Tyrone Shoelaces

He could side foot the shot, obviously with a more accurate technique, as hard as Shearer putting the laces through it. Ask anybody who saw him take one. I don’t recall him ever missing.

Possibly the best for Rovers in my time.

You’re right about movement being the key to a successful passing team. I can always tell when Rovers are going to play well. We’re passing to players that are on the move. Once we start passing to players that are stood still we’re going nowhere. The trouble with five at the back if the team isn’t on song is that half of the team are not in a great position to get moving forward. Same with my rugby league team. Once they start taking the ball stood still it’s going to be a long afternoon.

Yes you’re right. For a guy built like a light heavyweight boxer he wasn’t fond of the rough stuff. Lots of right backs tried to intimidate him and some succeeded. I remember going over to Ewood in the school holidays for autographs. When me and my pal got there we were invited in to watch a full scale practice match. First team attack plus reserve team defence against first team defence plus reserve team attack. John Bray was marking Mike and he was giving him a bit of stick even in a practice match. Mike was complaining all the time to Jack Marshall who was refereeing ! Mike was devastating against opponents who tried to cut out the rough stuff. Really fast and direct with a tremendous shot in both feet. Like a very quick, taller, Mark Hughes without the aggression.

Were we got beat ! What never ceases to amaze me is that fact that Dougan stayed on at the club for another season after shitting on everybody involved with Blackburn Rover. Can you see that happening now ? Social media would murder him.

All I know is passing it for passings sake isn’t the way.

Until the mentality at the Club changes that’ll always be the case. Changing the mentality at the club demands a change of ownership to a more hands on, visible, proactive ownership. So round and round we go.

When you’ve only two in central midfield “ spraying long balls upfield “ becomes your only option.

I’m going to have him kidnapped that morning !

It sounds like he was there by half time though.

He played today for the U-21’s, just as easy to get injured in that game.

Yes but Jim was telling us the other day that he’s a Jonah were Luton are concerned.

I’m not so sure that he likes it, more that’s how he’s told to play. When you only have two in central midfield it’s hard to move the ball forward centrally. Your opponents only need three in there, two to mark up and one to pick up the pieces.

You shouldn’t have gone Jim.

Their fans don’t think so.

One up the road did just that.

The “ passing it along the back line “ way of playing will get you nowhere in this league, except possibly relegated.

Does Buckley owe you a fiver by any chance ? Ask nicely and I’m sure he’ll give it you back. Nobody came out of todays game with much credit but you have to slate Buckley - every week.

He keeps getting games lost in team selection for me. We took a knife to a gunfight today.

That’s the problem isn’t it. Give players at this level an excuse not to perform and they’ll take it every time. That’s why they’re at this level.

Playing three up front away at Luton is pretty naive. You need to have more bodies in midfield to dominate the play.

Correct, if you’re playing 5 at the back and 3 up front the two wing backs have got be really on song. Otherwise the two in centre midfield are going to get the runaround. Pretty obvious really.

One you missed - our flying winger of the sixties - Mike Harrison.

Yeah he was truly bad.

That’s a really good article. Talking about the other two that played with MacNamee I remember Kurila, his real nickname was “ Killer “. Cushley was a handful and he was the quietest of the lot ! Signing MacNamee saved us from the old Div 4. There was an immediate change in attitude in the team and we stopped feeling sorry for ourselves and started competing again. Just proves you can be a legend after only one season.