Rovers’ struggles on the road continue at a ground where they have enjoyed very little success.

Here are the talking points from the 1-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic.

 

WIGAN FEAR

It is now four defeats in a row for Rovers at the DW Stadium where they haven’t won in their last 13 visits.

Nine of those visits have been a victory for the home side, with Rovers taking away just four points out of a possible 36, as well as defeat in the FA Cup in January.

They never looked like breaking that run, nor their win-lose sequence, on a night where their threat was minimal across the whole of the 90 minutes.

Over 3,400 fans made the trip down the M6 but came away a mixture of disappointed, frustrated and angry at not only the performance, but Rovers’ inability to string together two results, or even performances, together back-to-back.

 

AWAY STRUGGLES

The underlying numbers don’t make for great reading.

While they have taken 15 points out of a possible 21 at Ewood, with five wins from seven, it’s the same number of defeats from their seven away fixtures.

While they have won three in a row at Ewood, it’s now three successive defeats on their travels.

But more than the results, the lack of goal threat is becoming an increasing worry.

They managed only three shots at goal, none of which were on target. In their last three away games, they have managed only three shots on target, one of those being George Hirst’s missed penalty at Cardiff City.

Across their seven away matches, they have had only 13 shots on target, with four goals scored.

Their ‘expected goals’ figure at Wigan was 0.18, and their figure of 0.67 expected goals per away game is the lowest in the division.

Only Rotherham United (1) and Reading (3) have scored fewer goals away from home than Rovers (4), while only the Millers have averaged fewer shots on target.

Shots at goal isn’t just an issue away from home either, Rovers’ average of 9.9 across home and away fixtures leaves them 21st in that particular table.

Equally, a lack of goals away from home isn’t exclusive to this team.

Rovers have failed to score in five of their seven away matches, having also failed to find the net in seven of their final 12 away fixtures last season.

It means that of their 19 away matches in 2022, Rovers supporters have seen their side fail to score on 12 occasions.

 

TEAM BALANCE

Jon Dahl Tomasson stuck with 10 of the 11 players who started the win over Rotherham, with George Hirst for Sam Gallagher the one alteration. The shape of the team stayed the same however, with Hirst operating first from the right flank, and then the left.

Seeing wide forwards operating either side of a diminutive central attacker is nothing new for Rovers fans, with Sam Szmodics again playing through the middle.

While Gallagher has become accustomed to that wider role, it didn’t look one that utilised the skillset of Hirst. He conceded a number of cheap fouls when forced into his defensive work, and wasn’t able to provide any threat going the other way.

Equally, the sight of Szmodics working up against three central defenders made for a frustrating watch before his half-time withdrawal.

Ryan Hedges, with Wales boss Rob Page watching on, has been one of Rovers’ most consistent and creative forces, but the tactic of him starting at wing-back but then given the freedom to roam around the pitch didn’t have the same effect away.

Rovers’ approach looked confused, no sign of the pressing game that had worked so effectively in the win at Swansea, nor the high intensity, free-flowing football that proved too much for Blackpool in their only other away win.

They sat deep and invited too many balls to come into their box, though at least their defending of those was resolute for the most part.

On the ball, the build-up was slow, movement static, and ultimately they were punished for taking too long on the ball in their own defensive third. Tyler Morton was the one to be robbed of the ball for Nathan Broadhead's goal, though Scott Wharton could easily suffered the same fate in the first half, only to be bailed out by a Thomas Kaminski save.

Callum Brittain and Tyrhys Dolan were sent for at the break, but while the personnel changed, the formation didn’t, though at least it saw Brittain operating in his most natural role.

The 5-2-3 formation asks a lot of the central midfield two, particularly against a Wigan side who operated with a four-man ‘box’ midfield. It left them with a lot of work to get through off the ball, and unable to provide any level of control on it, with a real disconnect between the defensive players.

 

URGENCY

Away from systems and personnel, it was all too predictable from a Rovers perspective, the result and performance bearing so many hallmarks of the Cardiff defeat.

Once Rovers went 1-0 down, it felt almost inevitable that they would slip to a defeat.

In the seven times they have conceded first in matches this season, they have gone on to lose.

All five of their defeats away from home have been to nil, as was the home defeat to Stoke City. The Bristol City defeat is the anomaly in that run, but both goals in the 3-2 defeat came when the score was 2-0 and 3-1 to the visitors.

Indeed, they are one of only two teams in the Championship not to have scored an equalising goal this season.

Tomasson changed the shape of the side to 4-3-3, with Adam Wharton replacing the injured Daniel Ayala, but was again the lack of minutes for Bradley Dack, not sent on until the 83rd minute despite Rovers chasing a goal, that bore the brunt of questions from supporters both at home and in the away end.

The game petered out to a frustrating level, no bombardment of the Wigan goal, and no real urgency to make anything happen. They looked for Ben Brereton at every opportunity, but otherwise looked lost for ways o getting back into the game.

As well as the win-lose sequence, not taking anything from a game in which they have fallen behind is a worry.

In a tight league the first goal will always be important, but it shouldn’t be so pivotal as it is proving to be for Rovers.

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