8 in August, 3 in September, 8 will be played in October. Same as everyone else I suspect ..... Even all those other clubs who started the season with a new manager or have already made a change or had a substantial player turnover like us.

Gus Williams arrives from 22 years with the Welsh FA, latterly as Talent ID which I think was looking for players who could claim Welsh backgrounds through family. I stand to be corrected but am not aware of any club experience. So maybe another one learning on the job wages paid by Rovers.

I read somewhere on here that the WC break is 'critical' to allow JDT to coach the players in his systems and tactics, or words to that effect. Critical being the word used I think 'fortunate' may be more accurate and a shout of thanks to FIFA corruption in making it possible plus the Qatar climate.

Spoiled by Wolves fielding a side containing Mark Venus and Paul Cook. Great shot by SG!

The Big Man, good days

I do accept your rationale as a valid argument. I'll stick with what did happen.

Talk sense FFS. Did the late miss cost a point, yes or no.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/23020695.blackburn-rovers-quest-identity-mixed-results-continue/

Richard Sharpe "Tomasson believes a focus on ball retention is needed to create value in the squad" So, nevermind the blatant fact that we are simply not good enough to do it and they think that journeyman can be recruited from L1 and FFS the Scottish leagues to succeed at it in the Championship. Looks like a direct quote from a previous Mowbray play book,must have been left in the manager's office by the previous incumbent. Surely the objective of any style or tactics is to win games, or am I missing something. Sharpe also comes out with the classic penalty miss defence of it wasn't the miss that cost us the game. Well Richard have a think about that. I know there are many other factors so don't waste time saying that. The reality is that the late penalty miss cost us a point. End of. Sharpe does make valid argument as to why Hirst too it, ignoring the fact that only one of Hirsts previous successes had been in senior League football and just maybe all of Dacks were. I will just never be a Corporate toady or toe the Party line, I've tried, it's just not in my DNA.

24D?

Look to the top centre to right of this photo, looks like buildings and a steam train engine that is not on the main railway line. Photo from 1950.

Transfrmkt list Hirst as scoring in the EFL trophy for Leicester, one in 19/20 and one in 20/21. Thanks for clarifying the number of pens.

If you want to think that PL clubs play full strength teams in the early rounds of the EFL Trophy it's ok with me. Hirst - 10 successful from 13 or 14 Dack - 5 successful from 8 quite similar but really both are too small a sample. I am happy to accept that Hirst had the courage to take the pen last night and credit to him for that. He's 24 next February and it's past time he scored his debut goal at Championship level. I wish him well ... for all our sakes.

The sheds on that photo are actually quite big, as was my Uncles, and could possibly be part remnants of the old sheds you mention or even old railway carriages. Just guesswork but my Uncles shed was quite big and stored scrap plus a workshop area and the odd chicken. It was too near the cliff to be originally used for train storage though.

TBH Hirst is a striker so it would be disappointing if he didn't fancy the job. Its a thankless task. My hope is that the experience and knowledge that JDT must have for that position can be passed on to Hirst, all 6+ of him. Hirst is 24 next February with almost 100 games at senior level but despite his height looks, to me anyway, a bit fragile. I do hope he develops well.

So .... Hirst was our lead penalty taker at the time we got one v Cardiff. In his entire playing career to date and going back to the 2016/7 he has scored 10 penalties. 3 for England youth, 4 in PL2, 2 in the EFL trophy and ONE in senior football last season for Pompey in L1. That's a 1 in senior football. So it can only be based on what's been seen in training and not in the last minute of a Championship match with a draw at stake. And Rovers employ analysts. FFS. He's missed 3, maybe now 4 with last night's. I could do a career analysis and the impact of family, friends and close club connections on a football career from the cradle but I just can't be f-ing bothered.

Football is always a work in progress, a project, a journey. This is true even at country owned clubs like Man C and Toon. Always, it's nothing that is unique to Rovers and should not be used as a defence of rank poor players or questionable management or coaching. A start at Rovers would be playing a side with your best footballers in it, Dack and Adam W are obvious choices, and build style and tactics from that core. And stop with the tippy tappy in our own penalty area and passing goalkicks to a full back within our own penalty area and close to the goalie/touchline and the mayhem which follows almost every time they do it which is often. What sort of competent manager tries that nonsense with players who are just not good enough to do it.

I will watch Rotherham v Millwall tonight and if I survive that give some views. I can always watch some of the Dingles game if in need of some decent football There, I said it .....

What I am finding difficult is that at the end of the game I was just relieved that it was over and that we only lost by 1. With my thoughts in turmoil I didn't get to sleep much before 6 am local time and I'll be up doing the same when we play Wigan .... Madness. Thanks to Blackpool and certainly not us we are still above Sunderland but I expect us to be out of the top 6 later today, passed by Watford and maybe even the mighty Wigan.

Its a little bit better than just saying -whatever it is we're up to.

Totally agree, plus our style and almost total lack of creativity makes players like Diaz redundant. The ball is just not getting to them enough times. Our midfield was pathetic too.

It would appear that over time the whole hill area was cleared of allotments and associated buildings and then landscaped. I think that tree planting would be part of that landscaping followed by nature doing its thing.

England 4 v Brazil 2 Wembley Stadium, Wednesday 9th May 1956, Attendance - 100,000 Scorers - England - Taylor 2, Grainger 2. Brazil - Paulinho, Didi England 1. Reg Matthews, 2. Jeff Hall, 3. Roger Byrne, 4. Ronnie Clayton, 5. Billy Wright (c), 6. Duncan Edwards, 7. Stanley Matthews, 8. John Atyeo, 9. Tommy Taylor, 10. Johnny Haynes, 11. Colin Grainger Manager - Walter Winterbottom Brazil 1. Gilmar, 2. Pavão, 3. Nílton Santos (c), 4. Djalma Santos, 5. Zózimo, 6. Dequinha, 7. Paulinho, 8. Âlvaro, 9. Gino Orlando, 10. Didi,11. Canhoteiro Manager - Flavio Costa This came up on my YouTube and is a game that I had never seen before and a chance to see a 21 year old Ronnie Clayton early in his England career. It is a very good game and worth a watch, the first ever meeting between England and Brazil. Other young players in the England side are Duncan Edwards aged 19 and Haynes aged 21. There is also the 41 year old Stanley Matthews who shines brightly and is involved in all the England goals. Before watching this game I had never heard of John Ayteo or Colin Grainger who despite short England careers had good club careers and interesting back stories, look at Wiki etc. The England side had players from 9 different clubs. The 3 Man Utd players - Duncan, Taylor and Byrne - all sadly died as a result of the Munich Air Disaster just 2 years later. The England right back, Jeff Hall, died from polio in 1959 and his wife's public statement are credited with encouraging the public acceptance of vaccination and saving many lives as a result. Some match detail and match reports are here, http://www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1946-60/1955-56/M0303Bra1956.html The full match, the link won't embed so just click it. https://youtu.be/BBggB5d0KfY

So, whomever compiled the list of possible penalty takers had Hirst ahead of Dack, Gallagher, Pickering, Ayala etc etc if a penalty was awarded if said players were onfield. Hirst comes on as a late sub and jumps ahead of any others on the list at that time. Makes less than no fecking sense if true.