Hope to be proved wrong but I can't see Carter being fit for this and the Rovers comms on Saturday thought S Wharton would need to sit out 7 days if concussed. Whalstedt Travis Hill Pickering Brittain Tronstad Wharton Moran Szmodics Dolan Leonard Through form and injuries the team picks itself for me.

Approximate starting appearances in the Championship for the team last night - tells it's own story, especially the bench. 7 - Wahlstedt 56 - S Wharton 7 - Hill 170 - Travis 27 - Brittain (+37 for Barnsley) 43 - Szmodics (+40 for Peterborough/Bristol) 7 - Moran 7 - Sigurdsson 23 - A Wharton 7 - Tronstad 63 - Dolan 0 - Hilton 0 - Atcheson 0 - Gamble 0 - Batty 4 - Garrett 6 - Leonard 5 - Markanday 0 - Ennis 0 - Telalovic

The arseholes have put netting over the padded seats upto row 13 and have 2 external security grippers at the bottom. Presumably to protect Waggott from getting any stick. He'll be in there GB has just come out. Edit. Or not. Looks like he's bottled it which says it all.

The ticket system will feed into the website rather than the other way around - they're able to sell tickets over the phone and in person but with the online channel down it will put more pressure on the ticket office. The next amateur-hour move has been made - emails have gone out with pre-match info but full of broken images because they're linking to the rovers.co.uk hosting 😕

The website's not working because there are no records telling the domain where to route traffic (the A record and MX records are missing). If it was a problem with the DNS provider (the company that controls those records) they could simply update the nameservers on the domain to somebody else and reinstate them. It does take a while to propagate but no longer than an hour or two. It's straightforward to remove then re-add records. You'd think 'surely not' but it is an easy way to stop/slow down sales to fit the narrative of closing the Blackburn End whilst blaming technical issues. I expect there'll be people here who have more insight but that's my take.

If anyone does wish to give him a bit of stick he usually sits on the BBE side of the closed centre seats - around row 10. You'll be able to walk along the row of padded corporate seats and be a few feet away from the incompetent arse hole 👍

Thoughts from walking the dog but I think most have been covered: 1) Time is well overdue on starting with the new GK - 11 goals conceded in 4 games 2) Adam Wharton's value is dwindling playing how we are. We forget his age - he still needs managing and taking out. Unfortunately the ideal replacement is at Sheffield Weds 3) How does Dolan continue to get minutes? Please can we try someone else there - Gilsenan, JRC, Batty, anyone.. 4) They can't continue with this brand of football / shape. Reminds me of the period before Christmas (I think) when we got dicked against Burnley & North End. We then went with 3 in the middle and looked a lot better - time to shore up. 5) As much as I like JDT, the blame is starting to land on him. He's the best manager the club has had in years but we're trying to play a style that doesn't suit the players available. Is this to prove a point? I don't think it's sabotage but what is it? Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? 6) Linked to 5 - why didn't we go into the game with the same set up and mindset as the Watford game? We don't have the players to come in to the same positions to change how things are going and for me there's going to need to be a tactical change if we're to pick up points from Leicester and Coventry. oh one more, need a positve... 7) Bradley Who? Really impressed with how Sammie Szmodics has stepped up this season. Despite the history and sentiment he is showing it was the right decision to not renew BD's expensive contract in the summer

Jesus 😕

Missed in your post is that Stoke were playing in the Premier League in 2018 - of course they're going to have slashed their Premier League wage bill in that time.

Wahlstedt Buckley Gamble S Wharton Pickering Tronstad Garrett Moran Markanday Gallagher Gilsenan

Was fairly amused on Friday at Fleetwood when How Much Is The Fish? was played before the teams came out.

Just back. Absolutely no width - each time the ball got to either side, 9 times out of 10 it was cut back and go onto the stronger foot. Crying out for either proper wingers or proper sided fullbacks who overlap. With the side tonight though there was neither. It was all too predictable at times. First half was dire, last 40 minutes much better but lacked anything up front. Wasn't impressed with Tronstad. Yes he kept trying a shot but none looked like going in. Gave the ball away in dangerous positions with sloppy passes. The lad who came on for him Charlie Weston looked better though he was a different type of player popping up all over. Thought he stood out more than when I've seen Jake Garrett. Szmodics probably the best player - seemed most things went through him when he turned it on. Defence is sound with JRC, Carter, Hyam. Brittain not the answer at left back if we're not playing a left footer in front of him. Gallagher was Gallagher - a lot of running, had a header saved very well and hit the post but he's too much of a 'nearly' man. I'd love him to hit 20 goals this season but more often than not we see he's the wrong side of those fine margins. From that starting XI I see Kaminski, JRC, Carter, Hyam, Szmodics as good enough to be regulars in a top 6 side. Add in Adam Wharton, possibly Pickering but for me we're still nearly half a side away.

The U21s have the second worse record at home in the league. Away they're fifth and have won the last 3. I get there's disappointment that a lot of fans won't be able to go but I don't think it's going to impact the team too much.

Pockets of Bumley fans celebrating in the corporate seats. Next to me around row 15 a youngish lad was cheering after the goal, He was told to fuck off by a few people then others took it past words and started throwing punches. My big gripe here is on that stairwell they've got an old dolloper as steward backed up by a short woman. It was clear before the game started the padded seats were full of their fans - saw loads taking photos of the away end and another guy on the phone waving to someone in there. They needed proper security there. The lad shit it - he wasn't a hooligan and the old steward and girl tried to get him out but they got followed on to the concourse where I saw him on the floor taking a few kicks. They managed to get him up and he wasn't hurt. After it was over around 10 coppers and security arrived. My big gripe is at Rovers here - the same shit happened against North End and they didn't deal with it then. They're happy to take 200+ people paying £100 a head and skeleton staff it. One Rovers fan got taken away by police and will no doubt get a ban when the situation should never have been allowed to happen.

Being brought up in Preston means games against North End are bigger than the Bumley ones for me. I was utterly pissed off at the final whistle but have since mellowed. I absolutely hate the 'project' / 'journey' shite and have switched off JDT interviews recently when it gets spouted but bigger picture, the side has come along way since the start of the season. He's seemingly learned/coached the players to be better in possession, the urgency to get forward evolved in the new year and I expect with time, game management will come too. I feel in some ways his hands are tied - expecting everyone of our better players to play 90 min twice a week isn't realistic. He needs to make changes but with the squad we've got, the options aren't there. We've needed a Bradley Johnson/Danny Graham on the bench the last couple of games and I've no doubt we'd have seen them out. Even Daniel Ayala - some experience who can show some nous and close the game. I don't think the playoffs are done - I've a feeling we'll win on Tuesday and it will go to the last game. I watched North End at Millwall last week and despite winning they weren't great, we can get a result there.

Another stat, It's been just short of 6 months (22nd Oct) since we went 2 nil up at home. Toothless.

Kaminski JRC Carter Hyam Brittain Travis Garrett Wharton Thomas Leonard Hedges Won't happen, Morton will be in as will Gallagher and BBD. Wouldn't be surprised to see the same side as Saturday swapping Brittain if Pickering is injured 😕

https://www.flashscore.co.uk/standings/KxHDmZRb/xECCP5F5/#/xECCP5F5/table/overall Spurs need to win 2 from 3 when they've only won 4 from 23 games all season. I think we'll be ok.

Won't happen but... GK (dont think there's much between the 2 on recent form) Brittain Carter Hyam Wharton Pickering Travis Garrett Wharton Szmodics Brereton We need to get back to hard to beat/solid.

Harvey Elliott was sat in the JW Upper in the second half today. Was there with a group who were cheering on Tyler Morton.

Not defending Vale, I think he's offered very little but I'm sure I read on here the role he's been asked to play hasn't played to his strengths. With Sorba in the team - a proper winger - could that suit him more? I don't think he'll start, Hedges in for BBD and a switch to 4 at the back with Carter (wrongly) out for Britain is my guess.

The LT article: Uncomfortable questions for Blackburn Rovers after transfer failings Deadline day has become deadline week, a sorry saga that has brought unwanted attention, and many uncomfortable, unanswered questions. It has reopened old wounds, and for some, raised concerns about the future direction of the club. On a reputational level, you have to consider the knock-on effect this will have. The club opened themselves up to criticism from all angles. It is hard to think of an issue in recent times that has united Rovers fans with a sense of anger, frustration and hostility in the hours following 11pm on deadline day. This has grown much bigger than (potentially) failing to add to the squad on deadline day, with accusations over the competency of the very people tasked with bringing about positive change. It must be recognised as such. Following Blackburn Rovers is a full-time commitment, a lifetime of emotional investment. To include a buzzword of recent years, most definitely a journey. This week will have tested even the most patient of Rovers fan. A club statement published in the wake of Thursday’s ruling that deals for Lewis O’Brien and Ethan Brierley were rejected was, by its very nature, vague and lacking in detail. The legalese meant there was little by way of acceptance of their role in what unfolded. On Friday came Jon Dahl Tomasson’s pre-match press conference, and only one topic in town, a story that had garnered attention beyond the usual Rovers media bubble. Tomasson continues to stress, as he pointedly did after the Birmingham City replay, his focus is on matters on the training pitch, not the negotiation table. But so often it is left up to the manager in such situations to face the questions meant for those above them. Due to broadcast agreements, they have little choice but to be under the spotlight. There has been more than an element of sympathy for the head coach, some supporters even concerned he may consider his future as a result of this last week. Tomasson appeared weary, frustrated and exhausted by the events that had unfolded. He wasn’t alone. Yet willing to front up beforehand was director of football Gregg Broughton, first with the club’s inhouse channels and then the local media. You could argue Broughton wasn’t left with much choice, yet the club have tried to ride out many a storm before by leaving the manager to face the heat. This was a situation felt throughout the club, the fans’ response having broken through the walls of Rovers’ inner sanctum. If Rovers’ reputation had been damaged by the events of Tuesday night, their response on Friday won some of that back. The line of questioning from Neil Yardley was strong and concise, deserving of praise for someone placed in his difficult position. Rovers’ social media channels, whose mentions had gone from ‘announce O’Brien’ to ‘shambles’ in the space of a matter of hours, now fielded responses of ‘fair play’. While confidentiality issues given the ongoing appeal meant specifics couldn’t be aired at the time, Broughton fronted up and accepted full responsibility. He felt that a non-negotiable given player transfers fall under his remit as director of football. It had undoubtedly been, and will continue to be, the toughest period of his tenure to date, and Broughton looked as he sounded; devasted. He found himself in the eye of the storm. Though simply facing the music and accepting responsibility shouldn’t be the green light for everyone to move on and be done with it, even though that was a positive first step. If there were things systematically wrong with how the deals were processed on deadline day, they must be addressed. Rovers followed the methods they have for the last 10 years, but equally, they wouldn’t recruit players in the same way as a decade ago, so the behind-the-scenes operation should be as ready and willing to change. There will be sympathy from some when the mitigating factors are aired, though Rovers aren’t looking for any. While the club feel they have strong mitigation in their case, they are accepting of their responsibility in the deals falling through. There is simply no getting away from the fact paperwork was submitted late. The EFL has to serve the best interests of its 72 members, and with no appeal having been successful to date, it feels hard to see Tuesday’s hearing going in Rovers’ favour. There is a train of thought that Rovers should simply draw a line under what has gone on in a bid to put it behind them. Yet Broughton feels they have a good case and owe it to the players concerned to go through with it, irrespective of the expected result. Quite how Rovers find themselves in such a position is staggering. Tomasson appeared frustrated when conducting his post-match press duties after the FA Cup replay which concluded 15 minutes before the deadline was up. That was likely due to the realisation that Rovers hadn’t brought in a striker, not knowing the drama that was about to unfold. There was no sign of panic as 11pm came and went, no reason to suggest anything but waiting on timings to be agreed on the announcements. Everything was done. Or so it was thought. Concern grew as time ticked on and by Wednesday morning Rovers joined the backlog of clubs locked in talks with the EFL over the deals. Like waiting for a jury to pass their verdict on a defendant, is the longer time passes a positive or negative? By Wednesday night, Rovers had been given the opportunity to present their case to the EFL the following morning, a last chance to resurrect the deals, or so we thought. On Thursday afternoon it was announced the club were launching an appeal after being knocked back in their application to register both players. And so it would drag on, the appeal not being heard until Tuesday, February 7, the make-up of which is unclear at this stage. The EFL have a test case from 2020 when they rejected Nottingham Forest’s appeal to register Kamil Grosicki, then at West Bromwich Albion. An arbitrator turned down Forest’s appeal, their case that one document being 20 seconds late shouldn’t be a barrier to the deal going through. Their case thrown out, the EFL’s standpoint clear. The ramifications of this are wide-ranging, not least should Rovers’ appeal be successful and the proverbial can of worms that would open for the league. The players too have a lot riding on this. Lewis O’Brien, one of the Championship’s stand-out players last season, valued at around £10m by his club and with 13 Premier League appearances to his name, faces six months on the sidelines having been omitted from their 25-man squad. Forest now have a player on their hands who they can’t use, whose wages they will have to pay, whose re-sale value will be affected. It was no surprise to see Forest boss Steve Cooper respond with anger, even if you could argue loaning out a player after only six months selling him the Premier League dream, to make room for a 33-year-old free agent on a deal until the end of the season, doesn’t entirely strike you as having the players’ best interests at heart. Then there is Ethan Brierley, whose only comparison to O’Brien is they play in a similar position. His signing would represent a climb up two divisions, the 19-year-old progressing his career with a move to the Championship after just 31 appearances at senior level. For Rochdale too, fighting against relegation out of the EFL, how could the potential financial impact affect them? Those weren’t issues lost on Broughton as he stressed Rovers would endeavour to reach a conclusion whereby the midfielder joins the club in the summer and the League Two side recompensed. And then there is Rovers. They looked to have pulled off a deadline coup in O’Brien, midfield an area of the pitch many supporters wanted to see strengthened, and here they had the opportunity to bring in a player who would get in almost every team in the league. In football terms, this signing was an open goal. Yet Rovers put it wide. There would have been questions around the change of heart from last summer when Rovers opted against a similar signing in preference of another young player in Tyler Morton, but equally, an acknowledgment this was an excellent bit of business. Whether it would have helped gloss over the fact that Rovers hadn’t added a recognised striker to their ranks, despite seeing George Hirst return to his parent club on January 8, is another debate. The speed of Rovers’ dealings in transfer windows has been criticised for some time. The latest saga does nothing to ease concerns around the chain of command in getting deals over the line. When other clubs are interested, Rovers rarely win the race. Money makes the world go round, and also helps the transfer cogs get moving. Rovers were unfortunately stalled for much of the month as deals slipped through their fingers. It was a hard luck story supporters didn’t want to hear, but a reflection of where Rovers find themselves in the food chain. They are reliant upon the decisions of others, forced to dance to other clubs’ tunes. Irrespective of the outcome of Tuesday’s appeal, Rovers failed to replace Hirst with a like-for-like replacement, and with Dilan Markanday leaving the club, albeit for understandable reasons, it has left Tomasson an option light at the top end of the pitch. Rovers’ new-look recruitment team has been in the firing line of some supporters, but it should be made clear their job is to identify players, not to close their deals, so often where things break down. The approach may appear scatter-gun based upon players, and their positions, that have made it into the public domain, but countless others whose names were inked on whiteboards at Brockhall will remain just that. If there could be sympathy around Rovers’ summer window given the late arrival of Broughton and Tomasson, the same patience hasn’t been afforded to January. The one deal they did get done was a loan deal for Sorba Thomas, a player known well to head of recruitment Gus Williams from his time at the Welsh Football Association. Broughton strongly refuted the reported finances involved in the prospective O’Brien deal, this while the club’s continued message is one of sustainability and prudent spending. Yet at the same time, they are set to lose an asset in Ben Brereton on a free transfer, a year after the departures of a trio of players (Ryan Nyambe, Darragh Lenihan and Joe Rothwell) with over 500 combined appearances. It is commendable that Rovers stick to their valuations of players and won’t be pushed around in the market. However, there has to be a level of acceptance that selling player doesn’t have to be the negative it is so often seen as. How can they be seen to progress if valuable assets walk away for free? The January window was expected to be a quiet one, and the short-term solutions that Rovers eventually tried to do aren’t part of the long-term vision fans were promised, something Broughton conceded. Much faith was placed in George Hirst, described as the club’s top striker target in the summer, only to leave after just three Championship starts and a little over four months. His loan agreement, and permanent option, ripped up. He remains the only striker signed in the last five transfer windows since the signing of Sam Gallagher. For the second time in three summers Rovers face the challenge of replacing their star forward, this time without any money to reinvest. The outcome of the January window means pressure has been heightened on the summer. The Academy are holding up their half of the bargain, and the recruitment will have to follow if Rovers aren’t to stagnate. Rovers have been outside of the play-off spots for only six of the 28 matches played this season. Yet their lofty position has felt an uncomfortable one, and the playing down of expectation has come across as defeatist to some supporters. Rovers have seemingly been in transition for some time now. It leads to the thought of when will Rovers next be in a position, and the expectation be, to challenge? Promotion, whether ready or not, would be a game-changer. You must always be ready and willing to take advantage. Rovers’ plan is to build for the long-term, but they can’t take their eye off the short-term and allow opportunities to pass them by. There is some irony that 2020/21 felt the most ready Rovers have been to challenge, promotion-winning experience added to a squad that had an X-Factor in attack, only to record their lowest points tally since promotion from League One. In the two seasons since, with arguably weaker squads, they have found themselves in a position to challenge. They have fallen down once, and in light of the January window, the fear is lightning will strike twice. The club were accused of incompetency in the wake of transfer deadline day, but it is complacency that will be of greater concern moving forward. Fans want hope, ambition, to be given belief, to feel involved and invested and not taken for granted and kept in the dark. Communication is a great cure, which is why Broughton speaking with meaning resonated with a fanbase who have longed for that. It is the least they are owed.

If we've cocked this up as seems are we going to be liable for a massive wage for a player we can't play? 😕

Didn't understand why we didn't go 5 at the back. We did it against Huddersfield after just over an hour (which I think was the wrong decision) but also a few other times previous to that and nullified the opposition. When Birmingham brought Scott Hogan on it became much more physical and an extra body in there would have helped see the game out. Positives - JRC, Dack and Dolan.

The issue was, the pitches we would use were frozen. Not sure how many local pitches have undersoil heating which would have solved that? Though I'd have thought the indoor ones would be used when conditions don't allow...