Weather looks ok. Darling you’ve got to let me know. Should I stay or should I go?

Disagree. They scored straight from kick off. Then the only noticeable bit of play was when we had the chance where Brereton squared for Gallagher who couldn’t get it past the keeper at close range. Then the sending off happened. I suspect they might have changed tactics and got on top second half without the sending off, but there was nothing in the 4 minutes after the goal which showed us that. The sending off massively altered the dynamic.

How do the stats show that? With regards to the 7 goals he has been involved in, for only 2 of them did he come on as a sub in during the second half. He contributes when he starts.

Back to the game, I think we will win this as it’s one of the easiest games on paper of the season. We showed enough at Norwich and in the first half against Boro to give me hope. And, crucially, Cardiff will come with a negative game plan so won’t press us high.

He means if you are good enough you don't need 5 transfer windows, a team of nerds and a 3 year project.

That's harsh. Dolan can be limited but has 3 goals and 4 assists in 879 minutes of Championship football. Thats a goal involvement every 1.4 games. Plus you get the work rate to go with it. Let's put this into comparison with the other attack minded players. Dolan 3g / 4a / 879m / Contribution to a goal every 1.4 games Szmodics 3g / 1a / 912m / Contribution 2.5 Gallagher 3g / 1a / 1263m / Contribution 3.5 Dack 1g / 1a / 642m / Contribution 3.6 HIrst 0g /0a / 272m / ZERO CONTRIBUTION Vale 0g / 0a / 303m / ZERO CONTRIBUTION I think Dolan is far from the problem with our team at the moment. Ideally I would have him in every starting line up Brereton, out of interest, comes out at 9g / 3a / 2164 / Contribution 2.0

In fact I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. Two derby drubbings with suicidal tactics followed by a nightmare Christmas is pretty anger-inspiring.

Brittain has been decent when he plays. Not sure he’s an upgrade on Nyambe but in the position the new team found themselves in he was a good signing. Hyam has been a good signing when we needed a solid Championship defender. I’d rather have managed to grab JPVH as I think he is a level above and could improve. Had we got him it would have been an investment, which Hyam isn’t. However he is an upgrade on Lenihan so that can be seen as a good signing. Morton is a funny one. Started off looking a good loan signing, but during this terrible run starting with the Burnley game is has been poor. Teams seem to play past him easily and he gets drawn to the ball instead of his man often. He’s ok, but I’d rather the loans either filled gaps or added something special. In this case he may well be blocking what we already have who may well be as good. Probably needs a spell out the side. Szmodics looks a good league one player to me who struggles to have an impact at this level. At £1.8million plus any add ones I’m not sure it was the best use of resources. Mola has gradually been exposed as pretty terrible. George Hirst has also looked terrible. If you watch his Portsmouth highlights you’d be surprised it’s the same player, but he just cannot do anything on or off the ball to create anything. At least I’ve seen glimpses from Vale. I’ve seen nothing from Hirst. One thing that isn’t his fault was the “he was our number one target” quote. Can’t remember if it was GB or JDT who said it, but I bet they wished they hadn’t as it doesn’t reflect well on their summer efforts. Therefore I’d say from the summer two good, one ok, one underwhelming and 2 poor.

Just search “booing” in the search bar and go back. There’s talk back in 2019 regarding the crowd booing and shouting “Mowbray, sort it out”. That’s basically one step from “We want Mowbray out” As much as there’s a lot of anger on here, I don’t feel it’s as bad at Ewood as you believe.

Only because in the previous 2 seasons to last year, the end of season death spirals we’re behind closed doors.

They got booed off practically every home game they didn’t win in the second half of last season if that’s all you mean.

The crowd won’t turn other than the usual boos at half / full time when we don’t win.

Just had a look on the Boro forum what they think of Howson. Here are some highlights from that first half on Thursday when Buckley was pulling the strings. “Howson’s good games are getting further and further apart.” “Howson has been woeful so far.” “We’re playing decent for me but Howson is losing possession every time he gets it.”

We were only ever 8 points clear of 3rd. They are almost double that!

Supporters who are planning on going to Ewood Park should expect disappointment upon exiting the stadium vicinity. The players for this fixture are extremely limited.

Just seen highlights in pub. Morton ball watching and slow to react for both goals.

A lot of people arguing about the rule here, rather than the fact the referee doesn’t have to give it. Just like in they don’t have to give one every time two players square up. Common sense.

I refer @J*Band @Miller11back to my original post here. Of course Buckey is to blame, but I expect those officials now to send off any time two players square up and push each other. I also expect them to give fouls in the penalty areas for holding, to blow for free kicks when defenders ‘Shepard’ the ball out by obstructing a striker. Rovers took a throw about 15 yards forward last night and the ref waved play on to the Boro complaints. I expect them to pull them back for those. If someone does a deliberate hand ball on the line, scythes the last man down, a reckless two footed lunge and the referee ignores it then it would be highlighted as a missed red card. If that ref had spoken to, or booked, Buckley last night then nobody would have even mentioned it as a red card avoided post match.

I don’t disagree with any of that but. You see and read a lot of top referees talking lots about “trying to keep 22 men on the pitch”, which is not what happened last night. You’ve said yourself “on another day”” which tells us that it’s not a black and white incident. The referee has a choice. The difference is you look from a different perspective as me. What irks me most is that I looked forward to a game over Christmas and paid money to attend it, and it was ruined as a spectacle because the officials decided that Buckley threw the ball at the opposition player with excessive force and decided that was the one law they were going to interpret exactly as the rule book rather than show common sense, whist ignoring many other blatant rule breaches.

Exactly. The frustration is that at Norwich we were much better with him in, and last night I thought he was excellent first half.

In all the talk of the red nobody has really mentioned this. But the reason we looked so much better is because we’d mix it up and go long and turn their defence. It seems you don’t actually need a 6ft4 target man who can hold the ball up if you want to play a different way than tippy tappy.

I completely accept Buckley was ultra-numb to put himself in that potential situation. I accept that. What I don’t like is the fact that in practically any game you watch there will be pushing and a square up. That also is violent conduct and the referee would be correct to show a red card there. When Kaminsky held the ball at Norwich and the incident with the ball boy happened, there were players two handed pushing each other there. That should be a red every time. Remember the Kevin Ball tackle on Dunny? Flitcrofts response is a red card every day of the week. If the ref had spoken to, or booked Buckley, nobody would have raised an eyebrow at his leniency. Not even the referees adjudicator or whatever they are called. The ref had an option and he has chosen to give a red. In doing so he ruined the game as a spectacle for thousands of paying fans. “But it’s in the rule book” will be the response. Well yes it probably is, although not sure whether is falls under “excessive force” which the twitterati are saying it needs to in order to be a straight red ( @arbitro is that the rule?). But all those holds and grapples which happen at every corner should be penalties according to the rule book. When a defender is letting the ball run out of play, and steps 6 feet away from the ball and barges the striker away is a foul in the rule book. . Every throw which is taken 10 yards from the correct place is against the rules. But in those situation refs decide that’s not really the done thing and ignore it.

If that’s a sending off for violent conduct, then every time two players square up and have a pushing match in any game they should both be off because “That’s the law. “ The ref could have had a word, or even booked him, and not one person would have said he got away with a red card. It was a double whammy, as most of those long balls that opened Boro up time and again in the first half were coming from Buckley. How shit must Hirst be if we are down to 10 men and need a goal and he still doesn’t even get a cameo.

Where’s Vale?

It really doesn’t. That formation against Derby with Bradley Johnson was one of the most baffling wtf moments I’ve ever had in 35 years of watching Rovers.