Did anyone else think Elliott was far more dangerous when he switched to the left late on? It gave us the added dimension of crosses from the byline. This would ultimately suit a player like Gallagher centrally, whereas Brereton cutting inside everytime profits Armstrong. If we ever get them all fit, there are huge battles for a starting place. I struggle to see a start for Bell, Evans, Dolan, Buckley, Chapman, Davenport and others due to really terrific recruitment. We could have a massive chance this year if Mowbray can muster a mean, tight back four. The rest takes care of itself.

Kaminski, Douglas, Trybull and Elliott are huge upgrades on previous seasons, so well done Mowbray on that score. Putting Holtby and Brereton in their current positions has also strengthened us massively. I think our most worrisome conundrum now is the right back position. A combination of the attributes of Nyambe and JRC would be perfect but Ryan gives us zero end product going forward and Joe can be shaky defensively. How about (bear with me here) giving Travis a couple of games there when fit? He doesn't get in my midfield at the moment but played right back for years as a youngster. He is a better defender than JRC and better winger than Nyambe. His competitive edge and desire make him hard to leave out but I like our current midfield options too much to put him straight back there Worth a try?

I certainly wouldn't put him in a front three. Our current pacy style up front doesn't suit him and wouldn't suit the team at the moment either. He could take the Holtby or Rothwell role playing forward of the holding player (Trybull). He needs to be able to ghost into the box as he is the best finisher at the club. Holtby manages to do that, so Dack could too. I think Dack and Holtby will compete for the same position to be honest. Playing them together might make us a bit light in a midfield three. In all likelihood, one of them will probably be injured, leaving the door open for the other, so it may not be an issue.

It seemed to me that Lenihan played on the left of the two at the weekend with Ayala playing left last night. I don't think either of them are comfortable there at all. Maybe they can adjust but we don't really have time for that experiment. Williams is going to have to come in. The whole back four looked unsettled last night. One of the problems is caused by having Johnson and Evans together. They don't have the mobility of the likes of Travis or Trybull and the result is that Brereton ends up being criticised for failing to track all the way to his own six yard box. He is supposed to be in a front three for goodness sake! Where was Corry Evans at the time? With a more mobile midfield, I think the first two goals could have been snuffed out. Rothwell's tracking back is vastly improved this season and we are missing his energy and movement. I think with a proper centre half pairing and the return of our better players we can be very competitive indeed: Kaminski Nyambe Ayala Williams Douglas Holtby Trybull Rothwell Elliott Armstrong Brereton Probably our strongest line-up since the sensational team assembled by Bowyer some years ago. (Which he didn't have the experience /nous to get promoted).

I definitely want to see the above line-up but would like to have a look at Ayala and Williams together as a natural right/left pairing. I think Lenihan will be exposed quite easily in the coming weeks if he remains on the left of the two.

I'm not sure if this has been posted here before or whether I might have even posted it myself in the past, but the below link is from the archives of Great Harwood FC and is an extremely detailed look at the career of Bryan Douglas. I imagine it has more information on Duggie than anything else on the internet. For someone like myself who wasn't born until after he retired, but listened so often to my Grandad talking about him, it is a fascinating read. My Grandad was born in 1915 and died in 1994 which means he was born a year after we won the 1st Division title and died a year before we won it again. He started watching Rovers in the early '20s and I last went with him in 1993. He saw them all but thought Duggie was easily the best. So many stories. http://www.greatharwoodtown.co.uk/bryandouglas.html

This thread has developed into an absolutely brilliant read. Some of these stories are priceless.Keep them coming please. Reading earlier in this thread about the Kenny Samson Derek Statham comparison reminded me of a documentary about Bobby Robson. Apparently he couldn't remember his players names and always called Samson Derek Statham. He called Shay Given Shay Brennan, and best of all, called Bryan Robson Bobby.

Yes

I agree with this. However, I cant see exactly how Dack would fit into this system.

Back in late 1984 aged 13, I was an avid reader of Roy Of The Rovers. At that time, I did a paper round six mornings a week, getting up at 6.30am and earning the princely sum of £2.50 per week. Therefore, I was very interested in the below message printed on the letters page. I thought for a bit about some Rovers trivia which might be sufficiently interesting to get published so I could more than double my meagre weekly wage. I sent a letter off and waited... Imagine my surprise when my letter was duly published in January 1985. I hot footed it down to the Post Office and cashed my postal order that very day.

Cracking goal by Simon there in the '83 clash. He was about 23 years old there and scored twenty odd goals that season and the next. Regardless of his reputation as a bit of lackadaisical trainer / 'refuelling issues' etc, you cant argue with those numbers and unquestionably if he produced those statistics for our current side he would be playing in the Premiership. Just not for Burnley...

Have we got one? Oh the excitement!!

Baz, Sparky, Faz Jesper, Jim Bran, Big Norm, McGrath, windy Miller bending (maybe) and Gennoe. I was 13 years old and on the Riverside that night somewhere under that Perspex banner. Massive infiltration on that end by the Utd support who mocked everything in sight at our beautiful ground. Gutted for Baz that night.

That's an interesting line up FK and has got me thinking differently about things. How about a slight variation: Kaminski Nyambe Lenihan Williams Bell -Travis Holtby JRC Buckley -Brereton Armstrong

Alan Ball perhaps?

I daresay you are being flippant there. He also cost seventy times as much as Jimmy Greaves cost Spurs but that was back in 1961. Brereton was born in the same year as Buckley, Rankin Costello, Stefan Mols, Dan Butterworth etc. He didn't demand to be transferred for that grossly inflated fee, just as we wouldn't blame the likes of Butterworth if Notts Forest paid a similar fee for him or another young player of ours. He is eighteen months younger than Harry Chapman. A little perspective is needed. Like all the above named, Brereton has a lot to learn. Recent performances suggest he is doing just that. He seems to be a good lad and to my mind he may well go on to have a better career than Sam Gallagher. Right now, of the two of them, I would rather the manager select Brereton.

Great thread Joe but I think your opening sentence belongs in the 'footballisms'thread. Big Ron eat your heart out.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the players were quietly prepared to lose the game last night. No joy whatsoever from them after Armstrong's early goal. The hostility towards Wigan following the fallout from Dack's injury still runs deep I believe.

Kate shouldn't be "going" with Roy, because Roy is her brother. This is Ewood Park, not Turf Moor.

No, I think Elliott is definitely your man if versatility is what you are looking for. Midfield, defence or attack, Bennett will be reliably and equally inept in all of 'em. You can count on him for that.

Walton Nyambe Lenihan Adarabioyo Bell/ Downing Travis Davenport Armstrong Graham Brereton Rothwell 4, 4, (f---ing) 2!

I remember this like it was yesterday. Other than Travis for Reid and Adarbioyo for Mail I wouldn't put any of the current crop into that team.

The sobering (in every respect of the word) thought here is that your local boozer will likely call last orders for the final time in the near future, along with many, many others.

I was thinking about that the other day. Sad to say it but you have to fear that we may not see the likes of Danny or Stewart Downing kick a ball for us again. It's going to be very hard for those older lads to regain any kind of conditioning or sharpness.

Andy Kennedy's left footer away at Villa takes some beating. Also, now that many of us have time on our hands, the entire home game in that cup tie circa 1990 is on YouTube. It's rare to see a full 90 minutes from that era and its really worth the watch. My 18 year old son was fascinated by the state of the pitch, the intensity of play, the noise from the crowd and the sheer physicality of the contest. Chris Sulley and little Scotty Sellars team up repeatedly to put reducer on the lightning fast Tony Daley and the absolutely route one football from Rovers is a reminder of a different age. The changes in the game in the last few years have crept up stealthily. Interestingly, only the highlights were broadcast by the BBC but this is the full broadcasted version. A highlight for me occurs during the warm up ( previously unbroadcasted) when John Motson has to describe Simon Garner to the cameraman to enable a close up. The camera then hones in on a frankly hungover looking Garner who looks like he's never kicked a ball before. He was never one to exert himself unnecessarily. See first video from the 4.25 -5 minute mark.