Tyrone Shoelaces

The fact that we had five young players missing from last nights game because they can't or won't follow simple guidelines speaks volumes for their levels of maturity." Do I want to play for England or go do I want to go to a birthday party ? Err , phone for a taxi the champagne's on me. "

We seem to have a problem in pushing on from those successes. Young players thinking they've already got it made ? We definitely don't seem to mature mentally like some foreign teams do.

Yeah, before the game. They ran around the running track with it to really good applause. First British team to win a major European trophy. It felt more of a British achievement then with a team full of English, Irish, Scots and Welsh players. We all identified more with British teams in Europe then. I remember watching the final, they absolutely hammered a very good Spanish team, Athletico Madrid ?, about 5-1. Spurs then were like Liverpool or City are today, full of class players. Everyone an international apart from the right back, Peter Baker. I always felt sorry for him but England caps had to be earned then and Jimmy Armfield was England's right back and captain at the time. After we'd let them parade the cup Rovers absolutely took them to the cleaners winning in a stroll. They'd no answer to our attacking play, We'd 3 young local lads playing 8,9,10 that night in Byrom, Pickering and Ferguson that were unstoppable. I remember walking away from the ground thinking " With those three up front the future is really bright ". Dougie was playing on the right wing for once so Danny Blanchflower probably thought he was in for a quiet night, until Fergie got running with the ball !

I wonder what Vilesinner would have made of Bryan Douglas if Rothwell is World Class running with the ball. I don't think there is a suitable adjective.

I think Southgate has the occasional dose of " Mowbrayitis ". We started out in the first half with what soon became 5 at the back plus two defensive midfield players in Winks and Philips. Then we wonder why we can't get into the last third of the pitch ?

I was there Den. My abiding memory is of Blanchflower looking back over his shoulder to see where Bryan had gone once he'd beaten him for the umpteenth time. I think that was the game when Bill Nicholson decided Danny had finally run his race and it was time to find a successor, which they did in Alan Mullery. We'd beaten them easily the preceding May at Ewood 3-0 when before the game they paraded the " European Cup Winners Cup " that they'd just won around the ground. That was Matt Woods final game for the club before he emigrated to Australia. Being the final home game there was the usual invasion of small boys at the end of the match and I got to slap Matt and a few others on the back as they went off. There's a photo somewhere of Matt being presented with a leaving gift from the directors after the game - a canteen of cutlery !

I'd say Belgium have top players. England are ok at beating up the little kids, when the big lads come into the play ground it's another story.

There's a difference between World class and International class. In my book World class means the best 11 players in the World in their position at any one time. Freidel was the best goalkeeper in the World for a spell, Duffer was the best left winger at one time. Shearer was probably the best striker in the World in his time at Rovers. Dunny wasn't at that level and I don't think he would have been even if he had been injury free.

I thought he was the best left winger in the comp when he played for Eire in the World Cup.

Grealish looks a very good player in the making. The problem is we've plenty of good players but hardly any great ones. Alf Ramsey reckoned to win the big games you needed at least 3 World class players. That means if you were picking a World 11 you would have at least 3 of those players in your team. He reckoned we had 3 in Banks, Moore and Bobby Charlton when we won the World cup with Ray Wilson knocking on the door of the World 11.

Hakan Sukur, back in his hey day was World class.

It was sad to see Don go but his time was up. Nothing is forever.

I bet Danny Blanchflower hated playing against Bryan Douglas, he got run ragged every time. I'll say this about Danny, he never resorted to under hand tactics with Bryan in spite of getting the run around. Maybe he just couldn't get close enough ! I've seen Dougie come off with his shirt being ripped on several occasions. That old vee neck was ideal for players trying to pull him back after he'd gone past them. Brian O'Neil at the dingle dome and Frank McKlintock at Ewood spring to mind. Two good players but they weren't averse to a bit of manhandling.

As long as the mud wasn't over the tops of your boots it was ok to play on.

Cliff Jones for Spurs was the Gareth Bale of the day. A real handful of a winger. Bill Brown in their goal was top class as well.

Are you his mum ? What's he getting for tea tonight ? How long has he been here ? Hardly my first opportunity.

Brererton's a waste of a shirt out wide and he's a waste of a shirt playing up front. The only time he's done anything of note is when he's been played in what you could describe as the old inside left position.

Didn't Dolan play Armstrong in for a tap in at Fleetwood ?

That's if everything goes according to plan regarding the injury and he doesn't have the subsidiary issues that some players have following a prolonged time out.

Dack might not have played a first team game by December. Who's going to sign him in those circumstances ? You'd have to see him play a few games first and be sure that he's back were he was before the injury. Teams in danger of relegation can't afford to take gambles like that.

Not all of us were. I said at the time he might be the new Damian Duff but he's much more likely to be the new Keith Treacy. You can look it up if you like.

I took my youngest son to that one for his second ever game. He's still a fan even after that dire performance. Notable for the very expensive Stuart Munro's only appearance in a Rovers shirt. I think this was the final straw for Jack Walker and Don was on his way out.

Yes, that's where he should be playing in games such as that one.

So in spite of all that technology we still signed two non scoring strikers ?

I can't honestly recall another game were we were so much on top in a game that we lost. It was ridiculous.