L For what it's worth, they're almost all Must-win games now, @Mercer . When there were 9 games to go, I started a little "Predictions sheet", featuring the teams then in 2nd (Sheffield United) - 9th (West Bromwich Albion). Quite apart from showing what a rotten tipster I am, it shows that Luton Town are on a roll. Their last four games have ended: 1-0, 1-0, 1-0 and 2-0. That run includes Sheffield United (A) and Watford (H). That's 9 points more than I predicted they'd get. Meanwhile Norwich City, with a record of 0-1, 1-1, 0-0, and 0-1, have got 5 points fewer than I thought they would. They seem an unpredictable team and as we've already had their measure this season, I'd be happy with a 1-0 win on Friday. Because our goal difference is so poor, I'd be happier still with a bigger win, but first things first and three more points in the bag.

Bollocks.

So where are Swaggott and his cohort of acolytes who go to away games - well, they, certainly did on transfer deadline day - arguing the case for our loyalists?

And that sums up for me what's wrong with the loan system from the perspective of the borrowing club. It seems like we're offered a player whom the loaning club think we can develop in a role they need him to understand, irrespective of our needs. If the needs of both clubs align, then fine. Which is one reason, imo, why Elliott's loan worked so well. Less so, this season.

But we aren't!! Keep the faith, lads!

But surely everybody knows that no "joke" cracked after mid-day counts as an April Fool. No matter how hard you try, there's no excuse for the thought behind your earlier, mindless, post.

Difficult, sometimes, to get the rationale for some of JDT's decisions. But he keeps getting - overwhelmingly - the majority of 'em right.

He sounds like the mid-1950s me; having to cope with Blackpool fans (ah, bless, nowadays!) winning the F.A. Cup in one of THE most famous F.A. Cup Finals, while we were mid-table in Division 2. I KNEW we were the better team, cos Dad kept telling me of our F.A. Cup history. With that attitude, he did two things: got me interested in history as a subject; and, more importantly, made me 'Rovers Till I die'.

And thank you and his Mum for bringing him up properly!😏

Talking of Brighton's 3rd choice goalkeepers, I'm sure I remember Christian Walton, whom Brighton loaned us in 2019-20 season, being described that way at the time we signed him. The same season, they loaned Sanchez to Rochdale so I'm not sure if lending him to a Division 4 club meant they saw him as their 4th Choice keeper at that time. I only saw Sanchez play for 'Dale once that season and he was more impressive than I ever remember Walton being for us.

And me! (Bit worrying for this 77-year-old that the "age" question stopped at 55+!)

Yes; my Burnleh-supporting old schoolmate in NZ really loses his rag when I point out that Lancashire's Most Historic Football Club has never come within 5 minutes of dropping out of the League!

Glad I'm not the only one to have thought like that, @renrag.

I'd have said there's scope for a legal Eagle having a field day with a Test Case on that issue, @The Gull!

In the spirit of the detours the Birmingham(A) game thread's taken,@Tyrone Shoelaces , surely it's not just now. The Rochdull Observer's been flirting with being beyond useless for decades!!

Thanks for this, @oneandycrawford. In what you've attached, there's almost a lesson for this season. It's not quite like like back then - when we missed out on an automatic promotion place on goal difference - but G.D. will make a difference between where we fit in among the group of teams who miss out on automatic promotion and have to play off with neighbouring teams. Memo to Gregg: Please find us an goalscoring forward to sign during the next transfer window!

With added misery as we passed their coaches on the south-bound carriageway as we were on our miserable way home. Speaking from memory, wasn't that the last season when only two teams got promoted?

I didn't realise that. Now I don't get Th' Observer, . . .

Glad I wasn't the only one, @bazza!!

FFS, Chaddy; Let It Go!!! Life's too short!!!

Only because it's really important.

And where's there any mention of appendices in that post? @roverandout

Aww @Tyrone Shoelaces, that's a bit harsh!! As one who was also a Rochdale Council Taxpayer until a couple of years ago, I always had a soft spot for them. Several of my former colleagues were season ticket-holders at the Crown Oil Arena. If it didn't clash with our game at home to Luton, I'd have gone - for auld lang syne - to their last home League match for - at least - a season.

If your remark about Ukraine was intended as a joke, then, imo, it couldn't possibly have been in worse taste. Many of those lads playing in yellow this afternoon will have family members and friends who've - in the worst case - died in the defence of their country and, at least, are suffering privations, the like of which we're lucky never have seen in this country.

Another factor which also has to be taken into consideration, imo, is the way in which the last few seasons have been atypical; either because of Covid and/or the World Cup. Fixtures have had to be squeezed into fewer weeks. This has contributed to a rise in the number of night matches. And, as someone who'll become closer to 80 than 75 early next season, my reluctance to leave a nice warm home on a midweek evening/night to cheer the team on increases and a season ticket becomes of less value. I'd like to cheer the lads on at every home game, sure I would; and if I were younger and fitter, I'd do it. But the effort - and money - that I have to put into getting to every home game will, I fear, inevitably increase. I haven't driven since I took early retirement in 2008. So buying a match ticket for those games I can get to makes more financial sense than buying a season ticket. I'm not saying I can't afford a season ticket; I can. And now that I've moved back to live in Blackburn, attending night matches is more possible than when I lived 25 miles from Ewood. But when night matches - played at a time when there are fewer buses for me to flash my bus pass on - come into the equation, then that's a minimum of an extra tenner on taxis to and from the game. If we - not just Rovers; the whole of the Premier League and the Football League - could get back to playing more matches at the traditional time, then a season ticket would make more sense for an old beggar like me. But I fear that ship may have sailed.