I DON’T see why television replays can’t be used for things like the penalty decision in the derby on Sunday.
Martin Olsson dived to win the penalty, and if the rules were changed they could have stopped the game, looked at the replay on the big screen and got it right. Decisions like that can be costly.
I know Eduardo was charged retrospectively for a similar incident in the Champions League earlier this season, but I think there are different rules in Europe and I don’t think you can do that in English football.
But diving is not something you like to see. We’ve had a few harsh penalties given against us this season like that. It happened with Tony Hibbert against Everton and Hermann Hreidarsson at Portsmouth.
But we didn’t start well in the first half on Sunday. We were better in the second half but it was too late by then.
I’m sure the players don’t go out there to lose, but we didn’t really seem that fired up. Blackburn seemed to want it more than us.
Sometimes you need the crowd to lift you but I must say it was a bit quiet on Sunday.
When you’re in a relegation battle the nerves can affect players and obviously I was in a similar situation in 1987 when we knew Burnley could go out of the Football League for the first time.
But that sort of scenario should make you want to give 110 per cent.
The players have to go out there and do it themselves, but Sunday was one of the first times when I thought the manager got the selection wrong.
He played with two strikers, Martin Paterson and David Nugent, in the wide positions and it didn’t really work.
We were a lot better when Chris Eagles and Robbie Blake came on.
I’d like to see at least one of them play against Manchester City on Saturday, and we’ve got Wade Elliott who can play wide too.
City are obviously a better side than Blackburn and they are going for fourth spot. They’ve got Emmanuel Adebayor back, too, so it will be tough but we did get a draw at their place earlier in the season.
But Sunday was the first time all season we haven’t scored at home, which is worrying.
Even in games like Aston Villa, when we drew, we went at them and created chances. We haven’t done that in the last few home games.
There hasn’t been much for the fans to shout about, but we need them to be vocal on Saturday.
We just have to keep going.
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