Tyrone Shoelaces

Jim Standen John Bond Peter Burkett Martin Peters Ken Brown Bobby Moore Peter Brabrook Ronnie Boyce Johnny Byrne Geoff Hurst John Sissons They made one change for the game at Ewood, dropping Martin Peters for Eddie Bovington who was an Aaron Moekona type. He followed Bryan Douglas everywhere and nulified our attacking play. The rest of the team played like drains as well, We'd got back into the game on the hour when we were 2-0 down to make it 2-1, We had a good ten minutes after that and we had the Hammers on the run for the first time in the game. Then they scored a sloppy third goal and that was that. I'd gone in the main stand for the first time with a City supporting pal and his older brother.

The images are too distant for me to see. The Spurs team that day was - Bill Brown. Peter Baker, Ron Henry. Danny Blanchflower, Maurice Norman, Dave Mackay. Frank Saul, John White, Bobby Smith, Jimmy Greaves, Terry Dyson. Only Cliff Jones missing out of the all conquering Spurs team, that's why Frank Saul was playing.

I think we'd evolved into a pretty loose 4-2-4 formation by then. One of the wing halves ( Mick McGrath usually ) playing a lot nearer to the centre half and the full backs who were out wide. Then one inside forward ( Andy McEvoy ) playing up front with the centre forward most of the time and the other inside forward ( Bryan Douglas ) dropping back into midfield to team up with the other wing half ( Ronnie Clayton ). Lots of teams were trying this way of playing in the light of Brazil's success with it in 1958 and 1962.

From L to R Ron Henry, Mike England, Bill Brown ( goalkeeper ), unknown behind Bill Brown, could be Maurice Norman, Bobby Smith, Fred Pickering, Danny Blanchflower, Dave Mackay ( with the barrel chest ) Peter Baker. Not many players in the area for a corner, only two Rovers, and both full backs on the posts as was the way back then. Not that it did Spurs much good ! Nowadays it would just be a mass of players all trying to hold on to each other !

On their day, and they had plenty of great days, they were the best team in the division. When they were on song they were a goalscoring machine. We were just so lucky to see them. They just lacked the financial backing to really challenge for trophies. We were just a couple of players short in defence and we'd almost no back up players of equal ability if any of the first 11 got injured.

51,000 on that day Gav. According to the record books with one of the quirks the FA Cup throws up regularly we'd played them in the League the Saturday before and drawn 3-3, 41,789 at that game. So in eight days we'd 90,000 plus through the gate. Players on £20 a week if they were lucky, no wonder following your football team was cheap then. 2/- ( 10p ) to get in for a grown up I would imagine. So if my maths is correct gate receipts of £9,000.

Hi Jim, just for accuracy - Rovers beat Arsenal 3-0, McEvoy 2, Byrom 1. We'd beaten them 2-1 in the League at Ewood the Saturday before.

Left to Right - Ron Henry, Mike England, Bill Brown in goal, unknown behind Brown, Bobby Smith, Fred Pickering. Danny Blanchflower, Dave Mackay, Peter Baker. Interesting to see Spurs had both full backs on the posts for that corner as teams did then and it still ended up a goal.

Rovers played towards the Darwen End in the First Half against Spurs. I was right behind the goals. At half time I " migrated " to behind the Blackburn End goals. I was right in line with that Mike England header. If the net hadn't have got in the way I might have caught it. That is without doubt the best Rovers performance in my life time and I saw the thrashing of Norwich and Notts Forest in our Prem years. It could easily have been 10-2. Spurs had no answer to us.

He doesn't do " going around the keeper ".

Teams that are going for promotion you have to work at beating them. Poor teams beat themselves.

Howard Kendall's team got promoted partly by winning 11 games 1-0. Just saying.

Yes bur we knew all three first choice centre halves regularly miss games. We got lucky with Wharton making the grade.

I couldn't understand why we let Magloire go out on loan when we knew all of Williams, Ayala and Lenihan would go missing from time to time. What experience is he going to get in non league football ?

We got the winner with one against Rotherham. " Just chuck it in the mixer ". I wish I had a £ for every time I've seen really good teams get in a right tangle trying to deal with one.

Two ale house balls = two goals.

Mm, the bad luck continues. We were vulnerable under the high ball back then also.

I always look at like this - who would you rather play against ? I couldn't see a way of getting past Nyambe unless I got lucky. Aarons might be better going forward and good on the eye but he's not as good a defender. Nyambe is a formidable opponent in a one on one situation out wide.

You and the team ?

That'll be the smell of the shit we played last night.

For all the good he does he'd be better off sitting in the stand. He'd get a better view of what's going wrong. All Rugby League coaches chose to sit in the stand and communicate with the bench via a walkie talkie. It seems to work of them. Our coach used to sit in the stand behind the posts, he reckoned that was the best view for Rugby.

My beef with Mowbray is we just look like a collection of players. Some good not, so good. Most of the time our pattern of play is dull, uninspiring, lacklustre, easy to play against. We see teams like Rotherham come to Ewood and have the better of the game and manage to keep us at arms length without too much trouble. Teams were you might think one or two of their players are better than what we have. They can do that because they do have a pattern of play, they have players playing in roles that are suited to their abilities. You can look at them and you can see who's supposed to be doing what. We lack that cohesive team set up. Half of the games we've played in and not done well most of this board are calling for half the team to be dropped. Two games down the line the new guys need dropping and the usual suspects are being selected. We haven't got a best team or way or playing. I accept that with the amount of games keeping the same 11 is almost impossible but the way of playing should stay the same.

Apart from us you mean.

Not many ball winners in those teams, not much height either.

What you mean is 12 months ago Dack was a top player. The chances of a player being being out for over a year and coming back to the same level of ability is roughly 50/50. Then we have the issue of trying to incorporate his re-habilitation into the team when we're playing like we are at present. I'm not optimistic regarding Dack, certainly in the immediate future. Travis, I'm more optimistic with but his injury might have given him pause for thought regarding getting stuck in as he used to.