Enjoyed that Tony and Ian, thanks. You're right about surrounding yourself with good players before you started reffing - that Conver Foam team in the Darwen league was pretty decent if I remember correctly My boss at Blackburn Council was also a ref at the top level who you may have known; Phil Richards. Horrible little scouse bastard, though to be fair to him I have no idea how he found the time to do his job and referee in the top flight at the same time. Like you Tony, normally as a favour and because he enjoyed it so much, he also did a few local semi-pro and amateur games - mainly cup finals and such like. You should be very proud of where you got to in the game.

Arcade Fire - Wake Up

Ronnie Lane and Slim Chance - How Come?

Half of them anyway.......

It Bites - Calling All the Heroes

Julie London - Cry Me a River

Robert Palmer - Looking For Clues

His 'leaving letter to Rovers fans' is still one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Looked like it was written by an 8 year old.

Take a bow sir/madam. Though far too eloquent for the chicken chokers to ever understand, more's the pity.

Quite possibly both of them - and maybe more besides ha ha

The Who - Pictures of Lily

Nothing at all happened - apart from Birdy (not the one of club video fame) welcomed 'Harry the Dog' to Blackburn with a smack in the face and then a huge ruck ensued behind the Darwen End. They don't like it up them these southern softies ha ha We must be about the same age mate.

Why use the post as an example to back your argument up then? You can't have it both ways Chaddy

Simon Garner has a good Cold Blow Lane story involving getting stripped naked.............

Have you never been to the old den then?

I'm still doing it mate!!!

For a bit of authenticity I have asked my partner's two kids to throw coins at me for the duration of the game tonight, while I sing "Harry the Dog, you're having a laugh" repeatedly. (Folk under 50 probably won't have a clue what I'm on about but hey ho)

Did you go with them Chaddy lad?

The Jam - Boy About Town

Purple Hearts - Millions Like Us

If they have the ability/facilities to stay overnight surely it would be better to do so the night before the game and then travel back up the road straight afterwards?

The Staple Singers - Lets Do It Again

As I tell anyone who will listen, his solo stuff is a mixed bag, that’s part of the attraction of him for me these days. However if you liked The Jam there are plenty of solo songs that wouldn’t have been out of place on a Jam album, with the possible exception of his last album True Meanings, which was a bit different. If mix tapes were still a thing I could do a belter of Jam-type songs from his solo career. I’m in no position to comment about anyone’s hair to be honest but I think he’s modelling his latest style on Bowie (who his wife is a fan of apparently). Check these solo songs out Gav: Peacock Suit Brushed There’s No Drinking After You’re Dead A Bullet For Everyone Come On, Let’s Go From the Floorboards Up Savages Push It Along Fast Car, Slow Traffic (featuring a certain Bruce Foxton) Wake Up the Nation That Dangerous Age White Sky All Jam-like ?✊?✊?

The Style Council - Walls Come Tumbling Down

We'll just need to agree to disagree on the challenge really mate, I guess. You call it a 'brain fart' by the ref, whereas I call it a slightly harsh decision caused by Brereton acting like a 14 year old schoolboy with the clear intent he showed to take the man and not the ball, giving the referee a decision to make, which he made with glee. I agree with you in the sense that I would probably have also 'only' given him a yellow card but it wasn't that outrageous a sending off because we have seen several similar examples. The one poster we have on here that refereed at the highest level of the professional game called it a red straight away, and that's good enough for me. Whether I agree with him or not, it at least tells me that something about the challenge had 'red card' about it and it wasn't just a maverick ref on the day trying to get some attention. You saw it differently and that's fine, but once again some people (not necessarily you) are using it as a stick to beat Mowbray with.