Even the dogs in the street knew there was something wrong with the mentality at Blackburn Rovers. Several things shouted that out for me. The almost total inability to come from behind in games, and the fact we were ten times more likely to concede in the last ten minutes than we were to score. Add in the inability to see some games out from a clear winning position. We had to be 3-0 up with ten minutes to go before you could just about relax. We always seem to blow the big games, some times when we were well placed. Eustace will be well aware of this and will be wanting to change that loser culture. The players he might want could possibly not be the most skilful but maybe they have the winning mentality that had been lacking previously.

How it should work in my opinion is the coach tells the recruitment team what he want’s. IE an experienced striker who can play with his back to goal or a right back who can play centre half in a crisis etc. Then the recruitment team go and locate the likely players. When that’s done they all agree on the player.

That’s the issue with Dolan for me , he very rarely does the simple things. He always wants that touch too many.

The manager/ head coach has to have the final say on signings in my opinion.

I’d have a greed for power if the quality of the signings decided wether I stay in the job or get fired.

Let’s say you are a centre half - who would you rather play against, Gally or Guyere ?

Same old story then, we were just a striker short of doing something.

If I had to have one player from that team to play in the current team it would be Roger Jones although Tony Field was a class act.

Hooked for life now.

They’d be a few dingles coming off at Sunderland saying “ If we play like that next week we’ll get hammered “.

I wouldn’t be starting Siggy next Saturday. That won’t be a game for faint hearts.

Probably lined up - Jones Heaton, Waddington, Fazackerley, Arentoft Metcalfe, Garbutt, Parkes Napier, Endean, Field

Because you’d have to sub them both off after an hour.

I’d start him also, but I wouldn’t start them both. Maybe JE’s looking to exploit the centre halves lack of pace. I like Gueye but pace isn’t his biggest asset.

Because we’ll only get an hour max out of both of Ohashi and Gueye so who do we bring on then ?

He seems to pick up more than his share of injuries. I don’t know what it is with modern centre halves. The first Rovers centre half I saw play, Matt Woods, appearances 26/26, 48/48, 43/44, 50/51, 47/47, 41/55,, 47/49. Of course Matt was made from wrought iron.

He was also involved in beginning the move in centre field if my memory serves me well.

Is Rudi pulling his old boots on then ?

Not the same player as Mercer and myself were discussing.

Hutch was a good ‘un, he gave many a good player a hard time. However I remember Eamon Rogers playing as an emergency right back and keeping him relatively quiet in another night match at Ewood. That was Eamon, he could have been anything he wanted to be. If ever a player lost his way.

It’s obvious really.

And then show them the running track.

You could, and England and Rovers did, play Keith Newton in either full back position, it didn’t matter which. He could jockey a winger and put a tackle in with either foot. None of this “ Oh, it’s on his wrong foot shit that you hear today.

Whatever happened to players who could do both ? Go outside and inside.

Skeeter Davis - The End Of The World