He’s a very good player. A loan back here would do him more good than the odd game for Bournemouth. A bit like we did with Van Hecke.

Our positional play in defence was outstanding today. Everybody knew where to play no matter what was going on around them. We limited a good side to a very debatable penalty. That would have been play on at the other end. What they call in boxing “ a home town decision “.

We’ve played possibly the best team in our division 3 times lately, twice away, and all they can show for almost 300 minutes is a very soft penalty.

That was more like what we expect from a Rovers team. We haven’t defended like that since Big Sam was here. The team fought fire with fire. We were never going to out football them but we certainly out enthused them. I don’t know about you but I felt that was like a win at the end. Anybody who didn’t enjoy that must be getting old. Scores Pears 7 , did the basics . One really good save at the end . Didn’t look like saving the pen. Brittain 8 , defended well and got forward as much as he could. He’s a different player under Eustace. Hyam 8 , solid at the back and hardly put a foot wrong. Batth 9 , a colossus, shades of Ryan Nelsen and Chris Samba. The lad knows how to defend. Beck 8 , a class act, nobody gets the better of him. Fast, likes a tackle, doesn’t take a backward step. He’ll go far in the game. Reminds me of a young Keith Newton. Praise doesn’t come any higher. Dolan, 7 worked hard throughout. Obviously ran out of legs at the end. Baker, 7 did his best in midfield but he’s not a Travis. Got a trademark “ Travis “ yellow card though. Tronstad, 8 played a captains role. Put in a big shift in the second half when Leeds threatened to over run us. Hedges, 7 kept going all game. Not a threat going forward but he helped Beck keep their right wing relatively quiet. Weimann, 6 the game passed him by. Ohashi, 7 worked hard up front until his injury. That was a foul the ref missed subs Leonard, 6 I’m being kind there. He was totally ineffectual apart from that good flick on header. Missed a decent headed chance. He needs to go out on loan, he’s nowhere near ready for football at this level. Not quick, not strong, not mobile enough. JRC, 7 helped out when he came on, made a couple of good runs to take the pressure off late on. ACD, 6 a boy playing against men. The new Markanday ? Too easily shoved off the ball and no real pace. Guyere, 7 did ok when he came on. Good header back across goal from a well delivered Beck corner. Obviously a planned move. Eustace, 9 this guy is the real deal . Most Rovers teams in the past 15 years would have been blown away in the second half. Thanks to this guy we weren’t. Just my personal views. Up the Rovers.

I think I might have packed the midfield. Weimann on the bench and Buckley in Cantwell’s place.

We need a couple of players at least that will go straight into the starting 11. No bench fillers. Will that happen ? I can’t see it happening.

Glenda Collins - Something I Got To Tell You One of Joe Meek’s finest.

His turning point was when we got the defence sorted out. It’s not often he has to deal with shots from outside the box these days.

My genuine Baracuta Harrington is canary yellow so as you can imagine I don’t wear it too often. I have several other ones by other makers like “ Fred Perry “, “ Falconable “, etc. They are a very versatile jacket.

Harringtons ! That’s a blast from the past. I’ve got a nice one made by “ Baracuta “ when they were still made in England. I just checked their site - £250 now !

You could have sat next to me in the dressing room. If you don’t think you can win when you run out you shouldn’t be playing. It’s 11 v 11, anything can happen.

They have been for a while. Delap, Palmer and Rogers. City will be wishing they’d held on to them now.

Staying in this league is their idea of “ achievement “. Promotion ? Why ? Whatever for ? So the full glare of publicity can be shone on them and their dodgy dealings ? I don’t think so.

Nobody in their right mind will make a move for Wharton until he’s back playing again. That’s not likely to be until after the transfer window shuts.

Esther Phillips - And I Love Him

Winterbottom had to do whatever he could with the players the selectors chose. Sir Alf put a stop to that. Regarding Southgate as a bloke I really liked him, great son in law material. He came over really well as a human being on “ Desert Island Discs “ recently. As a coach he just didn’t have that X factor that separates the top achievers from the also rans. He could have coached England for the next 25 years and we still wouldn’t have looked like winning anything.

There’ll be other clubs interested so we can forget him. Players only come here when there isn’t a realistic alternative.

It was a strange appointment in the first place.

Derek Martin - Daddy Rollin’ Stone

I can’t see a way back for them in the short to medium term. There’s too much wrong with the whole set up at the club. I can't see them going down but they’re a long way from being a force again.

Graham Oates, Graham Hawkins, Mike Hickman, The Don, Stuart Metcalfe bringing up the rear on the right. Could have been from a corner.

Me too, right behind the goals in the second half.

We only miss him because we have to play Beck in his position instead of further forward. Pickering is deeply average as a left back. Beck will be twice the full back Pickering will ever be, he’s got pace and aggression for a start.

You pick your games ! One of the classics, along with the 7-2 demolition of the mighty Spurs.

When I was a kid it was all Spurs, then it was Leeds, then Liverpool. Kids at school in Rochdale being Spurs fans ? I take my hat off to the kids who were Rochdale fans down the years.