Lad's 17 BigDog, he was thrilled to bits last Christmas with his train set and Buzz Lightyear too, give him a break. I agree with your general comment though.

You must be extremely well connected chaddy to know so much about everyone and everything. If one just assumes everything without even checking, without ever sticking one's toe in the water and being brave, then one will achieve very little. Give the theory a whirl one day, when you automatically assume a negative, you never know it could just turn to be a positive, an absolute master stroke!

They've a bloody good 20 year old centre half/left back playing for them, Scott Wilson, released by The Dingles over the summer. He's a Blackburn lad and Rovers daft too. I'm really surprised Rovers haven't been sniffing.

I bet Dirty Leeds' fans all thought Marcello Bielsa? nah, we've no chance of attracting him to Elland Road, you're having a laugh! Somebody had the foresight to ignore the nay sayers, demonstrate true leadership and the rest is history. You have to try, we were PL Champions of England 25 years ago, steeped in history and success, we're an attractive proposition still IMO. I highlighted a few posts above, a list of brilliant potential managerial candidates that would cost zilch in terms of compensation. You only have to pick the phone up and ask the question and if the answer is no, then we've lost nothing. We have the 'chicken chokers' (as Tyrone says, it makes me laugh every time I see it) holding the purse strings and our under-achieving gaffer's mate as CEO. That's the real problem and until we have a board with a much bigger level of independent empowerment, I fear not much is going to change for the better.

After a thoroughly depressing week of football, 3 games and a solitary point gained, we welcome The Millers to Ewood Park on Wednesday night. They've struggled so far this season particularly away where they've only won once in 9 outings. They also picked up their 2nd win since October yesterday, turning over Bristol City 2-0 at The New York Stadium. Rovers' team selection causes that many conundrums all over the park, I really wouldn't know where to start, other than Kaminski in goal and Elliott fitted in somewhere! I hope our intrepid leader keeps his mouth well and truly shut to any form of media for the foreseeable future, so that he doesn't inflict any further inadvertent damage to club and supporter morale. Old cliché it may be but if ever there was a 'must win game', it should apply here. COYB!! (FFS!)

Yep, proper, innovative, motivational, forward thinking LEADERSHIP tends to work absolute wonders in life

Does anyone think any of the following would be an upgrade on Tony Mowbray? David Wagner, Eddie Howe, Danny Cowley, Gus Poyet, Marco Silva, Mark Hughes, Maurizio Pochettino, Maurizio Sarri, Nigel Pearson, Sam Allardyce, Bruno Lage, Ernesto Valverde, Leonardo Jardim and Massimiliano Allegri. They are all managers of decent quality and ALL are currently out of work. We could really set the cat amongst the pigeons and give a disgruntled Shaun Dyche a call. Any decent CEO or club owner would be sounding this lot out. All food for thought.

Absolutely everything in a nut shell Tony. It really is time for thanks ToMo but toodle pip!

I agree with you but I don't think you should continue to worry about the debt. Let the Rao's do that because without their financial input, that level of debt would never be serviceable by the club alone, promotion to PL or not. The interest payments alone would be £8/10 million annually, without any capital repayments. Managerially, the time to roll the dice is here, whilst there's still sufficient time to positively influence this season's outcome. We're no longer a 'loony bin' club, we'll be sufficiently attractive now to a host of quality managers capable of kicking the club on from the foundations Mowbray has given us. So for me, it's time for "thanks Tony but off you pop".

Exactly, we're the 'new Ipswich' IMO and remind me, where are they now?

No. He's not a manager. Decent coach perhaps but not a manager of men. ( perhaps similar to Ray Harford RIP?) That's my opinion based on direct, personal interactions in the past.

I've not read back through the thread and have no intensions of doing so either, the comments will no doubt be predictable and understandably so. Nor do I want to read whatever platitudes Mowbray spouts either because recently, it's just been the same old shit. Injury problems, Covid issues, Norwich recently relegated from The Prem, we're finding our feet still following promotion from League 1, our budget's not competitive blah, blah, bloody blah! My own opinion is that Mowbray's, Cheston's and Sylvester's recent ramblings in the press, regarding the contractual situation with a host of players, who are all coming to the end of their contracts next summer, has had a serious and detrimental effect on the players' levels of commitment and performance. It was an abject lesson in terms of what not to do with regards to individual and collective motivation. It was disgraceful and totally unprofessional, to say the least. Several players: Holtby and Johnson in particular, looked like they were running on empty on Wednesday and needing a rest, even before ToMo's kick in the nuts. What does our intrepid leader do? selects them both to start today in key roles in central midfield and look at their levels of performance! Despite Mowbray, we really should have had at least a point had we converted just one of the plethora of chances we had, particularly at the start of the second half. I'm seething because it's all just so bloody predictable. For whatever reason, (in truth we all know the answer and he travels daily from Teeside), we look destined again to flatter to deceive and wallow around mid-table until season's end. Mowbray has a lot of good points but he just hasn't got that little bit extra to take us to where we all want and need to be. Not a knee jerk decision/opinion but if we really want to progress, Mowbray needs to be replaced. He's just quite not good enough. I'm really trying to have a balanced opinion and have thoroughly enjoyed the way we have played at times this season but it's a results based business. Who gives a toss how much possession we've had, shots on target, corners etc. We lost again, undeservedly perhaps yet again (there's a pattern developing) but we still got nil points at home against one of our supposed rivals. No doubt we'll hammer The Millers on Wednesday night but so fucking what!

No definitely not: he and Rodders are currently busy mixing batches of Covid-19 vaccine, are they not? I'm sure Tyrone once said he was part of a social media forum for specialist watches, hence the question.

Where is Swag these days anyway? The last 2 press releases on contract matters have been by Mowbray, Sylvester and Cheston. Surely as CEO it's his responsibility? Is he locked down in Tier 3 Kent?

Given up buying and selling watches Tyrone or do I have you confused with someone else on here?

Bob Dylan - Forever Young

I'll be speaking to my Dad tomorrow lunch time, pre-match, so I'll mention it. I know my Grandad went down to London on a special train from Blackburn the day before the Final and came back the day after. He was 18 years old then, worked for GPO in telecommunications but was still considered a minor, as you came of age then at 21. I know my Grandad would say unequivocally (as would my Dad), that the best team he ever saw was the one of the early sixties with Ronnie, Duggie, Noddy, Vernon and the rest. He never mentioned the 1928 side as being anything special but recounts with pride Duggie leaving " everyone on their arses after droppin' 'is shewder an' swervin' a time or two". He often recalled fans being rolled overhead to the front and over the wall, when they'd passed out in the vast crowds at Ewood and being 'up in the rafters' at Maine Road for one FA Cup Semi-Final. I've dug out my memorabilia relating to the 1928 Cup Final and will post it in the nostalgia thread over the next few days when I get a minute. I'll need to put it in some sort of order regarding photographing or scanning though. Programme and ticket is easy enough but the newspaper is broadsheet and complete, not just cuttings. I'll keep you posted

but sadly also twice the liability.

I have a bit of an update regarding Scott Wharton's injury prognosis: It is a torn achilles as everyone suspected and he's sat awaiting being called for an operation to repair it, which could be as early as tomorrow. Unfortunately the recovery from the injury itself is likely to be 9 months after the operation and additional time will be required to allow hime to return to full match fitness. At best it will be 12 months before he is likely to be available for selection again. Such a shame that a young lad that has just broken into the first team has to endure an injury as serious as that. Sad news.

Bad Company - Feel Like Making Love (another classic!)

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama

Wholeheartedly agree, with the exception of one thing: It's getting on my tits a lot!

I like the prospect of that formation and player selection too. I'd be tempted to exchange Dolan for Gallagher, even though Sam is showing signs of improvement in his overall contribution with the exception of finishing. Another slight variation could be to go 352 midweek, exchanging Gallagher for Trybull, to beef up the centre of midfield against The Potters, leaving Elliot and Armstrong up top. Our options these days are endless which is why it is sometimes difficult to understand Mowbray's reluctance to change things early enough, dependant on how a game's progressing.

Being absolutely pedantic, it should read 'across there' too!

Errol Brown - That's How Love Is