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.

We’re no worse off Gav, and at least were not complaining about putting Johnson up front and Gally at right back anymore. Plus I’d forgotten what it was like to concede in injury time until the last game.

Who didn’t?

Met him once socially. Soundest bloke you could meet. We grilled him for ages on his World Cup win and he talked us through the whole experience. When we said “you must be bored keep being asked and recounting this to strangers”, he said “what’s the point in winning it if you can’t tell people about it”. Also was genuinely interested in Blackburn and Darwen, as he knew it well from when he was a kid. Think he said his family had the Millstone in a Darwen somewhere back down the line. He sadly died less than a year later after we met 🙁

Hirst and Mola have proven to be shockers. Hope they were knee jerk reactions with new arrivals coming in in JDT and GB. Need far better quality than those.

I didn’t think Travis was too bad tonight at RB. Admittedly, that may because there was one of the worst full back performances I have ever seen occurring at Left Back. By comparison, Trav was Paulo Maldini.

As for the attendance tonight, if the priority for the club is clearly the league (based on team selection), then you can’t complain if the priority for the fans is the league also.

It’ll be a good test for the midfield here, especially Wharton and Garrett. Will give us an indication if they should be pushing the first team. No confidence in Hirst up front mind you. Id be happy to still be in it after 60 minutes as there’s plenty of options on the bench.

That had Dack, Buckley and Dolan in IIRC.

Presuming Travis has lost his place on Boxing Day, he probably starts here.

Be good for the Blackburn End if they could say hi to their old mate Dean Henderson tonight.

Just finished Panzer Dragoon Saga on the Saturn. I’m really not sure what to make of it tbh. It often appears on lists of ‘the best games you’ve never played’, but I found it a bit of a grind from about half way. I’m not the biggest RPG fan admittedly. I imagine it’s game style has dated badly and that I would have gotten more value out of it back in 1998 on release, but I think it’s rarity has enhanced its rep a little. Graphically impressive though, apart from the usual pop-up that blighted the Saturn,