I don't think he'll start tomorrow, I think Nuttall will.

Good attacking players, poor defenders.

With all due respect we don't want players who provide " competition " for existing players we want players who take the shirt and keep it. We've signed too many players who are just back up standard.

You can always count on Rovers to give struggling opponents a helping hand. I was there for the 3-1 home defeat two or three days after we won 8-2 away at West Ham, after that debacle you realise that anything is possible in football ! There was a cartoon in the Daily Express that Saturday morning showing a bloke selling cricket style scorecards instead of programmes outside Ewood Park ! I think the players believed that. We need to come out with all guns blazing, get our foot on their throat and keep it there. We need to be thinking we're playing Burnley not Ipswich. Will we ?

Position -yes, happy. Squad - not really happy. Performance - not happy.

1-1 draw for me also I'm afraid. I'd love to see us slaughter a team but the way we play doesn't lead to us making enough clear cut chances to slaughter teams.

You know better than that Jim, it's 11 versus 11 on Saturday. That's all that matters. I ended up playing on the losing side in plenty of games were we were going to win in a canter. If your mental attitude isn't right before you know it you've handed the initiative to your opponents and it's not easy to get it back.

Yeah Jack specialised in moving players around, McEvoy was an average wing half ( Midfield player for the kids ) who he turned into a goals machine. Keith Newton was also a wing half who he converted into a England international full back. Mike England was another midfielder who he turned into a World class centre half. " Marshall's miss-fits " they were called at the time.

They need to try him out there in training matches. First team defence and Second team attack v First team attack and Second team defence etc. It doesn't seem to happen these days. The second best centre forward I've ever seen at Rovers would have ended up as a pretty average reserve left back if we hadn't given him a go up front.

Can't see much point in that, unless it's another " investment " signing.

The thing is we need to be thinking that we are going to sign players that are better than the players he named. How else are we going to challenge for a play off spot ?

I think Bell was another one bought as a potential investment rather than a player who could immediately improve the first 11. He's got pace so I'm not writing the lad off completely but he does appear to be a slow learner. For a full back pace will only get you so far, Tackling ability and a bit of aggression are also essential ingredients and he's not overly endowed with either of those at the moment.

If you're banging on the managers door to get game time when the moment comes you've got to take it. On Tuesday he didn't, the game passed him by.

I'm not a Smallwood fan really. I thought he should have been nearer to the lad who had the shot for their first goal. Shortly after that he hesitated on the ball and got caught in possession in the last third. After that poor start I thought he barely put a foot wrong and he had a good game. If you're picking players on current form you'd have give him the shirt on Saturday.

Where's the diversity ? There's a bald guy in there !

He did absolutely nothing after coming on as sub on Tuesday night.

I don't the fee is an issue if the player isn't good enough. If I sold you a Mercedes Benz for £500 but it wouldn't start would you be happy ?

The Bell signing was another strange one. He's been here a year almost now and people still don't rate him as an improvement on Williams who isn't really a left back in the first place. Pals of mine who watch Rochdale regularly were impressed with Hart. I only saw him play once but he looked distinctly average to me. The point I'm making is Mowbray has signed two left backs, neither of which are an improvement on the player we already had and who also isn't deemed good enough. Let's just say I'm a bit underwhelmed by our scouts.

James Collins at centre half is a key signing for me. Short term but so was John MacNamee for Rovers and he kept us out of the Fourth Division when we were really bad. If the players think this this is going to be easy they better think again.

Two Mercs Eh and Ronnie Clayton made do with an Hillman Minx ! I once got three of my all time great Rovers players - Mike England, Keith Newton, Fred Pickering - autographs as they got off a Corporation bus near the ground before a match.

I thought Wigan would finish slightly higher than Rovers.

What worries me more about this signing is it's potential repercussions on future signings.

That pathetic home shirt doesn't help tv viewers if the picture isn't great.

Graham probably won't have got out of bed today. I went to a book launch with Tommy Docherty one evening. In the question and answer session one member of the audience asked him why he'd let Denis Law leave Utd. The Doc' said - " In his last season at Utd his knees were in a bad way so on Saturday he'd play, normally a full game ( only one sub in those days ). Sunday he'd stay in bed all day. Monday he'd get up at dinner and walk around the house. Tuesday he'd come in and do some light exercises. Wednesday ditto but a good bit more intense. Thursday he'd train normally. Friday was a light day for all the team. Saturday he'd play again and this regime would start all over again ".

No, I was hoping we would be about where we are now. Looking back though if we hadn't have thrown so many points away we would be in a play off position. So on the one hand I'm content, but regretting what might have been.