In the last 10 seasons two teams have been relegated with 49 or more points - Reading had 50 last year, and then us on 51. That's got to get us over the line, surely

Ah the good old 5-5-0 formation, just what we need

We've only seen him in the odd cameo appearance but Markanday is improving this season. He'll presumably come good in the last season of his contract, score a bunch of goals and leave on a free, such is the Rovers way.

It's bloody telling that at 80 minutes at 0:0 we have no attacking players to bring off the bench to try and win this. Southampton changed their entire front three.

Honestly I fully gave up last week for the first time this season and didn't even check the score until about 6 and that seemed to work ok, so we might not want my engagement here.

Or he knew he was a limited footballer and recognised that this was possibly his career opportunity to play top division football on top division wages for a couple of seasons. One of the promoted sides might well take a punt on him next season - it wouldn't surprise me to see him warming a premier league bench for a season or two more, probably on three times the wage he'd be getting here. Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all happy with the manner in which he left the club but I find it hard put the blame for it squarely on him. Absolute incompetence and poor management behind the scenes.

There was a rumour that an amount of the first portion of the Wharton money would have to be given straight to Adam, who had a clause in his contract entitling him to 10% of his sale price (ie. 1.8m up front). The delay in the transfer was, allegedly, that Swag was trying to get out of paying it, or to pay it over the course of the contract (so 10% of each payment received). I don't have any insight as to whether this is accurate or not, but it might explain why the first instalment of the cash is underwhelming.

At least when Mowbray was brought in we fought to stay up, got a high enough points total to stay up most years. We looked better than before he was appointed (not a high bar, and yes I know we still got relegated) This is dire

Might stop us lumping it forward tbf

You know I was told that Leo was really good by someone who had seen him play a few times in Norway. I'm still waiting for it to happen.

This feels like a strangely important game. The players need to show that they can carry the performances shown on Tuesday into a league game, the manager needs to show that the tactics and motivation weren't just for the cameras. Our squad is thin, so we will inevitably play some of the guys who haven't looked up to it this season, we all know the players I'm talking about - against Newcastle they turned in performances to a man to match a much higher opposition. They need to show that it wasn't a one off. Feels odd to say but I'd prefer another draw if we look like maintaining that style and quality over a win where we look shaky but manage to make it happen anyway - I think that over the course of the rest of the season we'll get more points that way. Obviously a win in good style is ideal. A defeat and poor performance could undo all the positivity and be if anything more damaging than usual.

You know what, if he was free and I had any faith in our coaching I might be persuaded to take a chance on Koumetio...

Nah I'm enjoying seeing them sulk

I'll be honest, I almost didn't watch. Thought we'd get minced, and not in a normal fatalistic rovers fan kind of way but in a certain grim almost numb way. I haven't had a great time of it for the last few weeks and thought twice about putting myself through watching it. So unbelievably proud here. Even our bad players have been good. Even if we lose. On TV, under pressure, heads high.

Pears is grinning, he looks confident and like he's enjoying himself.