Mattyblue

Not in the media, I’ve no idea to what conversations they’ve had privately, do you?

Interesting read on TM’s 1st anniversary as manager... http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/16038870.Tony_Mowbray_on_his_summer_meetings_with_owners_Venky_s_as_he_marks_a_year_in_charge_of_Rovers/

Preston is absolutely rife with glory hunters, yet PNE fans are obsessed with the relatively tiny number of Preston based Rovers supporters. If a few more of those actual ‘plastics’ in red shirts went to Deepdale they may have had a PL experience by now.

I was just thinking the other day that I hadn’t noticed him on Radio 5 for a while. His voice was synonymous with Saturday afternoons. RIP.

Outsourced? I assume to Alan/Neil Yardley’s company? Not much else for them to do without Radio Rovers or big screen coverage, I suppose.

Shut the Darwen End to Rovers fans and reloacate the few hundred to the end blocks of the DE side of the Jack Walker, like they often do if the away fans get the whole DE anyway. Makes much more sense than having 500 fans scattered across the Darwen End, with the singers miles away from the away fans.

I don’t wish to brag, but we frequent the same barbers (not at the same time yet thankfully as I imagine I would embarrass myself). Hes loving it at Rovers by all accounts, lives at Wrea Green, kids are settled at Kirkham Grammar.

Before someone pipes up and says ‘who cares’, ‘always need something to whinge about’ etc etc,. Of course it doesn’t REALLY matter, but it is just completely pointless. After we’ve scored is the one time in the game you are guaranteed an atmosphere, so why bother with blaring music?

I read that club Chairman want it this way, as they are of the opinion that clubs that are a long distances away won't fetch many if it's Tuesday or Saturday, whilst a local team may bring significantly more on a Saturday than midweek. Bugger the hardcore fans and the players come to think of it.

Rosie was his wife’s username, wasn’t it? A site with first world problems in those days... SOUNESS OUT!

Problem is London can sell out three Test matches a summer at top whack, plus all the corporate hospitality. Apart from the Ashes, Old Trafford for example, struggles to sell three days of one Test. Stupid ticket prices are partly to blame, but there’s no market for a 40k OT or Headingley currently- though Edgbaston seems to be doing well.

I believe The Oval has plans to go to 40,000, Lord’s 35,000.

Quick glance at their forum, fans not too happy about it...

Very much like the Trent Bridge Test pitch against India in 2014. It was marked ‘poor’ by the ICC and they were officially warned and I think fined. What are the chances the MCG will get the same treatment? 0, 1%?

The problem I see is the difference between home and away conditions are getting bigger and bigger, or at least the away sides problems with dealing with said conditions, not good for Test cricket to see so many away sides rolling over. Look at India over here a couple of years ago, and then England getting battered in India, think I read that the SCG hardly ever sees an in play Test series, usually a dead rubber by the time the last Test of the summer reaches Sydney. The fact tours are crammed in these days, with no proper warm up matches won't help. Nowt we can do about it with the schedules as they are, but not good for the format.

You can swing a bowl at 90mph, you can hit the seam at 90mph. Watch Dale Steyn in his pomp. Or Wasim Akram or the classic Windies bowlers. Darren Gough and Flintoff had more bite than the current crop. I've read that a lot of our young bowlers can move the ball at pace, however once the Engalnd set up gets hold of them, they are that worried about fine tuning their action to avoid injuries that they lose the 'real' pace they once had. We are fine to carry on as we are and we'll win most of our home series, but we won't win on Oz pitches any time soon, but I could see them winning here.

We'll knock India over in the summer in seaming and swinging conditions and this will all be forgotten, just like four years ago. We'll continue to shoehorn the County Championship into the early and late parts of the season when the pitches are doing plenty, meaning counties don't need 90mph fast bowlers, as a 75/80mph trundler can take plenty of wickets in those conditions, or to even play a spinner. Then we'll go to Aus in 2021 and lose 5-0 again.

Downing, Smallwood, Bennett, Dack, Samuel/Graham/Nuttall, Whittingham? Plus a Scot and an Irishman. Sometimes a Northern Irishman over Whitts, another Scot instead of Bennett. So usually 8 out of 11 are British and Irish, not particularly extraordinary...

Rich Sharpe was watching the game (and presumably planning out his match report) whilst live blogging on the LT website AND co-commentating on Radio Lancs. No wonder his ratings are all over the place.

I imagine Northampton will sell out...

Unfortunately they've knocked the away terrace down and replaced it with your standard seated stand.

Don't watch it, however I did catch her first audition, thought she's quite 'posh' for a Blackburner, or 'well spoken' as me Grandma would say... oh she lives in Langho, fair enough! Watched it again on Saturday just to see the Catherdal Quarter in all its glory beamed across the nation, all of a sudden it was 'Who wants to go t'pub?' 'Areight Black-b'n!'

I was in Brisbane for the first test and what really struck is how into their sport the vast majority of the populace seems to be. Various reasons for this, but what I did notice is that nearly all their top sports are found on free to air televison. Football is our national game and can survive behind a paywall - plus there are some live matches on free TV, plus Match of the Day each week. The ECB threw away a golden opportunity after the 2005 Ashes and the fact you can't even find Ashes highlights on free to air just shows how low profile cricket has become.

Noticed that a fella called Ryan Grant is now writing the articles on the official website. Quick look on Twitter says he's our new 'Comms & Media Manager'. He's come from Man Utd, so let's see if anything improves...