Andy Munro ponders Blues and a goalless draw with QPR.
Blues should have been home and hosed with plenty to spare, but as is often the way in such circumstances it took a late Bank-style save from Neil Ruddy to earn a point at St Andrews on Friday night. The Rangers’ keeper was certainly kept the busier and made several excellent saves, albeit also helped out by a goal-line clearance.
Notwithstanding that, Scott Hogan missed a gilt-edged chance when put through by a sublime pass from Koji Myoshi and surely now his number must be up as a first line striker – although you wouldn’t maybe bet against him playing and scoring in the upcoming game against the Baggies following his performance against them last season.
It was strange to see Ivan Sunjic on the bench, especially as his replacement Juninho Bacuna, classy though he is, too often flatters to deceive. In fairness, there were some positive performances, including another excellent all-round display from jay Stansfield, flashes of brilliance from Myoshi and a generally solid performance from the back four, with Lee Buchanan probably the pick.
Yet again the jury must be out on Ollie Burke, who looked equally threatening and then ponderous at times when he came on.
A point gained or two dropped? Probably the latter, which makes our forthcoming games vital if we are to get things back on track. If not, John Eustace may need to start looking over his shoulder…