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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/04/20 in all areas

  1. Nobody is going to be buying season tickets this summer for a season that is likely to be played behind closed doors. I really don't see how any government can agree to crowds gathering in football stadiums or any other sporting stadium until there is a vaccine or medication to treat the virus - and both seem a long way off. Personally, I wouldn't step foot in a football stadium until one or the other is operating. There is no way you can do social distancing in any ground - just passing someone to get to your seat puts paid to that. Social distancing is going to be with us well into next year so quite how footballers play a game whilst staying one or two metres apart is beyond me whether games are behind closed doors or not. I fully understand why players are reluctant to put their own and the health of their loved ones on the line. There is no way that the authorities should be asking them to do that - particularly if money for clubs is the driving force. At the end of the day the health of players and everyone else involved in putting on games is far more important than finishing this season or starting the next one. When frontline workers can't get PPE equipment and testing is still very hit and miss it would be criminal to put those resources into football. Ultimately, lives are far more important than football.
    9 points
  2. Behind closed doors football is an absolutely pathetic idea, especially abroad IMO. Get it finished over here, in front of stadiums with fans, or just null and void it, if that’s not possible. Just proves that money is more important than the supporters, as if there was any doubt! Also, re the Preston comments- I think that relates to their manager saying that clubs who have furloughed staff, therefore saving money, shouldn’t then be allowed to smash loads of transfer fees when the season restarts. Seems fair enough to me tbh.
    5 points
  3. I think everything especially in the Football League points to finishing the season being unrealistic and I think that would be the correct decision. The amount of tests and other resources needed, the risk of supporters congregating etc make it far too big of a risk. I also think the Premier League should follow the same protocol rather than pie in the sky ideas such as finishing the season off in a different continent. And no bollocks about having extra teams in leagues next season or awarding things on "sporting merit" just call it null and void now distribute the prize money etc and then theres a bit of clarity. I think it is difficult to announce anything at the moment because the situation is so fluid and we dont have any real idea when it could be safe and realistic especially to allow fans back in again. I have written off fans being able to attend games until at least 2021 but even then something I hadnt factored in was the potential legal and logistical nightmare of opening the doors half way through and teams feeling disadvantaged by that. That would be dissapointing because this season I can understand but the fixtures for next season havent even been drawn yet and you wouldnt want football to be unavailable to fans once the announcement has been made that it is safe for fans to attend again. But it looks like we wont be attending games until August 2021. Initially the prospect of any football even behind closed doors was an exciting prospect because its better than nothing but I think i am now of a mindset where I am unsure if I would be particularly interested in football behind closed doors, perhaps partly due to a realisaton of its importance or lack of in the grand scheme of things at the moment.
    5 points
  4. Not everyones cup of tea Simon Jordan, but I have always liked him. Tells it as it is.
    5 points
  5. Hi all, Two things, firstly thank you all so much for the good wishes, it genuinely gave me a huge lift when I heard about this thread. A quick update, I'm now home with the family and recovering. Both me and my wife (as I feared both working in the NHS) got Covid, it was awful for a week and both very poorly. I suddenly took a turn for the worse and was rushed into Hospital with a Temp of 41.2 and was admitted into intensive care. Covid, Pneumonia and Sepsis basically kicked the life out of me for several days and it was very much touch and go if I survived or not. I spent 5 days in intensive care in a pressurised oxygen CPAP hood (looked like a minion) and faced multiple organ failure. The Hospital had discussed ventilating me with my wife but luckily I started to respond to treatment. I spent a further 7 days on the Intensive care ward oxygen whilst my bloods where treated then 5 days on a general ward. I was discharged over 1.5 stone lighter (not a bad thing lol) Covids parting shot was leaving me with Type 1 Respiratory System Failure, which I should fully recover from in 6-8 weeks. Physically I feel quite well although very fatigued and get very breathless if walking about. My Oxygen levels are holding up well and my heart rate is lowering from dangerously high towards normal. Im improving day by day. ALL The staff at Royal Blackburn are immense & true heroes, I can never thank them enough or put into words how amazing they all are. They saved my life literally. I'm one of the lucky ones and I hope and pray for every one else struck with the virus.... Please all stay safe
    5 points
  6. One controversial shout for a player who was always popular but both at the time and after his departure slightly underappreciated has to be Jordan Rhodes. There was always an undercurrent of people trying to find holes in what he couldnt do and a blatant under-appreciation of quite how ridiculous his goal record was. 3 full seasons in teams that ranged from shambolic in the first year to more stable in the second and third (with obvious major flaws still existing) he got 27, 25 and 21 goals. Then a further 10 in a half season prior to his departure. It takes incredible anticipation, composure and intelligence to be so consistently prolific. We have been lucky to have since had Graham and Dack but even in League 1 neither could smash the 20 goal barrier Rhodes did every full season he was here. Goals always will be priority 1 from a striker, he was an absolute guarantee. His post Rovers career is pretty irrelevant to how good he was here, played a key role in Boro's promotion but went to 2 clubs who clearly had bought him without necessarily the managers final say and I think hes suffered a crisis of confidence but it doesnt take away his extraordinary consistency here.
    4 points
  7. A “controlled pause” might be a the way out of this. There is no vaccine likely until next year, which is at least halfway through the season. This means social distancing will be required for at least another 8-10 months and no crowds at games. So there is plenty of time to spare in between. Restart the 2019/20 season in February or March 2021 and call it season 2019-21 (2020 is the year that never was for the rest of us anyway) and finish the matches that are currently left. PL players don’t get paid until the season restarts next year - although their own clubs make sure they aren’t destitute and also pay for their training regimes, contracts are extended by 12 months. Each PL club and/or Sky/BT puts their money into a big pot which funds the wages and hibernation/maintenance costs for the Championship, L1 and L2 clubs for the intervening period. At a fraction of the cost of their own wages. Agents (and people like Roy Keane) will fight tooth and nail against this of course because they “deserve” to get paid on their contracts.
    3 points
  8. I sincerely hope after the furore over the lack of testing kits that the 'moneybags' PL aren't allowed to enter a Dutch Auction for them and in turn deprive people far more worthy of testing.
    3 points
  9. It seems clear that next season will be behind closed doors - if it takes place. But ultimately, social distancing means that football cannot take place without putting the health of players at risk and, quite rightly, players are now objecting. The Government has today given plans for people in their workplace in the coming months and social distancing is a key part of that. Would you really expect football not to follow the health advice? As for PPE equipment - there is a worldwide shortage so how do you justify it being used by football clubs? Tests need to go where they are needed not to football clubs even if the PL want to pay for them. Why would any player put themselves on a long haul flight to Australia in the present situation - particularly as the government is advising against such travel. It may well be that some clubs go under during the next eighteen months - there are any number of businesses that will struggle to survive so football is not alone. Health is far more important than football chaddy. This virus has put the importance of football into perspective - compared to the lives of loved ones it's not important at all.
    3 points
  10. There will be legal issues regardless of how it is settled. If its null and void, those at the top of, in the promotion places or outside the relegation places in their relevant league will probably create legal cases. If it is done on sporting merit that would be a legal minefield. Conversely if the season is finished behind closed doors, teams will argue about advantages and disadvantages, for example Brighton have said that they dont think its fair because they lose home advantage from their surplus of remaining home games. There is no perfect solution nor any way of avoiding potential legal cases due to the current situation. It certainly isnt black and white to potentially put people at risk (footballers, other parties involved and their respective families) and also use up previous, finite resources. Unless I am missing something I dont see how playing football behind closed doors would prevent clubs from financial ruin. Agreeing this as soon as possible would allow an agreement to be put in place regarding distribution of prize money, solidarity payments etc. Also, if they play games again surely full wages will need to be paid? The morale argument is fairly flimsy too. Many people wont be affected because they have no interest in football so this idealistic scenario in which the nation is glued to TVs is unrealistic. Theres also the timebomb of fans congregating, especially outside stadiums which will happen. Will Liverpool fans all peacefully watch from home or will the minority of idiots be desperate to party at the stadium following finally winning a League title? There is also the issue of player welfare. What if players refuse to risk their own health and that of their families for the sake of playing arbitary games in front of no one? Do you think you will be glued to matches on TV in front of no fans or do you think you would lose interest and place less importance to those games?
    3 points
  11. If some of the PL clubs want to finish the season just playing for places with no relegation, there is absolutely no point in completing the Championship fixtures. If all leagues are to finish they must do so with promotion and relegation, otherwise it’s a waste of time.
    3 points
  12. It doesn't look like Fleetwood are planning on re-starting the season any day now. Their pitch was just on the TV news. It's been stripped completely in preparation for re-turfing.
    2 points
  13. Difficult to argue with any of that really. JR was definitely a bit of a throwback in the sense that he was an old fashioned poacher, but by God he was good at it!!
    2 points
  14. We’ll bottle it even in a virtual game.
    2 points
  15. Agree, it is going to be interesting to see what happens with the Rugby League on the East Coast once it gets up and running. I would hope the WA Gov if they are seriously considering the PL thing , will be monitoring it , as it could possibly be the blueprint but on a much larger scale with 20 teams and officials from outside the border instead of one It does seem at the moment that stringent checks are being carried out, at least one player from the NZ team was stopped from travelling because he had a cough. Obviously no one can account for human behviour, particular for those involved in sporting codes with a reputation for out of office activities.
    1 point
  16. Just woke up to this news, very sad. Very talented keyboard player which along with JJ's Bass gave The Stranglers that unique sound that set them apart in the early punk scene and over the following years.
    1 point
  17. Ultimately this question should be well down the list of priorities but its a fair one. If the season is null and void it essentially doesnt exist, no promotions, no relegations, start next season with the same teams in the same divisions. Its unfortunate, but its the only way, in terms of health, safety and even logistically. Going to Australia for example, you have the feelings of the players as you are banking on 100% co-operation, you are assuming that there is 0% risk in Australia, and even if that got finished there, you wouldnt be able to do the Championship too so it wouldnt resolve promotion/relegation. The last day of our season would have been yesterday, to put into context of the logistical nightmare that would ensue even if it was safe now. Legal reasons are NOT a reason to make a certain decision, as not only are they certainly down the list in terms of importance, but they are unavoidable however the season is ended/not ended. An equal amount of teams will feel hard done by no matter what. The FA should show some leadership and null and void the season now. You have teams coming in doing half arsed training sessions knowing full well that the date of the supposed restart is not feasible, but potentially increasing the risk. I think Mowbray said as much yesterday. That way, they can still stay somewhat in shape individually from home without increasing any risk, and there is a good couple of months whereby no further decision has to be rushed, and without the desperation to finish the 19/20 season hanging over like a cloud. The prize money can be agreed, ideally in a way whereby the Premier League money can trickle down effectively to keep lower clubs afloat, and distributed as soon as possible, another thing which will be delayed by trying to finish the season. The issue obviously wont go away before the start of next season, but we dont know the exact date when fans can attend games, even assuming that it will be safe before the end of next season. There is obviously plenty of time hopefully for clubs to come to an agreement whereby before the fixtures are arranged, games will be played behind closed doors until (and if) its safe to allow fans in. It is not essential but that would hopefully remove any legal ramifications from teams feeling they are disadvantaged, whilst not increasing the amount of time that supporters can not attend, and of course the financial issues that would be caused. I do appreciate and empathise with your desperation to get the football back but it just doesnt seem possible any time soon, and some clarity and a firm and immediate decision to null and void the season would be a big step in the right direction.
    1 point
  18. 1/ John Barton, John Butcher and Jason Brown. 2/ El-Hadji Diouf, Carlos Villanueva and Tugay Kerimoglu. 3/ Andy Cole and Paul Dickov. 4/ Buxton. 5/ Matt Jansen. 6/ Bolton Wanderers. The attendance was 62,522. 7/ Arsenal. 8/ Six. 83-84 v Derby (h) and Portsmouth (h) 86-87 v Sunderland (h) 88-89 v Oldham (h) and Man City (h) 89-90 v Barnsley (h) 9/ O'Keefe, Price, Sulley, Barker, Keeley, Mail, Miller, Ainscow, Hendry, Garner, Sellars. Subs: Patterson and Branagan 10/ David Batty. 11/ Watford.
    1 point
  19. Style Council - You're the Best Thing (Beat OJF to it! ?)
    1 point
  20. Gladys Knight And The Pips - You’re The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me
    1 point
  21. so 90odd friendlies whats the point, void the season and split the parachute payments that the relegated teams would have got between the championship.
    1 point
  22. Do they not have covid in Australia? Would any quarantine period on return not count
    1 point
  23. Soul II Soul - Keep on Movin'
    1 point
  24. How is it patronising people to be proud of our club’s history? This club was shaped by these people who you look down on for something as obscure and trivial as wearing a flat cap - the uniform of their generation. More patronising is being told how to “fan” by some who ditched us to go and watch City at a time when we really needed support. Your attempts to tell us how we should be doing it are, at best, hollow I’m afraid.
    1 point
  25. In an effort to relieve the boredom I have put together a Rovers specific quiz for which I will post the answers on a new thread. No googling and the referees decision is final ??. 1/ Rovers have had three goalkeepers with the initials JB - name them. 2/ There have been three Rovers players in recent times whose full names contain all five vowels. Can you name them? 3/ Six clubs have won the EPL. Only two players have played for four of them (not necessarily when they won it though). Who are they? 4/ Tony Parkes joined Rovers from which non league club in 1970? 5/ Who was Rovers leading goalscorer in the successful Worthington Cup campaign in 2001-02? 6/ Who were Rovers opponents when the record attendance was set at Ewood? For a bonus what was it (generously I'll give you to the nearest one hundred). 7/ Who were Rovers opponents in their first ever EPL game at Ewood? 8/ How many hat-tricks did Simon Garner score for Rovers? 9/ Name the Rovers team that won the Full Members Cup against Charlton in 1987? 10/ Which former Rover missed a penalty against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup in France? 11/ Which club did Ken Furphy leave to join Rovers as manager in 1970? Answers on a separate thread soon.
    1 point
  26. No matter how the game changes, nothing will ever change the fact that goalscoring is the number one priority of a striker though. I dont think its realistic to expect Championship to be good at everything. Ultimately I also felt that people overstated other areas of his game, but the proof was in the pudding in terms of the limits that put on his ability to score goals, ie very little. For example, Armstrong is lightning quick, but Rhodes was at least as effective in behind because the timing of his runs was far, far better, Armstrong often caught offside, and once he got in behind, he was clinical whereas Armstrong probably misses more than he scores and is more of a scorer of great goals rather than a great goalscorer. He was also of no use if we went direct but he wasnt useless with his head, he did score quite a few headers when he again used his intelligence to get a yard. I dont think theres been a better consistent Championship striker in the last decade than Rhodes as he was here, barring obvious exceptions like Mitrovic of players who maybe spent a year here post relegation. I also feel that he can be considered underrated just because his unrelenting goal record over 3 and a half season was remarkable and made him the best striker around at this level at that time.
    1 point
  27. Perhaps we could do with more decision makers like him. A realist rather than a head in the sand planner.
    1 point
  28. Joe South - Games People Play
    1 point
  29. No such thing as integrity when you just want to push it to get games on to get tv money in and sort out the Champions/Euro spots but scrap relegation. Big clubs big clubs big clubs, money money money. Do it properly for everybody IF it's safe to do so otherwise write this season off and start afresh When it's safe to do so. That's integrity.
    1 point
  30. Joe Brown & the Bruvvers - A Picture of You
    1 point
  31. I agree and there are several items which have been raised which will bring into question the integrity of the game. The Chief Exec of Brighton has already stated that out of their remaining nine games five are at home and playing at neutral venues would take away that advantage.
    1 point
  32. The integrity of the competition will have already gone out of the window if they have to play at neutral venues.
    1 point
  33. The Who - Pictures of Lily
    1 point
  34. What you need to bear in mind is not everybody posting on here got dealt the same hand when it came to grey matter. Some got short changed. Once you look at things in that light you become more understanding.
    1 point
  35. It's just making it more apparent that it's all about the dosh.
    1 point
  36. This is a throwback thread. A bit of nostalgia for interested fans. Ideally with a few photos. It doesn’t need to become another thread hijacked for your anti-parochial ideals. Didn't I read a post from you saying that you weren’t coming back to Rovers anyway and were going to watch other clubs (but not City so that’s ok)?
    1 point
  37. The Jam - The Dreams of Children
    1 point
  38. Max Romeo - Wet Dreams
    1 point
  39. Mark Hughes as a player would be my shout for this. Played a vital part in our promotion year in 2001, we had been stumbling a bit early season and he came in and made an instant impact with 2 goals on his debut. Important goals against Stockport and Preston that year too. Also, that performance in central midfield against Spurs in the cup final the year after, absolutely bossed it at 38 years old.
    1 point
  40. Not sure what would be more depressing. If we didn’t make the virtual play-offs - or if we did!
    1 point
  41. Good morning & welcome to Inbred FM. Today's hot topic - Washing. Is it ok or not? Give us a call. 01282 666 666
    1 point
  42. Well just finished watching it and really enjoyed it. I don’t think we’ll ever see anything again based around the emergence of the professional game, certainly not focussing on Darwen and Blackburn. Even though some of the facts might not have been too precise, the overall story was and this was the only time I’ve ever come close to really understanding what those times might have actually been like. some of the posts on this thread have also brought some reality to those days, so thanks to those that helped there. It’s the nearest I’ve been to feeling any kind of reality to our history, even though it was just a TV production. I also took the time to refresh my memories of Lord Kineard, Old Etonians ( who still play in the Arthurian league), the Wanderers and the Engineers. I would recommend anyone who’s interested in the evolution from the amateur game to the professional game, or is simply interested in the early days of football to watch it. why did they never call us Blackburn “ROVERS”? That baffles me.
    1 point
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