and Internationally. MotM was easy from my seat: Tim Howard,

In conclusion, I admit we were, if not poor, at least frustrating and leaving any watcher in no doubt that a few quid is needed... but unlikely without a major sale. The time until Wednesday will be revealing. But tonight I celebrate.

UP THE BLUES

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