only2garners

I think there are two competing pressures here. The fact that this game will be one of only two home games for Rovers before Christmas, plus it being school holidays should help ticket sales. But being a few days before Christmas everyone is usually very busy with preparations, parties etc - usually the Saturday games just before Christmas have lower gates. I would agree that making cheap tickets available to ST holders and to anyone buying a Preston ticket would be the best way forward.

On last night’s evidence Liverpool away is not unwinnable.

The view from the upper tier was atrocious - it must have been the best part of 100 yards to the pitch from there. The beer service was fast with plenty of staff but the choice was bloody awful. No proper beer at all. There are plenty of good options for bars in the area but you have to know where to go. If all you saw was between Stratford tube and the stadium there is nothing at all worth visiting. We were in Hackney Wick, just on the other side of the ground and there was lots of choice. Although nowhere was cheap I had a couple of nice pints for £5.50 in the very trendy Beer Merchants Tap, only 10 minutes from the ground. We were also back at my son’s house by 10.30, which I think is the quickest I have ever been back from a professional game since I lived a 10 minute walk from Bramall Lane for a year as a student in 1972/73.

Whilst Rovers are always well supported in the south east we don’t normally get those sort of numbers on regular league games even on a Saturday afternoon. I think there are plenty going because it’s a new ground as well.

Not down here in East London it isn’t. Lovely day today.

Matt - don’t expect to save too much drinking elsewhere. And avoid the couple of bars in Westfield, they will be rammed with Hammers fans “enjoying” poor expensive beer.

I think Chaddy likes to go his own way.

I saw someone had suggested over 1,500 before the weekend. On Friday the lower tier had sold out but I’ve no idea how many that is.

I expect that it’s unlikely that many who turned out for West Ham this afternoon. Presumably though as a PL league team also playing in Europe they will have another team with plenty of PL experience, but by and large it should be a game of two second XIs.

The London Stadium. Plenty of tickets at £10 each.

A few minutes before he came off he had a quick word with JDT - I assumed he was saying that he needed to come off. It’s hardly surprised that the two players who were touch and go to be fit, him and Gallagher, came off.

Why? 1. it’s in the multi-faith room, not on the pitch. 2. The remembrance activities will be on the pitch when the teams come out, not at 2.45.

Some more news BigBar. It sounds like there will still be a lot of disruption tomorrow, as everything had been set up for a strike day. Assuming you're in Manchester tonight I would get down to Victoria earlyish in the morning and see if there are any trains to Blackburn. If there are, all well and good. If not it's a short walk to Shudehill for the fallback buses.

Be careful BigBar. Whilst the strike is off there will still be some cancellations tomorrow as there are still staff shortages. Best to check early tomorrow and don't leave it until the last train.

He's injured Sparks..........

X41 from St Peter's Square at 11.11 will get you to Accrington at 12.29. Then a 7 from there at 12.38 will get you to Blackburn Bus Station by 13.19. the X41 is hourly and the 7 every 20 minutes.

Whilst it is just possible that the odd train might run I would work on the principle that there won't be any and revert to buses.

Foot injury.

Coventry fans seem to be more occupied with the Wasps administration and the possible arrival of the grim reaper aka Mike Ashley at their club.

Quite possibly, as there are many months in a normal season when we don't play that many games.

So that's 5 more TV games on Sky between now and New Year's Day, out of a total of 8. And thanks to our cousins at the end of the M65, don't take any coins should you be getting up early to go to Sunderland on Boxing Day, or they will be confiscated.

Normally it’s a great place to go to by train, as Bescot station is almost outside. But I doubt you can get back up here after a night game.

If that was the case I would imagine his dad would have told him all about what a Rovers game means. in truth you will have picked up some fans from your Premier League days, just as we did. A sort of anti glory hunter. My son has a friend of a friend who went to Eton, lives in the south and had no football connection at all. He wanted a PL team to support and just put all the teams at that time and picked Rovers. To his credit he has stuck with Rovers and I think I might see him at West Ham.

I need to ask for a credit for that.

Our extraordinary stats continue. After 18 games, every game we have scored first we have won, every game we have conceded first we have lost. Not only that, every time we have scored first we have not been brought back to level and the opposite when we have conceded first.