Alright so the first game is out of the way and we have had our first glimpses of what kind of football we are expected to play in the Russell Martin era. Before I talk about individual performances my first reaction to how we are looking to play, we look exciting going forward but currently don't have the stable foundation at the back in the form of footballing defenders. Once we address this we could be a really exciting team to watch this season and I certainly had more entertainment from this game than I did for the vast majority of last season.
Benda
Really had me nervous with how he would carry the ball a good 10-15 yards outside of his box, ironically the howler for the pen didn't come from one of these but from trying to dribble past a player in the 6 yard box. Was nervy for a bit after the penalty and the crowd certainly did their best to unsettle him but he came through that by the end of the game. Distribution in general was excellent and very confident coming to claim corners.
Latibeaudiere
My biggest worry in the team at the moment, he looked shot of confidence and nervous during preseason and carried every bit of that into the first game of the season. Could easily have been sent off and made a number of suicidal plays that could have been punished on another day, and thats just the ones he didn't get away with. Not sure how to fix this, but that is why Martin gets paid the big bucks.
Bennett
Caught out a few times in possession as we tried to play out from the back, the uncharitable among us would say that he isn't suited for this style and is very much a Cooperball sort of player. The same could be said of Garry Monk but he learned and even if he was never a great footballer he adapted to not be a weak link. I am confident that Bennett can do the same.
Cabango
Like all of our central defenders he got caught in possession a few times, will quickly learn when is the right time to play out from the back and what plays he can and cannot make and when sometimes being safe is the best option.
Bidwell
Subdued in the first half, got involved way more in the second when we had to chase the game. Still never quite seemed to have the intensity he did under Cooper but that could just be early season and growing confident in the system to know when he can bomb forward.
Naughton
Pretty much everything I said about Bidwell can be applied to Naughton. Not sure Naughton is suited to playing a wingback in the sort of style that Martin wants, will be better suited as one of our three centre backs when we have a suitable player to cover that wingback role.
Grimes
A system of play that suits Grimes and we could see some of what he could offer today, however there was also a sense from me of wanting to avoid getting injured he never put himself about as he usually did. That lack of grit cost us the first goal when he shit out from a tackle with a Blackburn player.
Smith
Was excellent today in a way that I rarely saw under Cooper. Hoping that the ankle injury he came off with is just a scare and nothing serious, he was a vital piece of the midfield today and we didn't look the same after he came off.
Paterson
Really promising debut from Paterson for me today, always looking to play the ball into space and get into space himself and not afraid to take a man on. Maybe slightly fortunate for his goal but he is off the mark now and hopefully as he gets to know his team mates better he can really get on the same wavelength.
Cullen
Two chances today, both on target and one of which you could argue that he could have done better with. However they were on target and both required good saves from the keeper to stop him scoring. Slicker football definitely suits Cullen better than burning his retinas watching the ball to come down from the sky.
Lowe
Worked hard and more than played his part in the goal we scored, but Lowe was ultimately a victim of his own industry and was rarely in a position to really threaten Blackburn when we did break the lines and got forward. Needs to adapt again this season to a different way of playing but I think he will get there.
Dhanda
I was surprised that Yan was the sub we made for Smith and unfortunately it threw out the balance of the team just as I feared it would. One good run aside which ended in a free kick that Grimes should never have taken (this is someone who has never scored a set piece goal for us that wasn't a penalty) he just never seemed to get into the game and letting the ball run across him to set up a 2v1 which he has to thank Benda for stopping was lunacy.
Whittaker
Not enough time on the pitch to really get a fair review, created one good chance that needed some brave defending from Blackburn to stop us equalising.
Benda
Really had me nervous with how he would carry the ball a good 10-15 yards outside of his box, ironically the howler for the pen didn't come from one of these but from trying to dribble past a player in the 6 yard box. Was nervy for a bit after the penalty and the crowd certainly did their best to unsettle him but he came through that by the end of the game. Distribution in general was excellent and very confident coming to claim corners.
Latibeaudiere
My biggest worry in the team at the moment, he looked shot of confidence and nervous during preseason and carried every bit of that into the first game of the season. Could easily have been sent off and made a number of suicidal plays that could have been punished on another day, and thats just the ones he didn't get away with. Not sure how to fix this, but that is why Martin gets paid the big bucks.
Bennett
Caught out a few times in possession as we tried to play out from the back, the uncharitable among us would say that he isn't suited for this style and is very much a Cooperball sort of player. The same could be said of Garry Monk but he learned and even if he was never a great footballer he adapted to not be a weak link. I am confident that Bennett can do the same.
Cabango
Like all of our central defenders he got caught in possession a few times, will quickly learn when is the right time to play out from the back and what plays he can and cannot make and when sometimes being safe is the best option.
Bidwell
Subdued in the first half, got involved way more in the second when we had to chase the game. Still never quite seemed to have the intensity he did under Cooper but that could just be early season and growing confident in the system to know when he can bomb forward.
Naughton
Pretty much everything I said about Bidwell can be applied to Naughton. Not sure Naughton is suited to playing a wingback in the sort of style that Martin wants, will be better suited as one of our three centre backs when we have a suitable player to cover that wingback role.
Grimes
A system of play that suits Grimes and we could see some of what he could offer today, however there was also a sense from me of wanting to avoid getting injured he never put himself about as he usually did. That lack of grit cost us the first goal when he shit out from a tackle with a Blackburn player.
Smith
Was excellent today in a way that I rarely saw under Cooper. Hoping that the ankle injury he came off with is just a scare and nothing serious, he was a vital piece of the midfield today and we didn't look the same after he came off.
Paterson
Really promising debut from Paterson for me today, always looking to play the ball into space and get into space himself and not afraid to take a man on. Maybe slightly fortunate for his goal but he is off the mark now and hopefully as he gets to know his team mates better he can really get on the same wavelength.
Cullen
Two chances today, both on target and one of which you could argue that he could have done better with. However they were on target and both required good saves from the keeper to stop him scoring. Slicker football definitely suits Cullen better than burning his retinas watching the ball to come down from the sky.
Lowe
Worked hard and more than played his part in the goal we scored, but Lowe was ultimately a victim of his own industry and was rarely in a position to really threaten Blackburn when we did break the lines and got forward. Needs to adapt again this season to a different way of playing but I think he will get there.
Dhanda
I was surprised that Yan was the sub we made for Smith and unfortunately it threw out the balance of the team just as I feared it would. One good run aside which ended in a free kick that Grimes should never have taken (this is someone who has never scored a set piece goal for us that wasn't a penalty) he just never seemed to get into the game and letting the ball run across him to set up a 2v1 which he has to thank Benda for stopping was lunacy.
Whittaker
Not enough time on the pitch to really get a fair review, created one good chance that needed some brave defending from Blackburn to stop us equalising.
