Tyrone Shoelaces

How many other lower half wage bill teams have spent £12 million on strikers ?

" Avoid becoming fathers ", I agree, just don't let them have sex at all like they do with boxers when they're preparing for a bout. That'll improve their levels of aggression 1000% One of the old time American boxing trainers was very strict on this matter. He was training a very good American middleweight champion called Joey Giardello, who was a noted ladies man. He called around to see the boxer one morning at their training lodge to take him for some roadwork. After banging on the door he thought he could hear noises so he opened the flap of the letter box. He could see Giardello having sex with a maid on the stairs. He was reduced to shouting through the letter box " Don't come Joey, don't come for god's sake ! "

Might be before your time but the first game for two months after the big freeze in the early 1960's was Man Utd at Ewood. Fred Pickering had got married on the morning of the game and both teams formed up on the pitch as a guard of honour to clap him onto the pitch. Half way through the second half when we were 1-2 down Rovers had an attack break down. Fred's boot lace had come loose so he crouched down to re tie it just where the penalty spot is a the Blackburn End. United moved the ball up the pitch but then one of their players decided to pass the ball back to the 'keeper. Just as Fred got back to his feet. Obviously the guy hadn't seen him. The ball went straight to Fred who calmly turned with the ball and belted into the back of the net for a 2-2 draw. Nice wedding present.

Especially if they're playing for our opponents.

Sorry my heads gone today. I meant 'Boro !

When I first got married within 6 months I'd put half a stone on and lost a yard of pace.

My money's on Hull.

Yes, that's the crux of the issue. At Rovers the normal rules don't apply. Appointing Coyle when we could have had Warnock tells you all you need to know. I'll always be a Rovers fan but my interest is diminishing rapidly. I could have watched the Barnsley game at my sons place but I couldn't be bothered going up to his house. I'm glad I didn't bother now. Just give me a group of players I can be proud of, they don't have to be brilliant footballers, they just need to look like they want to be playing for us.

If I was a manager and the powers that be tried to to foist a player on me it'd be time to go. Especially given the circumstances of the Brereton signing. " Accepting responsibility without the power to control events " is to be avoided at all costs.

I want an new manager but not that badly.

I would have thought that will be a distinct possibility.

I once had to miss the game in which my team won the league. We were playing the second in the league, so whoever won would be champions. They won 4-1. I was an usher at my cousins wedding in Blackpool. For the locals his family lived on Carr Street in Blackburn. At least I got to ride in a " Rolls-Royce ", but it wasn't much compensation.

But not as ridiculous as our performance at Barnsley.

Is that so you can avoid them ?

Me neither. It's a recent affectation like kids having proms at primary school etc. You took your wife into hospital and they showed you the door. First I knew I was a father was my dad came knocking on the door at 6-00am to wake me up tell me. I went back to bed for a few hours and then I went into work at dinner time. Visiting time was at night. Wives were kept in for the best part of a week then. The was a bus from town up to the hospital at night - It was called the " Blunder Bus ". I wasn't there for the second son either. It wasn't the done thing in the 1970's.

Maybe they pulling their horns in financially. Can clubs at our level carry on playing behind closed doors and keep paying big wages ? Something has to give.

We certainly played like we were doing them a favour. Which team was it last year that hadn't been paid that we did a similar favour to ?

What are the FA going to do about that ! I think the initials are a clue.

Maybe he had a more realistic view of our proximity to the play-offs than you or I ?

Our game is rapidly becoming a non contact sport. When I watched the South American Cup Final a few months back it was like our football used to. Plenty of full blooded challenges with the ref waving play on to let the game flow.. We used to have the toughest league football, now it's the softest. When I was playing a challenge like that one would get you a telling off from the ref and a free kick, especially if it was your first offence. Do it again and you'd possibly get booked. Now it's a straight red and a 3 match suspension, it's crazy.

Let's appeal then.

I agree. I'd have him in tomorrow and give him the hard word. Actually he should have gone ages ago. Time to look elsewhere now.

That's the one constant that's been in the team for the last ten years. A complete lack of fight when things don't go their way. The number of games we've managed to pull around from a losing position tells it's own story. In all the players he's signed he hasn't signed one " Battler ". Only Lenihan and Travis look like they relish the physical side of the game and they came up through the ranks.

I've stopped listening to him. Like I did with Keano and Bowyer.

Maybe he'd been told to get on and " put himself about a bit ". That's the thing with non aggressive players, they don't really know how to go about it, so they tend to over react and they're too obvious.