IN THE words of Brian Kidd, it's a "we and us" predicament at Ewood Park.

For Blackburn Rovers fans that also means you.

Out of a crowd of 27,473 last night, nearly 5,000 were visiting supporters. On a night of few counter distractions, the home turn-out was disappointing.

This was the FA Cup fifth round, the club's last chance of success and with a home quarter final to play for. And Rovers had bent over backwards to price the game at a reasonable level.

As is always the case, though, the public response generated by the controversial Top Tenner scheme was not countered by a similar positive reaction to the £10 cost for season ticket holders.

So, at a time when the players needed a real lift, there were hardly any more home fans in the ground than for a normal league game. Strange.

Stranger still was the reaction to the substitution of Damien Duff for Ashley Ward.

Granted, frustration was growing on the back of a disastrous result on Saturday and a drab first half. But the extenuating circumstances must be considered. While every club suffers injury woes, Kidd's cup-tied options were more limited than a Roly Poly at an Anne Summers party. That said, the decision to sell Tim Sherwood looks stranger by the day.

And, while I do not subscribe to the "tired players" theory, the manager has to be cut some slack.

Booing a particular decision like the substitution does not just indicate specific dissatisfaction.

It has a widespread effect on the confidence and conviction of the whole side, especially those on the receiving end of the frustration.

And the subsequent display of both Kevin Davies and Nathan Blake was evidence of that.

Those boo-boys were, of course, in a minority and were not to blame for Blackburn's Cup exit.

But they certainly didn't help.

Neil Bramwell is the Sports Editor

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