I thought Rodwell was well worth experimenting with last season. However he hasn't grasped his opportunity and all he proved is that he's a better midfield player than he is a centre half. Given the fact we've enough midfield players for three teams he must be surplus to requirements now.

That's not in his makeup Phil, He's not an aggressive player.

Yeah, he's quite tall but it's his all around game I was impressed with. Sell Lenihan, don't buy Gallagher and you've got most of the fee. I've not seen our new loanee play yet but given the choice of the two I would have had Bielek every time. At least we know what he's capable of.

I think he's taken us as far as he can. The best we can hope for in the future as far as I can see is hanging around in the bottom half of this division. Even when we were winning most games on our way to promotion we didn't look 1) A well coached and organised side. 2) A well motivated side, The downside of firing him is who the Chicken Chokers would turn to as a replacement. I like Johnno and he's done wonders with the young players but how would he fare having to deal with the Venkies Flying Circus ! We'd probably get somebody like Keith Hill who I also rated as a coach but who stayed at Rochdale too long. I must admit if we were a normal club with a fully functioning Board of Directors I'd fire him today - but we aren't.

Bielek has what all good defenders have - a sense of the danger that may ensue before it actually happens. He's also got good pace, know's when to stick and when to twist on and off the ball, he's decent in the air and in the tackle but most of all he reads the game well for a young player. That's something that the likes of Phil Jones and Lenihan have never learnt.

I hope I'm still alive ! There'll be a celebration at Shoelace Towers that day !

Bielek is going to be a class act in the future. That's a really good signing in my opinion.

Tell 'em from me - they're wrong.

Imagine saying to Bryan Douglas I want you to be tracking back and giving John Bray a hand, he's a bit slow on the turn these days !

Banks had the runs apparently. Peter Bonnetti was a really good keeper but hadn't played enough games for England because Banks was so good. The bloke just froze on the day, he let a really soft goal in for their first and his head went after that. The great Keith Newton's last game in an England shirt also.

He needs to ask the likes of Mulgrew etc when that last happened for us and how many times we've conceded at the death !

If being " better than Bell " is the criterion I'll see if I can find my old boots in the loft. A least I liked a tackle !

That's the best performance by any England team I've ever seen.

I saw them both, did you ? Douglas was definitely in the Tom Finney league but I'd say Tom was just that little bit better. Finney was a better attacking player up front, Douglas was a better playmaker coming from midfield. When he was running the midfield for us in the No10 shirt in the 1963 to 65 period there was nobody better in the old Div 1 but Sir Alf wanted Bobby Charlton instead.

I'm talking about players Mowbray's already signed - How many success stories do you see out there ?

I'd expect an average manager to get 50% of their transfer dealings right. A top manager will get 75% to 80% right. As far as I can see Mowbray is way below 50%.

He's not going to be racing back covering for whatever no mark we have playing at left back though is he ?

Denis Law was a terrific player. He was the one I really feared when we played Utd. He rarely had a bad game and he was very aggressive for a small guy. A bit like a quick David Speedie but miles better. Charlton I could take or leave. A pal of mine used to say " A team of Bobby Charlton's would never win anything because they'd never have the ball. " He blew a bit hot and cold for me. Charlton wasn't subbed at half time against Germany he was subbed about 10 minutes from the end because he was shattered, He'd just let the guy he should have been marking ( Franz Beckenbauer ) run from the centre circle to the edge of our box to score their first goal. It's amazing how these myths persist. I had to correct the " Daily Fail " once when they repeated the myth that Charlton was subbed at 2-0. The score was 2-1. I must be one of the last lucky ones who saw Bryan Douglas run Law, Charlton, Stiles etc ragged at Old Trafford when we won 3-0 there years ago. " The Manchester Evening News " published a match report with a cartoon strip that showed a really good caricature of Dougie weaving his way in and out of about 6 Utd defenders who were all busy falling over as he went past them. The little fella beat them on his own that day ! I still have the cartoon but I don't know how to up load it.

I'd love to play against team, apart from Johnson and the possible exception of Lenihan there's not a tackle to be seen anywhere.

In those days you stayed on your feet at all costs. If somebody hurt you you did your level best not to show it. All this diving and play acting makes me tired.

Hang on didn't we beat Rochdale 5-1 behind closed doors ?

10/10.

Downing hasn't got the pace, tackling ability, heading ability, necessary aggression to play left back to the standard required. Having said that all of Bell, Williams and Hart are lacking most of those ingredients also.

I've not seen the game as I'm out in Spain at the moment but I've read every contribution thoroughly. Until we have a group of players who are prepared to work harder, run further, win more tackles, win more second balls, win more contested headers, show more guts and fighting spirit in adversity etc than our opponents we're going nowhere in this Division. On the few occasions we do this we usually come out on top. I've been saying this for a long, long while. I can take being out skilled but I won't take being out enthused ! There seems to be a long term malaise at Ewood where from top to bottom people are prepared to just do enough and no more. Hands up how many people thought we'd get something out of yesterdays game when their second goal went in ? Most of us knew barring a fluke that was game over. We also knew that if we'd have gone 2-1 up we would have spent the rest of the game hanging on. Why is that ?

I agree totally, teams must love playing against us. If you're looking for the likes of Downing to get stuck in and put himself about you'll be looking a long while. Just another one in our collection of nice lads I'm afraid.