COVENTRY CITY 5 BLACKBURN ROVERS 0: Humiliated

Not surprising really, when you consider the facts.

Reigning champions Blackburn Rovers went into the game with two healthy four-goal home performances behind them.

Several of their European absentees were able to return and hopes of that elusive first away win were high.

Coventry, on the other hand, were rock bottom of the table with just one previous win. And they had major problems, especially in defence, where they have sprung more leaks than North West Water.

So even though Rovers had problems of their own, the odds seemed to be on a potential away win for them.

Not for the first time, however, the favourite fell at the first and the bookmakers were laughing all the way to the bank.

For Rovers, in a nutshell, were humiliated.

We could have a debate about whether the match should have been played on a surface that was, to me, plainly dangerous with players falling over even without being challenged.

But that would be to ignore the real issue of how Rovers capitulated against - let's be honest - one of the Premiership's weaker sides. Manager Ray Harford didn't quite play Mr Angry after the game, but he clearly was just that.

Rovers' players didn't fancy the conditions, felt the game should have been postponed and, once they went a couple of goals down, seemed to react accordingly.

Their views on the treacherous Highfield Road surface deserved some sympathy.

But, when you are professionals, you get on with the job in hand.

And once the referee had given the green light, that should have been it.

The scoreline alone tells you that Coventry did exactly that while Rovers were tentative and second best in too many departments.

Just when it seems they are back on track, the wheels fall off again.

Or, in this case, slip off.

The combination of Dion Dublin's power , especially in the air, and Peter Ndlovu's pace and subtlety eventually proved too much to handle for a team who went absent without leave once Coventry had established a match-winning advantage.

Rovers were in the game until Coventry's second goal just after the hour mark.

But, from then on, they were insipid - a pale shadow of the team which has torn apart far better defences than the one which Coventry fielded on Saturday. And for that there is no excuse.

Someone suggested it all comes down to those accursed new red and black shirts, the change strip in which Rovers have yet to achieve a victory.

But that it is too simplistic an explanation for an appalling away record in the Premiership.

It is what beats inside the shirt that counts and a few Coventry hearts were stronger on Saturday.

The desire to win was clearly more evident in sky blue than it was in red.

And, amazingly, Coventry had the greater cutting edge in attack to make it count.

You couldn't pick on individuals, despite the scoreline. It was a team flop.

Some might point to the temporary pairing in the centre of defence of Chris Sutton and Nicky Marker.

But both produced some good things as well as bad until the marking disintegrated in the second half.

In the first half, Marker acquitted himself well against the towering Dion Dublin - how much he has improved - while Sutton more than once risked life and limb to defend the cause and suffered the pain to both shoulder and ankle. There were times when he tried to play a little too much football in his own box when the ball just needed a good "welly". But, then again, he was only helping out at the back because of absentees.

Midfield didn't really make an impact, despite Tim Sherwood's promptings, and Stuart Ripley, who had thrived on the green of one side in the first half, waned once he had switched to the frozen wastes of the other in the second half.

The strikers got little quality service and Rovers rarely looked like improving a dismal away goals tally.

There were chances at both ends in the opening 40 minutes which were lively if not satisfying to the purists who could not have expected anything more on a skid-pan pitch.

But, once again, Rovers fell behind on their travels.

A corner was only partially cleared to Marcus Hall on the left. His cross seemed overhit but there was Ndlovu to head back across goal and David Busst steamed in to head firmly home.

The next goal was going to be the important one and, after Shearer - twice close before half time - had forced a brilliant save from Steve Ogrizovic, it went to Coventry.

Kevin Richardson's right-wing cross deceived Henning Berg and produced a brilliant bit of skill from Dublin. He snaked out a leg, brought the ball under instant control and swivelled to hit it past a helpless Tim Flowers, who had just foiled him with a brilliant stop from a header.

Just minutes later, Richardson's free kick was headed home by David Rennie and Rovers really were on the rack.

Trailing by three goals, they were like some of their fans who were already heading for home.They had all but disappeared and it came as no real surprise when Coventry scored a fourth.

Defensively, it was an awful goal to concede but you have to admire Ndlovu's talents.

He got the better of Henning Berg, then shimmied superbly several times to put three other defenders on the wrong foot before striking the ball low past Flowers. With a minute to go, John Salako completed Rovers' humiliation as he found himself in oceans of space to fire home the fifth and it really was time to head for the exits.

But, already, there is a sense of impending doom and gloom every time Rovers go behind on opposition territory and that is a huge problem they must sort out as soon as possible.

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