Tyrone Shoelaces

He’s what I call “ a manufactured player “, there’s a lot of them in modern football. He’s not a natural. A big athletic looking lad. He looks the part - until the whistle blows. He’s never developed a football brain. How many times do we see a ball come into the penalty area to be attacked and he’s back on his heels.

I had an estate agent around valuing my house the other day. He noticed the signed photo of The Beatles with Pete Best on drums in the Cavern I have on the stairs wall. He said “ Look at this house I valued a few weeks ago”. The owner had converted his cellar into a replica of The Cavern with the famous wall backdrop. He had Cavern era Beatles like they were playing painted life size on the wall. It looked brilliant. He’d got the guy who’d actually painted the replica wall in the modern Cavern to do it. The estate agent reckoned it cost the guys £thousands to do.

I saw the Kinks the week “ You Really Got Me “ went to number one at the same club. John Lee Hooker was another good gig there. I missed out on seeing Little Richard because the tickets were 50p and I couldn’t afford that. Alexis Korner and various hangers on, Long John Baldry, Georgie Fame etc seemed to be on every Sunday night. Elton John, with a band called Bluesology I think, were regulars. The house band was David John And The Mood from Preston. They were in the Stones style and went on tour with them. When they got back off that tour their gear had had a massive up grade. All really nice “ Gibson “ guitars and brand new “ Vox “ amps.

We won’t have to wait whilst Christmas if we don’t get some players signed soon.

Yeah, who know had good he could have been without that first injury.

Every ball from Tugay had a message on it. That one said “ Here, cross this one “.

Not particularly loud , it was a cellar club a bit like images of the Cavern in Liverpool. So you didn’t have to play too loud, I don’t recall my ears ringing like they did after gigs in later years. You could see Clapton was good but we had our own local guitar god at the time - Pete Cowap who played in a 3 piece band called “ The Country Gents “ . Named after the “ Gretsch “ guitar he sometimes played. He was a brilliant player but didn’t make the most of his talents. His band was the first band I ever saw that had a tribute band playing at the same time ! Look him up A local guy called The Tony Auton Band did a good musical tribute to him - “ I Remember Jim “ . Well worth a listen. Check it out on you tube.

He looked really decent when he first emerged at Rochdale but nothing he’s done since has convinced me he’d be a good signing now.

Schrödinger’s signing ?

Walk away then.

I saw him several times back in the early -mid 1960’s at a local club. He had Clapton in tow then.

It’s the only way we’ll be able to sign a player. He’s far enough away in Japan not to really know what’s going on at Rovers.

I’d rather we kept MacFad than sign Batth. At least we know what we are getting.

The answer is in all our hands. Just don’t turn up anymore.

Much as I like Sammi and I love his attitude I don’t think Sammi is a Prem Level player. It’s a bit like Rhodes, he’ll score plenty as this level but the step up is big and getting bigger. I thought Armstrong had more of a chance of making it and look what happened there. Having said that it’ll be a big payday for him and there won’t be many more at 28. Hard to turn down.

Even doesn’t even look like scoring a goal.

They’ll all be low bids, they know we’re skint.

It’s not just about the fans though, you can’t afford to alienate the players in the position we found ourselves in last Spring. He may have been thinking “ I’ll sweet talk this lot until Summer and then I’ll be able to bring in some players who fit my idea of what we need “. If he did he obviously underestimated the Chicken Chokers. Of course he just say “ No Comment “ to every question at the press conferences. That’d be a great look.

The power dynamic has changed in pro football. It’s swung from the directors and managers to the players and their agents. You can’t give players the hard word like Cloughie did back in the day any more.

That’s why I can’t understand why anybody works for Rovers these days. One day you’ll be out of a job. Make the move in a time of your choosing, not theirs.

The Small Faces - In My Minds Eye

What do you expect him to say ? “ Jesus Christ, what a load of wasters I’ve walked into here. If I keep this lot up it will be a miracle “ ?

What did you expect with the squad we ended up with ? Take Sammi out of that team and we didn’t have a goal threat anywhere.

“ Cowardly Tactics “ ? What the bollocks does that look like ? I didn’t know the “ Queensbury Rules “ applied to football. You find a way to win, to keep us in the division. End of. That’s it.

You mean you don’t believe Mystic Chaddy ?