Tyrone Shoelaces

Ones with a Rovers connection I've read - Le Saux, Bellamy, Big Sam, Souness. None of them are particularly revealing about their time at Ewood.

Louis Bimpson played for both clubs I think. That's a blast from the past.

No excuses for him not starting the game at Bournemouth up front. The perfect game for him. A low profile away fixture that we aren't expected to win were the attendance will be relatively small and the pressure will be minimal

I thought we won that game 3-2.

I liked Kalinic and I thought he was a decent player. Unfortunately things didn't work out for him for several reasons. Subsequently he's reached his true potential with some top clubs in Europe. I hope the Brereton saga has a more profitable ending for Rovers.

I agree with most of that Gav although we have had one or two other good results over that period. The win at Old Trafford under Keanochio, the win at Wolves to keep us up, the FACup win at Arsenal, that run in the FACup a year or two back. I've always said all I want from our team is that when they come off the pitch they've given it their absolute best shot. It appears at the moment that this group of players has bought into that ethos. As you say we're not the finished item yet but the initial signs are looking good. This time last year I was trudging off Boundary Park having seen us come off second best to an hard working Oldham team. I'd just watched a pretty disjointed performance were we had looked a poor team and the prospects of promotion appeared to be a million miles away. Obviously a lot can happen in a year in football. We're going well in the Championship and Oldham are bumping along in the bottom division. As Greavsey used to say " It's A Funny Old Game ".

At the moment none of the teams in our league are unbeatable.

I would have taken 5 points from the last 3 games without hesitation. I thought we may have got them in a different fashion though. As in 2 away draws and 1 home win but at the end of the day it's the points that matter. I've seen the goals on TV' and Bennett's long cross field pass was just perfect. I liked the way Reed got the ball out of his feet quickly to put away the third goal. Good to see a midfield player getting beyond the strikers for that goal also. On the down side it's a bit un nerving to see us fall apart after conceding just one goal. We should really be able to take that in our stride and carry on playing the way we were previously. Great result though that really made my day.

Very funny.

Yeah I know that. What I've forgotten is who I bet with.

No Mulgrew again either !

I'm sure you're right. He ticks all their boxes.

Just like the Dingles. I bet somebody on here they'd finish higher up in the league than Rovers but I can't recall who it was.

I know the feeling. I was playing that afternoon and after the game we all used to pile into town on the bus. The bus used to stop outside a TV rental shop and we'd all jump off the open platform and watch the scores coming in on the old teleprinter on a TV set up in the window. When that score came through I said to my mate - " They've got that score the wrong way around ". Now and then that did happen. Unfortunately not that day.

Yes, you're right. Most of the really big teams had gone out early on in the draw. We were playing brilliantly and scoring goals for fun. That was the season I genuinely thought we were going to make it up for the 1960 Cup Final and Wolves. Then we had this really easy draw at newly admitted Fourth Division Oxford ! We were never really the same again after that. Pickering was allowed to leave shortly after that game and then it was a slow downward spiral.

I didn't know that. The one I read was more about his time as a player with Millwall. It's very good on the mentality of players. Especially regarding the guys who aren't playing at the top level. It must be at least 20 years since I read it so it may be a little dated by now. Well worth a read though.

I read Eamonn Dunphy's book years ago. Very good insight into the life of a pro player.

I'll take an away point anyway.

A good book I read was the one about the German goalkeeper who took his own life. On a similar theme if you like cricket, Marcus Trescothick's autobiography is pretty good.

I think I'd go with that team. Reed and Rothwell need to be given their chance in midfield. Obviously other people will prefer Evans to Smallwood. Armstrong and Palmer haven't done enough to hold on to the shirt.

Yeah it's tough moving teams especially when you're only young. Is he living in the area or is he travelling from the Midlands ? I've worked away from home and living in hotels soon loses it glamour. The evenings are long and the hotel bar beckons. I've done the two hours plus drive to the Midlands and back on a daily basis and that's no better either. I'll cut him some slack for a few games but we really need him to be ready to lead the line as soon as he is able. What I will say is there aren't many 19 yr old Danny Graham's, or even 21 year old Graham's for that matter. Regarding other guys we could have signed - I couldn't say. Who knows who could have been shaken out of the trees for £6million ?

I started reading Johan Cruyff's autobiography out in Spain. I got about half way through and I put it down. Truly great player but a pretty poor writer.

I was commenting on another post regarding how we were recruiting young players for the academy. If this lad had cost us £500k nobody would be bothered how long it took him to find his way through to the first team, if he ever did. It would be worth the gamble. When we've spent £6 million on a player after all the seasons we've had recently were £750k was a large fee expectations are bound to be really high. That goes with the territory I'm afraid. People say " Hang on, he's only played half an hour ". I say why is that , when he's our biggest signing since Rhodes ? People also sat " Yeah but he won't be on big bucks ". Wether he is or not isn't really the issue. We needed a striker to work in conjunction with Danny Graham and I can't see that's what we've got at the moment. Somebody else said " But he's a Young England International striker ". So is Armstrong and he cost a quarter of Bereton's fee.

Thanks again matey, not pleasant reading.

That's a lot of dosh for an " academy " recruit.