Tyrone Shoelaces

He can run with it after a fashion but the next Bohinen, Berkovic,or Dunn he isn't.

The only two players that Mowbray has signed in 3 years that appear to like the physical side of the game are Johnson ( when he can be bothered ) and Smallwood. The rest of of his signings are just nice lads who haven't got a streak of malice in them.

Travis will never be an " unlocker " if he lives to be a thousand, that's not his game, just like Savage wasn't a playmaker..

A win can make up for a dull game. Most people will be back again. A boring 0-0 games makes you want to kick the cat when you get home.

The thing is Jim we brought him to Ewood in case anything happened to Dack so he rarely got a game in his best position. A pal of mine saw him playing for Bradford last year and he was the best player on the pitch, he absolutely ran the game. There's a reason why players with bags of ability drift down the leagues, they lack consistency. You see players in giant killing cup games looking like they could make the step up on that one showing. Watch them again the following week and they're back to being Mr Average. Players at top level can perform for maybe 30 games a season at a good level, the wannabes can only do 10 at the most.

What you seem to be forgetting is that people go to Rovers to be entertained. I do anyway. I want to see players do things I could never do as a player. They go to be gotten up out of their seats every now and then. How many waiverers do you think performances like that will attract back to Ewood ? I'd rather knock nails through the back of my hand. The football most of the time is dull, one dimensional, pedestrian, lack lustre, un inspiring and all the other adjectives you can think of. The blame for that lies at the managers door.

I agree. What you need for these games is a Berkovic type player who can carry the ball into the last third and unbalance teams who park the bus by drawing them out. Rothwell has the ability but not the football savvy or consistency.. That's why he was at Oxford. Buckley would have been a better bet last night.

Same old, same old. Too much walking football. receiving the ball stood still etc. It's been like this for the last 3 seasons. I thought Johnno might have improved things but he hasn't.

If you look back at England Youth teams loads more fall by the wayside than make it to the top. If you get 2 or 3 out of 11 playing in the Prem you are doing really well. 4 or 5 will be playing non league after a few years. Even in the past when they had an U-23 team were you'd think they'd all be playing at the top level already plenty fell by the wayside.

Put Tosin or Lenihan up front and a CB on at the back ?

Mancini was a class act as a player.

Of course.

I used to go to Rovers in a collar tie and a suit. What else would you wear ? Casual clothing was for working in then. I got my first pair of training shoes in 1966. We'd been playing one night and I kept them on to go to the pub for an after match drink. When I walked into the pub it was like I was Spencer Tracy in " Bad Day At Black Rock ". A stranger in town ! It was like I had two heads ! Everybody stared at the trainers. The past was a different place. I've walked up that bit of road with a spring in my step on many,many occasions,.

Chaddy will know how much the photographer got paid for taking it. Regarding the age of the photo - looking at the dress of the people involved and relative lack of flat caps on display i'd say post war - 1945-1950 ish.

It'd almost be a shorter list if you quoted the teams that haven't been in the top flight since Preston bowed out. In my time teams that aren't on your list - West Brom, Leeds, Fulham ,Forest,Bristol City, Sheff Wed, Derby, Birmingham, QPR, Reading, Stoke, Boro, Huddersfield, Luton, Coventry, Sunderland, Ipswich,Bolton, Swindon, Northampton, Bradford, Orient,

I agree. We'll be back one day and we need a ground in keeping with that status. I might not be around to see it but if you look down the lower leagues and see how many clubs have played at the top flight it stands to reason that the stars will all be in alignment one day. I was looking down what is the League 2 now ( old 4th Division ) and I counted 6 teams that I've seen play at the top level and looking through the Premier League 8 teams that have played at Rochdale in the league at some point, mostly in Div 4 ! Our Day Will Come.

Reminds me of the first time I saw Rodney Marsh play for QPR at Ewood. He had Ronnie Clayton and Keith Newton going round in circles. Not many did that. I knew then that he was destined for greater things.

When you're as quick as he is he shouldn't need to be pinching a yard all the time.

The worst one was the penalty not given for the foul on Wilcox when we were 1-0 up and a trip in the box was a pen and an instant sending off. Clearest penalty I saw all that season and it was just " Play on lads ".

We used to say - " You've got to win over there to get a draw ". A bit like playing the Red Rats at Old Trafford back in the Fergie era.

I'd say definitely.

Me too. Also glad to be proved wrong. I don't recall anyone criticising the signing of Cunningham given how desperate we were to sign a decent left back.

That's what good keepers do, they're aware of the conditions and how they can affect opponents decision making. Raya would be more aware than most as to how hard the wind was blowing.

Raya did the right thing for me. He made Armstrong go for the chip. On another day the gale could have carried the ball over the bar. As it was Armstrong judged it to perfection.

That says a lot.