HOME and Away isn't just another Australian Soap to Blackburn Rovers supporters.

Since the season kicked off in August, it has been their catchword - summing up the crazy contrast that has undermined any hopes of a successful defence of the title.

At Ewood Park, Rovers have been playing like reigning champions, magnificent, majestic at times and with a record second only to runaway leaders Newcastle United.

Away from home, they have been completely dis-united, relegation material in fact, with only Bolton's wobbly Wanderers enduring a worse experience.

That's not simply a comment, it's a statement of fact. Just look at the tables.

And what makes it worse is that no-one seems to be able to get to the root of the problem.

How come a team which boasts the best goalscoring record in the Premiership at home, has the worst away?

Twenty five in just nine games at Ewood, a meagre three on their travels - figures which are, frankly, almost unbelieveable.

If I could solve the riddle, I would probably be able to pick the winning lottery numbers as well. I haven't managed the latter either.

But I could pinpoint a few factors which, combined, may well be largely responsible for the disaster area represented by Rovers' away record.

CONFIDENCE is clearly a key. Since the opening week of the season when Rovers had so much of the games at Hillsborough and Burnden Park, yet contrived to lose them both, confidence definitely seems to have been lacking in a number of away games.

EUROPE, I believe, has been a factor. The Champions' League games seem to have taken a lot out of the players, who were inexperienced in competing at that level. Significantly, the four worst defeats and performances, at Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Everton and Coventry all immediately followed European games. Although, just to confuse the issue, so too did the only points gained away from Ewood!

OPPOSING teams, playing at home to the champions, have also - understandably - raised their own game, whereas they might be more intimidated when they come to Ewood. It is something top clubs have to live with, it's a fact of life.

CONCEDING the first goal has become a bad habit. In every Premiership away game, bar the one at Arsenal, the opposition have opened the scoring. It has left Rovers facing an uphill task in virtually every game and has got to the stage where you almost expect the home team to score, sooner rather than later.

A LITTLE luck can also play a part. While individual errors have proved costly on occasions, Rovers haven't had too many breaks away from home. It's often said you make your own luck but all teams go through spells when they win some games through a bit of good fortune and lose them for the lack of it.

That list is not intended to excuse the abysmal results Rovers have had but to try to find the reasons behind them.

And there could be another telling factor - those new red and black shirts!

Rovers have yet to win in the Arsenal-style red shirts with black sleeves and, as the black and red pinstripe (from last season) is still part of the official kits that can be used, let me make a suggestion.

Go back to the other change strip at Wimbledon on Saturday.

It's worth trying anything to change this bizarre run.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.