Good lad ?

I can't help with your question but I love the photograph. Would I be right in thinking it was taken around the early 1950s? I don't recognise the building behind either but if anyone else does it would probably narrow it down. Possibly the parish priest on the back left.

Yes I watched him last night. He wasn't very good to be honest. No the point I was making was that Chapman shouldn't have played last night, he should be an option on match days. I wouldn't start him but for a last ditch fifteen minute cameo, he is a better option than even Rothwell in my opinion. I think Gallagher or even (gulp) Brereton need a run of games up front with Danny coming on after 70 minutes rather than going off then. Armstrong wide right and Rothwell to battle Downing on the other side is my preferred option. I am generally accepting of Mowbray being here and find that there is a lot to like about him but we could have won that game today with a little more imagination and courage from him.

It was clear during the first half that our style was playing into the hands of their defence. Mowbray left it far, far too late in making a change. There was no way that Graham and Gallagher were ever going to match their physicality so why try? Armstrong and Rothwell with their pace and trickery would have been a much better option to start the game, with Chapman on the bench to come on in the last 20 minutes and apply the coup de gras. Wasted opportunity against a mediocre opponent.

Yes but I have a theory about that... I think he only gives it away so that he can win it back. Tony thinks so too ☺️

Looking forward to this tonight. Should be a lovely sunny evening; Harry Chapman rampaging down the wing and no problem getting my half time Bovril from the little kiosk there.

So you literally won't spend a penny at Ewood Park ?

Hope so because I quite like Tony again this morning for some reason ?

It occurred to me this morning that Woodgate could be on his way to an early exit at Middlesbrough. Would the Middlesbrough board look at Tony Mowbray's legendary status up there and the job he has done down here and consider him a worthy successor? Would TM prefer to manage a team dear to his heart and without the Venky's shackles ? TM still lives up there I believe....

Buckley must be very impressive in training. He has forced his way on to the periphery of the team in spite of his physicality not because of it. I think that this makes him a little bit special. I can see him developing into a Peter Beardsley type in due course. Reminds me of him sometimes. He lacks the outright swiftness of Beardsley but possesses his cunning. Shades of Nigel Clough about him too.

At long last we have some steel throughout the team. Three of the back four and both midfielders can really mix it. If you added an in - form Nyambe at the back we could look pretty formidable. Finally! One other point; neither full back did a great deal of overlapping all afternoon which marked a change in style. We kept a much more solid shape back there. Interesting to see Williams bossing Lenihan all afternoon too. I've never seen him so vocal. That natural left and right suits them and I bet Williams is buzing to get this chance. Takes some pressure off Tuesday now, with a draw being more than respectable.

Just read it, cover to cover. Absolutely excellent! I wouldn't have recognised Jim Branagan in a million years!

A few musings from last night... Nyambe seemed subdued and short of confidence all night. His body language told me he is a player shorn of self belief. He was ponderous on the ball and seemed reluctant when at right back to get down the wing. He looks a shadow of his former self and we need to be careful (or rather TM needs to be careful ) that he doesn't regress down the Adam Henley route. Cunningham grew into the game. He is more of a Tommy Spurr than a Martin Olsson but has a bit more than Spurr going forward. I imagine he will be a fixture at left back for us. Grayson is a lovely footballer but I don't see him as a natural centre half and Platt needs to develop, probably on loan somewhere. Downing has energy. He also has the class to beat his man without outright pace. I don't particularly like him on the right where he started. TM seemed to move him to the left wing before becoming centre midfield in the second half. I think he could be most useful in what I call the Tugay/ older Hoddle role playing a little deeper. This would need an energetic Johnson or an improved Travis to make that work. ( big year for Travis coming up - hope he doesn't stagnate). Buckley looked a bit lost and I thought he played the right back role better late on when he was more confident of what he was being asked to do. In fact he played better than Nyambe there. I saw a few comments last night on here about him being out of position at full back but it is a role he knows well and is good at. Brereton needs game time. He is a player that looks rusty if he misses matches. But can we afford to regularly start him to get him up to speed? I would say probably not. Rothwell doesn't seem his old self this season (see the Nyambe comments above for why that is. Thanks TM). Graham has to start as he is still the best option there. Chapman is a really useful match winning sub and can be big for us, which just leaves Dack. Interestingly he was more fired up off the bench than I have seen him for some time. He was extremely vocal and animated and really drove the team forward. He plays so much better like that but his zeal and desire has been absent too long. Finally, this is speculation but the whole feel to my eyes is of some discord in the camp. I don't believe that Lenihan has a 'fluid on the back of the knee problem' one iota. I think he was part of the Mulgrew row and was dropped ( and not made captain) as a result. Ironically I think this show of strength might the best thing Mowbray has had to do in terms of focusing some minds. Finally, cutting away all the understandable concern amongst all of us on here; it was a cracking end to a match and I'm glad I went.

I only noticed him late in the second half. Mowbray switched Chapman from right to left a few minutes after he came on. This seemed odd as Chapman clearly had the beating of the left back. The right back instantly seemed to have Chapman's number. He matched him for pace and wasn't sold by two 'nutmeg' attempts. I was very impressed with him. Physical, fast and scrappy. Chapman quickly lost the confidence to take him on which he can be prone to when his pace is matched.

You brought back great memories there! I was at Witton Park that day and got Bobby Charlton's autograph. I remember the players lining up to sign for the kids and felt sorry for Jim Branagan whose queue was empty whilst the one for Garner seemed to stretch for miles. I was also at the Swindon away game. An old uncle of mine lived in Wiltshire and warned us before the game about Jimmy Quinn as he was somthing of a celebrity in the West Country with his goal scoring exploits.

Great minds Mark. That would be exactly my pick too! Sadly, we both know it won't happen...

I think it will be: Walton Bennett Lenihan Adarbayio Downing Travis Johnson Gallagher Dack Armstrong Graham

I would be absolutely delighted if Bennett was to be dropped for this game but I suspect there is virtually nil chance that he will be.

Perhaps Mowbray the tactical genius deliberately sent out last season's 'not fit for purpose' defence with an instruction to perform hopelessly, in order to tease out an emergency injection of cash from Venky's. Say, £9m?

At this point I'll accept Angela Lansbury if she fancies the number 5 shirt!

I wouldn't personally start Bennett, Mulgrew, Evans, Smallwood or Graham. However, I think four of those will start. I would say that Armstrong, Dack and Lenihan are 100% certain to start. I can't see Rothwell starting as TM loves Armstrong and I think he will sacrifice Joe today. My team: Walton Nyambe Lenihan Adarbayio Downing Armstrong Travis Johnson Rothwell Dack Gallagher Actual team: Walton Bennett Lenihan Mulgrew Bell Gallagher Evans Johnson Armstrong Dack Graham

Mine arrived several days ago but we only got new ones because we moved seats. I think you keep last year's if there is no change.

I suppose it makes sense to build a team which is less reliant on DacK and Graham as I wouldn't expect either of them to be here next season.

I was telling my son about Kevin the other night at the Bury game. Chris Taylor was warming up right in front of us and I remarked that I always called him Kevin Stonehouse as I thought they looked alike. I think he scored in the dreaded away game at Bristol Rovers on the day we just missed out on the first division. A penalty I think but not sure. The clip above against Watford brings back very happy memories of my formative years standing up on the wall on the Riverside peering through the red bars. RIP Kevin.

I likened him to Simon Barker last night but you are more accurate (and up to date) with the Cairney comparison. He doesn't have quite the same street smarts as a Cairney type yet but is a little quicker all round and can be the better player in time. I saw lots of him at Leyland last year and he always stood out. He is fantastic at receiving the ball deep from the defence and turning his man to create space. No other player at the club does this better. He showed last night that he is equally comfortable playing much further forward. Although unusually slight, he has strong legs and I haven't seen him knocked off the ball yet. Contrast that with Magloire for example who really needs to work on his strength when physically competing man to man. I would hate Buckley to go out on loan. I believe he is better here, coming up against the likes of the truly terrifying sight of Bradley Johnson smashing him around in training every day.