As with most things with this club over the past decade or so, if you didn't laugh you'd cry. Mind you, given it's state on Saturday anything more than a thimble of water falling was always going to jeopardise tonight. The thing is though, there seems to be almost a malaise about it. We should have treated the very apparent worsening condition with all the haste we'd have treated a structural deficiency or broken utility. Instead we've let it get to the point where it genuinely resembles a farmer's field and rendered it unusable. We've still got a good two months of patchy weather yet too. Shambolic negligence.

Under normal circunstamces, football for me is in person or nowt - I am happy to watch streams at present as there is no viable alternative; but once things ease up again I won't be spending my weekends waiting for a two hours to stare at my laptop in. I accept everyone is different and certainly the younger fans these days are by and large as Joe says; but that absolutely breaks my heart. For me, football is as much about the tangible experience as the 90 minutes on the pitch - the trek in all weathers down Livesey Branch Road; contemplating if Swansea away on a Tuesday night is worth two days' leave off work; trying to find a decent pub on away days. The day that goes I think I'll get a new passtime!

The only positive in any capacity today was that it was free to watch. The saddest thing for me is that even with all of the firepower we had at our disposal off the bench, I never genuinely felt we had the capability to produce that moment of magic to get back in the game. Elliot then Dack obviously came very close, but aside from that briefest of flurries across the 90 minutes we never once knocked on their door. Arma came on and vanished into thin air. Brereton I fear has lost a little spark since his injury, though I am sure it'll return. Elliot is unfortunately looking increasingly wasted with us: that kid is a mile above anyone else on his day. Dack looked like a man who'd not played for a year. I love Dolan and the lad has scores of potential, but I fear right now he is still a bit undercooked, being rapid and skillful is only of use when it creates meaningful chances. I would love to know what instructions the substitutes were given today, or what the lads were tipped off about at half time. It seemed to me we just brought on more and more people who have increasing ability to score as the game went on, with little regard for how they actually fitted together in cohesive tactics. The only other point worthy of mention today was that Stewart Downing was pissed off when he was substituted. That outburst of anger and whatever else to me is worth a thousand "We go again next week [pointless emoji" tweets afterwards. It has been said on here a lot, but it is completely true: how we miss the likes of Todd, Short and Savage - not the most naturally gifted of players but ones who would have died if it meant three points.

Part of the usual media drive to blather about the 'Magic of the Cup', until the big boys enter then they can promptly forget about it and focus on (usually) foregone conclusion tat like Man United v. Watford or whatever.

I see iFollow has interpreted us as Douglas at LB, Bell at RB and Trav instead of Johnson at CB!

In fairness, he has height, boundless energy and an ability to make himself awkward...

Johnson had two shockers near the end, the cross which looked more like a rugby conversion and one right at the death where he skied it. It is true of others also but both Johnson and Holtby seem to have a weird consistency where they either have a worldie or are invisible, they're either a 9/10 or a 4/10 and never anything else. I would love to know what inspires one form or the other to turn up - certainly for Holtby I want to know why his form has fallen off a cliff since autumn.

They are indeed. It's not everything they say, but, as an example, right at the tail end of last season when we needed something daft like three straight wins and about four other teams to implode, at full time they still went on about how the play-offs were still an outside chance. Their opinions obviously, I just think on occasion they're in a considerable minority no matter how you divide up our fanbase. I guess at times it just feels like they state Club-approved sentences rather than what the most honest and popular assessment actually is. You're point about Warren is very fair, you do notice sometimes Neil trying to very gently stop him saying something!

I was watching Ayr v. Morton before Rovers tonight and the difference between Ayr's duo and ours is night and day. No bias, no hypothetical scenarios to justify comments ('If x happened when...'), praise for the opposition and criticism for themselves where needed, an insightful co-commentator who actually has a deep understanding of tactics and the opposition. I don't dislike either of the regular Rovers commentators but they wear very thin after a while. I'd love to know what they really thought sometimes!

What a save that is from Schofield.

Out of interest, for those of us in the UK, is it possible to buy the audio only stream for matches that are video-streamed on iFollow? I have work to be doing tonight so was planning to only listen in the background, but was presented with no option other than the tenner. Shelled out for it so I can listen, but it'll be a real test of willpower not to watch!

Confirmed by the club themselves about an hour ago. Judging by social media it's quite a popular decision! Will be interesting to see what happens next for both parties.

I've been impressed by him so far, comes across very well and seems quite switched on.

Lenihan for Ayala the only change..

They were indeed called "Rooney's Rams" in a BBC article the other week. All of that history and identity consolidated into just one person's surname. Shameful.

I suspect the one stand approach is to save on the staffing costs and presumably various bits of their Covid-secure approach, much in the way that if Ewood ever lets crowds back in in these times I suspect they'll all be in the Jack Walker stand. I don't think a single crowd shot that made today's iFollow footage was compliant with social distancing!

What a goal that is. Cracking stuff.

Does anyone have home commentary on iFollow? Nowt for me so far.

I don't have too much of a problem with Rothwell dropping to the bench, he's been thoroughly decent for the past few games, but with the intensity of the calendar between now and January I suspect it will happen to most of our XI at one point, especially given our difficulties with random injuries. Thank God these days we actually have players of equal or greater ability to come in instead!

I used to go to Stanley way back when if Rovers were away. From seeing them play the likes of Runcorn FC Halton, Bishop Auckland and Gainsborough Trinity to where they are today is an incredible; they've maintained Football League status for 15 years now and appear well-cemented in the third tier.

Our home game v. Leeds meant for April just past was to be on a Friday night wasn't it?

Gally!

Feel so sorry for Gallagher.

I don't know if any of that was addressed directly at me, but re: your last paragraph, I always go down the line of "I wouldn't want to live like them, they wouldn't want to live like me". I couldn't care less how someone appears or what they do so long as it isn't compulsory!

I don't have any nor do I have any intention to, but I don't generally mind them; I just think unless you're like how@Dreams of 1995 sounded above and go all in they've really lost a lot of meaning. It seems like every man and his dog these days has a completely anonymous sleeve tattoo, which I don't quite get, but some of the personalised stuff which clearly has meaning to the wearer can look pretty good. I think a lot of it is a generational thing: back in the day obviously the only people with tattoos were ex army or prison, or something outside a 'normal' life. Nowadays it's as much a fashion as anything.