I agree with much of what's already written on this thread, with the exception that I have friends of the Newcastle persuasion who'd disagree with jim mk 2! Given that we can't expect this weather to last much beyond the weekend and, afaik, there are no rail strikes scheduled for Sunday, there could be a big - 15,000+ - crowd. But that the only thing that's predictable is that we won't know till an hour before kick-off exactly what JDT's selection will be. I'm guessing it will broadly on the lines of the eleven who beat Swansea City with, possibly, Dack for Gallagher. Score on the door? I'm going for a shock, with us only getting a 1-1 draw.

I can remember posting on here in probably the first year of Mowbray's tenure, and under a pen-name for which I can no longer recall the password, that we were - roughly just below the halfway point in the second division - where we were at the first time I remembered my Dad bringing me, aged 7, to Ewood. As I see it, the problem is that what's happened to This Great Club Of Ours in the last thirty years is that fans' expectations have grown. Looking back, we were in a way guilty of assuming that the trustees of the Walker Trust would be imbued with the same love of the club as Uncle Jack had. And that any body which sought to buy the club from the Trust would realise that stopping still was, effectively, taking backward steps. Unfortunately, we're in a much more mercenary world these days. And while I understand why Mowbray attracts so much disapproval, I wonder how many of us, especially those with children whom we want to see through their education, would have been prepared to put our jobs on the line by telling the company's owners that, if they wanted to see the glory days return to Ewood, they would to have dig deeper into their back pockets. Just asking!

My favourite from last night - I've saved this thread to savour today! - was that we had A. Wharton and Morton in midfield. I suppose it would be too much to ask whether either of them came from Scorton?

Ah, right. And there was me seeing the malevolent hand of Sky again mucking up the fixtures.

The draw for Round 2's made straight after the end of tonight's ties. That's expected to be around 9.40. No extra time; goes straight to penalties if teams are level after 90 minutes. Rovers/Hartlepool are No. 22 in the Northern Group. 2nd Round games to be played during the week after next. 1 tie from this Round still to be played - tomorrow - involving WBA, which explains why we're playing them in the Championship on Sunday, rather than Saturday.

Thanks for this link, @chaddyrovers . I like what JV's saying here; it sounds genuine, not just something he's been told to say to the media. He sounds to have the right level of self-confidence without coming across as arrogant. I loved his 'Assist' for our early goal at Parkhead. Promoting him and several other youngsters takes me back to the days of "Carey's chicks" in the mid-50s. Let's hope they can form a nucleus of a successful team for some years to come.

You do know, don't you @neophox, that Hartlepool haven't scored in their two League Two games so far? 5-0 tomorrow, maybe; surely not 5-2.

Things we never heard in the Mowbray era - No. 1. "We all enjoyed it. We had a lot of fun." BBD on the Rovers' website about the game in Swansea.

Some of us - well, okay then, me! - with no dependents to support, kind-of "collect" grounds where we're playing an away game on a ground where I've never seen us play before. However, even when it's a new-to-me ground, I wouldn't necessarily return in following seasons to explore the neighbouring area and catch another game there. Specially when it's so comparatively far from Ewood.

Well that was a very pleasant trawl through 20-odd pages of comments on an extremely satisfactory display yesterday afternoon. I was particularly pleased with the way we soaked up the work of the Swansea attack before showing them how it should be done. If I were a "Jack" (Swansea fan), I'd have been seriously hacked off about how easy it was for us to score, especially with BBD's goal. Fisher seemed to be nowhere near his post for it. There can't be many teams who win 3-0 with "only" 29% possession. Personally, my favourite was Smodics' goal; it looked like - probably wasn't - Hedges felt he had enough time to set Sam's debut goal up for him. As if to say, "Welcome to the club, pal!"😉😁 More of the same next Sunday, please.

They must read this Board as part of their preparation for a game. Fancy them falling for the old "Pickering's down as a weak point" ploy!! 😉😁

And hopefully in the League Cup game v. Hartlepool next week. Surely that'll be the game to give him and some others who may not have played in either League game an opportunity to impress.

Count me among the absentees, too. I can't remember for certain; but I'm as sure as I can be that I didn't pay more than £25 for the midweek game at theirs 2 - 3 seasons ago. And as one who's been known to bear grudges - but only in a good cause, you understand! - I still haven't fully forgiven Swansea for pipping Howard Kendall's team on goal difference to a second consecutive promotion at the end of the 1980/81 season. Not their team, you understand; but the way their fans took the mickey out of any vehicle going north "flying" a blue & white scarf as they made their jubilant way back south from Deepdale. Mind you, I'd probably have been as bad if the situation had been reversed. And it is 42 seasons ago now, I suppose ...

Does that only apply to players, Jim? Seem to remember that TM had to journey back to Mrs. Mowbray's kitchen in the northeast when he wanted more supplies of Lemon Drizzle Cake.

He was the same at Fulham for two seasons before joining Bournemouth. Never understood why he's so highly rated as a manager.

What a big word "if" is! Especially when it could, arguably, appear three times in that sentence, @Angry_Pirate.

Since typing the above, other posters have reminded me that BBD can sign a deal with a Continental club - presumably including one in his Mum's homeland🤔 - in January which would render irrelevant the Sell-on clause.

Just coming to this thread for the first time today; and I must say I like this idea. (I'll do the "thumbs up" emoji in a minute, @DavidMailsTightPerm !) A large sell-on clause might deter a Continental buyer and give us some degree of input into any deal.

And, surely, Corrie Evans?? 😉😅😂

🤞🤞 🤞ad infinitum!

And it's good manners, too. Shows that BRFC appreciate what we're getting.

I'm coming to this 3 hours later - don't know where you lads find all the time to post! - but when I started watching, I watched teams set up as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. Then the Hungarians beat us 6 - 3, and 7 - 1 and formations have been all over the place ever since!😂

Always has; always will. Imo; obvs!😉

Sorry, I'm catching up with this debate and am wondering did we really get £15m for Armstrong?? Writing from memory, I thought the figure used in the media at the time was £10m. Of which 40% had to be repaid to Newcastle United for selling him to us so cheaply. So that £15m could well have been as much as 2 1/2 times what we actually received for Arma.

Ah, of course. Thanks @goozburger , that makes sense. I was just panicking because I'm - and I'm sure I'm not the only one - hoping to 'tick' another ground where I've seen us play.