Good spot

First time we'll have started the season at home since Norwich (h) 6/8/16 - 1-4 loss: Stokes

First home Boxing Day fixture (which I must admit, I always prefer a Boxing Day home vs. a New Years Day home) since Rochdale (h) 26/12/17 - 2-0 win: Dack, Mulgrew pen.

Burnley are away on 21st December and at home on 28th December, so Rovers will probably have 21st December/Boxing Day (home) and 28th December and New Years Day (away)

Would have made a nice away kit, I’m taking this as a hopeful sign.

Also memories of our Orange away kit in 97/98.....which I’m sure, still divides opinion!

Another Umbro release

https://www.thekitman.co.uk/umbro-2019-20-hearts-home-kit-revealed/

Not sure whether I like the design to be honest.

Shorts and socks should be a give away though, I'd imagine our designs to be the same, but with Blue on the shorts, and Blue or White Socks with opposite trim.

Another Umbro leak with the West Ham United kits

https://www.thekitman.co.uk/umbro-2019-20-west-ham-kits-leaked/

If we are to try and make some guesses from this kit, perhaps the simplicity of the away kit may signal a simple away kit? Grey/Yellow as predicted?

Also the collar on both shirts is the same, perhaps another clue?

Doesn't seem to be a uniform 'Double Diamond' pattern on the shirts (like the cuffs last season)

According to the leak, 'that lot' are having Umbro as their kit suppliers too, from next season onwards

12 minutes ago, Glosrover said:

Fulham? Charlton ?

12

Would be surprised if we use a Teamwear kit, even as an away shirt, because it would be so easy to fake.

Usually the designs stay the same, but the colours are unique to the specific teams, that said, the PSV shirt does seem to suggest I'm wrong.

10Bet.co.uk leaked the kit before Rovers did last year, albeit only by a few hours. That was 18th July last year.

With the club keeping Umbro and 10 Bet this season, the unveiling/release should be well before 18th July.

New fixtures are out on 20th June, which is almost the unofficial start of the next season, so would make sense to show off the new home kit around that time.

Talk about the heartland of football (in this country, if not the world)

Going into 2019/20

National Champions - Manchester City

*Possible* European Champions - Liverpool

Most Valuable Football Club in the World - Manchester United

Premier League - Burnley, Everton

Championship - Rovers, Preston, Wigan

League One - Accrington, Bolton, Blackpool, Bury, Fleetwood, Rochdale

League Two - Morecambe, Oldham, Salford

National League - Barrow, Chorley, AFC Fylde

That's 17/92, or 18%, of Football League clubs reside in the Old Lancashire boundary.

This list also excludes Cheshire clubs like Crewe (L2), Macclesfield (L2) and Stockport (NL) and also Tranmere (L2)

Including these teams, which I'm sure would be most likely referred to as 'North West' teams

20/92 Clubs which is 22% of Football League clubs in the North West, or 24/116 which is 20% of all professional clubs, are in the North West.

For comparison there are 10 London Football League teams. AFC Wimbledon, Arsenal, Brentford, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Leyton Orient, Millwall, QPR, Tottenham and West Ham

Fellow kit geek, always like it when Rovers play teams in Blue and white halves with (the same shade) blue shorts against teams with white shorts.

This seemed to stop the last few years of Umbro (Ince kit) and never really came back, bar is bizarrely wearing navy shorts on a handful of occasions in the last few seasons.

My two penneth

Firstly well done to the BRFCS Podcast group, good listen, well balanced and very entertaining. Would love to be a part of an episode in the future!

To put the seasons conclusions into a succinct  word it would be ''progress''. Particularly from our ill fated last Championship campaign and literally as we've held our own after being promoted in the 17/18 season.

If Blackburn Rovers continue to progress, I will be very happy going forward.

Without wanting to go over things already said, in my opinion, there is more to be encouraged by than there has been in a long time. Stability on and off the field, a youthful side, who have gained invaluable experience and the team spirit seems to have remained as strong as last season.

Obvious failings at the back need addressing, the team has been crying out for a dominant centre half since Hanley left, a new left back would also be welcomed. 

With Cardiff, Huddersfield, Fulham, Luton and Barnsley added to the league, I really do see next season as being as wide open as this season. A dozen or so clubs will fancy their chances, I don't see why we can't be one of those teams mounting a playoff challenge.

As the players did their lap of honour at the weekend (ironically I stayed this year - as the pitch was not invaded) the song blasting over the PA system was 'Sit Down by James' a great track from the early 90s. The song has one particular lyric that really resonates with being a Rovers fan, at the end of the second verse.

''If I hadn't seen such riches, I could live with being poor...''

As a fan of nearly 30 years, days out at Wembley and Cardiff, the European nights at Ewood, the ruffling of the feathers of the big boys, the team full of internationals, Tugay, Roque, MGP, Nelsen, Big Brad, Flowers, Hendry, Sutton and Shearer..... I think as a fan base have such high expectations and we can be a bit too eager to point the finger and have knee jerk reactions to poor runs of form. (see Mowbray out thread)

We're all so desperate to see these days again.... its easy to overlook the baby steps we've taken this season. The fact we finished higher than Wigan and Rotherham and were never in any serious trouble in regards to relegation. The development of Travis, Buckley, Magloire, Butterworth, Raya, the return of Armstrong and Chapman, keeping Dack and Lenihan and the late season emergence of Joe Rothwell. 

Perhaps the right lyric that befits my overall theme is from the Take That song 'The Flood' which simply says

''There's progress now, where there once was none..."

35 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

Martin Ollsson

Our own Danny Graham

James Thomas

Chris Coleman 

Marvin Emnes

Les Chappell

Russell Coughlin

Lennie Johnrose

Shefki Kuqi

Colin Randell

Eddie Thomas

Finally, an Umbro kit launch!

This should give us some clues.

Umbro diamond pattern on the cuff has gone. Small trim on the shorts and socks will likely be the same on our kit.

Crew fit on the sleeves, the same as 18/19.

And this is their goalkeeper kit. Yellow may be used for us too. Umbro keep the same design, just change the colours on their keeper range.

https://superstore.afcb.co.uk/afc-bournemouth/adults-home-goalkeeper-24

IMHO another nice kit from Umbro, they have a good track record, much nicer than the big three (Nike, adidas and Puma) in recent seasons.

31 minutes ago, arbitro said:

With the Lancashire Cup Final scheduled for Tuesday I'd be surprised if Mowbray starts more than a couple of young 'uns. Conway will probably get some game time if it's to be his last game for us.

Craig Conway's record at Rovers (if this is going to be his last game)

Signed from Cardiff City on January 31st 2014 - Reported fee of £100,000

League Starts - [136]  League Sub Appearances - [41]

Cup Starts - [15] Cup Sub Appearances - [5]

League Assists - [37] Cup Assists - [4]

League Goals - [18] Cup Goals - [3]

Overall Totals

Appearances - 151 (46)

Assists - 41

Goals - 21

Waiting for an appointment so a quick time killing Top 5 Rovers kits of the decade 10-19

5. Home Kit (2011/12) - Such a nice kit, aesthetically, although thoughts of SK and the shambolic final season in the Premier League bumps the kit down to 5th place.

4. Away Kit (2016/17) - Another nice kit, like the nod to the home blue and white, again bad memories bump this one down, but as a strip, delightful.

3. Change Kit (2012/13) - A unique offering, maybe its my love for baseball coming through, but the pinstripe look was so under-rated.

2. Home Kit (2015/16) - Perfect shade of blue, perfect sleeves, perfect amount of red as an accent colour, perfect collar. Only the sponsor lets this down (and a mediocre season under Lambert).

1. Away Kit (2017/18) Beauty, the nod to the past, the promotion season, Bury away, Doncaster away (minus the red shorts). Easily the pick of the decade.

Grey kit probably means a 3rd kit!

KERCHING!!

No other Umbro leaks just yet, first look should give us an idea of the overall style.

Norwich have been very impressive. 

Good lesson for the team tonight, shows the standards needed to get promotion, also gives Mowbray a chance to see who’s good enough to play at this level of intensity.

Mowbray very bullish in his interview with Radio Lancs today

https://twitter.com/BBCLancsSport/status/1121436813569216512

Music to the ears of many!

Sounds like he's ready for a busy summer

The 10 Bet logo on the West Bromwich kits looks good! Blends in well.

I think given a full year to design the kits (with the 10 Bet sponsor) I wouldn't be surprised to see the front logo be Red or Navy Blue.

Usually all Umbro designs follow the same template, haven't seen anything from the 19/20 Umbro range yet to make an educated guess.

I also would like to see us revert to the Royal Blue style. Bring the Cambridge blue out every now and again (possibly in the 24/25 season for our 150th?).

Similarly I'd be shocked if next seasons away kit wasn't predominantly red, as its been a couple of seasons now without red being the main change colour.

Also, we were the only team sponsored by Umbro who didn't have a third kit in 2018/19. I'd expect this to change next season, for obvious £/$ reasons!!!

1 hour ago, Swanson said:

I am guessing he is in Netherlands watching some games :

AZ Alkmaar - Heracles. Adrian Dalmau, spanish 25 year old striker with 16 goals for Heracles.

SC Herenveen - VVV-Venlo. Michel Vlap, 21 year old attacking midfielder. 14 goals and 4 assist for Herenveen, he is also 191cm high!

PEC Zwolle - Groningen. Julian Chabot, 21 year old talented CB from Germany.

 

Two goals for Vlap tonight, if Tony is there!

On 30/07/2018 at 11:46, rog of the rovers said:

 

Miscellaneous :  Which ever team he plays for....Harry Chapman to feature in less than 12 games due to injury.

Safest prediction I made all year!

Up there with the best performances this season, richly deserved three points.

Rothwell will grab the plaudits with his goal and effort, still managed to frustrate the hell out of me (especially his two misses in the second half) but he was a menace, if he can consistently hit that level and add an end product, we’ve got a talent on our hands.

That said, my Men of the Match would go to the middle 4, Lenihan, (the oft maligned) Williams, Travis and Reed. In NFL terms they talk about ‘winning in the trenches’ and these four set the tone all over the middle of the park.

Mention too for Bennett, he’s been as poor as anyone the last few months, but his tenacity and leadership tonight was everything we love about him.

Enjoyable night, 99.9% safe..... Hope we can end the season on a positive note.

15 minute cameo from Harry Chapman?

Uninspiring team alert [What I think TM will do]

Raya

Bennett - Nyambe - Lenihan - Bell

Travis - Evans

Reed - Rothwell - Armstrong

Graham

Subs: Dack, Chapman, Leutweiler, Williams, Rodwell, Brereton, Smallwood 

Whilst not writing him off yet by any means, I thought he looked distinctly average yesterday.

Didn't take his opportunity to shine and what was perplexing to me was his lack of end product, I can clearly think of two clear chances in the first half which lead to a tame effort on goal and a poor final ball.

Also, his first touch always seemed to be 5 yards in front of him!!

On glimpses this season and yesterday, he looks a million dollars, but I remain unconvinced.

Didn't Jokanovic turn down West Bromwich?

Why would he come here instead?

Having watched it, pity it took until 75 minutes to start getting the ball down and playing some nice stuff.

Still looked pretty toothless though despite the possession. 

Big summer ahead, many questions need answering, this season can't end soon enough.