5 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Modern managers are all about keepers ‘being effective with their feet’, Pears is obviously the lower league Ederson then as the rest of his game simply isn’t up to the standard of a first choice Championship goalkeeper. It has and will continue to cost us points, and that’s purely on JDT.

To be honest I didn't feel that Leo looked much better on Wednesday night.  I suspect we might end up with a goalkeeping issue as the season progresses.  Just hope Pears finds the form he showed at the back end of last season or that Leo settles and begins to impress JDT in training.

2 hours ago, arbitro said:

So Swag isn't even replying to supporters emails himself but allowing his PA (a f****** PA for him when we are skint btw) to do so in his behalf. This has been such an emotive subject and if he had any sense he would respond directly to each email with a call or at the very least an return email explaining his rationale. His cowardly cop out sums him up.

In fairness, Christina isn't just a PA for Steve, she also works for Mike Cheston and does a number of other roles at the club.  Like many who work at the club they seem to have a variety of roles that they fill.

1 hour ago, arbitro said:

It had three points on it and I wanted us to win.

Exactly right.  Players have to learn how to win games - that's part of their development.  Although we have a number of promising young players, I thought yesterday showed that they are still some way off being ready for the first team.  

1 hour ago, Penwortham Blue said:

What has happened to Isaac Whitehall, is he injured again ? Him and Barnes appear good prospects but can’t get on the pitch.

Whitehall hasn't played for the best part of two seasons now.  Doubt he'll come back to be honest.  The lad has been desperately unlucky - just like young Baker who missed most of last season and is now out for most of this one.

The next to Gordon Taylor and Chris Sulley is Johnny Byrom who was a great favourite in the early sixities before leaving for Bolton in 1966.  Seemed to always give us problems whenever we played Bolton thereafter.  Returned to Rovers right at the end of his career for a season.  A really great guy.

Chris Sims is between Bryan Douglas and Malcolm Darling.

8 minutes ago, Aqualung said:

Well if that's Stuart Ripley standing next to Brian Douglas... He hasn't aged well at all. He looks older than Douglas!!! 

Ripley is 55 years old right now. Plus I don't think he'd dress like as portrayed in the photo. 

Can't be right surely? 

It's Chris Sims, who played for Rovers in the early sixties who was a reserve full-back in the early sixties.  Made 13 League appearances but a regular for the reserves in the Central League.  Great to see players like Sims, Johnny Byrom, Bryan Douglas and Malcolm Darling on Ewood again - players of my youth. 

2 hours ago, bluebruce said:

Surprised nobody has mentioned the Central League Cup that our 'reserves' are going to be participating in this season. We're in a group with Accy, Burnley, Preston and Wrexham. There are 4 groups, with 18 teams participating, all of them reserves.

I believe we're two time winners of this (64/65 and 66/67), but haven't played in it for some time? At least not so far as I can recall hearing. Accy are the current holders. Looks like our first game is against them.

It was the actual Central League Championship that we won in those years under the guidance of Eric Bell.  The Central League Cup is a more recent competition to give Central League clubs some extra games. 

When we won the League, twice in the sixties, it was a 42 game League with all matches played at Ewood Park - alternate Saturdays with the first team and a few midweek fixtures thrown in.  It was a proper competition in those days with international players of some repute taking part if they weren't in the first team.  Youngsters came up against experienced pros week in and week out.  Totally different from the present system.

16 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Mm, maybe my expectations of playing surfaces wasn’t that high back in those days.  There was a reason we laced our boots so securely to our feet back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. When did you last see a player tie his laces a couple of times around the boot ?

When did you last see a player wearing what we would regard as a boot rather than a pair of slippers!

I remember when he signed in the summer of 1967 along with 'keeper Adam Blacklaw from Burnley.  They were regarded as 'big' signings at that time.  John was coming towards the end of his career and was brought to add some height to the defence.  He'd enjoyed a long career with Huddersfield Town and was a proper old-fashioned centre-half.  Good in the air, a tough tackler, and a man who cleared the ball without messing about. 

The missed penalty was on a mudheap of a pitch at Ewood.  The first time he took it off a long run the ball barely made it to the goalkeeper, such was the state of the pitch.

The ref ordered a retake for some infringement and 'Big John' took an even longer run up to the ball but ended with the same result.

John gave good service to the Rovers during his time with the club before embarking on a coaching career.

RIP John.

Rovers taken apart by Clitheroe tonight.  4-0 to the home side who looked a very tidy outfit.  Young side but second best in every department.  Really bad luck for Baker who seemed to get a bad injury within the first couple of minutes - eased into the wall by an opponent which seemed unnecessary in friendly.  Powell too was on the receiving end of a bad challenge and we ended up with ten men.  Interesting that a number of the Under-21's who haven't gone to Austria but still didn't turn out tonight.

6 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Of course he’d be off like a shot.

My point is Nixon has just gone for the easy angle as he is want to do, especially as I doubt a Lancashire based hack is particularly connected to the inner workings of the Tottenham and Feyenoord boardrooms -It is telling that no other paper is leading with the Feyenoord fella being the favorite for the Spurs job this morning…

The back page of the Mirror has an exclusive this morning that Slot's agent is in talks with Spurs and Slot is keen on the move.  If that move happens JDT will obviously be a favourite for the Feyenoord job.  A bit like with Shearer left here to go to Newcastle - Feyenoord is JDT's club.

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

It isn't even a Mowbray v Tomasson debate as I haven't seen one person on this messageboard who would pick Mowbray out of the 2.

It is calling Mowbray a cunt or making out that he is this horrible man and/or a terrible manager that doesn't sit right with me.

These quotes have obviously been taken out of context, as I said, no way did he turn down literally millions of pounds to spend on the team. In the days following promotion when his stock was high, he regularly bigged up the owners, whether that was an attempt to strengthen his position, whether he had someone in his ear saying this is a time to try and get the fans back on side, whatever it was, those now out of context quotes weren't the only example of him waxing lyrical about the owners, around the time that he regularly flew to India when the season finished.

If indeed Venkys do run the club based on random spurts of excitement and interest, which is quite possibly likely or even generous, then that is the sole problem.

He is what he is, a decent Championship manager who did his best for us and kept a steady ship during a spell where ultimately, not helped by at the end seemingly a silence from India, it got to the stage where a fresh start was good for all concerned. 

Totally agree.  Mowbray did a decent job but the time was right for a change for both Mowbray and the club.  I have no problems with the guy who I thought was genuine.  Good luck to him at Sunderland although I suspect they will struggle to beat Luton over two legs - as would we if we had got through to the play-offs.

Personally, more concerned with who might be in charge of us next season.  I'm not convinced that Tomasson will stick around if offers come in from clubs with better resources.

Despite missing out on the play-offs today was all you could ask from a game of football in terms of emotion.  At half-time we looked completely down and out.  Two substitutions later - the key being moving JRC to midfield - and we looked a different team.  The football in that second-half was some of the best we've played in a long while.  Diaz - after months on the missing list - returned to his best in terms of finishing.  In midfield JRC drove the team forward and young Wharton looked the class act that he is.

If only we had played like this on any one of the recent games that we've let slip away - but what's gone is gone and we can only look to next season.  Everything will depend on the right recruitment - whoever the manager/head coach may be - and that, as we've seen this season, is difficult on a shoestring budget.

If we couldn't get into the play-offs then I had hoped Sunderland would so am pleased for Tony Mowbray that they got there.  However, I think Middlesbrough will be the team to beat as they look a more than decent all round side.

4 hours ago, philipl said:

Tom Bloxham, an Irish midfielder from Spurs is signing for Rovers on his first professional contract. Glad Markanday's experience hasn't blocked that route to Ewood.

He appeared in a few games on trial and didn't look any better than what we already have.  I assumed we'd just allowed him to return to Spurs.  Strange that Sam Burns, who looks a far better player is being released while we sign Bloxham.  Hopefully he comes good.

11 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Adam Wharton was playing today

To be honest not very well.  In fairness, he is coming back from injury and was playing a deeper role today but looked a little off the pace at times.  He needs more games to fully get back to full fitness.  I suspect it will be next season before we see him knocking on the door of the first team.

Awful performance from the Under-21's.  Totally outplayed by a far superior side.

On 18/02/2023 at 13:29, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Does anyone know exactly where Bob was laid to rest?

Blackburn Old Cemetery on Whalley New Road.

2 hours ago, arbitro said:

Last night was the first game where we've been allowed in that I've missed in a long time. I was committed to see my granddaughter singing at the AO Arena as part of Young Voice. I couldn't get a signal so had no real idea what was going on. I got Radio Lancashire commentary coming back and hated it. Not the commentary but not seeing it live. I'm delighted at the win and what seems a decent performance too. And a clean sheet is always welcome.

You didn't miss much.  Dreadful game with Rovers slightly better than a poor Birmingham side.  Neither side looked capable of scoring, although Dack did manage to hit the post in the second half.  An own goal was probably the only way a goal would come.  Pears, who was my 'man of the match' made a brilliant reflex save to keep out an effort from Ayala in the first half while Brum did the decent thing in scoring for us in extra-time.

This game highlighted the desperate need to bring in an experienced striker who knows how to handle themselves against defenders.  Once again Vale looked far too lightweight whilst Brereton is a shadow the player from last season.  I'd happily take a striker like Jutkiewicz who causes problems and knows how to unsettle defenders with little nudges to knock them off balance.  When he came on he won everything in the air and caused us problems.

I believe there are at least ten clubs in the EFL who are not producing programmes.  I understand that Bradford City, who have fantastic gates for a League Two club, have called a halt to them.  A number of clubs are also moving to a digital programme - the Rovers have the matchday supplement which is basically photos and adverts.

As a traditionalist I find it hugely disappointing that another of the matchday experiences is disappearing.  Returning from Swansea on Saturday without a programme to read just didn't seem right somehow.  I've no interest in twitter or facebook or the social media side so the only Rovers info I get is on the website.

On the plus side, apart from the season ticket, I'm not spending any money at Ewood Park on matchdays.  

I believe the club have stopped the monthly magazine which is not surprising.

Sadly, it's a sign of the times but I suspect it won't be long before programmes are phased out at every club.  Just like the Saturday night sports papers, programmes seemed destined to become nothing more than a piece of history - although an expensive one as serious collectors will pay hundreds, sometimes thousands, for a certain programme.

Very little opportunity now to watch the Under-21's in action.  Almost going back to the old days when we played at Ewood every week - one week reserves and one week first team - all of which was included in the season ticket.  Today's season ticket still covers both first team and Under-21's but a bit difficult to be in two places at the same time.  Pity, I shall miss watching the Under-21's.

1 hour ago, JoeH said:

Peter Thomas from Rochdale and a lad from Forest Green on display tonight. #10 was not Jacob Holland Wilkinson of PNE as first thought. If anyone who was around us at the game got that info from us we can only apologise. Only got the corrected information post-match.

The number 16 was Jacob Towns - Forest Green and ex-Stoke

10 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

That's the worry. Won't feel secure on that front until Waggott has gone.

Steve Waggott cannot do anything without the owners permission.  The training ground will only be built on it that's what the owners want.

24 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

It’s disastrous if we don’t go up, as we’ve players out of contract that haven’t signed (key ones at that), loanees going back and the inevitable sale of BBD.

This is the season!

Couldn't agree more.  We needed the owners to step up in January and go all out to provide the cash and wages to bring in two or three experienced pros.  Instead we got kids and loans plus a guy from Scotland who seems to be a permanent bench warmer.

I have no doubt that in the Summer Mowbray will bid farewell to the club but the problems will remain unchanged with just a different face at the helm trying make sense of the way in the which the owners run the club.