Sonko hands Big Sam a perfect comeback (From Northwich Guardian)

Blackburn Rovers 3 Stoke City 0: depressed fan's reaction

4:55pm Sunday 21st December 2008

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WHEN Ibrahima Sonko arrived from Reading in the summer, I knew little about him, but seem to remember one fan of the Royals muttering to me '£2 million - you were robbed!'

Now I know what that fan was on about.

Nine minutes into a match that Stoke must have thought they could win, Pederson finds himself on the left side of the penalty area.

Sonko was close enough to him to have pressurised him, closed him down and prevented him getting in a shot.

Instead he threw himself into a challenge that felled the Blackurn player like a lumberjack bringing down a tree.

McCarthy scores from the spot and Stoke are a goal down.

Yesterday's game was the most depressing moment of the season so far.

Ian Probert bemoans an inept display against the Rovers

Later on the Stoke centre back allowed a forward to knock the ball past him and run the other side to collect it and shoot on goal, setting up the third.

In between those two - wierdly enough the goals came on 9, 18 and 27 minutes! - the ball hit Ryan Shawcross' shins and rebounded to Jason Roberts who couldn't miss from six yards out.

The frightening thing about yesterday's scoreline was not that we were beaten 3-0.

It was that Blackburn did not have to play at well to earn all the points.

Okay, they set themselves up well and made themselves hard to beat, but this was a team that had won one game - yes ONE GAME - at home.

Are my club a charity for aiding struggling sides? It felt like it yesterday.

Given that we face a tough series of festive season fixtures, it is now possible that we will drop into the bottom three by the New Year.

Yesterday's game was the most depressing moment of the season so far.

Being beaten by the same scoreline at Bolton was bad enough, but at least their first goal was a fluke. We can't even claim that for the Blackburn game.

And frankly some of the selections for the match were bordering on the bizarre.

I don't mean Vincent Pericard, who probably deserved the chance to show he could 'do a Mama' for us. I can't believe the bloke I heard on Radio Stoke the other day actually advocating that Danny Higginbotham would make a better centre forward. Where do these people come from?

No, the selections that bothered me were at right back, right midfield and left midfield.

Ryan Shawcross' central defensive parnership with Abdoullah Faye has been a success, so why put him in as an emergency right back? Has he even played there before?

How many times do we have to play the ever-willing, right-footed striker Richard Cresswell as a left midfielder before realising it does not work? Michael Tonge must wonder what he has to do to get in the team ahead of someone that ineffective.

And much as I love Rory Delap's wholehearted efforts, when was the last time one of his long throws worried a team in this league? I personally can't remember.

Has Tom Soares sworn at the manager in private or upset him in some way, because like Tonge he hardly gets a look in.

Against a team with a terrible home record and low on confidence, we played an ultra defensive lineup more suited to battling for an away draw at one of the so-called Big Four.

It was a team designed to pinch a win or sneak a draw. Is that really the best we can do against a bottom three team on a run of six straight defeats?

If neither Tonge or Soares is going to get a game, we desperately need the likes of Liam Lawrence, Dave Kitson and Mama Sidibe back.

Yes, I know I'm not Sidibe's number one fan but at least you know what you'll get from him.

The next few fixtures are tough - Manchester United and Liverpool at home. West Ham, Chelsea and Spurs away. Only the match at the Hammers and the game at home to Manchester City at home on January 31 look anything less than formidable.

This is going to be the toughest part of the season and we can't afford any passengers on the pitch.

We need a response from the players like we got after that other disastrous defeat against a Lancashire team, Bolton.

So come on Stoke, it's time to stand up and be counted!