Tyrone Shoelaces

Maybe Barkhuizen can't play on the right hand side.

Definitely, do that regularly and the goals will come. Stay out wide and nothing happens. He was picked out well though, no thought of a shot at goal, put it on a plate for the lad.

I liked how Dolan was busting a gut to get onto that cross. If you're a winger get right into the box when the ball is on the other flank. That's what he did and he was rewarded with a tap in.

Another idea that hasn't been fully thought through.

I'm not talking about a winning mentality in as much as a " roll your sleeves up and match our opponents physicality " mentality when it's required. He's signed too many who don't relish the physical side of the game. Several guys who have a history of injuries, they aren't likely to be putting it about. We're not aggressive enough both in our play and our manner. If we were a rugby league team we'd have opposition wingers pushing our prop forwards around. It comes directly from the manager, he's signed the players.

We need a few who are prepared to fight fire with fire when the things get physical. I can't think of anyone in our squad that fits that mould now Travis is out. We've nobody who you'd be getting rid of the ball quickly if you heard their footsteps coming up behind you. When we get bookings it's for the pointless stuff like kicking the ball away or arguing with the ref, it's rarely for giving an opponent a bit of a bone shaker. Even Travis came up through the ranks, he wasn't a Mowbray signing.

He hasn't signed the type of players that will buy into that.

It is when it's done properly. We've had some right old rubbish in recent seasons.

I try to avoid reading anything he says. It's just words when we really need action out on the pitch.

Cheers, no connection then.

Anybody know where Durrant is from ? I had a mate who played pro Rugby League who's dad played for Bury back in the day. He'd be about the right age.

It's not a name I've heard of before.

I take it Durrant plays for us ?

He was never quite the same player after he broke his leg. We got him after that. Still a very, very good player. As you say more in a Tugay style of director of traffic in central midfield than a Dunny style of runner with the ball.

Alan Wright was a much better all round Left Back than Bjornabye.

Just before my time but the late fifties promotion team must have been pretty handy with Eckersley, Clayton, Woods, McGrath with Douglas, Dobing and Roy Vernon. Most of that team played with no problem at all in the First Division once promotion had been achieved.

I look forward to international breaks now. At least Rovers can't ruin your weekend when they're not playing !

We'd everything then we don't have today. A shape, a way of playing, players selected for their ability to fulfil the game plan. A method of getting the ball from our end to their end quickly. How many of the current team would get in that team ? Is Armstrong better than Speedie or Garner, Brererton better than Newall, Lenihan better than Moran or Hendry ? Atko wasn't the most skilful but he'd put our current midfield to shame for sheer effort and the ability to get up with and beyond the front men. What a great signing Alan Wright was.

We don't have what it takes when the going gets tough I'm afraid. We're a team of nice lads.

I was playing amateur football that day and we used to drop off the bus back in town to see the scores come in on the " Grandstand " teleprinter in the front window of a TV rental shop. When the Rovers score came up I said to my mates " They'll have got that wrong, it should be the other way around ". Mistakes did happen with the teleprinter, but not that day. We could have won the cup easily that year. .

Don't forget Oldham. I'm in my 70's now and I've never seen them at top level. I remember them playing in the 1964 Cup Final though.

We could lose 10-0 and it would be business as usual down at Ewood on Wednesday morning.

10/10. This underachieving has been going on for the best part of ten years now. Don't anybody mention the promotion, we out skilled teams then but the number of games were we out enthused our opponents you could count on the fingers of one hand. I've lost count of how many times I've said this but until we have a group of players who win more tackles, second balls, interceptions, contested headers, run further etc that our opponents we'll lose as many games as we win. There's no such thing as a free lunch in football, the team that wants it most usually gets most out of the game.

What gets me about it all is inspite of our over cautious approach, playing two defensive midfield players most of the time etc, we've never looked remotely like sound defensively. I was just reading in todays paper that the penalty Middleboro conceded yesterday was the first goal they'd conceded in 452 minutes of play. Obviously they are building from the back, we've never attempted to do that.

Good idea, that way it'll look like we're actually running fast.