Gerrard fired apparently.

Big club are the sort of team that can give us a hard time. They’ll probably let us have all the ball and previously that hasn’t suited us. I’d take a hard fought 1-0 or even a 2-1.

Yeah, an essential part of my trips to Blackburn back in the day.

I read the review - he did “ Treat Her Right “ by Roy Head. What a great record. The white James Brown. Check his moves out on YouTube. Magic.

We just had Walton for a year auditioning for the role of a goalkeeper.

Yeah he shinned it in from about 20 yards out.

Mowbray bringing youth through ? Really, that’s news to me. The only time he gave a young player a game was when he’d no other choice.

Headline in my paper today - “ Raya saves Brentford at the death to keep derby honours even “ Thanks for that Tony.

That’s the thing about this division, it’s a real slog with two games a week coming regularly. It’s a marathon.

We aren’t going to beat West Ham away with the first team I wouldn’t have thought and I’m sure the reserves will give a good account of themselves.

I usually look at it like this - how many Burnley players would get in our team ? At the moment I can’t do that because I’ve hardly seen any of them play. However if Kaminski, Brittain, Ayala if fit, Hyam, Brererton and maybe Hedges on this season’s form can’t get in their team they must have some good players. Like most games midfield will be critical, can our teenage midfield group rise to the occasion ?

I remember going to a League Cup game - Rochdale v Wimbledon. Fashanu was playing against an old style journey man centre half, a lad called John Bramhall I think. He works for the PFA now. It was a real battle, no quarter given. I ended up watching just the two of them. They had their own game with no ball involved.

We are infinitely stronger than the last time we played them just after we got relegated. That would have been a great time to batter us, we’d a bloody awful team out that night and they had a good side on the night. As it was we only lost 2-0 in a reasonably close game. It should really have been a banging for us. The clash of styles will be interesting. We always seem to do better when we let the opposition have all the ball and hit them on the break with more direct play. When we have all the ball we don’t know what to do with it.

I don’t know mate. A pal of mine who played for years as a semi pro in non league football had his cheek bone deliberately shattered by a well known non league thug during a game. He took the guy to court for loss of earnings, he was a self employed joiner, and he won the case. This must be 40 to 50 years ago now but I believe it was the first case of it’s kind. Were a sporting injury was the subject of a trial.

I’m not even going to watch that. I broke my leg twice so I avoid these sort of images. I’ve heard and read enough about it that incident. There’s no room in the game for players who are that reckless. He’ll be sorry when he’s older but not as sorry as Thornley.

I thought that. Wasn’t it two games ?

Ryan Giggs was left footed, almost exclusively so.

There are no easy beats this time.

In that case I’m expecting a hard fought and narrow win. We could do with Ayala back for this.

It’ll be a tough game. Make sure they pack the shin pads.

Is the lad as good as Armstrong was at Rovers ? He tore up this division but he’s done next to nothing at Southampton. It’s a big step up and it gets bigger every season.

They’re no mugs this season. Like lots of teams in this league. They’re hard working and physical. The only easy games are the game you make easy. Not many clubs will go there and win. We go there on Saturday, I’d take a 1-1 now.

He put Ossis Ardiles out of the game when he was playing for Rovers.

I wasn’t referring to you matey, I was referring to the Sunderland fan that came on here earlier. I’m sure it does even out over time although their are occasions when you seem to get a run of one bad decision after another. I’ve long since concluded that off side rule is a shambles now and I just take the rough with the smooth.

If it does I won’t being going on our opponents site moaning about it. At this level it’s all part of the game.