Good to see Joe Rankin-Costello signed up on a pro contract.

At the end of the day Jal nobody knows if any young player will make it or not. The only way you find out is by playing them and giving them a decent run of games to see if they sink or swim. Thus far both Nyambe and Raya have impressed when given the chance. Both now need a run of games to see if they can sustain that improvement over the longer period. Where we differ is that you want to get rid before they are given a chance and that I don't understand. As Tyrone said earlier in this thread, there have been numerous youngsters who we might have thought didn't stand a chance of making it and they went on to enjoy very successful careers. Likewise, I've seen youngsters who I thought would make it and they haven't for whatever reason. In the past the Rovers have paid big money to bring the likes of Watt and Fitzgerald into the Academy - long before Venkys - and they have failed to make it. You only have to look back at team sheets from Academy games over the last ten years to see how few players actually make the grade at any club.

You clearly don't watch them.

Well that's one good thing that SEM Kentaro have done if they have brought us these two promising young players.

Clearly, I look at it from a different perspective. I'm interested in watching players develop and some will make it but the overwhelming majority won't and that has always been the case. Just look at the number of players registered with the club at the Football League in the 50's and 60's and look how many actually made the Central League team, let alone the first team. If you have a hang up with folk from Liverpool or Scotland, or indeed, footballers from abroad, that's your issue not mine. I have no problem about where a person comes from. As for Feeney, he certainly wouldn't be in my starting eleven but then neither would Conway.

Why? If a player is a good player I'm not bothered who his agent is.

Two very promising young players, as Rev says. Personally I don't think the Rovers can have too many promising young players like these two.

In fairness, Mahoney is really a right winger. For some reason he reminds me of Hill in his style of play. Like Hill, he is tall but he's not the most robust of wingers, doesn't like a tackle and his decision making, at times, is somewhat indifferent. On his day he can be excellent and is capable of scoring spectacular goals but, like Hill, his good days don't come along all that often and he can really frustrate when he gets into good positions but fails to deliver a decent cross. But he's young, unlike Hill who was at the end of a pretty decent career, and has time on his side. Having said all that, personally, I think it's time he was given a chance to see if he can cut it at first team level. He needs to be playing against better opposition to see if he can cope at a higher level than the Under-23's. If we are not prepared to loan him then we should give the lad the opportunity to prove he is good enough. We made the same mistake with O'Sullivan who was one of the most promising lads to come out of the Academy but we didn't give him the opportunity when he was playing well and then he started going backwards in terms of development. I don't know and I care even less Jal. I'm just glad we have Nyambe and Raya and I hope Mahoney can develop and follow them into the first team squad.

I wouldn't disagree with any of that. The only way you find out about youngsters is by giving them a chance. It's beginning to work with Nyambe - who looked much more confident on Saturday after a few games under his belt. Youngsters will make mistakes but that's how they learn. There is a limit to how much they learn in the Under-23's after a season or so. I'd be more than happy to see Mahoney, Tomlinson, Doyle, Travis, Platt and Wharton be given more time in the first team alongside the likes of Nyambe and Raya. We have some decent lads who have done enough to deserve a chance with the first team and, as you say, it's not like the senior eleven are exactly pulling up trees with their performances.

He certainly had a better game today than last week. I don't know if you are old enough Stuart, but think 'Brian Hill' and you get a picture of Mahoney.

Excellent second-half performance today. Stokes and Platt both scored two and in the second period we looked on a totally different level to Burnley. Brown and Platt were superb at the centre of defence whilst Travis and Doyle attacked well from the full-back positions. Rankin-Costello looked good after his recent dip in form and Tomlinson worked hard in midfield. Stokes, after an indifferent first-half, looked much better after the interval.

Jim was a bit of a cult hero at the time. Certainly the best header of a ball I've ever seen but we didn't really play to his strength - which was in the air. On the ground he wasn't the best by any means. His diving header against Norwich, when he came on as a sub, remains the best headed goal I think I've ever seen. For me, Frank Lord, was the worst I've seen but there are a number of contenders from that era - Les Chappell would certainly run him a close second. A little later there was John Aston who Iley signed to replace Waggy. Aston was playing from memory when we signed him.

It's a long while since I have seen the JW upper as full as it was yesterday. Clearly reducing prices in this stand has an impact on numbers moving from other parts of the ground. Last season there were rows of empty seats behind me but yesterday it was quite full.

Under-21's had a convincing win against Charnock Richard today. A number of last year's Under-18's showed up very well as did a couple of the trialists. Charnock Richard have a nice set up. Tidy little ground and a decent clubhouse.

Excellent news. Stokes and Graham will be a major plus in any fight against relegation. However, we still need more, particularly if the likes of Hanley and Marshall depart, but thus far I think Coyle has made a decent start in the market.

I suspect it will only be Premier League clubs as the Premier League are putting another million into the prize money pot. I agree though, hardly seems fair when some Championship clubs performed better than their counterparts in the Premier League at Under-21 level. Also, I'm not sure there will be 16 Premier League clubs with grade one status now that Villa, Newcastle and Norwich have been relegated. I make it that on last season's Under-21 competition that there are now just 15 clubs, including Middlesbrough, with category one status. So unless Burnley and Hull have achieved that level over the summer I'm not sure how they will get 16 clubs.

Rovers were audited at the end of last year and were expecting to hear the result anytime now. I think that the feeling was that with the investment the owners have put into the Academy that they would maintain Category One status. I think the Rovers believe that they may be able to avoid the building of a stand etc, because the of the difficulties with planning regulations in that part of the Ribble Valley.

As someone far from convinced about the appointment I thought he came across very well in this interview. No rash promises but said the sort of things that most fans would want to hear from a new manager. Only time will tell to see if he can deliver.

Has been overtaken by Scott Wharton and Matty Platt so no surprise that he is one of a number of youngsters who have been released.

I think that's one thing we don't have to worry about. The Under-18's will be continuing as normal next season according to those who should know.

Yes. The original Accrington club that was in the League from 1888 until the early 1890s is totally different from Accrington Stanley. Indeed, Accrington Stanley were operating at the same time as the original 'Owd Reds' as they were known. Nonetheless, having watched Stanley whenever Rovers don't have a game, I really do hope they win promotion. Saturday's game at Wycombe will be the crunch for them. Win that and I think they will do it. Bristol Rovers have both the relegated clubs to play so should pick up six points so it will be tight. Give it another couple of years and Stanley v Rovers may well be our 'big' games of the season! Who would have thought that just a few years ago.

I too, remember Vernon when at Everton and Stoke and also saw him playing for Great Harwood at the end of his career along with Ronnie and Dougie. He was, as you say, a superb talent and led Everton to the First Division title. Playing at a time when forwards were kicked up in the air on a regular basis, Roy could more than look after himself.

Apart from a strange own goal, he and Platt did very well against a decent Villa attack. Both seem to read the game well and both are good in the air and can put a foot in when required. There are a number of promising youngsters in this bunch and it will be interesting to see if they can push on to the next level.

Cracking game at Villa Park tonight. The lads thoroughly deserved their win - despite the winning goal coming so late. We could easily have been three up before the unfortunate own goal put Villa in the lead but throughout the game the lads looked capable of scoring at any time. The midfield trio of Hardcastle, Rankin-Costello and Tomlinson all caught the eye whilst Pemberton did a tremendous amount of work down the right flank. Both sides played some excellent football in difficult conditions.