THAT last week before the first game of any season always seems to go that bit slower. It's like the week before Christmas when you're a child - so it was great when Saturday and the West Ham game finally arrived.

It's especially good when Rovers go one up in the first 20 minutes and are pretty much bossing the game. Time to start the chants 'we'll be top at five o'clock' and 'we're gonna win the league' (minus the drummer of course).

Seventy minutes later and it's so much for predictions and blind optimism (some might say stupidity), for this is Blackburn Rovers here not Chelsea and 1-0 up has become 3-1 down and a wretched evening for Rovers supporters everywhere.

In his post match analysis, Sparky said that 'he couldn't understand it' but in my opinion there were certain key areas in the game that caused the capitulation.

The first one was when Robbie Savage got booked for a cynical challenge on the halfway line. I seem to recall this happening in most of the games he started last year and when it does, it negates all of the good things that he can offer the team because he is treading a disciplinary tightrope for the rest of the game.

As a result we were totally over-run in midfield for the rest of the game and I lost count of the number of times the West Ham midfield were left to run at our back four.

Then there was the performance of Aaron Mokoena, who looked lost at centre half and couldn't cope with the movement of Teddy Sheringham, the oldest striker in the Premiership.

There is a school of thought among the fans that he's best suited to the holding role in midfield, his performance on Saturday added significant weight to this theory.

Finally, there's the lack of creativity, which stood out for all to see during what was an appalling second half show. When we finally saw a defence-splitting pass from Brett Emerton, it was through his own defence and the rest was history.

Added to that was the hideous late challenge from Paul Dickov where he was deservedly sent off. This compounded a miserable afternoon and gave the press more ammunition in their 'Blackburn thugs' agenda.

It may only be the first game but it's plain to see that the early hopes of a European place are way off the mark. We had (Nelsen apart) our first choice side available and were playing one of the favourites for relegation. To put it another way, if we finish below West Ham we'll go down and they didn't just beat us, they battered us.

The thing is now, with the personnel we have available, it may need us to return to the 'ugly' football of last season to secure points rather than the expansive football we hoped for. If that's what it takes, then so be it. Another few performances like Saturday's will leave us deep in the mire, and that's not being overly pessimistic, that's fact.

As a mate said to me after the game without a hint of sarcasm 'on to a six pointer with Fulham now then...'