I understand your argument and your figures appear compelling as I’m sure they did to the Chairmen of all 72 EFL clubs but over the next few seasons the figure of 9,000 season ticket holders and 6,000 walk ons will surely diminish when people realise that the games can be watched on Red Button and other streaming services so the losses will be greater. As a Championship club now Rovers do have other income streams as a result of Sky deals such as £2.3m of TV money and £4.6m from the Premier League which Steve Waggott alluded to plus £100,000 for every home game screened live (£120,000 on a Sunday). Also Rovers receive £10,000 as an away fixture screened live. I suppose those sums will help soothe the brows of some of the Championship Chairmen into accepting the reality of the red button but it could easily lead to the “Croatia” effect where EFL football is played before ever diminishing crowds.

It appears that the EFL are well aware of the “slump” in midweek attendances according to the Times today. The paper has sent figures to the EFL which show an 8.8% per game drop in gates this season compared to last seasons figure of 4.5% in midweek games without the red button facility. The deal with Sky is worth £88m per year which will rise to £120m from 2019 to 2024 when the current deal ends. This money is shared by all 72 EFL clubs. So we get just over a million from the deal. The EFL Is apparently carrying out its own review of the red button effect. Officialise jargon for “ whoops we’ve made a balls up but we’re stuck with it for 6 seasons!”

AAK, I can't believe you have posted 12 negative posts in the past hour. Are you not pleased Rovers won at Bolton of all places which has become such a graveyard in recent meetings? Bolton deserved to win?! Do you really mean that statement? It wasn't the fast flowing style of Man City I grant you but we played well in large parts of the game and restricted them to few chances. I think you should try to enjoy the taste of victory whenever it comes along.

You’re absolutely right BBE. He has got to be told that he is at a crossroads in his career. If he wants a long one then he’s got to buckle down and listen to his manager who apparently was Perry Masonesque in court on Tuesday!(showing my age). I can’t help wondering what his agent is doing regarding his Community Service. Surely he should be advising him? If the threat of a custodial sentence doesn’t focus his mind then he’s a lost cause. A lot of young fans look on Dack as a hero; it’s about time he sorted his life out. He has apologised for his conduct which is a start. Let’s hope he concentrates on his teammates and his employer Blackburn Rovers and exhibits his talents on the pitch.

I actually tuned in last night as I’ve not seen Burnley live for a few years. They are a very fit side but play very much in the Allardyce style of long ball and get in the box for their big men who regularly kept missing chances. Looked naive against the experienced Greeks. I think it will be difficult for them in the league this year.

Nuttall for Armstrong so Dack is playing for his hatrick

Samuel not Nuttall!

Whittingham for Rothwell and Nuttall for Palmer subs

5-1 Armstrong

4-1 Palmer

3-1 Dack

2-0 up Dack.

Armstrong 1-0 up

I will be very surprised if Chapman is a target at the moment. I know TM rates him but signing him in January might be more realistic. His injury problem needs to be resolved in my opinion.

Yes there is commentary tonight. I follow are covering matches for the domestic user this season.

I think you would sign anyone who would improve the squad at any time. It doesn’t matter about Saturday. Palmer was signed but he won’t play on Saturday because of fitness issues. The Championship season is a long one so you lay the foundations for that and players hopefully come in who can improve the overall quality.

Certainly not a wind up! I suppose I must be in the minority but I’m surprised it’s caused such a fuss. At least we can all agree that the performance was pleasing.

What a great score line! Bradley Dack is an amazing footballer and I hope we can keep him for this season. He is destined for big things in the game. Secondly the new kit looks stunning. The lighter blue has been used at various times throughout our history( even Spurs have used it) and I’m sure it will prove a commercial success.

For those unable to get to the game tonight I’ve just subscribed to LiverpoolTV who are showing the full game. £4.99 for the month.

And yet you were very confident that our first signing would be this afternoon if I remember correctly. Is this your excuse Ladyboys?

I believe that Arthur McPherson was very much involved in the football scene in St Petersburg which was the early centre of the game. The Charnock brothers were involved in the development of the game in the Moscow region. But you’re quite right to highlight Arthur’s role as he became President of the Russian Football Federation with Harry Chapman the Vice President.

Many thanks Perthblue. The article has filled in a few gaps there. What an achievement by Harry Chapman the Chorley boy who became Vice President of the League!

As the World Cup gets nearer the papers are full of Russian connected football stories. This curious but intriguing story was published in The Sunday Times linking the Rovers, The textile industry, espionage, the Russian Revolution and the Russian Football League! The story begins in the first decade of the 20th Century. Russia is keen to develop its textile industry through increased mechanisation. So they turn to a part of the world famous for its expertise in this field namely Lancashire. Adverts were placed in the Times and other places for young men to emigrate to the Moscow area lured by offers of work and a sense of adventure. The advert also added that an ability to play football would be advantageous. 2 brothers called Clement and Harry Charnock from Lancashire went out there to work and after some months founded a football team called Morozovsky FC . Morozovsky was the name of the owner of some textile mills where many of the English ex pats were working. There is a grainy photograph of the team lining up for a photo shoot before a game but what is clear is that they are kitted out in the famous blue and white halves. So perhaps we can assume that the Charnock brothers were Rovers fans who had obtained the strip from Rovers. They joined the Moscow League and were incredibly successful winning the league title 5 years in succession from 1910-14. The British diplomat Bruce Lockhart played for the team in 1912 before being expelled from Russia on espionage charges. The blue and white halves were achieving fame in Russia and Mr. Morozovsky must have been a very happy man. However the onset of war brought an end to the football and later in 1917 The Russian Revolution ended English influence on the new national sport of football. Morozovsky FC became Dynamo Moscow and played for a while in the blue and white halves but my Google search today showed that their strip is now mainly blue shirts, a bit like Everton. There are many fascinating threads to this story. What happened to the Charnock brothers at the onset of war? Did they return home or stay in Russia even after the Revolution? Perhaps they are known to people on here as Charnock is a common name. I will now follow the fortunes of Dynamo Moscow more closely from now on! Intriguingly back in England Rovers won the league in 1911 and reached 2 semifinals so were a dominant force in the domestic game and so were no doubt more than happy to kit out Morozovsky FC and influence the game in Russia. When I read the story I felt a certain pride in supporting this great club of ours. We might be in a trough at the moment but we have been a real giant throughout the history of the game.

Now that is funny! Well done!

Fair enough. In my long professional career the watchword was always seek the evidence, evidence and more evidence. If you have the evidence to support your comment then you are well entitled to share it.