I’ve never been Joe Rothwell’s biggest fan. I still stand by my comment of “ doesn’t do enough often enough for a midfield player “ that I made at the time. Having said that I accept he had a substantial fan club who’s opinion was different to mine. I think the owners were aware of the out cry there would have been if he had have been sold with us second in the league at the time. Especially if the money had gone in the same drawer as the Armstrong money. I would suggest that could have easily been the case.

That was a bitter pill to swallow. It wasn’t the first, for me that was Fred Pickering, Roy Vernon and Peter Dobing were just before my time. And it wasn’t the last by far. Going back to the Jim Smith era although we were poor we were united as a club and we never doubted for one minute that the board were doing all they could to bring success back to the club. Contrast that atmosphere with current events.

It makes me smile when people criticise his positional play. He plays where he’s told to play, just like every other player in a pro football team. Nobody plays just where they feel like it. Of all the defenders at Ewood he was the one I’d least like to play up against.

Well he’s come to the right place for a challenge.

We’re forgetting Alan Hunter, a really top class centre half. He’d be worth £25 Million today.

It was a joke ? Righto.

How many opposition players have given him a chasing ? Not many, if any

Well he’s got the chance to replace them now. Let’s see how he goes on.

How long had we been looking for a replacement for Mowbray ?

We bought him in January and he made his debut the following August.

Name me one thing that gets done relatively quickly at Rovers ?

We could afford him but who’s going to pay the wages for the rest of the squad ?

If you’re playing four at the back he’s the right back you want. If we get a better player for that position I’ll be surprised. How many attempts have we had at getting a good left back ? If you rolled them all together you wouldn’t have a good ‘un.

And any really outstanding young talent we may stumble across gets snapped up for a pittance before they even make the first team. That’s the likely outcome with Phillips. If Mike England was playing today, he’d have been gone before pulling on a first team shirt.

That is the issue. They go for £10 million and we stand a really good chance of replacing them all with decent players. Go for nothing and you’re shopping in “ Pound Land “ , hoping to get lucky. Well we might get lucky with one player, but three ?

It’s not just that we are being run by idiots, they are idiots who’ve basically washed their hands of us.

Same old story with this lot in charge. “ One step forward- two steps back. “ Nothing will ever really change until they are gone.

It’s not too bad having one young centre half playing alongside a more experienced player. I wouldn’t like two young lads playing together.

I think BBD is more likely to be a success in the Prem than Armstrong. His all round game is better.

Harwood-Bellis is one for the future but I wouldn’t be expecting him to feature in a promoted team. He’s not at that level yet. Tosin obviously was.

Branthwaite was he called, Everton - failed. Harper, WBA - failed.

I think Mick was a very under rated player apart from by Rovers fans of course. Although he did get picked along with Ronnie and Matt Woods to make up the half back line for the English League in one fixture, I can’t remember who it was against. For those who never saw him play he was a busy un-fussy player, a good firm tackler and a tenacious man marker. Very consistent, he was never the MOM but very rarely had a poor game. A player who kept his passing within the range of ability. Get it and give it to Dougie or Mike Harrison. He wasn’t much of a goal scorer, most wing halves weren’t in those days. Two I do remember - one was a fine 20 yard shot into the top corner at Old Trafford that sent us on the way to a 3-0 win. The other was in the famous game against West Brom were Bryan Douglas beat most of the Baggies team to score the best goal I’ve ever seen at Ewood. Mick was being kept out of the team by the emerging colossus that was Mike England by then but on this day he was in for an injured Ronnie Clayton. Fergie got away down the side and crossed a low ball into the goal mouth. Mick came sliding in on a greasy pitch, he was about 3 yards from goal. He blocked the cross with his left foot and then swept the ball home with his right foot. Almost all in one movement. I was right behind the goals at the Darwen End and it was right in front of me. Unfortunately the goal he’ll be in all the record books for was the own goal in the 1960 Cup Final when he deflected another low cross into the Rovers goal to open the scoring for Wolves. I suppose Mick’s claim to fame was being the first Rovers player to be substituted. We were desperate for points and we’d played Mick as an extra defender in an away game, again at Old Trafford, in the hope of grinding out a result. It didn’t work and we were losing at half time. Mick was subbed off and John Byrom came on to take his place. It sort of worked because all though we were outplayed we got a very fortuitous draw courtesy of United’s keeper Harry Gregg deciding to chin Mike England from a corner right in front of the referee ! A pen which Mike Harrison converted against stand in keeper outfield player David Herd and a sending off. An even luckier equaliser made my day. That was Mick’s only game that season and his last for the Rovers first team.

You need a re-build. You should also have the finances to make a success of it. The management at Rovers squandered our chances. That can happen with the wrong people in charge.

Yeah but we had the “ added degree of difficulty “ that was the Chicken Chokers and Kean.

He’s ok when he’s in space and he’s not jumping with an opponent. When it is an opposed header it can go anywhere.