Blackburn Rovers fought hard on Saturday to gain a well-deserved point, following a 1-1 draw away at Vicarage Road against fellow playoff hopefuls, Watford, but were unlucky not to leave Hertfordshire with all three. Jon Dahl Tomasson discussed his delight with RoversTV at his players’ hard work, determination and spirit against the recently-relegated side.
“I think a draw was a good result, even the fair result, but of course, we go into every game with the intention of winning it. If you look at the team Watford had out there, it was full of experience, full Premier League-quality players and individual talent. We knew they would be a tough opponent, today. I thought we were deservedly ahead at half-time, and in the second-half, Watford made a lot of changes and our boys fought extremely well against them and the players dug in and showed great spirit.
“In the end, I’m disappointed that we weren’t brave enough to believe in ourselves and try to go for the win. Coming to a place like Watford is never easy, you can come and get a little bit stressed given their quality and the surroundings, that’s normal. It was great to see so many of our fans today. I believe they saw a decent football game, filled with passion, as two teams tried to go for the win.
“If we’re honest about it, a draw away at Watford is a good result. Of course, on the performance, I would have liked us to have been a bit braver on the ball, but this is extremely difficult as it is about making choices and not being afraid of making mistakes, but playing in an environment like this, against quality players makes it tougher. The boys have done a brilliant job for the club and for the fans. They showed great spirit, and it was fantastic to see their teamwork and work-rate.
“We can’t complain about the lads’ teamwork and desire, it was on a high level. They were excellent today. We all know how hard away games are. We’ve played seven games so far, in 2023. We’ve won three, drawn three and lost one, which is an okay record to have. This side is progressing. If you look at the quality of Watford, we dug in and showed great quality. We also could have gone on to win the game, if we made the right choices and were brave enough. The lads did a great job.
“Hayden (Carter) is a young boy at 23-years-old with very little Championship experience, as most of his minutes came in the second-half of last season, at Portsmouth in League One. This has been a big step up for him and I believe he’s coping well and improving as time goes on, which is extremely positive, both for him and the club. Games like today will help his development, for sure. It’s all about gaining experience, even if that means playing against teams who are better than us, which will help the natural development over time. Hayden deserves big compliments for his performance today, but we shouldn’t really single out individuals. The whole team deserve praise.
“It’s great for Bradley (Dack) to score his 50th league goal for Rovers. It’s been a rollercoaster for him over the past few years, one that will have been extremely frustrating. He’s getting fitter and fitter by the day and he’s done a brilliant job today, again with his goal. We all know that he can score goals, but he’s also working extremely hard for the team. When you’ve been out injured for two years, you don’t know if you can return at the same level. You can complain at the beginning, but then you might never perform at the same level. But suddenly, things can improve and that’s a huge compliment to Brad.
“I think it’s natural, after two years of injury, that you will change as a player. Bradley was never a quick player; he told me that! But he’s a very clever player. We could have probably used a player like that better, on the ball, today, if we were braver in some situations. Saying that, 50 goals isn’t bad, eh?”
