Parsonblue

Not really Matty. I have a far more nuanced view of modern day football that goes much wider than just our club.

Reflecting on yesterday's trip to The Hawthorns, I have to say that I was hugely disappointed on the whole day out. The M6 was its usual slow crawl. The digital ticketing system didn't work - stewards having to get people in via tickets they seemed to have. I had to go in behind the turnstile and the very helpful, but increasingly fed up steward, got me in via the turnstile operators door. This, after my digital ticket was scanned correctly, but the turnstile refused to co-operate and move as it should. Football clubs and technology really don't seem to mix well. As the for the game it proved to be the very opposite of what I expected. I had hoped we would come out of the gate with high press, high intensity and front foot football. No such luck. It was slow, backwards, sideways passing which never looked like getting the better of a decently organised but very ordinary West Brom outfit. I'll pass comment on the new boys - the first game and all that - but I've always believed that Tyrhys would be a huge loss and yesterday I saw nothing to convince me otherwise. Likewise Callum Brittain, who provided momentum to the attack which was sorely missing yesterday. I've always felt that this season would see us finish in the lower half of the table and nothing I saw yesterday convinced me otherwise. There's no disgrace in that for me. There are a number of decent teams in the Championship with more resources. West Brom had a decent crowd on yesterday and tickets weren't cheap - £27 for an OAP for an afternoon of mediocrity - but it illustrates just what we are up against. Listening to our head coach on the way home suggesting that a winger will be our only future addition to the squad is a worry. We badly need a striker. Yuki, I believe to be an excellent player who links up play and has the required work ethic for that role. However, I don't see him as being a 20 goals a season man. Without signing an additional striker, I think it may be in for a long hard season. The bright spot of the day was that as a traditional club, Albion always do a traditional programme and it's always of the highest standard. Yesterday was no different and this season their programme is celebrating their 125th Anniversary at the Hawthorns, with various features on their wonderful history at that famous old ground. Football is about memories, stories of past players and past glories and this programme is certainly carrying on that tradition in fine style.

Must disagree with you on that one. Keith had the versatility to play in midfield as well as a player who could operate on either flank at full-back. The season he left, in December, we had spent serious money on Allan Hunter, Ken Knighton and Brian Hill, in a bid to get promotion. We were challenging at the top of the table until Keith left and then results fell away in the second half of the season. Tried to fill the gap with a combination of Ray Charter, Frank Kopel and Laurie Calloway - all inferior players - and confidence seemed to be impacted by the loss of England's best right-back at the time.

As Exiled said, he's played 20 minutes or less so how anyone can make a judgement on that is beyond me.

He seems to be based at Brockhall now.

I must admit that I think all three kits that they have done so far have been excellent. Love this new one with familiar images of the town on it.

I heard that Darragh has moved up to the Under-21's and Ryan is still working with Paul at Under-21 level.

Football has become a global business over the past couple of decades. No company is going to invest in any club unless they have the final say on how THEIR money is going to be spent. We've moved more and more to an American model where clubs simply become part of a business portfolio. If Jack had only been able to own 49% of the club he probably wouldn't have bothered to get involved and we wouldn't have experienced those brilliant years. I don't remember anyone complaining about ownership when Jack was running things. Those who hold the purse strings will always dictate on what happens. Even if the fans owned 51%, if those with the 49% have the money then they will dictate what happens.

For me, football sold its soul when clubs broke away from the Football League to form the Premier League. With each passing year the game seems to move further and further away from the game I was brought up watching 60 odd years ago. Smaller clubs are penalised for breaking rules whilst the likes of City are charged but never really brought to book - look at what they've spent this summer whilst supposedly in breach of financial regulations. The financial gap between the Premier League and the rest of the Football League is now so huge that very few clubs, even if they get promoted, are able to survive for more than a season. Of course, those clubs then come down with huge amounts of money and are at an immediate advantage over the rest of the Championship. Sky tried - and failed - to make to closing weeks of last season sound thrilling. We knew who'd won the League and the three relegated clubs long before we got to that stage. The so called 'excitement' revolved around who finished fifth! The fact that Tottenham Hotspur, who finished just above the relegation zone, qualified for the 'Champions' League says it all. The game as many of us knew it is long gone. Perhaps it's fitting that Sky continues to turn it into more of a circus than it already is.

More than happy to have Forshaw back. Decent squad player, plenty of experience and a able to pass that on to younger players. Thought he did well last season when he came on as a substitute, Like Weimann, a handy player to have on the bench.

Clearly a large number of supporters would disagree with you looking at the photograph outside the Jack Walker Stand tonight.

I assume there will be a special kit for the Anniversary game - as there was for the 125th Anniversary. I must admit that I like the look of this kit as it's far more traditional than what we usually get. Love the traditional blue & white v neck. Not as good as the early 60's shirt but looks pretty good to me.

According to an extract from the early minutes - published in a programme dated 9th November 1909 - a meeting held on the 9th November 1875 states the following: 4. That the colours be : White jersey, blue and white skull cap, trousers optional. Proposed by H. Greenwood. Seconded by R. Higson. a meeting held on the 15th November 1875 states the following: 1. That a Maltese cross be on the left breast in blue. Proposed by W. Baguley. Seconded by A. Constantine. At the second meeting it is noted that a total of 15 caps were to be ordered. Of course, this is all so long ago and, sadly, the original minutes are no longer around to confirm any of this.

I've watched Duru quite a bit over the last few seasons and he looks a really good prospect. He did well at Barrow until injury ended his season early. He's really quick, tackles well and isn't afraid to have a pop at goal. He's much much in the modern full-back mould. You never know with youngsters, but he's definitely one of our better prospects.

During the sixty-odd years I've supported the club we have always blooded youngsters and given them opportunities at first team level - it's nothing new. It's also nothing new for us to sell our better youngsters - Pickering, England, Byrom, Newton in the sixties - Bradshaw, Hird, Bailey in the seventies - Barker in the eighties. These days, when managers want to rotate players on a regular basis you have to have a batch of youngsters who can come into the first team. I believe that the likes of Litherland, Duru, Powell and Montgomery show enough promise at this stage in their careers to be given the chance. At the end of the day if the club isn't prepared to put it's trust in the players the Academy produces then what's the point in spending £3m a year on a Cat 1 Academy?

I believe Powell was not signed by the manager at Altrincham, which might explain why he didn't get picked. Wharton was thrust into the team when many might have thought he wasn't ready but he quickly found his feet. Similarly, players like Faz, Phil Jones etc were all given opportunities earlier than expected. Montgomery hasn't looked out of place - even though not playing in his own position. Players like Litherland and Powell have looked excellent this season. We won't know if they are good enough until we see what they can do at this level.

Really pleased to see Litherland and Powell, in particular, sign extend contracts with the club. Two lads who have made huge progress this season and hopefully, will be part of the senior squad next season. It can only be good news that the best of our youngsters are given the time to develop with the club.

My first game was 19th August 1961. The season opener against Cardiff City at Ewood which ended in a 0-0 draw. Fred Else, Ian Lawther and Joe Haverty made their debuts for Rovers whilst the Cardiff team included Barrie Hole - a player who would become one of my all time favourites when he moved to Ewood Park in 1966.

A season of ups and downs like the majority of the sixty odd seasons I've watched Rovers. I would have been ecstatic if someone had offered seventh at the start of the season after last year's fight against relegation. In the main, it's another season that I've enjoyed following the team up and down the country with friends. Health issues meant I missed an number of away games before Christmas and only emphasised how much I miss not being at games. It's been a privilege to see young Dolan grow into the player he has now become and I fear we are going to miss him far more than many believe. In the main, it's been I season I've thoroughly enjoyed. I've seen some really good games at all levels with some of the under-21's catching the eye at times. Like every campaign one can look back and think if only we'd won here or there but that's football. In many ways I think we have overachieved this season with the squad that we have. Eustace got every last drop out of the players and Ismael, once he and the players got on the same wavelength, has done the same - which is encouraging for the future. The summer, like every close season, will see players come and go, and the pre-season will see some youngsters given the chance to step up. Despite the disappointment of missing out on the play-offs there is still much to be encouraged about the future for our club.

Excellent interview from Yasir. Open, honest and positive in many ways. A timely reminder that there are a number of really genuine and hardworking folk at Ewood like Yasir.

Remember doing Orient as the first game of the 75-76 season. Rovers ran a train direct from Blackburn to a Station near the ground. Can't believe it's 50 years ago!

Man for man the best team I've seen in my time watching Rovers. This team had everything you could want from a football team. Each player brought something different and yet combined so well. These were the 'entertainers' for me.

Another encouraging display from a team which seems to have found their confidence once again. Defensively we looked good and battled to protect the lead that Dolan gave us. Sanderson came on and looked a proper old fashioned defender - no fancy football from him - get the ball as far away from your own penalty area as quickly as possible to relieve the pressure. I thought Woodrow had his best game for us and was involved in creating our goal. Not sure I would want to sign him but in fairness, he was pretty decent today. Tronstad and Travis were at their battling best in midfield whilst Dolan and Yuki never stopped running, chasing and tackling. Dolan is going to be a huge loss as he is playing out his skin at the moment. For me, he has been a major asset to this club and I suspect he will be very difficult to replace on a limited budget. Finally, I have to say that Sunderland's tribute to the late Carlton Fairweather and the way it was done should be a lesson to Rovers. I only hope Mick McGrath gets a similar tribute on Saturday.

Those of us travelling up to Sunderland do.

And more than happy to have done so.