Thinking about season tickets for next season and the tough sell to the fans that 2024/25 will bring (no matter which division) got me thinking about Rovers' poor home record this campaign. 

I also felt as though we've not scored too many at the Blackburn End this season, so looked into it further and we've scored 13 goals in front of our end! And only four Blackburn End goals in the 10 home games in 2024.

Rovers (League) Goals in front of the Blackburn End in 2023/24

1. 19/8/23 - Hull City - Gallagher goal to give Rovers the lead (lost 1-2)

2. 21/10/23 - Cardiff City - Rankin-Costello goal to give Rovers the lead (won 1-0)

3. 10/11/23 - Preston North End - Szmodics equalizer (lost 1-2)

4,5,6,7. 29/11/23 - Birmingham - Szmodics double, Hill and Leonard (won 4-2)

8. 12/12/23 - Bristol City - Scott Wharton header to give Rovers two goal lead (won 2-1)

9. 23/12/23 - Watford - Adam Wharton goal to give Rovers the lead (lost 1-2)

10. 1/1/24 - Rotherham - Szmodics goal to give Rovers the lead (drew 2-2)

11. 3/2/24 - QPR - Gallagher goal to make it 1-2 (lost 1-2)

12. 24/2/24 - Norwich - Hyam goal to equalise (drew 1-1)

13. 5/3/24 - Millwall - Szmodics goal to equalise (drew 1-1)

Rovers win (52pts)

Survive if:

Birmingham don’t win or Sheffield Wednesday don’t win or Plymouth don’t win

Rovers draw (50pts)

Survive if:

Huddersfield win 

Huddersfield draw and Sheffield Wednesday lose. 

Rovers lose (49pts)

Goes to last day.

Best case scenario is a Huddersfield v Birmingham draw. Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth to lose.

Worst case scenario is Birmingham City, Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth victories. Would leave Rovers in the bottom three going to Leicester.

A win tomorrow guarantees safety.

A point tomorrow means

Huddersfield could only catch us with two wins and a 13 goal swing.

Sheffield Wednesday would also need to win both remaining games to catch us.

A loss moves the need for points on to Coventry (h)

That performance is on Eustace for me, tactics very confused at the end.

Won’t face many poorer sides than that Millwall team tonight.

Tronstad, Hedges and most importantly Pears need to be fit for Saturday. Huge game again and dare I say it…MUST WIN!

Everything crossed for tonight's game, definitely a must not lose. A win would be huge and potentially propel us forward towards the weekend and Plymouth.

I think as always the first goal is huge, if we can get it, it should calm the players and the crowd. I do feel as though we're due some luck too. Not had a penalty in the league since August 👀maybe tonight is the night?

Ayari and Chrisene to come in for Moran and Pickering for me, wouldn't be surprised to see Markanday get a start too, but whoever can get the job done is good for me!

13 hours ago, Ricky said:

I took the 16/1 on Bet365 just before JDT went.

I must admit I did exactly the same. £25 at 16/1, though I also admit that I cashed out last night at £53.03 because even having such an idea was making me feel uneasy.

I'm sure I could have cashed out for more in a few weeks, or even won the bet at £425.00 but it felt wrong, glad I did it, come on Rovers!!!

What a night to be a Rover! 

Almost better going out as we did than to get spanked away at City in the next round, or fluff a chance of Wembley against someone like Coventry at home.

So many standout performances, Pears, Scott, Sammie. Substitutes all contributed, special mentions to the much maligned Markanday, Sigurdsson and Ayari. Even Billy getting his Rovers bow in what could be the start of a cult hero run in blue and white.

That team for the last hour was without Hedges, JRC, Gallagher, Tronstad, Buckley, Dolan and Pickering, yet peformed admirably.

I can only echo whats been said and hope that this is the catalyst for an upward trajectory in the league for the rest of the campaign. Eustace certainly won a few over last night and the overall style was good. Long may it continue. 

Just in finishing.....Back to back shockers from the referees, both against Norwich and Newcastle, always rated Jared Gillett too! Did we get any 50/50 decisions? The free kick right on the edge in stoppage time was more of a free kick than the Norwich goal on Saturday! The stats of fouls for and against make incredible reading. How Schar and Bruno G. avoided bookings in the game is beyond me, really poor from the officials.

That said it was only a minor blemish on what was a really enjoyable night for Rovers.

My biggest gripe with Eustace at the moment is the term.

''Sweat Blood''

Hematidrosis FC 

Finally got round to reading this last night. Went cover to cover in one sitting! Possibly my favourite 4000 Holes of all time. Well done Scott and all involved! @4000Holes

Well worth a couple of quid and your time.

Eustace's job from now until May is to keep us in the league. The pragmatic approach, whilst hard to watch at times, is actually exactly what we needed.

In JDT's last 12 Championship games we conceded 2.41 goals per game!

Eustace has seen us concede 4 goals against in the last 4 games

I thought Birmingham were terrific at Ewood when we played them in the league last season. Kaminski had his best game in a Rovers shirt as we won 2-1, but they were fantastic.

Rather ironic that Saturdays defeat by QPR (if that is JDTs last game as Rovers manager) leaves him with exactly the same points per game total as Tony Mowbray.

Mowbray managed Rovers 199 times in the Championship [W72 D55 L72]

36.2% Win Percentage

1.36 Points per game

Tomasson managed Rovers 75 times in the Championship [W30 D12 L33]

40% Win Percentage

1.36 Points per game

I have massive respect for anyone who gives up their time to try and help the football club. These people are volunteers and having met and worked with @Mike Graham @Miller11 and co. with the 'Fans Takeover Day' I know they are good people who have decent access to those in charge at Ewood.

Whether the people at Ewood actually have a clear mandate from Pune is an entirely different question, but I know the Trust has the right contacts and cache to start knocking on the right doors at Ewood, and I'm sure they're doing so.

This is a huge opportunity for the trust to double/triple memberships and thus power. Can they take it?

16/1 on Bet365, after yesterday it feels generous?

Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday are cut adrift so you’d think it’s one more from Plymouth/Millwall/Swansea/Rovers/Birmingham/Stoke/Huddersfield/QPR

Songs for a Deadline Day under Venkys playlist?

Just came on the radio, feels appropriate on a morning like this 🤣 perhaps a tad dramatic, but prophetic.

If we didn’t want to spend the money then fine, but don’t put the poor lad on a trans Atlantic flight just to pull the rug out from under him mid air! 

Shocking form from Rovers. Ashamed to be an associated with the Rovers if this is true!

I was kinda hoping that for probably the last time in my life Rovers had signed someone older than me. Checks Wikipedia and I'm three days older than McFadzean 😪

Officially older than all the players now! 

I'm very much of the opinion that everyone is for sale at the right price.

It would however take a 'ridculous' bid for Dolan for me to sell right now. I'm talking beyond expectation bid. What did Morgan Rogers go for yesterday? £7/8m?

I'd want at least £5m for Dolan at this point. If he doesn't want to sign in summer then you'd probably be forced to take less, but as of now. No deal.

McFadzean also used to playing in a 3.

I'd imagine we're switching to a 3-5-2

Pears

Hyam - McFadzean - Scott/O'Riordan

Rankin-Costello - Tronstad

Dolan - Szmodics - Sigurdsson

Gallagher

A team thats hopefully good enough to get the 18+ points needed to not be relegated.

5 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Unsure if this is tongue in cheek but experience and still being at an age and ability to contribute are not mutually exclusive.

Of course it is! 

I have zero problem with the transfer and not sure why people would. He's exactly what we've been crying out for all season in regards to leadership and experience. 

McFadzean played all 120 minutes of the playoff final last season, has over 600 senior games under his belt and this is effectively a loan signing til May. Of course he's not the long term answer, but our defence looks better with him in it than not. I prefer him to Phillips and Cooper.

Rovers fans ''We want experience and leadership, we're crying out for it.''

Rovers sign 37 year old Coventry City captain on a short term deal til May

Rovers fans ''37?! Are you having a laugh?! He's too old and slow and exactly the player we shouldn't be signing!''

7 minutes ago, Miller11 said:

Imagine speaking to Jack Walker now…

Well Jack, we’ve got a young lad come through the academy you built. He’s only 19, Blackburn born and bred, his brother plays here too. Genuinely a world class prospect, levels above what David Dunn ever was. No doubt he will go on to play for England sooner rather than later!

 

I agree with the overall sentiment Duncan, but is Adam ''levels above'' what David Dunn ever was? Probably for another thread 👀😂 but Dunny did make his debut in the Premier League at 19, was England u21 captain at 20 and almost exclusively spent a career in the top flight.

Adam has huge potential and may go further than Dunny did, but he's still got to go and do it. At this stage they're decent comparisons, though its probably easy to forget how good Dunn was in the Championship and Premier League throughout his career.