They’ll have to play exactly like we did in most of their away games if they get into the Prem. If they don’t they’ll be straight back down again.

I think Eustace can make a poor mans Travis out of him.

Batth will “ quieten “ him. That’s if he plays. That’s a desperation signing if ever I saw one.

That’s how it worked with the England team back in the day. The selectors chose the players and the “ manager “ had to get a tune out of them. That explains why second division Middlesborough had several players selected in the early 1960’s. The first thing Alf Ramsey did was tell the selectors to do one, he was selecting the players. That didn’t turn out too badly.

He’ll have weighed that up by now. He’s got himself back into work and into the shop window. If he’s here this time next year I’ll be amazed.

From one week to the next.

We had a more or less full squad to pick from then.

Well we’ll see on Saturday.

They couldn’t care less. Anybody who can’t see that hasn’t been paying attention.

I think you’ve just proved that.

Yeah, I said that about Rhodes. No good scoring goals at one end when you’re leaking them at the other end because off the ball you’re playing with 10. You defend from the front, all 11 of you. Where did the goals get us in the league - nowhere, .

We might find that out next season.

I’ll bet they wouldn’t say Gallagher. The lad was going backwards every season he played. He was no more than ok on loan here back in the day but paying £5 million for him was beyond a joke. We had our pants pulled down there. Having said that not as badly has Stoke have had their pants pulled down.

I’ve watched Leonard, putting himself about isn’t his game. He’s the sort of striker that lulls his opponents into a false sense of security by doing very little.

That was a shocker. Somebody doing a favour for a mate there I suspect.

If you’d have seen the Ferguson, McEvoy, Pickering, Douglas, Harrison line up you’d have been wetting your pants. They were hammering the best teams in the land. McEvoy got 4 goals in a game twice and 2 hat tricks, Pickering got 3 hat tricks. All in one season. 62 goals between them and Pickering was sold in the March of that season. Even Mike Harrison on the wing got 14 league goals. Strikers don’t get that now. 42 games plus a handful in the cups then. They were a goal scoring machine. I’ll die happy having seen them in their prime. When did a Rovers player last score a hat trick ?

Siggy ? One player I wouldn’t want playing in this game.

ACD is still a boy physically, he’s very easily brushed off the ball and after he’s gone 10 yards, he’s done.

If we had all of Travis, Pickering, Cantwell and Ohashi fit and raring to go it would be another story but we haven’t. We need to approach this game like we did with the Leeds game. I wish things were different but we’re struggling for players. The game has come at a really bad time.

Poke’s injured, hamstring I believe. Stewart seems to be permanently injured.

I wouldn’t play Cantwell unless he’s 100% . The game passed Weimann by yesterday. My front four would be JRC, Buckley, Hedges with Dolan up top. Not ideal but Dolan will press them at the back and I think playing behind the striker is Buckley’s best position. It’s not a game for the the kids.

It’s not just about the money, If I was Eustace I’d want to go somewhere were it isn’t a circus. Somewhere that is relatively stable with owners you can actually communicate with and rely on. With the chicken chokers you can rely on them letting you down.

Real owners who take a serious interest in the club wouldn’t need to be told.

The underlying reason = the chicken chokers, and working for them. We’ll never thrive as long as their name is over the door. They probably think they can get another manager just like they can for their chicken sheds back in India.

Mm, he gets chances but how many end up in the back of the net ? At least Rhodes put his chances away most of the time.