Tyrone Shoelaces

We've improved and they've stood still. There is still a gap though. I'd want a one goal start now, last season I wanted two. Having said that they could only beat the worst Rovers Team I've seen in my life time 2-0 last season with the best team they've had in almost 50 years.

Well if they don't win on Sunday they'll never have a better chance.

I feel really sorry for him after all the work he'd put in on his condition. Could he have done too much ?

Small sided games are the way to go.

We can live in hope though. Nothing is forever in football, as it is in life. There are several other teams currently below us in this league that thought they could follow that course of action.

We've already got one.

He seems to be a one trick pony when it comes to ways of playing. It's been a very successful way for them until recently. Wether he can make the step up now and come up with a new way of playing remains to be seen. At top level recruiting from a pool of English players that are unlikely to improve a great deal will only take you so far. Dawson and Rodriguez who were recent targets for them are steady players but not likely to massively improve the squad. Previously he's been smart in buying a couple of players each season that are a definite improvement on the existing squad. He's now at the point were the top English players that would really improve the side are beyond their financial reach and he appears not to like/trust foreign players.

Why is that ? Are you related to him ?

They're getting found out. Other teams are working out how to play against them.

Look out for your watches !

Walter Joyce came directly from Burnley as did Adam Blacklaw. Johnny Price was a terrific little winger, he played a few games for Burnley in the old First Division then dropped down to Stockport County. I saw him and Freddie Goodwin who also later played for Rovers playing loads of times for County and they were the mainstays of their team along with a very good goalkeeper called Alan Ogley who came from City. I was chuffed when we signed him because I knew we'd get some end product off the right wing. He was a sort of slower but tricker version of Chapman. He did well for us and eventually went back to Stockport for a season or two. I was shocked to hear that he'd taken his own life. Paul Comstive also played for both clubs as did the late, great Keith Newton.

I'm reading Cruyff's biography at the moment. He was a truly great player but he could never play in goal, his head wouldn't go between the posts.

He's not had the individuality coached out of him. He gets a free hand here. I was only thinking about this in the light of the death of Jimmy Mac the other day. Every team had a Bradley Dack then. Bryan Douglas was a smaller but much better version once he came into midfield. Burnley had Mac, Blackpool had a bloke called Pat Quinn, Bolton had Freddy Hill etc They learnt the game playing 20 a side on the local rec with jumpers for goals. You had to be nippy then or you'd get kicked to death by the big lads.

And the goalkeeper, put Raya and Dack in that team and we would have stayed up I reckon.

I bought myself a really nice " Fred Perry " track suit top a while ago. A really classy item. The main part is cream but the sleeves and top contain claret and blue. The first time I wore it my son said - " What are you doing wearing that ! " . I said " It's only a jacket ". He said " Yeah but look at the colour, don't wear that again if you're out with me ". So it's in my wardrobe out in Spain now and I only wear it out of season. Trouble is out of season in Spain it gets mad hot so really it was a waste of money.

Don't go there. I'm cringing now.

Yep, maybe we are considering a new, more fluid, way of playing without a traditional central striker. The game is evolving all the time. How many what I would call " traditional " wingers did you see in the recent World Cup. I can only think of a couple.

I'd always take an away draw. Win your home games and happy days are here again.

He looked decent playing out there. What I liked was he's prepared to run directly at players with the ball, that's always a good move, they have to stand still if you run straight for them. Then you have them where you want them, static. He's not put off by physical contact, he tries to get his head up in possession. He's a willing runner. I would have liked to have seen more " back to goal " play in the clips.

I agree with you there. I was expecting to see a player who occupied a more central role. Having said that how many young central strikers are there these days ? Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought I never saw him head the ball in a goal mouth situation once. At 6'3" he shouldn't have too many problems heading the ball.

I see, the guy who bought that club out in Spain. Oh no, I'd be on here all day !

I'm not expecting lots of goals from him, just as long as the team are scoring that'll do me.

I take it the sentence referring to " buying in Spain " isn't football related ? Now is a better time to buy in Spain. A Spanish friend of ours is an estate agent, he has hundreds of apartments for sale that have been repossessed by the banks. Some real bargains there.

We left Blackburn when I was 5 so I've spent most of my life surrounded by gobby plastic Red Rats. I'd always prefer Rovers to beat Utd rather than beat Burnley. It shuts them up for a day or two and obviously beating Utd has always meant more in terms of an achievement because for almost all my life Utd have been a much superior team than the Dingles. I suppose if we'd have stayed in Blackburn I may have felt differently. The longer they stay in this cup the more difficult they'll find playing in the Premier League. If they lose on Sunday that would be good. If they win Mourinho will be a lot nearer the door. That's also good so really it's a win win situation.

I don't think anybody for one minute doubted his determination, will to win and courage out on the pitch. It was his reputation of being the sort of guy that would cause an argument in an empty house that put people off signing him.