BLACKBURN Rovers kick-start a run of seven home games in the space of a month on Saturday when they entertain Hull City. But they will go into the Tigers clash having won just three and drawn seven of the 14 matches they have played at Ewood Park this season. We asked our fans' jury member what they believe are the reasons for that.

KELVIN WILKINS

IT is hard to pinpoint the reasons behind the dreadful home form, yet I believe it’s due to the lack of cutting edge and creative flair within the team. At home there is an expectancy to attack and create chances, yet this is something we have struggled with.

Equally, the pressure of playing at home can have an impact as the cost of not producing results is greater than that when playing away.

The mood at Ewood hasn’t exactly been buoyant which must give the opposition added hope. We need to play with greater confidence and get the fans on side from the first moment.

 

PAUL YATES

LACK of pace, dearth of goalscorers, absence of midfield creativity, a sloppy defence lacking concentration at vital times – need I go on?

Teams come to Ewood knowing that if they score an early goal they have a great chance of all three points.

The crowd and the players are affected psychologically and there is no-one in the team capable of motivating them to show grit and determination when things are going wrong.

Away from home we aren’t actually any better. Let’s hope our new recruits can revitalise our better players.

 

SAM JONES

LONG gone are the days when Ewood was a Premier League fortress with top teams often leaving without maximum points. The main reason for this is the most obvious one – the team is simply not as competitive.

During the early part of the season, Gary Bowyer could often be criticised for playing out a draw, rather than going for the win and risking defeat in the process. Rovers also had a similar record last season, which ended any hope of a late play-off push. The current table shows that they have drawn more games (13) than any other Championship team and so it is a problem yet to be addressed under Lambert.

Attendances are still on the slide. It can be seen as a ‘chicken and egg’ situation as a series of good results can often bring fans through the gates, but conversely, atmosphere and support during matches can roar the team to victory. Sadly, apart from the odd ‘big game’ at Ewood, neither scenario has been the case since Rovers dropped out of the top division.