Boggles my mind that Dack didn't start...literally as I'm typing this he scores!!!

We won 1 game in 16 wasn't it last season? Points haul is better from this death spiral than that one, that's what decides it, other stats are incidental. But like I said, the context makes this one even more gutting.

Almost as bad a run of games as you've ever seen at Rovers. Last season in about the same period was actually worse. This just hurts more because of the position we were in.

The worry here for me is that it sounds like they won't even be discussing it until the summer. Yet again Venkys handling things at a snail's pace and risking a new manager being in situ far too late for us to be effective in the transfer market. Hell even when we know the manager we have a recurring problem of fully knowing our budget weeks after the window is open.

As predicted, unlikely to start. Says he might not even make the bench if he is sore. https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/20036217.pretty-unlikely---mowbray-gives-ben-brereton-diaz-prediction/

The main reason I wouldn't entertain that swap without a decent fee added is that I suspect Khadra has the wrong attitude for the game. I see a touch of Armstrong in him. That's not to say he can't become a very good player at this level, as Arma certainly did. But of the two, the difference in attitude is why Dolan is more likely to go to the top than Khadra. He will look to better himself every week in training, work his ass off on the pitch, and think of his teammates. He is still rough around the edges, but but they both are, and I reckon Dolan is more likely to improve on his failings, whilst Khadra seems a little too in love with himself to get there. I'd sign Khadra on the right deal, tbf, but a straight swap for Dolan isn't it. He will also be on a much bigger wage.

Thank god you're not making the call then. 100% Brereton would go for a far bigger fee in the open market than Van Hecke. As much as I agree he looks like a very good player in the making. Giving them BBD for him would be stupid. Better to sell BBD and then spend, probably in the worst case scenario, half of the money on JPVH.

Why would they repeatedly call him up to the squad if they didn't think he was capable of keeping out Burkina Faso?

Personally I think it's really shitty that they didn't play him on Tuesday. It was a friendly against Burkina Faso ffs. I bet he's thinking if he can't get on the pitch for that, when will he? I see they played some other backup keeper tbf, but one who had already been capped. With it being a friendly, could even have given them a half each. I feel for Thomas, being dragged along to all those squads and not even getting a few minutes in the most minor of games against shite opponents. Must be frustrating. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

He has rested players before when games were fairly close together, a freshly returned player seems more likely to be rested in the circumstance. If he doesn't name him at all I agree he will look silly, can only see that happening if he pettily tries to prove some point to Chile, which wouldn't be beyond him. But putting him on the bench and bringing him on around 60 min mark would be justifiable, whether everyone agrees or not, as it is well within his and other managers' form books. Maybe he will start him, we will see. The tombola reigns supreme after all.

This is true, although we also have a statistically very solid defence since November. Keeping it level and bringing him on at 60 mins against other tired legs could be the best chance of him notching. Lenihan and possibly Van Hecke being unavailable puts a bit of a dampener on that though. Tbh, I think we are fucked and not going up regardless.

Actually I think it gives him every excuse not to start him. I didn't watch, but if as the other poster says, he clearly wasn't fit and has been put through 80 minutes on a Tuesday then flown home, starting him on Saturday sounds like a good way to get him injured or a leggy performance at best. I bet he benches him, and I'm not sure I'd disagree for once.

I'm sure they've all been training like true professionals in the break, what with our highly focused task master of a manag- oh wait.

He has a fantastic work ethic and engine, for sure, but nobody is immune to wear and tear, and he has had injuries before. Even if it knocks half a yard off his pace that can affect a game.

Good news, happy for the lad. Just hope he isn't a bit tired from his exertions and travel for the upcoming game.

Absolutely, that seems to be the consensus. The two I mentioned don't seem to get as much attention though, but they have decent scoring records this season. Mind, all these promising attackers never seem to amount to anything with us. We haven't had a striker break through properly since Gally and Derbs.

4-1 eh? Nice. Most of the goals were in the last 20 minutes but who cares. Leonard and Wood seem to be prospects.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/20026111.blackburn-rovers-crop-loanees-faring-away-ewood/

Judging by that photo, nope they weren't! On a related but unrelated note, I bet John Lewis et al would be amazed to know what their little meeting was setting into motion. A local institution that would carry a legacy for (hopefully) over 150 years and become a multimillion pound enterprise, with tens of thousands of fans, maybe hundreds of thousands over the years, who hold it dear to their chests.

1875 may refer to when we officially came into being, ie registered whatever documents may have been required, if they were required with the sport being so nascent. But, perhaps when its charter/constitution was drafted and signed or whatever. A date of 1874 may have been used initially due to the story of when the meeting was, and 1875 applied retroactively when the question was put under a bit more scrutiny. Clubs tend to be proud of being long-lived, so I doubt we started stitching a later year onto our crest without good reason.

No, I keep trying to clarify the same scenario because you won't just answer the question directly. So you'd sack him if we got top 6 and he played Johnson up front, but you would give him a new contract if we got top 6 and lost miserably in the playoff semis, got it, I think.

Well obviously we would all be very happy in that scenario, but that isn't the scenario I'm asking you about. Well I'm not clear on your exact view actually, so for clarity, are you saying if we just about got in the top 6 and failed miserably in the semi final (and lets say he played Gally at RB and Johnson up front again for good measure) you would want him to be given a new contract? A yes, no, or 'I'd have to make my mind up at the time' will suffice.

You've focused on the goal difference part, but my point was more about what if we got in the playoffs but lost miserably at the first time of asking? The point about scraping it was just to add to the scenario. Let's say we got Luton in the semi and went out to them 5-0 on aggregate or something, that would still be enough for you?

And what if we scraped into the playoffs on goal difference and then immediately surrendered meekly in the semis?

Fantastic summary of the Mowbray era. I personally don't count the relegation against him too much, as we had decent points returns after he came in, we just got unlucky with other teams around us doing similar. One of the highest points totals a team has gone down with, and ludicrously unlucky on the last day. But he did show a lack of ambition in some winnable games which could have got us over the line. So only a minor strike for me. Hard to find anything to disagree with in the rest of what you said though. A few things I had almost forgotten about too. Galling how he sabotages us in daft ways pretty much every season. No manager is perfect but some of this stuff takes the piss. And he takes so very long to learn from his mistakes, when he learns at all. Infuriating man.