Yes, I understood that.

The alarm bells were ringing for me regarding the Gallagher signing when I had a look at what he'd done since leaving Ewood. It doesn't amount to much at all. I said at the time there must be better players out there for £5 million. The best we could expect from him in the future is to turn him into a Kevin Davies at Bolton style striker. One who doesn't score a lot of goals himself but creates chaos that other players can take advantage of. I can't see that happening under the current management team.

If he's going to play regularly it needs to be somewhere else. We can't keep playing with 10 players.

He's lightening quick for a start. He's got a good engine- gets up and down the wing without too much trouble. End to end runs are no problem. He can pick a pass and he gives it nice and early, rarely gets caught in possession, reads the game well for a young player. Two decent feet, Most of all he wants to play and he wants to take the game to the opposition all the time. Very enthusiastic lad with a good attitude. Very bright and level headed off the pitch apparently. Downside is he's not very tall although he does his best in aerial challenges. He's been out of the team lately because he was being asked to do too much at such a young age but the rest had obviously worked wonders for him today. Before we get too excited United are in for him apparently.

So do Villa with Heaton being out long term.

Southampton's youth system had a really good reputation so it's surprising he seems so lacking in finishing know how. He seems to have gone backwards in this respect since he was here previously. He's definitely turned into a blunt instrument at the moment. I read an article by that striker for the England women's team that was scoring all the goals in the last World Cup. Previously she was running all over the shop with out much success. The coaching staff told here never to stray beyond an area of two imaginary lines equal to the edge of the penalty area and not to run around quite as much, wait for the ball to come to her more instead of chasing play etc. All of a sudden she couldn't stop scoring.

Correct. However if they'd have started with the 11 that finished the game they might have won that game. The " Big Man " was a 40 years old journeyman but Newcastle couldn't deal with him. Going 4-4-2 enabled them to play a more direct game than the 3-5-1-1 they started out with.

Leutwiler actually palmed that " shot " into the goal and not away from it. As someone else said he should have thrown his cap on it.

I heard his comments regarding Gallagher. I thought they were pretty damning regarding what passes for coaching these days. How old is he ? He's probably been at a pro club from before he was 10 and he needs to be told to make his runs into the box and not out of it. I knew where, when and how to make runs into the danger areas when I was at school. That came from watching what the top players did, not somebody telling me. Dack knows how to attack the spaces, why doesn't Gallagher learn from what Dack does in the box.

Yeah, we could have paid £40 million for Joelinton like Newcastle did. I'd rather have Gallagher ! I believe some Geordie fans were giving him some grief has he made his way to the team coach after the game.

The problem is if you were a prospective manager looking to loan him and you were at today's game would you take a chance ?

I try and be objective. I lost my blue and white glasses years ago. I'd have been spewing if that had have been a Rovers player.

You see them given like that all the time. Home teams get them.

Anybody else think our pen was harsh ? I've only seen it on TV but it just looks like a " coming together " to me. A pen and a red card for that ?

He was playing on the right hand side of a back three with a wing back outside him. Between the two of them they got a real roasting off the Newcastle left side players. It was brutal, they were chasing shadows. After 30 mins the manager subbed Magloire and brought on a right back so they could go with a back 4. Totally changed the game. Magloire looked like he'd no idea who he should be playing against or how much he should be helping out the wing back.

Rochdale were playing with Magloire on the right of a back three. Between him and the right wing back the Newcastle left winger ( Yedlin ? ) was having a field day. He made the wing back look like he was running in treacle. He got in up the bye line about 6 times in the first thirty minutes. only luck and good defending kept it to 0-0 until on the sixth time he put a cross in Newcastle scored from it. Magloire didn't seem to know where to play. He was hanging back and letting the wing back get hung out to dry. After the goal Magloire got subbed and they went to a back four. Completely changed the game. Rochdale had been chasing shadows until then. 2nd half they ran Newcastle ragged and should have won about 3-1.

Yeah well he really cocked up there but at least he realised it before too much damage was done.. Magloire got the shepherds crook after 30 minutes. The young right back is on his way to United if my sources are correct. He makes Premier League players look slow. Watch MOTD tonight. They were getting run silly down their right hand side before the change, after that Matheson kept a very tricky winger quiet and made some great runs down the right hand flank. He is both quick over 5-10 yards and fast over 40-50 yards.

I believe that ruthless people win in sport. You need to be ruthless, sentiment gets you nowhere. Honestly I would have fired him after the promotion season. I'd seen enough that season to see that Mowbray couldn't get a team playing well for more than 40 minutes at the most in spite of all the advantages we had over our opponents. We needed a manager capable of taking us to the next level, Mowbray isn't that Manager. I went to Rochdale V Newcastle today. Brighton loaned another goalkeeper to Rochdale, Sanchez, he was outstanding today, MOM. We definitely got second best with Walton.That young right back that came on for Magloire is a class act, he's got pace to burn and he knows how to go forward as well as defend. One for the future. I'd swap him for Magloire tomorrow given half a chance.

If we have any hope of progressing as a team we need to replace our good players with better players, not the other way around. Replace Dack with Judge ? Are they joking ? I'm off to Rochdale V Newcastle now. I'll see if there are any promising players on show.

I can think of two at least.

I was thinking that, He's not good enough with the ball at his feet.

I agree regarding the short bowling. We do it too much for no obvious benefit. " If they miss, I hit " should be a fast bowlers motto. Bowling the middle out of the wicket is pointless, especially in the UK.

Mowbray's cunning plan ?

Nobody can lose you a game quicker than your goalkeeper. That's why you need the best one you can afford. When you have a Brad Freidel in goal it's worth a goal start.

Yes he did, you couldn't say he was an elegant mover but he could get the ball in alright. He knew you don't have to beat your opponent to cross the ball.