Tyrone Shoelaces

We played Watford away on the 27th of Sept 1969, shortly before Keith left for Everton. Team that day - Blacklaw. Newton, Coddington, Mulvaney, Wilson. Metcalfe, Rogers, Knighton, Hill. Connelly, Martin. Connelly got both goals in a 2-0 win

We play Hull away in 1966-67, 67-68 and 68-69 whilst Keith was at Ewood.

Proper " short " shorts as well Jim. How players play these days in the beach wear style shorts I'll never know. We used to laugh at the old photos of players like Stan Mathews wearing shorts down to their knees, I never dreamed players would be wearing them again ! At least the women players today have more sense.

The shirt Ronnie is wearing was the first one I ever had. Xmas present at Xmas 1962. I think I slept in it for a while !

I think the photos are 1) Metcalfe, Wood, Atherton, Eccles. 2) Fazackerly, Jones. 3) Jones, Whalley.

I recognise the boots, I had a pair just like them. That's our best ever kit.

Mike Harrison - Thunder Thighs.

I'd be less angry about it all if they came out in person and admitted they'd ballsed up big time. if they spilled the beans as to just what has gone on in the past. They then need to show up in person to face the music and they need to be seen to be giving the club and the fans the respect we deserve.

Just another example of the perils of signing players well into their thirties. They can be here today, gone tomorrow, in terms of playing ability. I can't fault what he did for Rovers though.

You can have any odds you like but that won't be our starting line up next August.

Dietmar Bruck. He been giving Fergie some stick right from the off. The ref didn't seem to be too bothered. Then after another kick on the back of the ankle Fergie swung his arm around and caught Bruck in the face. Nowadays it would be a straight red but in those days most players would have just shrugged it off. Bruck made a meal of it and went down like he'd been shot. That was the first time I saw a player deliberately make a meal of a foul to get an opponent sent off, but unfortunately not the last. What I learnt from that was don't retaliate right away, wait for a later opportunity to even things up a bit. That and throwing your arms around is pointless. The first sending off I saw was Mike England at the dingledome, He'd been having a running battle with Andy Lochead all the game, eventually England lost his rag with the constant roughing up and retaliated like Fergie and got the early bath. Lochead was a notorious animal to play against, if he'd have been a boxer he would have had a glove on his head. A very physical player who would leave something in every time there was a coming together. After that it was the famous Harry Gregg/Mike England incident at Old Trafford. The Trevor Hockey one must have come the season after Fergie getting sent off.

I think he's a better all round centre forward.

Good little player though. I remember him getting sent off at Ewood when a sending off had to be earned. He'd kicked everybody at least once in a really feisty game. Jan 20th 1968. Rovers 1 Big Club 2. Att 17,934 Rovers Blacklaw Newton, Coddington, Mulvaney, Wilson Ferguson, Rogers, Hole, Connelly Gilliver, Darling. Scorer - Connelly.

When I first started watching there was only one - Jimmy Hill.

I'd say so. He was another class act who hardly got a cap.

Matt Derbyshire against City was the most stupid thing to do on a football pitch I've seen for a long while. That was a really brain dead play. Many years ago Stoke City were playing at Leeds in the FA Cup. Stoke played really well but fell behind 1-0 right at the death. Stoke threw everything at Leeds in an attempt to get an equaliser. Stoke had a real dafty playing at full back called Mike Pejic, a good player but one not to be provoked if you could help it. He'd chased down a long bouncing no hope ball down field but the Leeds goalie, Gary Sprake, just got there first. He caught the ball and shook it in Pejic's face. Pejic just pretended to try to head the ball but went over the top and nutted Sprake properly. He was laid out. Now that was stupid.

I was better at football than I was at maths !

My most embarrassing Rovers moment. Waiting outside Ewood after the game with my son for autographs. We'd just signed Jeff Kenna that week and he'd had a really good game. When he came out I said " Well played today mate ". He said " Thanks for that but I wasn't playing ". It was Tony Gale !

5th Feb 1980. Nearly 40 years ago ! That makes me feel old. 1-1 draw There was 29, 468 on. Our team - Jim Arnold Jim Branagan, Glenn Keeley, Derek Fazackerley, Mick Rathbone. Noel Brotherston, Howard Kendall, Tony Parkes Duncan McKenzie Andy Crawford, Simon Garner. Alan Evans og was our scorer. Andy Crawford had scored in all 5 previous ties that season. If we had that back five today I'd fancy us to go up. If they played the current team the current lads would need a goal start. How many of those would you drop for a current player ? Crawford for Armstrong ? Parkes for Dack ? After that it's a struggle. We were really unlucky to lose the replay.

You could add Alan Hudson and Charlie George to that group. None of them got more than a handful of caps

Great player and a real entertainer, he'd makes most of our current team look like pub players, but I don't think he ever won a tackle in his life.

There's more to it than just results. Our current form isn't good enough. Any other ref and we'd have played most of the Boro game with ten men and penalty awarded against us. We got lucky then. Same with our last game, if the linesman had have blinked at the wrong time that would have been a 1-1 draw. I'd really love to be able to come on here bigging us up but there's no point in fooling ourselves, we aren't playing well enough. Sooner or later that lucky streak runs out.

Going off current form ? No.

He was lightning quick over 10 yards before the injury. I think that's gone now, he'll have to learn other ways of playing. Just kicking it past another player then running after it is no longer an option.

I agree, we'll never thrive with this lot in charge. Irrespective of their sheer lack of football intelligence, you can't run a football club by remote control.