Blues went down 1-0 at home to Preston with Andy Munro watching.
Blues always seem adept at finding a banana skin to slip on and this time it was against a distinctly mediocre Preston side who only needed their one shot on goal to nick all three points.
As per their last couple of ‘get out of jail’ home performances, Blues again were a painful first half spectacle as they laboured to play the ball around like a second class Barcelona. It’s a matter of playing to strengths with, for example Marc Roberts peerless in the air and clueless on the ground.
However, the reason for this morale sapping performance lay in Pep Clotet managing like someone in division ten of the Wheeltappers & Shunters Parks League by not changing a winning side despite the fact that the opposition and the circumstances had changed.
Blues were narrow and congested in midfield with the Juke a lonely figure up front merely feeding off long ball hoofs down the middle. Jude Bellingham was played out wide instead of further forward and down the middle, which was compounded by ineffective midfield support that had a pedestrian Dave Davis culpable on a number of occasions including the free kick that led to the goal.
Only when Gimenez and Maghoma came on did we look like a real attacking threat. but by then it was too late. Let’s hope they start the next game along with Gary Gardner instead of Davis. Either way it’s not going to be easy against the Rams but the consolation is that with the Blues you never know what’s going to happen on the day but picking an offensive side may be the key.