LAST week I said in this column that the next three games were vital to our season.

Now, if you'd offered me two goals at Wolves and three against Bolton, I'd have snapped your hand off because that's six points, mid table, dig out the passport.

Or maybe not.

Rovers players, with an illusion David Blaine would have been proud of, managed to turn five goals into one point and an increasingly uncomfortable relegation battle. Even Des Lynam would struggle to explain 'How do they do that?'

It's all too easy to look at such a statistic and blame the defence - so that's what I'm going to do.

How we can continue to be undone by the most basic of football is totally beyond me. Every goal conceded in the past week has been a case of the opposition hitting it into the danger area and our ineptitude will do the rest.

The defenders at the moment are guilty of the biggest possible defensive sin - ball watching. At 1-0 at Wolves and especially 3-1 against Bolton, all the players needed to do was be organised and disciplined. If the opposition turned in a piece of brilliance to score then so be it. The thing is, all four Bolton goals on Saturday could've had Rovers players claiming the vital assist.

The defining moment for me was when we were 3-1 up and cruising just before half time. Time to shut up shop, mark your men and keep it tight up to the break, so you would think.

Not so in the wild and wacky world of Blackburn Rovers. It may be pantomime season but I managed to resist the temptation of shouting 'he's behind you' to the defence as yet another hopeful punt found Djorkaeff with half of Ewood to run into.

The finish was sublime, the defending was ridiculous.

Even so, at 3-2 the three points are there for the taking but our defence just can't keep it tight at the moment.