If the plan is that Barrett is going to be an overage keeper for the U21s allowing Michalski to go out and gets a full season or 2 out on loan at a good level, then this makes sense. Although if this is the case, then it is a damning indictment on what the coaches think of the other goalkeepers Rovers have at that level. Personally I would have loaned out Michalski, have Soloman Honor as the U21 keeper next season, and Barrett would not have been given a contract (If injuries are picked up, recalls for keepers are different as Bournemouth showed with Traverd a while back) Make much much less sense however, if the plan is to have Michalski be first choice for the U21s,

I don't believe it.

In my entire life in Blackburn I've never been given anything with currants in it when asking for a tea cake. Not denying that there are such a thing as currant tea cakes but ask for a tea cake round Blackburn and you'll get the plain variety that you have chips on. That is a tea cake.

Not sure why this causes so much confusion, but to simplify it: Teacake- doesn't contain currants. Currant teacake- you're never gonna believe this, but it contains currants!

I have seen Barrett make some terrific saves but other elements of his game aren't so good particularly his kicking and passing. He is a diluted version of Pears in my view. I suspect he has signed primarily to travel with the first team as third keeper leaving Michalski to play regularly for the reserves or even to go out on loan. However that logic is flawed to me as I believe Michalski is a better keeper right now. I'm sure Gestede will be boasting soon about the new deals he has done in Powell, Pratt, Litherland and Barrett but those kind of deals are a doddle to do as those players are desperate to sign and wouldn't have many other options. We need the experienced first team players whose contracts are up soon tying down.

Agreed. In Rossendale if you asked for a teacake you'd get a plain one and if you wanted a fruíty version then you had to ask for a currant teacake. My wife never believed me about this (she's originally from the potteries so only knows about oatcakes!) until we visited an old family friend. The friend was originally from Rossendale but had moved away 60 years before. When it came to lunch she asked if we wanted our sandwiches on a teacake and when they arrived the teacake was plain!

Anyone finding this thread a bit cringe, any chance of you crying about it somewhere else? Maybe a support group of your own? There's a choice to be made about entering this thread, you don't have to make it, you can always do the unthinkable and just keep scrolling and go onto the next thread.

Well done to Palace for winning their first ever piece of Domestic Silverware. You have owners who give a feck.

There’s nothing more cringe than a battle of the superfans😉

Yeah, my lad would be sleeping outside if he tried to get in our gaff with any other club shirt on.

Double tournament winners in Poland for some of our 2011 born and 2013 born players🏆🥇Well done to all the players staff and travelling supporters who represented the Academy and the club so well on and off the pitch U14s & U12s (I think) have both won tournaments in Poland I do wonder if with the first team not using the bus at the moment, they did a road trip through Europe with them, or got a last minute deal on EasyJet 😉

The first part is true. Michalski is Rovers best young keeper The 2nd part could be misinterpreted. Whilst Michalski has played for England U18s, he is not their first choice goalkeeper as your post could inadvertently lead people to believe, he has 3 caps at that level totaling less than 90 minutes, and was omitted from the squad last time around whilst still being eligible This is not to have a dig at Michaski, just to make sure that we are not getting ahead our ourselves with his development. He is not England's stand out in his position in his age group, he is one of several talented young keepers that England have at that level Also, as previously mentioned, he is now 18

The club had to let the players know by Saturday just gone (17th), but have no obligation to make the list public, so your guess is as good as anyone's

Sorry I'm gonna have to diverge a bit here and say I do think him having a Palace shirt is a bit cringe. I've never understood why any Rovers fan would own another club's shirt. Rovers shirts, England shirts, maybe a Darwen shirt if you're a local and like to check out a bit of lower league football. Anything else, absolutely not. You could give me a signed Zidane Real Madrid shirt, or a signed match worn Wharton Palace shirt and the only thing I'd be interested in doing with it would be selling it. I wish him well but another club's paraphernalia is a hard pass from me.

Thanks for answering the query. That sounds like 90% the fault of the ref and our own team, and no need for us to wish Palace every misfortune over 30 years later, as I suspected. Especially since we had the last laugh by getting promoted a few years later and winning the league. Thanks again.

Then that's a currant tea cake.

Rovers at Goodison:

There's a famous saying in Jamaican culture that translates as: "He who does not listen, must feel". No matter what their yes men try to portray over here, it's obvious they are starting to "feel" over in India.

The Guardian had a great description of his laid-back style a week or 2 back. Their reporter described him as "playing like he had both hands in his pockets." Perfect!

I was at that game! Fantastic win. Very Sparton surroundings for us visitors though!

i try to erase that day from my memory,tuned in to the game on radio lancs and from that day on,iv`e never been able to listen to a game on the radio,it scarred me for life,losing semi finals,losing games to burnley,last minutes goals against us ,nothing will ever be as bad as that game in south london

I like both of this season gone's shirts, but couldn't bring myself to buy/wear anything with Venkys on the shoulder.

Sorry, you are wrong. I’m a Darwen baker’s son, and grew up in a bakery. A tea cake in this part of Lancashire has currants in it, one without is a plain teacake.

I’ll have to break it to my Rovers-mad nephew that having 3 ‘Wharton’ shirts (Rovers, England, and Palace) that he’s ‘tinpot’, ‘a bit cringe’, ‘not a real fan’, and whatever other nonsense is being said. There is nothing wrong with following a player’s career and wishing them every success. Idolising a local lad and fellow fan, is just fine. In fact, I would argue it’s something admirable that has been lost from real football fandom, rather than something to be derided. Hellfire, we had a decent circle jerk about Raya performing superbly against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi only a couple of weeks ago and nobody started lashing out at other fans for that. And Raya’s neither a local nor a fan. I’d be interested to know that long list of talented academy products who were alleged Rovers fans that went on to do better than Rovers. I can think of Phil Jones, and… Well maybe Dunny, but he was established and moved sideways. Derbyshire? Gally? Who else? Nobody on Wharton’s level, that’s for sure, and nobody that went up the ladder so easily.

I don’t know but it wouldn’t surprise me.