ROVERS: Blackburn get the elbow in scrappy stalemate

THE supporting bouts were more intriguing than the main event, as Blackburn Rovers drew their third successive Premiership game and, on this occasion, it definitely was a case of two points lost rather than one gained.

As the rest of the sporting nation seemed to be gathered around TV sets watching the drama at Valderrama unfold, Blackburn Rovers and Coventry City failed to produce rival fare anything like as compelling.

For, while Ewood witnessed two red cards and more than 20 goal attempts by Rovers, it was far from the bubbling cauldron that the statistics suggested - more a jug of cold tea.

"We just need one little bit of magic," groaned a spectator as another ambitious attempt flew through Coventry's crowded penalty area and wide.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Paul Daniels was otherwise engaged.

A game which began brightly, rapidly deteriorated into a scrappy affair with most eyes and ears focused on what happened off the pitch rather than on it.

There was, for example, Coventry boss Gordon Strachan, perched pitchside for much of the match as if he was the conductor of an orchestra.

In fact, with arms whirling in all directions, he looked like a man intent on rewriting the semaphore code.

Unfortunately for Rovers, the only thing he didn't wave was a white flag.

Roy Hodgson, meanwhile, dashed once to the touchline to make a valid point to a referee who, like several players, should review his performance critically, and was promptly pounced upon by the fourth official and ordered back to his place!

It summed up the frustrations of Rovers on an afternoon when little went right for them and, where it counted, they could do little right for themselves. And, as Hodgson said later, presumably also referring to Martin O'Neill in the match at Leicester: "Games have been refereed and played from the opposing bench."

Then there was the after-match debate.

Strachan, understandably, tried to defend Dion Dublin after he had been dismissed in the 42nd minute - a decision which should have seen Rovers step on the gas and overwhelm a Coventry side whose prime ambition had seemed to be to collect a single point from the start.

The linesman, he said after studying TV replays, had made "an honest mistake" by informing the referee that Dublin's challenge on Colin Hendry was worthy of a red card.

In terms of contact, he might have had a point. But, in my opinion, intent was there judging by the movement of the striker's arm in the aerial challenge.

Therefore, he had to go and should accept his punishment.

For some reason, the tiny contingent of Coventry fans made Hendry the villain of the piece. Why? He made no attempt to feign injury. He was simply knocked over by the challenge and got up straight away. It left Rovers in the driving seat, as Dublin suffered a second successive red card in the Premiership at Ewood. But their hands were not steady at the wheel, more frantic than fluent, finding time and space but needing it as the first-touch football which can open up packed defences deserted them against the well-manned Coventry barrier.

There were no such histrionics over Jason Wilcox's red card in the 69th minute. He was brave enough and honest enough to face the post-match Press conference and admit he had been "silly" to lash out as he did at Michael O'Neill who went out of his way to block the winger's path.

A case of two wrongs not making a right, concurred Hodgson.

So just where did Rovers miss their way?

Pre-season concerns about their goalscoring power seemed to have been dismissed by the flood of goals which duly arrived.

But it seems to me that, when they face a team willing to come out and try to win, they are eminently capable of hitting swiftly and succinctly on the counter-attack.

When the opposition are clearly happy to sit back in numbers, that's when the problems begin.

Having said that, Rovers still had enough attacking opportunities to have won the game convincingly and, if they had got one goal, they might well have had three or four, despite much carelessness.

With the notable exception of an early Gary McAllister free kick which struck the angle, Coventry were virtually non-existent as an attacking force. Rovers were too often forced to shoot from long range but they also had chances closer in which might have brought goals.

Martin Dahlin was a disappointment, though he had a clear case - to most people except the referee - for a penalty just before Dublin's dismissal.

Chris Sutton again caused a lot of problems and, before Tim Sherwood's major influence on the game began to wane, could have opened the scoring only to see veteran Steve Ogrizovic stop his header.

Garry Flitcroft was as prominent as anyone in trying to break the deadlock as Rovers laid siege to the Coventry half at times but he was left to rue an early strike which flew over when he should, at the very least, have hit the target.

That lack of ingenuity, quality, cutting edge - call it what you will - cost Rovers dearly in the end.

They were never in danger of losing but this was a match they clearly should have won.

With the clock ticking down, goalscoring attempts arrived every couple of minutes but it has to be said that most were more in hope than anticipation.

Rovers, by then, had discovered there was no way through the middle of Coventry's defence and they had long since failed to get round the back of it.

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