Blackburn Rovers Fans Verdict: Fans Delight At Superb Victory

Right, this is just getting silly now. Eight games in, seven wins, 15 goals scored, three goals conceded, 22 points. This start has been truly ridiculous, and so much more than any Reading fan could’ve dreamed about.

I’m not going to say anything in this prelude to the fans reaction that hasn’t already been said, but it’s just such a good feeling to see our team playing the way they are. There are not enough superlatives in the dictionary to describe just how well Pauno has done. His recruitment has been spot on, and he’s kept the players level-headed and professional without hindering their freedom to play in an expansive way.

The sheer joy and delight of seeing the team at the summit of the league is, though, nearly matched by the deflation of not being able to be in the stadiums to see them on this run of form. But, hopefully sooner rather than later that’ll change, and we’re still up towards the top of the table when that does happen.

The fans were in an excited mood once again after what was probably the best performance of the season so far, and who can blame them?

It was hard to pick out just three key talking points, but I’ve done my best...

The Rino and Laurent partnership

As football fans over the last couple of decades, we’ve been privileged to witness some imperious midfield duos. Xavi and Iniesta, Scholes and Keane, De Bruyne and David Silva, Sidwell and Harper. Now, we can add Andy Rinomhota and Josh Laurent to that list.

These two have instantly clicked, and their games compliment each other so well. Rinomhota brings the relentless running and energy (honestly, he’s probably still doing laps of Ewood Park now) while Laurent brings the game awareness and is basically just a brick wall.

The fans have fallen in love with these two, and it’s not hard to see why...

Michael Olise

We're quite renown for producing some academy talent, with the likes of Shane Long, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Alex McCarthy all going on to become mainstays in the Premier League, to name a few. But this kid, he could turn out to be the best of the lot.

That might sound like a big statement when Olise is still so young, but he has talent coming out of ears and is starting to turn that talent into seriously good, consistent performances. He can go right to the very top, he’s honestly that good.

Ewood Park was his dance floor on Tuesday evening, as he ran rings around the Rovers team. The fans certainly appreciate his talent...

xG

xG, or expected goals if you’re not familiar with this new wave of forensic-style statistics. I class myself as a football nerd. I have a severe addiction to Football Manager and I love delving deeper into the nooks and crannies of the game.

But, ultimately, the only stat that matters is the number next to your club’s name in the ‘points’ column of the league table. Reading have had the xG paper ball thrown at them for a few weeks now, but we’re on 22 points after 8 games.

The xG army have had it in for us a bit, claiming that our performances mean we will dramatically drop down the league table sooner rather than later. Look, that may well happen, but for as long as it isn’t happening, the fans are enjoying rubbing it in the faces of the statistic gurus...

Conclusion

It’s a superb start, but I will keep saying this until I’m Royal Blue in the face - a good start is all it is. Yes, 22 points at this stage of the season is great, but we’re eight games in and have 38 games left. I for one am refusing to get ahead of myself, it could seriously come back to bite us.

That doesn’t mean I haven’t fallen head over heals in love with Paunovic and this team - in particular Josh Laurent - because, trust me, I have. But, I urge fans to stay as grounded as possible. I know it’s hard.

URZ