BBD appears to be the ultimate confidence player. When he's scoring he looks like he'll never stop, and then when the goals dry up it's like he has no idea how to get his mojo back.

£9m. You're buying the league.

Sharpe's take:- A third successive league draw, but one Rovers were good value for. Made to work for it in the second half but plenty of positive signs. Hayden Carter excellent at the back and Lewis Travis back to his best.

Irrelevant to the actual cost of the players on the pitch.

Good point that considering most predicted we'd get stuffed.

The OP called it first post of this thread. You were a few days late!

(Bank) Tella has scored a hattrick for the Dingles against Nobbers. An appropriately named matchwinner for a team that has bought the league.

That was Bradley Dack's 50th league goal for Rovers in his 152nd appearance. Some strike rate that for an attacking mid.

Which is always the final word on any player. JRC = Total Football.

Mowbray used to say JRC's best position was wide left. Think that's where he played a lot in the youths. JRC has said he's see's himself as a FB though.

How's Dolan playing?

Burnley beating the Nobbers. If only they could both lose.

Good job we didn't sell him😉 First rule of football club - never sell your goal scorers if you can help it.

You write everyone off. Law of averages dictate you'll get the odd one right.

Or he's been well managed by JDT, unlike under Mowbray when he fucked his other knee after playing 3 times in a week.

JRC, another young lad written off when it was obvious he had quality. The lad's had a mare with injuries. Great to see him playing well.

I was going to say similar. Given most teams in the Prem will travel in numbers to Ewood we would soon be back to 20-25k crowds most weeks. We'd still be bigger than Burnley!

A lot of truth in this. We've played badly for 90% of this season as an attacking force. We've won games because in the first half of the season we were taking a chance or two and then defending very well. In some ways it was a carbon copy of that purple patch under Mowbray last season that took us to 2nd. There have been a few signs that we can play better football. Thomas will make a difference because he can beat a man and get a cross in. Our usual wide men (Gally, BBD and to a lesser extent Hedges) are useless as creators of chances. I watched Sunderland the other day. Mowbray has 3 players just behind the striker. They are Diallo, Roberts and Clarke. All 3 are quick and can beat a man. As much as JDT gets on my tits, he needs time to get his own players in.

What were the ST numbers this year, about 8k?? If by some miracle we got promoted this season, how many do you think we'd sell if prices stayed about the same?

Portlyarse is playing. Lets hope Dolan twists his blood.

What's your definition of a 'lapsed' fan? I know a load of Rovers fans who stopped going specifically because of Kean, he's long gone but they've never come back. If we got back in the Prem would they return. Yes, some would, like a shot. They all turned up for the Oxford, they would all turn up for the PO's and some would get a ST if back in the Prem. There aren't 10,000 'lapsed fans' not going out of principle. And habits can be broken. Just like they got out of the habit of going, they'll soon get out of the habit of not going if there is a successful team on the pitch.

Subs: Hilton, Phillips, Brittain, Buckley, Hedges, Szmodics, Gallagher

That's got nowt to do with what I posted.

There's no great mystery to any of this. When you're 17 you aren't be navel-gazing on a forum about how good things used to be, you're following Rovers home and away with your mates, getting hammered and not really giving a shit if Rovers are mid-table in the Championship, bottom of the Prem or top of League 1. When you become a cynical middle-age moan machine the world looks a lot different. And every fucker, no matter what their age, would be back like a shot to Ewood if we ever got to the PO's, or promoted to the Prem. Same with every club in the land. People want to be a part of success. The end.