I think I'm the only one that thinks...

[Sir Bob]

Saturday's performance was very very average. OK Blackburn are a useful side but it took us 40 odd minutes to have a shot on target. Only the woodwork stopped us being a couple down by half time, so to say Rafa's tactics were spot on is rose tintedness taken to the extreme.

[AFII]

I can see the Crouch/Kuyt argument you are making and it is valid to an extent but I would err on the side of starting more aggressively. I also kind of think that the substitutions and greater attacking intent could have been brought to bear earlier.

However I think ultimately we both think Rafa had a sound plan and the fault lies at the minute with the inability of our squad to be incisive at creating and clinical at scoring chances.

[dww]

Saturday's performance was very very average. OK Blackburn are a useful side but it took us 40 odd minutes to have a shot on target. Only the woodwork stopped us being a couple down by half time, so to say Rafa's tactics were spot on is rose tintedness taken to the extreme.

Not necessarily. You can divorce the tactics used from the performance of individual players and the team surely?

We could have been two down at half time but one was a good chance that resulted from a speculative hoof that bounced appropriately for Bentley and the other was a bit of magic from Dunn. I'm not sure any tactic in the world could have guarded against either.

[AFII]

Saturday's performance was very very average. OK Blackburn are a useful side but it took us 40 odd minutes to have a shot on target. Only the woodwork stopped us being a couple down by half time, so to say Rafa's tactics were spot on is rose tintedness taken to the extreme.

The time that Blackburn hit the woodwork was a lucky shot and nothing you really can defend against. I doubt that he will be able to make a shot like that again if he tries 100 times.

[AFII]

Not necessarily. You can divorce the tactics used from the performance of individual players and the team surely?

We could have been two down at half time but one was a good chance that resulted from a speculative hoof that bounced appropriately for Bentley and the other was a bit of magic from Dunn. I'm not sure any tactic in the world could have guarded against either.

Nothing that you really can defend against even if the best defenders in the world play for you.

[Guest]

We played to win the match. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a deluded fool. We have a plan and it nearly worked as we had numerous chances in the end but as ever, we couldn't finish them off. Blackburn had chances yes, but they're a good side and were playing at home.

Kewell couldn't play from the start as he's short of match fitness and Crouch has been inefficient when he's played from the start.

[akjs123]

We played to win the match. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a deluded fool. We have a plan and it nearly worked as we had numerous chances in the end but as ever, we couldn't finish them off. Blackburn had chances yes, but they're a good side and were playing at home.

Kewell couldn't play from the start as he's short of match fitness and Crouch has been inefficient when he's played from the start.

[dww]

We played to win the match. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a deluded fool. We have a plan and it nearly worked as we had numerous chances in the end but as ever, we couldn't finish them off. Blackburn had chances yes, but they're a good side and were playing at home.

Kewell couldn't play from the start as he's short of match fitness and Crouch has been inefficient when he's played from the start.

I agree with nearly all of this but to be fair to Crouch he has only started about twice this season. All of our players have been inefficient when starting at least twice this term.

[JohnDoe]

The formation picked was good and its intention was to get the best out of Gerrard, but some of the personnel selected didn't fit the structure of the team. Kuyt and Sissoko were the prime examples.

[El Diego]

...that Rafa got his tactics spot on against Blackburn.

We kept things tight the first 60-65 minutes and then when Blackburn got tired and ran out of ideas then Rafa decided to start to attack them.

We couldn't play an attacking game from the start with Hyypia playing but we could do that when Blackburns strikers got tired and slower.

Sissoko and Mascherano took out all energy from Blackburns midfield and it would have paid off if we had not missed chance after chance the last 15-20 minutes.

Kuyts hard work made the Blackburn defenders scared and in the end they hoofed away the ball because he were everywhere. That gave us more possession and better control of the game. Blackburn also made a few rushed mistakes because they got tired at the end of the game.

Kewell has been out a long time and Rafa can't take any chances with him so he couldn't let him in earlier.

Blackburn away is a difficult game and even more difficult with Agger, Alonso and Torres out injured.

I think you have a point Lets not forget that a draw against Blackburn isn't bad!!! We lost last season, I thought we looked twice the team when Kewell came on him and Gerrard looked like there could create something.

[Joe King]

Its too negative. Forget Rafa got his tactics right and its one point more than last season. If we are supposedly challenging for the title with what is our best squad supposedly in the last few years, then we should be beating Blackburn, Tottenham and Birmingham no matter what. We have the quality in what many perceive to be our best XI however its the strength in depth which really worries me and why is Rafa taking such a massive gamble with these players against one of the top sides away from home? Its time Rafa had some to consult him on his signings and give him a good shake because for me the likes of Sissoko, Riise and Kuyt aren't title challenging team players. Yes, they are good enough to play in the Premiership but could you see them at any of the Europe's best clubs? I doubt it. We need to buy better, its quality instead of quantity.

[einar]

Its too negative. Forget Rafa got his tactics right and its one point more than last season. If we are supposedly challenging for the title with what is our best squad supposedly in the last few years, then we should be beating Blackburn, Tottenham and Birmingham no matter what. We have the quality in what many perceive to be our best XI however its the strength in depth which really worries me and why is Rafa taking such a massive gamble with these players against one of the top sides away from home? Its time Rafa had some to consult him on his signings and give him a good shake because for me the likes of Sissoko, Riise and Kuyt aren't title challenging team players. Yes, they are good enough to play in the Premiership but could you see them at any of the Europe's best clubs? I doubt it. We need to buy better, its quality instead of quantity.

Rafa is one of the best in the league in buying players. He has had very few expensive flops. We must not forget that when he bought Kuyt and Momo he did not have the money to go for his first choices. And I am personally sure that these two where not his first choices. Riise has managed to hang on but surely not for much longer now that we have money. And I will wait until we sell Kuyt to say if he is a flop for Rafa.

[Armchairkopite]

Exactly.

It's not the result that bothers me, a point at blackburn in the current climate isnt a bad result.

It's the fact that we showed so little intent to actually impose OUR game on them and win. We approached it as if it WAS Barcelona at the Nou Camp.

Rafa's been going into away games with the same mentality since he came here, changing our style to suit inferior opposition and placing a clean sheet as the main priority, ahead of winning.

That mentality isnt a winning one and we'll never challenge for the title unless he ups the ante a little.

We cant play our high tempo game at the moment with Hyppia at the back how many times do people on this bloody forum need to be told this ffs. Samis as slow as **** Benni McCarthy and Santa Cruz are arguably the best strike partnership outside the top four and they have pace to burn, if we use brain dead lets go for the jugular tactics we will be exposed on the counter big time

[Nic83]

...that Rafa got his tactics spot on against Blackburn.

Yes. we are not a mid table side.

[Craig_H]

We played to win the match. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a deluded fool. We have a plan and it nearly worked as we had numerous chances in the end but as ever, we couldn't finish them off. Blackburn had chances yes, but they're a good side and were playing at home.

Kewell couldn't play from the start as he's short of match fitness and Crouch has been inefficient when he's played from the start.

The plan clearly worked?

So them hitting the post and bar was part of the masterplan?