Martin Britt was destined for the top. He'd scored a hat trick in the youth cup final playing against Livepool when Tommy Smith was his direct opponent. He'd done his knee before he came to Rovers otherwise West Ham would have never let him go. Apparently it was so bad he could only jump for headers off one leg. There's a very sad photo of Britt stood with a walking stick in Blackburn Town centre looking completely lost. It must have been a soul destroying experience for a young bloke. Gilliver had a disc problem that eventually needed a disc fusion. Not really recommended for an athlete but it was a last resort. Even after that he always gave 100% and compared with the two strikers Mowbray has bought he was another Marco Van Basten.

The lack of fight is what upsets me the most. Lack of skill I can forgive, lack of effort I can't.

I would imagine we'll open with Root and Leech bowling. They should get 40 odd without a massive amount of troble. There's preparing a wicket help your bowlers and then there's the last two test wickets. That was a smart move playing with Andeson, Broad, Archer and Stokes and one regular spinner. I suspect we misjudged the wicket a bit there !

No, I agree, the ball shouldn't dominate the bat to that degree !

Years of not producing top class spin bowlers at home has led to a complete inability to play spin. Use your feet. I batted as a kid against Tommy Greenhalgh ( remember him ? ) and that was his advice - get to the pitch of the ball if you can.

I can't understand why everybody is trying to play the spinners from the crease. Having said that for a test match to be over on the second day is a disgrace.

Crazy shot from Sibley. He just needed to stay in and frustrate the bowlers.

I'd have more sympathy regarding our lack of regular centre backs if we hadn't have signed one who is extremely injury prone when we already have two who often go missing for various reasons. We were unlucky with Wharton and unlucky with Kipre who West Brom seem to have signed on a whim. To be honest are the two loanees any bettter than Magloire ? He had Jamie Vardy under his thumb in that game against Leicester. I know it was only a friendly but the likes of Vardy don't know what it is to take it easy in a game. That's why he's where he is.

I gave him the relegation season because he came in late and we very nearly escaped. In the promotion season the numbers of games we dominated for more than 30 minutes you could count on the fingers of one hand. OK we had the players who could turn a match at that level but lots of the time our play was turgid and incoherent. Our shape was poor, strikers like Andreason and Samuel playing out wide, wingers like Chapman on the bench at the same time. I came to the conclusion that Mowbray wasn't the man for the job. Smallwood and Evans both playing as defensive midfield players against really weak teams etc etc. Ridiculous stuff like that. Then when he said " I'll give the lads who got us up preference before any new signings " I thought - " Time we got somebody in who knows what he's doing ! " I'd wager that clubs with a more hands on style of aggressive directorship like Brentford would have fired him then also. But Brentford wouldn't have appointed him in the first place

No point berating Chaddy. I thought we needed a new manager after the promotion season but I would probably have been in a minority of one. The writing was on the wall even then for those with eyes that see.

I presume he means the young centre half we had on loan from City before the latest young centre half we've got on loan from City. In my opinion average managers get 50% of their transfers right, good managers get 75% right. Not many get every signing right, even Kenny signed Richard Witschge. By any measure Mowbray is well below average regarding signings. The Brererton and Gallagher signings being particularly poor.

Great signings are people we'll be talking about in 10 years time. Dack, Armstrong for definite, Reed, Tiso and Elliot, probably for the all the wrong reasons. Kaminski, Mm, not more than we will be talking about Raya in my opinion. Smallwood and Rothwell, not really. Holtby ? only in terms of all the crocks we've signed previously. What about all the shite he's signed ? I haven't time to list them all.

It's not about the last 5 games. Our form has been awful since before Christmas. Going out of the FA Cup without a murmur to the mighty Doncaster at home told me all I needed to know about our prospects for 2021.

You miss understand me - we are getting neither wins nor performances. I didn't expect a win but I was hoping for a committed performance.

It's not about expecting wins, it's about expecting performances.

I remember us having Dougie ( 5ft 7ins ), Chris Crowe ( 5ft 8ins ) Joe Haverty 5ft 3ins ) in the same forward line. Bobby Craig was playing around that time as well, he was 5ft 6ins. How big was Alan Judge ?

Right back I think. Pike will be playing up front.

What's the weather like down in Watford ? It's still raining up here.

Spinners winning the game in the first session of the game ! What sort of wicket is that for a 5 day test match ?

I just sent a text to my son reminding him that the game is on Sky Red Button. He replied - " I know - no excuse not to watch it now ". That's from somebody who bleeds blue and white.

What station was that on ? I'd like to watch it.

I spotted him as a young player when he was starting out at Bradford. He played at Rochdale one night and you could see he was a cut above the usual huff and puff of Div 4 football.

I thought that as well. Trying the new technique of flying towards the ball. Here's your choices - Bradshaw Heaton, Waddington, Fazackerly, Hutchins. Metcalfe, Martin, Parkes, Napier, Endean, Field. Sub - Not used.

Are we talking JBL headphones here ? The best headphones I ever had were a pair of " Yamaha's " when they were into musical equipment. They should have been around £200 back in about 1985. Probably equivalent to about £800 now. " Boots " were selling HI-Fi at one time, and then suddenly decided to get out of it, so they sold everything half price. They were fantastic headphones. My ex-wife got them along with everything else, barring my clothes. She would have had them if they would have fitted her ! I'm pleased you appear to be happily married, divorce doesn't come cheap.

Well we had Martin Britt, who had been a top prospect, who we'd signed the previous season but he came with a serious knee injury which finished his career before Xmas of that year. We signed Alan Gilliver, who came with a big reputation, but unbeknown to Rovers he had disc problems. To sign Gilliver we sold Byrom. Neither of Britt or Gilliver hit the heights, all the while Byrom was banging them in for Bolton. He was past his best when he came back to Rovers.