den

Very classy gumboots. They were talking about Bairstow on commentary saying how he’s been dropped from every team he’s played at. They weren’t saying he should have been dropped, they were just pointing that out. Thing is, when he’s struggling he looks totally lost, he looks like he’s never held a bat before. Ive seen him a number of times and to me he is a top, top performer. I love his application. He might not have that classy style of others, but he’s so very effective at what he does.

This innings Tyrone. Sibley out for a duck, Crawley gone for 5.

Talking about openers, both gone for a total of 5 runs.

Park pitch @oldjamfan1

Rovers should be embarrassed. Venkys should be asking questions. The days of the river Darwen being attributable to the dreadful state of Ewood every winter are long gone. Not too long ago that pitch didn’t flood, the drainage was excellent. Theres only one reason, - neglect. Neglect of a wonderful stadium and neglect of a perfectly fine playing surface.

That’s nothing Tyrone. I once played on a pitch so muddy that both my boots came off - stuck in the mud. A high lob from our keeper saw the ball disappear underground. Despite all the team players and half the crowd digging with shovels, we never saw the ball, or my boots again. It finished 0-0. Match abandoned after the floodlights were no longer any use because of being covered by the mud from the shovels.

You know - and I know, none of those can do that job.

I would have preferred a centre forward. God knows that’s so obvious.

What Mowbray has assembled is a squad of players, quite a few of which have good creative qualities and good technique. What Mowbray hasn’t done at any time since he’s been here, is assemble a squad that has the foundations or base for a promotion push. He looks as far away from that at the moment as he’s ever done. I just don’t think Mowbray has that mental strength or ability, to make any squad into a tough, winning unit.

All Doncaster had to do was stay disciplined and win anything in the box. That’s ALL they had to do. They didn’t even need a decent shot on target. Talk about easy. We don’t have a centre forward to win flick ons or get onto the end of things in the box. That was obvious pre season and it’s costing us dearly now.

I think you’re all being a bit harsh on Pears. That pitch is hard you know, he could hurt himself diving. That will be the hard pitch that has undersold heating.

Pitch looking awful for a club of our standing.

Watched Benedict Cumberbatch in the imitation game. A film about Alan Turing. Not a new film, but very good. What I’d never realised was that even into the fifties, this country offered homosexual men a choice of a prison sentence or hormonal therapy if they had been found guilty of “indecent activities” - whatever that is exactly. Turing took the hormonal therapy along with its side effects. Can’t believe our country did that.

Is he fit nowadays?

PL? Are Middlesbrough completely out of players? Some twitterites suggesting Phil Jones.

1-0 going into final phase away from home? Dangerous times without that second goal.

Using Rhodes as an example isn’t a great idea DE. He can’t get a game anywhere because of his failings. As for Armstrong, if he wants to improve as a player for the benefit of himself and the team, then there’s certainly room for it. Is that not just common sense?

If Brum continue to defend like that, we’re in for a big win.

Took it well, but shocking defending. Allowed to run from wide on half way, unchallenged.

Is that the worst back 4 we’ve ever fielded? I reckon it’s the weakest I’ve ever seen.

Can’t imagine that being my kind of thing Mike E.

Gets better as the series go. Have you seen the kids reaction when they walked in on mum and dad having sex? Thought I’d better explain, no - nothing to see there, it isn’t that kind of show.

Watched that one as well now. Again, it’s very good. The Andrew Neill interview was, looking back, very telling. Knowing what we do now, Savilles nasty side was there to be seen. In the 60’s a close friend of mine was quite close to a number of the nursing staff who worked in the Leeds hospital where Saville did voluntary work. Saville used to make a lot of his voluntary work in the press and on TV. That work impressed the public who saw him as some kind of do Gooder, but it didn’t impress the nursing staff who worked alongside him. They thought he was in it for himself. They saw no benefit in him being around, in fact they very definitely didn’t like him at all. They thought he was working against their own interests. That surprised me to be honest. I couldn’t really believe what I was being told. They were right though weren’t they. He was up to no good and even though they probably didn’t know “exactly” what he was up to, they knew a dodgy character when they saw one. I wonder if they were shocked when after his death, the truth was exposed.

Just finished the last of Schitts creek. It goes beyond being funny. You grow into the programme and the characters. There is a follow up episode that’s worth watching. The show went huge and I can see why.

My advice would be to take a look at how big Sam set his team up at Liverpool. Take a look at how Dyche sets his Burnley side up. Two fairly experienced, solid lines of four or five if necessary, in front of the keeper, which move from right to left following the field of play, whose primary concern is to stop the other side from creating chances. That’s the base that they play from. Think of that, then if you get the chance take a look at Huddersfield’s second goal again - and explain to me what on earth those players were doing. As much as I applaud the type of football he’s trying to play, there has to be discipline. The top sides can do both, they can play a quick passing game while still keeping shape. If you aren’t getting results, then revert to the basic principle of discipline and shape. In Mowbrays current line up we are doing neither. His subs last night pointed to him having lost the plot completely.