Those were the days: best team in Europe putting their first team out against a lower league team, packed ground, cracking atmosphere. We didn’t deserve to lose it either.

Rothwell made it easy for the notion of dropping him to take hold by an inept performance on Saturday, while Bennett did in twenty mins what Rothwell has yet to do in his 700+ minutes on the field this season: lay an unmissable chance on a plate for someone else.

Dack has certainly been more at the races recently. I wonder if him being subbed off for Holtby a while ago focused his mind a little more.

As is Evans, but he covered every blade of grass today. Pros have to be ready to take their opportunities.

Our strengths today were led by Evans and Bennett, firm favourites of BRFCS. Excellent result. What made it so hard for us was Volkes winning everything in the air so we were never secure at the back. Rothwell was a complete passenger today which didn’t help. Personally I think our players are either too old or too inconsistent for us to put the same team out every week. Good subs today, they all contributed massively

Evans player of the half by a mile, making some crucial interceptions. Rothwell has been useless, headless chicken runs into traffic first 20 mins, looked knackered from then on. I have to say I’m liking Downing’s pinpoint corners more than Charlie’s circus trick shots.

At least last night and Saturday’s debacle confirmed which is Armstrong’s round hole ie wide striker. Until this week I could’ve sworn he was constantly quoted as being one of Tony’s square pegs when played wide.

That was the best goal we’ve scored at Ewood for a very very long time

Archetypal mid-table team IMO: some good runs, some bad runs, a lot of inconsistent players and a mediocre manager.

Just pointing out that the man himself came out with a narrative completely opposite to the one on here: that dropping him and blaming him in the paper for some goals forced him out. But I suppose “bloke who has been in same workplace for 8 years fancied a new challenge” couldn’t possibly be true.

Rays going off BRFCS script in the LT: great manager, didn’t feel he was dropped at end of last season - meaningless games anyway (file under Joe Rothwell tearing it up), been here forever so worried about getting too comfortable, never reads the press so no no idea what was being said about him.

I imagine they were laughing at Goulon being picked. How long did he last before being hooked, 25 mins?

I’d be surprised if Balaji drives his 70+ cars

On a related theme, just as Walking Soccer has found a ready market, I wondered if there’d be mileage in a Proper Footy league. 1970s rules: sliding tackles, back passes can be picked up to give everyone a breather, tying your bootlaces on the far touchline is offside, deflections play you onside, contested drop balls, tackles are ridden, dives get you a battering. Can’t fail.

I agree, much more like proper football, plus mental fans.

Sellars was a much better player. Joe could always demand a transfer. True. Anything is more entertaining than yesterday’s dross.

I prefer to go off what I see than what may or may not have happened in a parallel universe. Let’s see who piles in for him in Jan, though I think that anyone aged nearly 25, whose resume consists of League 1 Oxford and being on the fringes of a lower Championship club, should be looking at himself first and foremost for his lack of achievement thus far - barely over 50 starts and 8 league goals. At his age, Scott Sellars was the King of Ewood.

I don’t think it’s anything to do with that. His whole style is a bit frenetic and hurried with plenty of touches, great in the open expanses of midfield but in the crowded box I think he needs more composure. Matt Jansen used to overdo it in the box till Souness and Saunders got hold of him. Unfortunately for Joe, Mowbray isn’t Souness.

Watching the goals again I thought their first showed Lenihan’s biggest weakness: he got suckered into following his man going short but then overran him! That same dude was then free Running toward goal and duly scored. Back to the full game, contrary to the general view on here I wasn’t that impressed by Rothwell. His pace when he gets the ball does quicken the pulse but when he got in or near the box the end product was poor. I can remember four opportunities he had to impact the score line: 1) After 5 mins ran into traffic in edge of the the box and lost it, Holtby maybe legged up going for the loose ball. 2) Does a good trick to beat his man, gets free to the LHS byline in the box, but the overhit cross goes out for a throw in the Riverside. 3) The 40-yard open goal effort was poor: too low and going wide anyway. 4) For the second goal he got the pass in space overlapping on the left, but took too many touches with that stuttering run of his so the shot was blocked by the defender’s boot an inch away from the ball. Downing gets a spinning ball at tummy height, one touch to control then perfect shooting technique to whack it in. Contrast that with Travis who did give the ball away a lot but was instrumental in the 1st and 3rd goals. And Dack, who didn’t do much but score two goals. I think Joe could do with some serious coaching for when his is around the box. A player with his ball skills and pace should be troubling the scorers a lot more.

Until today I thought we were a mid-table team that had had a bad run, as all mid-table teams do. And we still are, if the players are committed. Today showed me that they aren’t. It wouldn’t surprise me if Mowbrays latest LT article digging out what he sees as the faults of half the team hadn’t lost the dressing room. Because it should have done. I’ve never read an interview like it. But history has shown us that fan unrest, bad results, even relegation don’t have any influence whatsoever on the owners. He’ll be here till they decide he won’t be, no matter what happens on the field or in the stands. Will we get anyone better? Probably not. How many of the last 8 managers have had their career enhanced by coming here? None. Would you come here? I wouldn’t. Winter is coming.

Pathetic performance. Keeping picking Bennett and Armstrong is lunacy, and I think the rest of the players think so too. He’s lost them.

Dreadful half. 13 unforced giveaways by my count including Armstrong’s 6 offsides. Comes to something when the best player so far is Bell

No excuses for Rothwell today. Dack, Holtby with Bell on the overlap against the bottom team, he should rip them apart and create/score goals

Gordon Lee is still defying the Grim Reaper isn’t he?

I wasn’t talking about why he resigned, just how poor it is was for some people to make the comments they did when he visited the site in good faith.