Fill your boots,

Well before this window whoever was deciding what pond to fish in should have made sure they had concrete assurances as to where they stood regarding finances. If those assurances weren’t forthcoming they should be reconsidering their position. How can you do the job otherwise ?

We always play in front of teams. That’s because we are too slow in transition. By the time we’ve passed it along the back four a few times and give the keeper a couple of touches our opponents are all back into shape. We very rarely get around the side of teams and turn them so they’re running back towards their own goal. When we did it on Saturday Dack found space by the simple expedient of slowing down his run and letting the defenders run away from him. They couldn’t watch Dack and the ball at the same time. When teams are playing in front of you it’s a lot easier to watch the ball and your immediate opponent.

I think one or two were sorry he did.

If you’re not getting much service up front you’ve got to work the centre halves more off the ball. Move around yourself constantly, even if it’s just a 10 yard jog from one centre half to the other , get them moving, make them think all the time, back into them ( accidentally of course ), tread on a few toes, wear them down etc. Don’t just let the game pass you by. Playing up front with no service is the most thankless task in football. Being honest whoever plays up front for Rovers at the moment is going to be struggling. We don’t get in our opponents half enough and we don’t get there quickly enough. We very rarely get around the side of teams and we rarely see a clever ball played through from midfield. Saturday’s goal was an exception that proves we can actually break teams down. We need at least half a dozen moves like that in the game.

It was a good run but I want my centre forward to be running towards the ball most of the time, not away from it. To score goals you’ve got to be in the penalty area and ideally in the 6 yard box.

He’s not had a good season so far.

Blake was bone idle. I remember him coming on late in the game when we had just gone down to 10 men ( Utd at home ? ) Obviously Souey had told him - “ You’ve only got 10 minutes, I need you to chase everything down, don’t give their back four a minute, run your tripes out “. I don’t think he got above a jog all the time he was on. We were under siege and he did nothing to help the defence out. I think Souey lost it with him after that and moved him on as soon as he could.

It’s not just the wages is it ? The way the club is run is shambolic and players at other clubs will be aware of that fact. When did we last sign a player were we were in serious competition with another club ? Every time another club comes in the player in question chooses the other club.

Yep, what a player. Poetry in motion.

My main memory of him is Matt Jansen breaking down the right hand side and dummying a right foot cross, coming back on his favoured left foot and picking Ward out with the most perfect chipped pass. He was right on the penalty spot, unmarked, and Ward volleyed the ball into row Z of the Darwen End.

Sounds like Raya earned his corn today. Brentford MOTM apparently

He’s been our best player for the last couple of games.

We’d be happy to make an exception in your case.

Players only come here if there is no alternative. Who wants to play for the Chicken Chokers ?

Harsh, their guy was looking to go down before the ball arrived.

Get to the by line and get them running back towards their own goal. Dack just stops running and they lose him. Easy peasy once you get to the by line.

That’s what’s been missing. Midfielders running beyond the strikers. Dack was smart enough to go the short side with the keeper scrambling to get across to cover the long side.

We did well to get 0. We were never in it from the first minute. A total embarrassment.

The European Cup winners cup and the European Super Cup were Mickey Mouse trophies ? I wish we’d won one of them ! The bloke was a winner . In football you need to put your prejudices to one side if the want to see the real picture.

None of them were what I’d call a tap in. Gallagher’s should have been but the two Dack fluffed would have been great goals if they had have gone in. The keeper was on top of Hedges pretty quickly. The best chance in the game was their fourth goal.

I used to know the chief exec at my local rugby league club. He said “ Never give the buggers a reason for losing. Never give them an excuse for not performing ! “

All of those managers could get the cheque book out and buy players to fit their way of playing. We can’t.

The trouble with this “ journey “ and “ project “ talk is that the players buy into it. All of a sudden next weeks match isn’t all that important anymore. We’re on a journey so there’ll be another game after this one and another after that one. If we score first we’ll give it a go, if we don’t - well there’s always next week. The long time football mantra of not looking beyond doing everything in your power to win the next game has been stood on it’s head.

Fergie would take the No 9 shirt and wear it himself before he’d play either of those.