You were right Gav (although your draw prediction was a bit awry). 😂😂

1700 Rovers fans going to Leeds today. Great effort and probably the one constant of recent times.

Only the health and safety police 😁.

I actually predicted a win at Sunderland Gav based on not much more than a gut feeling. Today feels different somehow however I will concede that my judgement could well be impaired by the Bristol debacle. Confidence took a real hammering on Wednesday and the things we have done well under Eustace like being solid just evaporated. I sincerely hope I'm congratulating you tonight on your accurate prediction and will be delighted to be wrong 😁.

I'm really desperate and after checking the weather forecast for Leeds it has changed to an 80% chance of rain between 1 and 3 pm and in my view the wetter the pitch the higher the tempo Leeds will play at. I can normally find some little thing to give me hope before any game but today I can't - even the weather Gods are conspiring against us.

It does still fit actually but I would have to get around the pitch with a motorised scooter 😃😃

After the shit show that we are experiencing with our seniors it was really enjoyable to see a committed and aggressive performance from our under 21's. Igor Tyjon will get the plaudits for his two goals, the second which was terrific but for me Isaac Whitehall was the stand out player. Playing in the middle of a three he won everything in the air, tackled like his life depended on it and played when the opportunity arose. I also thought Adam Caddick looked promising. Interestingly Batty was taken off and stormed down the tunnel. Perhaps that's an example of why he can't get close to the first team. For lots of young Rovers players it's coming up to decision time and I expect quite a few to be released. Hopefully they get fixed up and go on to have successful careers.

When you think how much money they made from cup runs and promotion the punishment doesn't actually for the crime. It's almost akin to playing an unregistered player as in theory he doesn't belong to them.

This should really be in the Leeds thread but I don't know how to do it 😃. I have written to Waggott and sent him the link advising him that Saturday's referee is a confirmed Sheffield Wednesday fan. I got an email back thanking me and saying he has forwarded my email to the Secretarial Department. Leadership eh?

I was told about this yesterday morning and found it strange that he couldn't referee Birmingham because of their relegation scrap with Huddersfield but can referee us who are also in the relegation mix. I know Birmingham complained and this forced the change. We have James Bell on Saturday who is a self confessed Sheffield Wednesday can according to this article. https://www.scfc2.co.uk/referees/james-bell/

Steven Schumacher at Stoke could be another after having managed Plymouth for half a season. Do you mean Bassett at Sheffield United Andy?

My fear after last night is that Eustace will go with a back five after last night. Doing that would play into their hands and allow them to overrun us. I would be quite happy to see Hyam and Brittain left out and replaced with Carter and JRC. Bring Garrett into midfield and at least we look more competitive rather than rolling over like last night.

We said the same about Carter. We were being pulled all over by their mobility and Eustace brought on a 37 year old leaving a young, athletic centre half on the bench. Poor decision from Eustace.

This weekend we have Sheffield Wednesday v Stoke. A win for either and they are level with us assuming we lose at Leeds. Pretty much every set of fixtures now have games like this. The Sheffield Wednesday game right now looks huge.

Just got in and I'm still confused. After Sunderland lots of us said 'where did that come from' in genuine disbelief at the performance and the score. We could say the same after this game but from a polar opposite perspective. Individual errors have done us tonight but I thought the spark was missing, the pace and intensity sorely lacking and we paid a real price for it. Eustace should leave some of the more calamitous players out on Saturday but I don't for one second think he will. My belief is that he doesn't really like upsetting players and likes to keep them sweet. This is based on nothing more than his interviews when he uses superlatives to describe them and the cringeworthy use of nicknames. I have warmed to him in many aspects but in my view he needs to get tough and even if they are senior players they should be axed after the disaster tonight. One thing for sure is that four more performances like this will more than likely see us relegated.

Which clubs and who were the players involved?

He said it. It doesn't matter if he was told to say it or not (personally I don't believe he was). It's on him, he insulted our intelligence.

It was Cheston who called Coyle the 'outstanding candidate' when he was appointed thus insulting us and our club. For that alone I'll not be sorry to see him go.

It was interesting yesterday that we were zonal marking on Southampton corners and one of these markers was Gallagher who normally picks up a centre half. And it worked because he got the first contact on at least three of the five corners they had.

Did anybody else notice that Ewood didn't get its usual soaking by the sprinklers yesterday but almost a cursory few seconds before and at half time. A deliberate ploy by Eustace to keep the pitch dry and impede their passing game?

The game plan was really good and I think it's almost unanimous that we were deserving of the point. In fact we could have nicked it with a bit more composure in the penalty area. We looked solid pretty much throughout and despite the possession stats weighing heavily in Southampton's favour we were quite comfortable and I was never unduly worried. Once again the collective stood out but Callum Brittain deserves a special mention not just for today but the last few games. I have been critical of him in recent times but I'm happy to be wrong right now. I firmly believe that Tronstad is the glue that holds us together in this system. His tidy, effective way of breaking up play and keeping possession is perfect for us. We aren't out of the woods yet and a combination of results in midweek could see us tumbling but I take great comfort in the knowledge that we are more than capable of keeping clean sheets against anybody in this league.

He is the third choice now and as such will be at Ewood to cover injury/illness to Pears and Wahlstedt.

Rovers under 21's are playing Liverpool at noon today.

As ever I really want us to win today because that is the most important thing but I have a couple of other reasons too. I can't stand Martin. His air of superiority and arrogance is so much of what I despise and his touchline demeanour leaves a lot to be desired. And it looks like he dyes his hair and beard black too 😃. Another reason is Harwood-Bellend. Unless you were at the game you might not have seen it but the way he celebrated at the Turd after they beat us last season was over the top to say the least. He danced right in front of us in an antagonistic way. I understand he was doing similar in the match at Ewood too. So to knock them two cretins off their arrogant perch with a win would be so satisfying.

And Rotherham were awful despite us wanting them to get something. It occurred to me whilst watching that we dropped nine points to those two and conceded eight goals in the process. Another five dropped against Huddersfield too. Just winning those games against poor teams would have put us on the cusp of the playoffs.