Remember that day well David but for similar reasons you highlighted! I'd planned to be there myself Tuesday night but my back had other ideas! I hope you bring back the 3 points this time! Have a great trip pal.

Why ? It says I didn't want me and my mate to get tw***ed as we were surrounded by a bunch of morons and nowhere to go, what does it say to you? I'm getting bored now, come on what, mate, FFS? I'm beginning to wonder if you were one of the cowards, mate. Were you? Enough's enough: I hope you have a good day out and a shit afternoon. COYB!! (mate!)

He should do because it's correct, mate. To go further, there were actually Leeds 'women' stood at the back pointing out where the Rovers fans were sat. I sat on my hands mate when Sellars hit the post that would have given us the 3-2 win. Spout and deny all you want about who was what and whatever, it's irrelevant, they were hardly brave lads were they?

I know you're not and that you can't generalise either. He did ask though. Great atmosphere tomorrow, Rovers win and there be no bother whatsoever!

The 'love in' for me started in the Lowfield Stand in the late eighties when I witnessed Leeds brave lads laying into men, women and children indiscriminately, who were Rovers' fans dotted about that bit of a shed, during the second half as we clawed back a 2 goal deficit. Following the match our car was continuously bricked as the car was penned in by other cars on the car park. Two coppers then gripped 2 of the 'brave lads' as they ran away and shoved one of their heads through my windscreen as he was spreadeagled over my bonnet. I've seen nothing since to change my mind and consider that 'scum' is a more than appropriate attachment, mate.

Bear in mind what they're comparing him with at Elland Road previously: bloody hell, Owen Coyle would be world class!

Found a 'good manager', a belting Sky induced financial legup, highest attendances in the division and you're all getting giddy about being mid table, coming to Ewood and giving Rovers a good hiding! Dear me, sorry but I can't abide Leeds. Sheffield United excepted, Rovers could and probably should have won every other game so far this season, on the balance of play, despite not playing particularly well on occasions. If our key players are on their mettle, play with a high pressing tempo up the pitch, there'll be a lot of miserable knuckle draggers hightailing it back over the M62 mid afternoon. Rovers to win no question.

Burke, Robinson and Hird, all also played for 'that lot' too interestingly!

2 pre-season fixtures: Liverpool and Everton. "I know what's a good idea to make a few quid, let's not offer players and club staff any complementaries and charge them face value for any tickets they want instead. It won't demotivate anybody at all because they are all minted." I'll just leave that there for everybody's contemplation, that's how 'in touch' our executives are! Despite them........ COYB!!

I'm laughing out loud 47er, wouldn't that just be great?! I've a sneaking feeling that if we can just hang in there until January, there'll be a touch of positive investment here and there, where we all know where it's needed and we'll kick on in the final third of the season. We all need to play our part but if I were a betting man, I'd stick a couple of quid on Rovers to go up this season and we can then whinge and whine about everything else ...........COYB!!

Absobloodylutely Gumboots, it's ridiculous. I think this thread is going great, we're all so passionate about Rovers and so what if 'CatWeasel' wears a Rovers tie, Owen Coyle did too but he looked a right dick because it didn't match his shorts and socks! In any business, the voice of the customer and their perception, is actually how it is, irrespective of how it's ultimately dressed up.

Absolutely spot on, not everything works for every club because we're all different. Cherry pick ideas as you say. The synic in me can't help but think that there'll be some bugger at Ewood, who's reading this thread, nick all our thoughts and ideas and clean up in some form of commission based scheme based on increased turnover and an agent working along side him.........(jesus, get a life darren!) Beamo!!!

Chaddy, get a grip: We need more bums on seats, please don't take your bat and ball home but join in the conversation. The discussion is not about excusing all and sundry for everything but recognising the fact, that there are things that neither we as supporters, or the club have any control over. Let's discuss what the club and what we as supporters can influence positively. Let's face facts: for one reason or another, 'the club' have p1ssed off thousands over the past 8 years or so, would it not be a smart move to try to address this first and foremost (I don't know how but we're sorry, we ballsed up might go a long way), then a line in the sand could potentially be drawn under that one! You then move on: should the club have consulted with members of the family stand in the upper Blackburn End or in the Darwen End before shunting them elsewhere? Course they bloody should but what's done is done. There's been an absolute clutter f**k of cock ups over the past 8 years but you can't wind back the clock over anything, no matter how hard you try! Accept the many cock ups, apologise for them, acknowledge that the club have learned from their mistakes and wish to endorse sensible fan's opinions on how to move on in the future and you'll put 5 to 8000 on the average gate IMO.

Absolutely correct. You know you're preaching to the converted with me Tony, we generally sing from the same hymn sheet. Why doesn't some bugger actually have the humility to ask those that do know? ( I also have to say, without any other agenda!)

Rovers could do far worse than outsource to and empower a small group of intelligent supporters, incentivise them in some way with the mantra of significantly increasing our core support. It could cost nowt but make thousands....................

You're right on every count Matty. The game was on it's arse back then: despite all the pomp about their support, even Newcastle Utd have had a period of home gates ranging between 6 to 8,000. Regarding our own current plight regarding attendances, it's about time everyone got their heads out of their backsides at BRFC, considered the facts and did something about it, rather than scoring yet another own goal by blaming 'the fans' and veiled threats that we'll have to sell to balance the books. You have to ask the questions of positive or negative impacts regarding attendances on the numerous issues raised on here in this thread alone. All have had a negative impact IMO, otherwise people would not have raised them in the first place. They are ALL absolutely relevant and the sooner the club take them all on board the better. To sum it all up, a new poster was quoting as a potential free buses from the likes of Darwen as an example: good idea. I've gone to Ewood on a bus from a Darwen pub for 30 plus years, it's been great up until recently. In our pomp in the Premier League years, we used to leave the pub at 2.10pm for a 3pm kick off, picked up by a police bike at the boundary, down the outside of queuing traffic and parked up in the one way triangle opposite Macdonalds by 2.30pm. After the match, away by 5pm, police escort to M65 junction 4 again, before the away coaches left, back through Darwen and back in the pub by 5.15pm - it was brilliant and at the time there were 4 or 5 buses from various Darwen pubs on the same scutch for £3 per person and 50p for kids, everyone loved it. Now a days there's at most 2 and usually only one bus picking up at various pubs: there's never a police escort either way, the parking has got progressively worse year on year and this season, they park the bus on the one way system (Blackburn not Darwen side) for collection after the match, meaning that once everyone's on board, you then have to fight your way through traffic along with everyone else. Factor in Owen Coyle appointment after the club had endured Shaw and Shebby, 2 relegations, moving fans for fun without prior consultation, stupid match day surcharges, 12 noon kick offs for big games, no accounting for 18-25s where previously parents had paid for junior tickets, etc etc. Then factor in demography and Sky TV! How many more things to p1ss people off? The club could and should do much more to rectify matters, whilst recognising factors that they can't change. The cheep shot at supporters is incomprehensible, out of order and further compounds the issue IMO. Oh, to feel valued!!..........

You were in The Lowfield Stand at Elland Road when Scott Sellars scored a brace to make it 2-2, were you? No, thought not, had you been and sat on your hands for over an hour, you may appreciate my 'love' for Leeds.

Who gives a f**k, we all hate Leeds Scum and WE ARE The Rovers!! Get in their face!!

Thank f**k you said that, the lad's clearly going to be one hell of a centre forward! COYB!!

That's a great point IMO: For us Kevin Davies was appalling and couldn't trap a bag of cement but he made a bloody good player elsewhere. I have my views on Brereton and certainly question the size of the fee. However, he's a 19 year old kid who looks a unit. The fee will be weighing on him that's for sure but not half as much as the ridiculous amount of criticism being thrown at him by so called supporters. Forget the fee, we as supporters haven't paid it and certainly have no right whatsoever to question the spending when we're struggling to get 10,000 through the door for a home match. Get behind the lad in a positive sense, whether it takes half an hour to tie his shoe laces or not. He's a19 year old kid FFS, half of football is about confidence and what is between the ears, negative vibes so early could ruin him, think about it!

Exactly one of my points in question. Why can the club not do anything about it? Why not ask the question, what would entice them back to Ewood for starters.

There are so many things to consider regarding our potential support and the club needs to get their heads out of their arses, consider them and do something about it: let's not kid ourselves, there still remains a good number that still won't set foot back in Ewood until they are happy with a formal explanation that Venkys have not raped and pillaged our club but that it was down to other 'dark forces' and that the 'stain' has now gone. I spoke personally to 2 groups of acquaintances this week that are in this category, their attitude surprised me in honesty but I respect it nonetheless. They regularly take in away games by the way. The other issue is regarding the match day pricing and surcharge attached to paying on the day, it's ridiculous. We need all the fans we can muster given our demography, never mind penalising those that take a decision to attend, last minute, on the morning of the game. Starting eleven for the game: I'd personally like to see something on the lines of this (admittedly injuries may enforce some changes): Raya Nyambe Lenihan Mulgrew Bell Rodwell Bennett Rothwell Reed Dack Graham I'm really excited at our prospects and so chuffed that we've got some pride back. COYB!!

I'm glass half full Matty, you're half empty! buck up! Sadly you're likely to be proved correct, sad as it may be.

I wouldn't disagree JHR but with a bit of forward planning and thought's 'outside of the box', a great day could be made of it. Meet for brunch at 9.30ish, couple or 3 pints, game and then organise some sort of function for the late afternoon afterwards. I live in hope I know but..................................

Almost 2 weeks away from what should be a brilliant occasion, if our fans come out in numbers to compete with a 7,700 strong, vociferous Darwen End full of 'Leeds Scum'. Few would have thought that at the start of the season this could have been such a pivotal game in the context of the season overall. I sincerely hope that TM throws caution to the wind to a degree and that we attack Leeds in the manner that we all know we are capable. Show too much respect and a central midfield pairing of Smallwood and Evans and I fear we'll get turned over. I hope there's 25,000 plus on the day, here's hoping! COYB! WE ARE The Rovers!!..............