16 hours ago, arbitro said:

I believe that any referee who doesn't feel safe will not be forced to go out onto a pitch but my gut feeling is that none will refuse. I would have to give it serious consideration but based on what we know now I would refuse.

I reckon that ref's are the safest of all on the pitch. Although close to the action they are not in it. Linesmen too.

Regarding Sherwood.

Dalglish signed him from Norwich during the 91-92 promotion season and he didn't play much. I thought it was an odd signing if he wasn't going to play. Although Cowans was class. Yet come August 1992 he was in central midfield and by the start of the 1993 season he was captain.

He must have had something about him for Dalglish to do that with the likes of Moran, Hendry, and Shearer around.

I don't remember him being a fair weather player. He'd always put a shift in. I think that the acrimonious end to his Rovers career has clouded judgement.

I do remember his shooting prowess. He always had a go but usually smacked it miles over.

Wikipedia had this gem; During his time at the club Dalglish wanted to sign both Zinedine Zidane and Christophe Dugarry, who were playing in France for Bordeaux, but Rovers owner Jack Walker reportedly said to Dalglish: "Why do you want to sign Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood?"^[4]

I asked a few questions about this season in another thread. Maybe the change result one.

I did a bit of Wikipedia reading the other week to catch up as I don't remember much about it.

If I recall I think it went south halfway through his first season. his 1998 was horrific. He must have done something to lose the dressing room.

He was ahead of his time back then. My money is on players, more than likely the British ones, not taking a liking to a bloke who never played the game coming in and trying out new ideas learned from abroad.

Sutton and Gallacher being injured for most of the season didn't help either. Blake and Ward up front. Enough said.

The UK government hasn't helped here. Football was expecting a clear message from them on Sunday and got a load of waffle. Now they are stuck having to work it out themselves and no matter what they decide they'll get blasted for it.

Germany, Italy, and Spain are all back in various stages of action, surely the football authorities can work something out.

As a football fan who watches on TV I can't wait for it to return but it's looking iffy due to incompetence.

3 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

My point is that I don't believe that any sort of plan or structure can prevent the high risk of the virus being spread playing a contact sport. I also believe that a predictable and understandable less than 100% willingness on the players behalf will further jeopardise the integrity and potentially stop any plans coming to fruition.

I see both sides on this and luckily I'm not the person tasked with finding a solution.

Players value their health so want to be sure.

Also players are supremely fit and highly unlikely (although it is possible) that if they do get the virus they'll get seriously ill.

Charlie Austin and Mikel Arteta are two people in football known to have had it. What were their symptoms?

I've read that clubs have put massive proposals together to figure it out. Testing players regularly, PPE for all staff, and even a special exemption for old man Roy Hodgson.

Surely if the Germans can do it Blighty can too. After all it's 75 years since VE day.

3 hours ago, Silas said:

If Germany get matches up and running early, BT Sport could be sat on a goldmine. 

Borossia Dortmund v Bayern Munich in the title race is due 3 matches in on the original fixtures. 

The viewing figures would surely be off the chart. Which would mean advertising revenue would be stratospheric. 

I looked this up:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/top-5-most-watched-premier-21158602.amp

The most watched Premier League match is Man City 1-0 Man Utd, 2012 (4.04 million).

Under the current circumstances I can't see how a top level German match doesn't smash that record. A relegation battle fixture might even do it.

Some TV companies are going to be making serious money. Would be nice if some of that was pumped back into the sport. Although, I'm sure they would argue they've lost a shed load in the shutdown. 

This is why the Prem will vote to restart next week. They'll not want the Germans to corner the market on lucre. I assume that the football league will follow suit.

"Project restart" needs 14 of the 20 teams to vote for the league's proposals. No fans at neutral grounds (those that aren't in residential areas) seems to be the way they are going. Ignoring a plethora of arguments I'll assume that those close to the bottom would be the most eager to cancel and start again once all is "safe".

Here's the current bottom 7, Villa have played 1 game less than the rest. 

Southampton 34

Brighton 29

West Ham 27

Watford 27

Bournemouth 27

Villa 25

Norwich 21

Would all of the bottom 6 vote to cancel the restart? I'm sure owners would but managers and players would rather play, knowing that it could end in relegation anyway. I reckon that Southampton will vote to finish up as they have enough of a buffer to stay safe which would give the league the 14 they need.

Man U, 3 points off 4th, could potentially put a fly in the ointment. But if they voted no they'd miss out on earning necessary revenue this season, something the Glazer's would be mad to do, and they'd blow their chance of claiming 4th, which is certainly up for grabs.

I also wonder how much governmental pressure clubs are under to finish up? It would definitely give people a lift if football starts again. Not only would it give a lot of people something new to watch but it would give football and the government plenty of good press. 

The Bundesliga is to restart possibly next weekend; German league up and running

Let's see what the UK football associations think up.

1 hour ago, Atko's Engine said:

I think the main reason he got so much stick was because he wasn't Scott Sellars.

One underrated player I'd include in any list is Paul Warhurst. A superb player, but so unlucky with injury.

And Tony Gale. He only made a dozen or so appearances but he was wonderful for us when called on, always seems to get forgotten about when people talk about 94/95. Or maybe it's just me.

You may be right. Sellars was like Messi to Rovers fans. Would he have played for England without his injuries?

Warhurst has been spoken about quite a bit on here recently. Another who's career was blighted by injuries. He would have been an England regular without them. He oozed class.

Tony Gale was brought in by Ray Harford. I think that he was ready to retire but due to the squad being short on numbers during the summer of 1994 he gave it a whirl. He was very composed and was happy to step aside when everybody got fit. I like his commentary too. He's on over here quite a bit.

On ‎29‎/‎04‎/‎2020 at 05:39, rog of the rovers said:

Wilcox - His “Bolser Boy (sp?)” nickname is from just before I started watching Rovers, aged 5, but I do remember him being widely disliked. Unusual for a homegrown player who went on to win a Premier League medal and represent his country. His legacy has improved as time has gone on, but he remains a bone of contention with a certain era of Rovers fans.

Dickov - Top scorer in 2004/05 a real terrier up top, granted, not the most gifted striker we’ve ever had, but scored goals at the top level for both club and country. 

Stead - It’s hard to pick strikers, as they either score or they don’t! But decided on Stead, not because he was actually a world beater or actually Premier League quality, but for his story! Plucked from Division 3 obscurity for little money and his run of goals saved us from the drop and in a roundabout way, facilitated the Hughes era and the good times that followed. I know this isn’t lost on anyone who was old enough at the time, but Stead scored 6 goals for Rovers in 2003/04

Fulham (a) 4-3 - Cole, Douglas, Amoruso, Stead

 

One of the best Rovers games I've seen.

I couldn't stand Dickov, but he was effective for Hughes as he set the tempo of the rest of the team which allowed Hughes to create his "bully boy Blackburn" style of play.

Wilcox got no end of stick from Rovers fans. I have no idea why. He was a great servant and a good player. When he broke through I used to stand on the enclosure. All game I'd hear "bloody Wilcox" from the same group who used to stand near us.

On ‎29‎/‎04‎/‎2020 at 10:34, Bigdoggsteel said:

Not sure if underrated per se, but Jermaine Jones was unbelievable really. 

 

Rovers should have signed him permanently. He did a very good job.

23 hours ago, rog of the rovers said:

Craig Short - Model professional, very good for us in the promotion season and transitioned back to the Premier League with ease, despite being the wrong side of 30.

 

I remember when Short chose Derby instead of Rovers in 92. I think his reason was that he didn't want to move house. He was at Notts County I think. I though that he'd made a terrible decision, then years later he turns up at Ewood. He was another solid player who brought stability and nous in the post Hodgson/Kidd mess.

1 hour ago, Sparks Rover said:

I was at Live The Dream age 15, found my way up there with my mates because we could hear the thud of the bass speakers from our houses on livesey .  Got a Joe up there and there we were.....the rest is history.

Went to most of the parties that were held at the time, Tony's Ballroom, Yuticks,  Monroes, Sett End

One of the articles in Alex Rover's link says; "A big change in dynamics was the Live The Dream rave in the village of Tockholes on September 16, 1989

I've no idea if that was the beginning or the end. I was 12, too young to understand. I do remember driving to Sunday morning football matches across East Lancs and having to follow diversions because of road blocks. 

My dad had a mate who was a copper in Accy. I remember him telling stories of the chaos at Monroe's. Who could imagine today that a dodgy nightclub in Great Harwood would be in the middle of a movement. 

On ‎27‎/‎04‎/‎2020 at 07:25, The Gull said:

No need to go past the first reply on this thread, without doubt the worst I have ever felt walking away from the ground, I was 10 years old and sobbing like a baby, it sticks with me to this day. 

If the result went Rovers way and promotion achieved would there have been a title in 1995?

There would have been no need for Dalglish as Mackay was able to do it. He would have had the keys to the club too as he managed it all on a shoestring budget.

7 hours ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Just finished a binge-watch of all 6 Seasons of Bosch and enjoyed it, Season 7 will be the finale.

Struggling with Devs after just 2 Episodes with Ozark up next,

Realised that I'm missing Cricket more than Football after finding Empire of Cricket from 2009. Highly enjoyable if you like the game.

Can't download anything for a few days as broadband is down so on data in the interim and that's too slow, I've got 4 TB of backup, should be ok...........

I'm glad that you enjoyed Bosch. I like the way the stories flow. I also liked how they made LA look quiet. Something it definitely isn't.

1 hour ago, Gav said:

I've just watched Tiger King on Netflix and I have to say its absolutely bonkers, only in America, had me captivated all the way through. 

https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81115994

For more unbelievable but true stories 'The Jinx' is on most platforms (sky for free) and is fantastic, I binged watched that a few years ago and its just coming to a head now with I'm sure more HBO episodes in the pipeline:

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_jinx_the_life_and_deaths_of_robert_durst/s01

But the undisputed TV series, and still unsurpassed in my book, The Sopranos - tremendous, watched it all the way through 3 times and still picking up on new bits.

Tiger King grew on me. I asked on here a few weeks ago about it and got a muted response. I think it was only after I'd finished it that I realised how barmy it all was. I saw a few memes that had me laughing. I was out on a bike ride the other day. I rode past a house which had a sign out for delivery drivers. It said Did Carole Baskin do it? With 2 arrows - 1 yes, 1 no.

I'm with you on the Sopranos too. Class all around.

44 minutes ago, Oldgregg86 said:

Apparently they are to give home advantage

Inside the ground? That would be weird.

I was talking about TV only.

If/when Sky etc. show games in empty stadiums will they pipe in crowd noise for viewers?

Just now, frosty said:

Do you think? Personally I think that job was Kean’s for as long as he wanted it. He wasn’t being judged on results. If they didn’t sack him after consecutive home defeats that December to West Brom and Bolton, leaving us with 10 points from 17 games, I doubt they’d have got rid after a defeat at Old Trafford. 

If however that’s true and he was on the brink before we went to Anfield and Old Trafford that Christmas, then yeah I wish we’d have got thumped in them both.

If the club had any semblancy of normal he'd have gone after that Bolton loss just before Christmas. It was an atrocious performance against a local rival who also happened to be fighting relegation. The atmosphere was nasty too.

22 minutes ago, Blue blood said:

That is a horrific list both on the cheap and expensive. 

2 good signings - Filan and Henchoz, 1 unluckily to get injured in Davidson. The rest - urgh. TM has a much better record than that and I don't think transfers are his strongest suit. My word Roy got it so very badly wrong. 

Add in that 1995 title winners Le Saux, Berg, Ripley, Hendry, and Pearce all left under his watch as well as the talented Bohinen. That's a lot of experience gone.

Hodgson was, and still is, a talented manager - I'll forgive his England mess. Maybe the Rovers job came a year or two too early for him.

16 hours ago, tomphil said:

I think some of his big money crap signings were the biggest reason. I've heard some of the established stars were less than impressed by what he was bringing in.

As for the other side of it it's true his methods were different. They got a good response in the beginning with some of the best football and fittest looking Rovers players I've seen. They couldn't keep it up though and he couldn't seem to put his finger on what was needed so just flogged them harder. Then he started desperately throwing the money about as plan b.

Started a lot of long lasting rot that did.

I'll argue that the rot started the day Dalglish went upstairs. Harford was a great coach but never a number 1. I was surprised that he lasted so long. Rovers should have gone all out in the summer of 1995 by buying 3 or 4 quality internationals and securing a top manager. Jack Walker's loyalty got the better of him.

Having said that I agree with you that Hodgson did contribute. Here are all his signings;

1 hour ago, Blue blood said:

 Really, not aware of this. (The rumours). Please enlighten.

I'll not get this messageboard in trouble posting unproven allegations but if you look at the way Hendry's life has unfolded since it explains a lot of the rumours. As renrag said; Hendry had signed a new contract then left shortly thereafter for a hefty fee - which would have included a nice signing bonus, and his Rovers contract being paid up. That's lots of cash in a short period of time. Some people need money quickly, others don't.

33 minutes ago, tomphil said:

A lot of Hodgsons over payed for trash wouldn't have looked out of place in the Kean/Anderson era.

Guy pissed tens of millions of Jacks cash straight down the pan.

He signed some dross, but I also wonder what else caused his demise. Rovers were flying when he first started but it didn't last long. He only lost 2 of his first 20 league games, one of which as at Old Trafford. His 1998 was awful. 31 games in charge, 19 losses, 7 wins.

I'll guess that players weren't used to his methods. Back then he was ahead of his time. I'll wager that what he learned in Europe around concentrating on fitness and diet as well as tactical discipline caused a mutiny.  

38 minutes ago, Blue blood said:

Yes Flowers got injured but Filan was excellent and eventually ousted him from the number 1 spot. Filan was incredible that year and one of the few bright spots. It was his best season and he didn't keep up that form. 

Dailly was brought as a centre back but played all over. I don't think he was very good but that can't have helped. Peacock was very limited at centre back which really hurt us. 

We also brought a ton of players with varying success. I think Flitty may have been out and a big miss that year. There was a lot of change. Ward, McAteer, Blake, Carsley, Dailly, Jansen, Peacock, Perez, Davies - there was a lot of change to the team l, and a right mixed bag at that, and I think a lack of a settled team really hurt us. 

I'm still derailing this topic but the more I read the more I remember.

Sherwood was sold too. Was this the year he fell out with Hodgson, or was it the year before? Having the club captain leave half way through the season wouldn't have helped.

Nathan Blake and Ashely Ward weren't Premier league calibre. Davies never got going but he was an odd signing as he wasn't a Hodgson type player. I had a mate get Davies on the back of his brand new Rovers shirt almost as soon as he signed. He'd binned it by Christmas.

Hendry left for Scotland. There were plenty of rumours as to why he left too.

Was Rovers Kidd's only ever managerial job? Ferguson said in one of his books that he wasn't up to being a manager. He was right.

4 hours ago, Blue blood said:

Injuries as I recall. Add in also we had 6 strikers on the books which is a fair whack now and back then was huge. 

I remember that Davis started the first two/three games and then Gallagher was brought back in. We then started getting a few points beating West Ham and Leicester. So yeah if they could have played regularly it would have helped. 

Kidd's tactics didn't help either. Remember us whacking it long to Jansen and Gally Vs Forest when needing a win. Sad times. 

I still don't remember much. I was at university in the USA and it was a bit of a mad year. Also back then there was no NBC Sports showing game after game on easy to get to US TV. There was a game or two a week max on Fox Sports World.

I had a look on Wikipedia to get a refresher; Rovers 1998-99

Looking at the squad it's easy to see why relegation happened. Excluding Henchoz defenders who played that season included Darren Peacock, Christian Dailly, Gary Croft, Marlon Broomes, and Callum Davidson. Did Flowers get injured too?

Another result I'd like changed is the 2-2 v. PNE at Ewood in the 2016-17 relegation season. Conceding that late equaliser knocked the stuffing out of the team, and fans too. They lost the next 3 after that which really put the screws on.

Maybe it was because I was a kid but I don't have strong feelings toward the 3-0 result at Selhurst Park. I remember listening to it on the radio but shrugged and went outside as soon as the game was over. It never really bothered me, but to this day I don't get emotional over a football match.

The 0-0 Man U game at Ewood in May 1999 that sealed relegation is one I wish that could have been changed. It may not have mattered in the end but Rovers had them that night. Ashley Ward missed an absolute sitter late on that could have been a lifeline.

As a side what happened to Gallacher and Sutton during the campaign? Neither of them played much. My memory of the 1998-99 season is a bit fuzzy. I'm pretty sure that if they'd have played every week Rovers would have stayed up. 

30 minutes ago, Colt Seavers said:

Andy Kennedy's left footer away at Villa takes some beating. Also, now that many of us have time on our hands, the entire home game in that cup tie circa 1990 is on YouTube. It's rare to see a full 90 minutes from that era and its really worth the watch. My 18 year old son was fascinated by the state of the pitch, the intensity of play, the noise from the crowd and the sheer physicality of the contest. Chris Sulley and little Scotty Sellars team up repeatedly to put reducer on the lightning fast Tony Daley and the absolutely route one football from Rovers is a reminder of a different age. The changes in the game in the last few years have crept up stealthily.

Interestingly, only the highlights were broadcast by the BBC but this is the full broadcasted version. A highlight for me occurs during the warm up ( previously unbroadcasted) when John Motson has to describe Simon Garner to the cameraman to enable a close up. The camera then hones in on a frankly hungover looking Garner who looks like he's never kicked a ball before. He was never one to exert himself unnecessarily. See first video from the 4.25 -5 minute mark.

 

That Villa home game was a good one. At the time Rovers were in the same position as they are now but there was something about that time that felt like more was to come. Maybe it was my youthful enthusiasm.

The best I've seen have already been mentioned.

Shearer's lob in the 7-1 v. Norwich

Shearer's volley v. Southampton - although Le Tissier's finish later on was even better.

Reid's blockbuster at Wigan on NYE.

Anyone for George Donis's solo special?

39 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

I’ve watched it about 5 times start to end.

The quality of the writing and acting, the drama, the humour, the characters. Just fantastic.

It was.

Unlike almost any other TV series it didn't wrap it all up in a bow at the end. There was plenty left on the table that will always leave the viewer thinking. 

I really enjoyed Sex and the City (yep, I know), but the writers made a complete mess of it. Those 4 vacuous, shallow women should have never found happiness.

My only quibble was with Tony's coma episodes. I would rather have seen a lot less of that and more of how the different crews were dealing with it.

On 10/04/2020 at 13:04, Norbert Rassragr said:

I'm a similar sort of person. I can't stand Lady Contrived.......sorry Lady Gaga, as everything was a marketing ploy to distract from the fact she blatantly ripped off Madonna and Cyndi Lauper. Beyonce is another one. She can sing, but a load of her songs are really over produced tripe. To get back onto TV, I don't generally watch dramas so all these shows pass me by and I don't care if I'm out the loop.

Beyoncé is next to royalty over here. I don't get it either. Her songs aren't very good. However, I'm a male in my 40's, hardly her target market.

As to TV Breaking Bad was good. Game of Thrones was better although it stunk up the joint at the end. For me neither can hold a candle to the Sopranos.

I do like Line of Duty too. 

There's one on Amazon called Bosch. I don't know if it's available in the UK but it's a good detective series based in LA.