Tyrone Shoelaces

Well we’ll see this time next year.

He didn’t touch the ball that I can remember when we battered them not long ago.

He’s a decent stand in right side centre back in a back 5 also. As long as we have somebody in there to win the headers.

He could buy my magic beans instead.

Ian Lawther, a Northern Ireland international centre forward we got from Sunderland. He was another good header of the ball, he had the happy knack of being able to hang in the air when the defenders were on their way back down. Scored a terrific opening goal in a 2-1 win at Ewood against the dingles. It’s over 60 years ago but I can still see it now. He latched onto a square pass about 25 yards out in the old inside right position at the Blackburn End. Out of nothing he hit a perfect shot right into the bottom corner. The old ball went like a bullet and it never went more than an inch or two off the ground. He seemed to get out of favour with Jack Marshall and with Fred Pickering and Andy McEvoy scoring for fun and John Byrom in the wings Ian was transferred to 2 nd Div Scunthorpe.

I agree, that’ll be great business for the club shop putting that name on the replica shirts. How much is it per letter ?

Yes we all live in hope that one day the Chokers will get something right. Maybe this is the time.

My rugby league team got a new Aussie coach. At a meet the fans do one of the fans got up and told him ” There’s only two things you need to know - beat Oldham and beat Oldham.” There was a big roar from the fans at that point. He obviously wasn’t listening because in the traditional pre-season charity “ Friendly “ with Oldham he treated it as a training game. Inspite of the advice he gave every player a run out and Oldham won easily. He never really recovered his credibility from losing that game and he was gone at the end of the season. I hope JDT realises the importance of the derbies.

Could have been whatever he wanted to be. A David Dunn who could tackle.

The two lads from Eire that were first team players when I first started watching - Mick McGrath, who is still alive I believe. Andy McEvoy was the other one. We also had Joe Haverty then but he didn’t stay long at Ewood. Andy died at quite a young age back in Ireland and I think Joe died a few years ago. Mick was a really hard working wing half ( defensive midfield player ) who was a lot better footballer than some people gave him credit for. He was a main stay of the team along with Ronnie Clayton and Matt Woods for at least 6 or 7 seasons. Andy was a tremendous goal scorer once he’d been converted from a pretty ordinary midfield player. Again he was more than just a finisher, he could set goals up for other people as well. His partnership with Fred Pickering made the two of them into a goal scoring machine. He was up there with two of the best goal scorers I’ve ever seen in Denis Law and Jimmy Greaves. Joe was a tiny ( 5ft 3ins ) left winger that had been a star and a crowd favourite at Arsenal but never really settled at Rovers and he moved on after one season.

I wouldn’t be totally shocked.

Nice try but not as good as Sandy Brown’s diving header for Liverpool against Everton.

Nice for Dahlin.

He’ll be there Chaddy. Don’t get your hopes up.

And then the chicken chokers will say “ How much ? No way ! Have another look and stick to the lower divisions this time. “.

But that was obvious at the time for those with eyes that see. The owners were clueless, we knew that because they told us so, what chance was there of them getting anything right ? They should have got their feet under the table and at least seen out the season before making any decisions regarding the manager.

What you are leaving out of the equation is even at that point it was obvious that the owners were completely clueless about professional football. They thought you couldn’t get relegated, they thought that £5 Million would easily get us into Europe. Why would they go for a Guardiola when they had Steve Kean. How smart do you have to be to count chickens ? That’s what they thought about managers.

When they’ve sold the guys who want to stay in the Prem they’ll still have a few bob to spend. Maybe they’ll do a swap with Vydra.

Yeah I much preferred the shite Kean served up when we got relegated.

He’ll probably still be the best player in training !

Yes, I promise that’s my last word on the subject but the comparison was hard to avoid.

You’d behave like that and I would. That’s what logical owners or boards of directors do. When faith in the manager has been lost he has to go. We’re talking about the Chokers here though, nothing they do is logical.

Other teams further up the food chain are already looking at him. I heard the dingles were interested.

To be honest with you, previously I would have turned the tap off on Mowbray signing new players as well. He got more wrong than he got right. I just wouldn’t have done it last January with the club sitting in 2nd place and desperate for a striker. Having said that looking at the 5 players he did bring in maybe the Chokers had a point ! That’s all water under the bridge now. The new guy will need to be allowed to spend some money given we’ve lost half a team. Most of them being our better paid players

I’m resigned to never getting back to the top level. It’s an almost task with this lot in charge. We’ve as much chance of being relegated as being promoted.