Tyrone Shoelaces

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.

They'll be well up for this after watching us play for 120 minutes last night and sickness in the camp. James Collins is a good signing for them. Rovers will be looking at the League table and thinking it'll be easy. I'm expecting a scrappy draw 1-1.

He took the only free kick we got last night in a " Mulgrew " position and just banged it right at the wall ! Grr.

Yeah Nuttall is green as grass. Do I think he'll make a championship striker ? No. At least he puts himself about though. At least you know he's playing. If I was playing at centre half I'd rather play against Big Ben than Nuttall.

So you're just speculating then ? The fee could have been £2.5 Mill, £3.5 Mill, £4.5 Mill, £7.5 Mill etc etc ?

Where's your evidence for that statement ? Even at £2.5 million we've been had over. As " Black Bart " the outlaw once said - " Some men rob with a six-gun, some men rob with a fountain pen ".

Three players missed out from the list of those who played for both teams - Alan Hunter, a terrific Northern Irish centre half who we sold to Ipswich for a big fee where he the became the mainstay of their defence for many years. Just what we need now. Bobby Bell, who came in the other direction in part exchange for Hunter and cash. Blink and you missed him, amazingly he was sold for big bucks after playing just 3 games for Rovers. Vanished from sight immediately after that. If you can say " I saw Bobby Bell play " you're a very rare person. Roy Stephenson, a bit part player /reserve in the great Rovers forward line of the late 1950's Douglas, Dobing, Dougan, Vernon, MacCleod. Only a reserve at Ewood but Alf Ramsey turned him into a First Division Championship medal winner.

I doubt they'll be so poxy on Saturday. They'll have watched that last night and be fancying they can get something.

Grabbi was light years better. I remember him scoring a goal against Everton. He came inside from the old inside left position, dipped his shoulder, took two defenders out of the game and side footed the ball into the far corner cool as you like. Easy peasy. Very much like Armstrong's goal at Millwall.

Their guy put one into the top corner from a similar position.

The only problem with that is why would anyone who's scouted him actually pay us a fee. I think a loan away from the club is the only answer.

Well what can you say. Another great chance of progressing thrown away through a combination of bizarre team selection, bad luck and poor play. Above all we needed to start on the front foot. Newcastle are there for the taking. What happens, we give a central midfield player time to turn on the ball, pick his nose, tie up a loose bootlace, then bang a shot at goal. Our central midfield nowhere to be seen, possibly discussing whereabouts on the pitch they should be playing. Next thing two of our guys go for the same header and get taken out of the game, our right centre back gets done on his wrong side for pace on our left, the marking is still loose in the box and bang, we're 2-0 down before we've got into the game. Newcastle can't believe their luck. A potential banana skin is turning into a walk in the park. We eventually clear our heads, decide who's playing where and start moving the ball in a more direct manner. This results in Armstrong getting on the end of a good move and tucking the ball through the goalies legs for 1-2. It's game on now and we start playing with some purpose, Right on half time Lenihan powers in a header from a good corner and we go in at 2-2 cock a hoop. Momentum definitely with Rovers, Newcastle looking shell shocked. The second half starts and it's business as usual, lots of huff and puff without ever threatening to blow Newcastle's house down. Pre half time momentum lost. That's inspite of the fact they look like they don't really fancy it. They're there for the taking but we can't land the knock blow. Several subs come on without really influencing the game, Dack in particular looks like he's just taken off his pyjamas, drunk a Lem Sip and put his boots on. So we go into extra time. Nothing much changes until we work a good move that puts Dack in on a one on one. He has to take it early and he just puts the ball wide of the posts. On another night that's us 3-2 up and the Geordies going down like a pricked balloon ! As is the way of it in Football they go down the other end and somehow manage to conjure up another shot from the " D " . It's well struck and obviously moving around but Raya palms it back into the danger area and a lad runs in from an off side position to finish. I once played in a team with a completely mad goalkeeper who had a habit of heading shots like that away ! After that we're chasing the game and as usually happens we got caught with a break out and their lad finishes the game off with a good shot to the top corner. I can't blame Raya for that, it was a terrific shot taken from a similar position to the one Brereton put out for a throw in ! As for the performance, most of the time it was pretty turgid. As Sutton said we haven't got the players to consistently pass the ball out. We lack pace on and off the ball and we don't get around the side of teams. Their lad Murphy showed how dangerous getting around the side can be. Most of the time we play in front of teams that are set to defend against us. As a result of that we don't make anything like enough scoring chances and if we don't take them we struggle. Another criticism is we rarely shoot from distance, two of their goals came from having a crack from outside the area. As for the selection - I know we'd every centre back out bar one either ill or injured but 3 at the back when 2 of them are full backs ? I'd have gone 4 with Bennett, Nyambe Lenihan, Bell. There were times when Lenihan didn't have another Rovers player within 25 yards of him. Bizarre. Nuttall out wide ? He's only just a centre forward. Anyway Scores on the doors - Raya 5, I like the lad but that error was game changing. Reed 6, worked hard but he's wasted out there. Nyambe 6, tried his best but got done for the second goal Lenihan 8, MOM for me. He has a habit of losing position. He should have left Bell to deal with the header that led to the second goal and stayed with the striker. Good goal at the other end. Bell 6, Did ok. Travis 7, did his best to move us forward all night. Sometimes plays the difficult balls when an easy pass is on. Smallwood 7, played well after a poor start. Bennett 5, looked like a fish riding a bike out wide on the left. Brereton 5, what can I say ? Never a winger in a million years. Missed a guilt edged opportunity to work the goalkeeper. The strangest signing ever for me. Armstrong 6, looked a threat, strange decision to take him off. Maybe the illness in the camp affect ted him as well as several of the others. Graham 8, did really well with a succession of long balls, tired as the game went on. Subs Conway 5, did very little apart from smash our best free kick opportunity of the night straight into the wall. Dack 6, tried but not at his best. Nuttall 6, gave it a good shot in spite of being out wide most of the time. Rothwell 5, ineffectual.