bob fleming

Agreed. Didn't you say that that last year but it was dismissed on the grounds that it would only confuse Bert? This year, with Bert Mk II, it wouldn't be a problem. Just don't drop the thing that's all I'm saying.

Where do you suggest it should be moved to in Blackburn? Shadsworth? Pleckgate? Mellor? Brownhill? Roe Lee Park? Where abouts in Blackburn should the ground be that'll ensure we get higher gates? How and who is going to fund this utterly pointless exercise? The stadium is a lasting testament to Jack Walker and a constant reminder of his legacy. Three stands are as good as anything in the Prem. Unfortunately The Riverside isn't the best but perhaps that should stay as a reminder of where we've come from and our history (whilst I sit in the Blackburn End ) No offence to people from Worthing near Brighton but they don't half talk a load of pony. *sits back and waits for Lancashire bloody United to get a mention again*

Have a look at yourself will you?! Come on, it’s time to leave the Special Brew alone for a few minutes, you’re not doing yourself any favours with that stuff. So, grab a Supermodel, stick on a Babyshambles CD, take copious amounts of Class A, and let’s delve back to the beginning of the month the Romans used to call “October”. Sunday October 1. Rovers 2 Wigan Athletic 1. Simple Blackburn Beat The Piemen, Wigan say “Not Fair!” Emile Heskey, who has been on the Peter Crouch diet for professional footballers, has a habit of scoring against Rovers and did so again after just two minutes of this category A++++++ local derby. Rovers were a little jaded it would appear following our game in mid week against Salzburg. We equalised on the stroke of half time, David Bentley curling one off after good build up play involving Liverpool’s Lucas Neill and Rovers’ Francis Jeffers. The second half was a different story and Rovers played some of the most attacking football that Ewood has seen for weeks. Both full backs have been given licence to roam it would appear this season. Unfortunately Oh Yeah? was left a little exposed and decided to bring down Emile Heskey, who by now had lost another stone in weight. Penalty to Wigan. Jason Brown, making his debut, pulled off a fine save and then stopped both follow up efforts. That’s four penalties out of five saved this season. This spurred us on. Neill played a simple ball over the top of the Wigan defence. “Offiside! Not fair!” shouted Paul Jewell but McCarthy had the simplest of finishes after great work from Roberts and Kirkland. That’s us up to 9th. More remarkably we’re only five points from the top, how did that happen? Tuesday October 3. The UEFA Cup group stages draw. We’re now old hands at this Europe lark and after recording our second ever victory, confidence was high that we can progress this season. We drew FC Basel and Nancy Lorraine at home. Swiss club FC Basel were formed in 1983, the Rovers connection is there for all to see, they were named after ex-Rovers left back Mick Rathbone. There is nothing even remotely amusing about us playing a French team called Nancy and Lorraine. Nothing at all. The away games are far more interesting. Wisla Krakow of Poland. Could be colourful, as could Feyenoord of Rotherham. I’ll be making the trip for Feyneoord but not Krakow. Three of us setting off Thursday morning at 7.00 from Liverpool, we’ll fly to Leeds and then get the train down to the porn and hash capital of Europe (or was it pie and mash?), Worksop (Travel lodge £45.00). Then it’s the tram up to Rotherham for the game, before getting the hell out of there afterwards. The riots of 1992 when they played Spurs are still fresh in the memory, a lot of Spurs lads still have the scars after they were on the receiving end of a barrage of giant Yorkshire puddings and whippets thrown at them by the home fans. The impressive “Space Age” Feijenoord Stadion, Rotherham Wednesday 4 October. I think it was today, it was around this date, that Rovers announced they would slash prices for the Bolton match on Sunday 22nd. £15 a ticket for anywhere on the ground. A shame that the Telegraph didn’t mention it for two weeks. Those who say that going to Ewood is too expensive surely now have no excuse for missing this one. Although I’m sure they’ll find one soon enough. How’s about “I just can’t be arsed to be honest, I’d rather just slag them off to anyone who’ll listen to me down the pub than actually go to the match. Still if anyone asks when I’m on holiday, I’m a big Rovers fan.” Oh, but I jest. Really the club can do no more. We’ve all been critical in the past and rightly so (£36 for the BBE vs Wigan is not the future in my opinion) but this is superb. This and “The Card” are cracking ideas. Anyway, it could be worse, we could have to watch Steve McLarens England week in week out. They’d be lucky to shift tickets at 10 bob if the performance in Croatia was anything to go buy. Absolutely bobbins. Saturday 14 October. Liverpool 1 Rovers 1. Rovers travelled to Anfield, home to one of the favourites for the league apparently and now UEFA Cup hopefuls, Liverpool. No doubt we were in good spirits, we’d been on a good run. Rovers took the lead through the boy McCarthy who couldn’t miss after the Liverpool defence opened up for him when Dave Bentley crossed from the right. Shock horror some bloke called Bellamy scored the equaliser in the 2nd half with a free header from a corner. Another good performance from Rovers though After the match Sparky Hughes voiced his delight at how Lucas Neill and Bert Mk II are able to play football after spending 24 hours sitting on their arse watching films and listening to music on a plane coming back from International duty after playing for Australia. Thursday 19 October. Wisla Krakow 1 Rovers 2. Ah yes! The magic is back! The ridiculously early kick off time, the inability to get time off work, the cheeky, chirpy Scousers that you work with telling you that we’re one nil down (after you explained that you really didn’t want to know the score as you wanted to watch the match in the evening. They really do have a great sense of humour), the Sky+ box going on the blink so the commentator sounded like a drunk Roy Hodgson, the inept refereeing, the constant diving and theatrics that you’d normally associate with a team from more Mediterranean climes, the fouls on our players that went unpunished, the officials with comedy facial hair, the needless bookings, the racism. The magic of European football! But none of that really mattered did it? (racism and ridiculous facial hair apart) Hurrah!! The 400 odd fans who made the trip witnessed history, we’d finally done it, we’d won away in Europe!! They took the lead through Flukeski with the help of a wicked deflection in the 1st half. We kept at it and by and large played the better football throughout. Bob Savage equalised with a well placed header from a Dave Bentley cross and Dave wrapped it up in the last minute smashing home from the edge of the six yard box after a double save from Unluckyvic. A great start to the group stages, we go top of the group after Feyenoord and Mickey Rathbone only draw. Nancy and Lorraine didn’t play, I can only think that it must have been raining or something and that they didn’t want to get their hair wet. That was our eigth game in an unbeaten run. Friday 20 October. The Lancashire Telegraph promote the Bolton match at last, two days before kick off. Celebrity fans Carl Fogarty, Wayne Hemmingway and Jim Bowen (Mark’s brother) all say what a great offer it is to be able to watch Premier League football for £15. Were they there though? Did anyone see them? More to the point will anyone from the Sports team at the Telegraph be there apart from Andy Neild? Sunday 22 October. Rovers 0 Bolton Wonderers 1. The Entertainers came to town. Every credit to little Sam Allardyce for assembling a team capable of playing such free flowing football. At times some of the Bolton play took the breath away, like a bad asthma attack. Yet despite Bolton’s obvious footballing superiority Rovers managed to keep things pretty close. The only goal of the game was scored by that clown Campo. A free header from a corner. That sounds familiar. Campo: Clown Johnny Slippers (aka Zurab) looked to have scored when his header appeared to be over the line. Rovers also had two harder chances to get something out of the game in the last three minutes. Jason Roberts, on as a sub, was brought down twice in the box. Instead of awarding us a penalty goal the referee made us try and put the ball in the back of the net from twelve yards by kicking it. Harsh in my view and it was asking a lot of our strikers. Sure enough we didn’t score and opted to pass back to their keeper on both occasions. With hindsight that was probably a mistake. But surely even the biggest Rovers fan couldn’t begrudge Bolton the win, they have style and guile, play the game with a smile on their face, never moan to the referee, they have El Hadj Diouf, a manager gracious in victory, a team that never employs dirty tricks such as time wasting from the first minute and they have a purple away strip. Every credit to them. 27,500 people witnessed this festival of football. Tuesday 24 October. More or less recovered from the Bolton defeat. Wednesday 25 October. Rovers 0 Chelsea 2. The League Cup or whatever it’s called these days. Chelsea came, Chelsea won, Chelsea did enough, Chelsea players moaned a bit, Chelsea are a good team. We made a few changes, Jay McEveley played at left back, Stephane Henchoz made his second debut and brought the weather with him. Davey B played in the centre with Th’Axe, Doctor Congo was carried off with a shin injury, The Artist also hobbled off and was replaced by Sergio Peter who played very well I thought, very efficiently (although he clearly lacked a little sense of humour at times). Talking of people from a European country that started a couple of world wars several years ago, that Michael Ballack is a big lad for a German isn’t he? Joe Cole should have been sent off for swinging a punch at our Davey but the referee, noticing that it was Ewood, that the culprit wasn’t Lucas Neill, Andy Todd or Robbie Savage, but England International Joe Cole, decided against it. He also managed to book Davey for not ducking. Anyway, they scored twice, Joe Cole and some other fella. Whatever. Wednesday 25 October. Quarter to ten in the evening. More or less recovered from the Chelsea defeat Sunday 29 October. West Ham United 2 Rovers 1. Pardew’s last stand? Are you having a bubble? Have a butchers, that was never going to happen was it? Pardew must have used his St Louis’ to kick one or two Aris’ into gear before this one. We went to West Ham with them right up to their Gregory in the Eartha. Eight straight defeats,their worst run for 70 years. We lost. It never really happened for us, we missed too many players Lord Edward of Sheringham scored with a free header. Th’axe reminded us, although it wasn’t necessary, why he isn’t a centre half by ducking down behind Sheringham rather than making a challenge (see also Portsmouth). We played well in patches but there was no end product. Another injury as well, Jason Roberts broke his toe and will be out for “months”. (See that there? ‘Toe’, so much easier to spell and shorter to read than metatarsehole). West Ham won a corner after they punched it out, Mullins scored from about six yards and practically unchallenged. Groundhog day. The 92nd minute, Benni lost his man with a great turn, got a shot in and Davey followed up. It was all too late unfortunately. There is obviously a lack of strength in depth and this was probably Mickey Gray’s last game. Hopefully West Ham will move to a new stadium in 2012. Upton Park is clearer cursed. October crashes to a disappointing end. Three straight defeats to go alongside our earlier two wins and a draw in October. The size of our squad, or rather the size of the quality in our squad, is a concern. So, it’s onto November, Villa, ManU, Spurs, Mickey Rathbone and Rotherham. It should be an interesting month. I can guarantee they’ll be fireworks.

2 - 0 Rovers. Benni and Serg.

All but done roversmum, if it wasn't for all the games I'd have had it done a lot sooner this month Damn our success.

He said "I'm English. Or was that a joke?" Ozzie. Anyway, Ray Stewart 76 penalties. As Tyrone pointed out that's complete nonsense isn't it? Surely? He's a sofa now apparently.

Thinking aboit it, it was definitely Ray Stewart. He scored 76 penaties I seem to recall and went on to be a chauffeur. Sorry Speeeeedo - I didn't see your post!

Sent you one of them PM thingys Capt!

That's who I thought it was as well, couldn't remember his name. Good work OJ.

2-1 Rovers. We don't have carpets. ( )

No CAPT, extra time, then pens.

We're in there an all.

2-0 Rovers. Neill and Emerton to suffer a massive bout of jet lag after flying back from Poland. Emerton with the first, picking the ball up in his new right back position he'll beat 5 Trotters in a mazy run up the pitch before slotting one in from 20 yards. Unfortunately he'll be found to have been sleep walking and will never again repeat this amazing feat of football trickery. Savage to score yet again despite breaking his back in seven places against Wisla. Diouf to be sent off after 4 minutes for a premeditated act of just being himself.

Can't believe that. Your telling us that Michael Owen was one of the biggest players around as a 15 year old? He must have shrunk since.

Thank God for the internet or no one would know about it. I'm 99% sure that it hasn't been mentioned in the Telegraph at all until last night. So two things: - 1. This was first announced on rovers.co.uk. on October 4th. October 16th: "Simon Williams (surely no relation to Chairman Williams?) Head of Sales and Marketing at Rovers" (I didn't even know we had a Head of Sales and Marketing to be honest, but then again I've not gone out of my way to look) announced in the paper that if anyone has the same full name as one of our players they can have two tickets for free. The article on the bottom of the back page goes on to mention that tickets are £15 for adults and £5 concessions. 2. Why hasn't the Telegraph bigged this up before now? Because it's a good news story? Because it goes against the tide of what other Premier League clubs are doing? Because it shows Rovers in a good light? This should have been on the front page way before now. "ROVERS SEIZE THE INITIATIVE", "ROVERS LISTEN TO THEIR FANS", "ROVERS BUCK THE TREND". The paper is quick enough to put us on the front page when it's a bad news story (e.g. TV is killing us) surely this warranted similar coverage?

I'll go for 1-1 an all. Great preview Jim.

Check THIS site out. 1st slide - looks familiar - says £4 in 1990. Can't be right can it? I don't remember it being that cheap.

I don't think so.

It's £4 we wouldn't have had Lee. I just hope it goes to Hughesy for strengthening the squad in January.

"The Pies The Limit!" Will be the Telegraph headline as Rovers beat Wigan 3-1 today and we continue our climb up the table.

I'd be tempted to do away with any Rovers fans in the Darwen End at all . I can wait for the backlash. Won't take too long I'd imagine! Sitting in the BBE it was great to see a pretty much full Riverside and Nuttall Street stands, It can only help the atmosphere, which was great on Thursday. Bring back the days of "Riverside, Riverside give us a song". Not only that but when we're on MoTD or Sky or whatever, when they say something along the lines of what a bad gate it was all we need to do is point out that the Darwen End is the Away fans stand, our stands were pretty full. Sure, if we sell out our three sides of the ground then let's have a look but we can cross that bridge. Just a thought. What do you reckon?

OK, here we go. Here’s the first bout of nonsense for the new season. Six league, and two UEFA Cup games to look back on. So sit back, open another can of Carlsberg Special Brew and between us let’s try and piece together what happened…. Saturday 12 August. Rovers 5 New Zealand 0. This was Rovers last friendly before the season proper. We beat the New Zealand All Whites with a minimum of effort. Benni with two goals, Jason Roberts with two and Steven Reid with the other. Rugby is the National Sport of New Zealand. Tuesday 15 August. After weeks of speculation and bids from Portsmouth (bids that ranged from as low as £4.3m and rose eventually by a staggering £700,000 to £5m) defender Ryan Nelsen signs a new four year contract. Great news. The nearest thing we’ve had to Colin Hendry since, er, Colin Hendry. Thursday 17 August. Preparations for the new season are dealt a sickening double body blow rabbit punch. Steven Reid was injured playing for Ireland and Bert Emerton, according to reports, was on the verge of signing a new contract. Which he later did sign. A four year deal. The inclusion of a get out clause should Bert get too near the touchline could not be confirmed or denied by the club. In fact it was met with a curt “Don’t be so bloody stupid”. Saturday 19 August. Portsmouth 3 Rovers 0. Oh dear. Very poor. Very poor indeed. Lucas Neill had an absolute nightmare. You could see him thinking for the first goal “Watch that striker, he could turn me here, got to be careful with this high ball, but what was it Johann Neeskens said about me once? I’m good enough for Barcelo… - Doh! I’ve missed the ball and now they’ve scored. What am I like?”. Or later in the game “Just think two more weeks and I could be off to AC Milan!, I’ll just foul this lad here on the half way line. Oh no, I don’t believe it, I’ve been sent off again. Why is it always me? I’m a good player.” Todisoff scored first. Gangly Star Wars extra Kanu scored a brace. The second of which he scored when makeshift centre half “Th’axe” actually tried to hide behind him instead of heading the ball clear. Todd has sent off late in the game for making a good clean goal saving tackle but the game was well and truly over by then. Still despite what many believed on BRFCS.com we weren’t relegated just yet, there was still time to rescue the situation in the remaining 37 games. Tuesday 22 August. Andy Todd had his red card rescinded by the FA. “It was all a mistake, I shouldn’t have sent Todd off” stated the referee “I thought it was that Robbie Savage.” Wednesday 23 August. Rovers 1 Everton 1. McCarthy with our goal, taken with great aplomb, and in a style not unlike that of a drunk Martin Dahlin, he placed the ball in the bottom right hand corner beyond the keepers reach before falling over. McCarthy: A Bit Twisted Unfortunately it wasn’t to be and Rovers defence decided to re-enact a scene from the Keystone Cops 1912 debut, Hoffmeyer's Legacy in conceding the equaliser. Tim Cahill, keeping a straight face, did the damage after much slapstickery and high jinks in our penalty area. Emerton played at right back and did very well, suggesting that he can secure a place in the team and make the right back / scapegoat position his own on a full time basis. You’ll not catch me slagging him off though. Still, it was a point to the good and Rovers got themselves out of the relegation mire. A good job too with only 36 games left, time was running out fast. Also on this day we completed the signing of Dutch International defender Andre Ooijer (pronounced: Ooijer.) from crack outfit PVC Eindhoven. Friday 25 August. Rovers incredibly draw Australian side Salzburg in the UEFA Cup. First leg away. Sunday Bloody Sunday 27 August. Rovers 0 Chelsea 2. New signing Ooijer was thrown in at the deep end, with no arm bands, wearing a deep sea divers suit and with his arms and legs tied together. Behind his back. Apart from giving away the penalty (Lampard),(when John Terry incredibly lost the use of his legs), getting booked and getting skinned for the second goal (Drogba) it all went really well for him. We’re bottom of the league. However there are several plusses. There are 35 games left to try and add to our one point. Bert Emerton played very well at right back again. Incredible. Like a new signing. Lucas did well at left back as well. In fact the performance showed a lot of promise. Thursday 30 August. Transfer deadline day! Hurrah! The transfer window slams shuts meaning that the transfer window thread on BRFCS.com can also be closed!! We brought in Shabani Nonda, who arrived in a Hondah because of all the wongah. We can’t go wrongah. Have I turned into Mark E Smith-ah? (non-Fall fans please ignore this bit). A good player by all accounts although he has suffered with injuries. Jon Douglas left for Leeds United on a permanent deal and Keith Barker went to Rochdale (the football club I presume, although he may have just gone for a day out). Surely the biggest surprise though was that Shefki Kuqi also left, to Crystal Palace. For £2.5m. Yes, that’s £2.5m. Million. Pounds. A fantastic deal for the big guy who will live long in the memory. The good news was offset somewhat in that Fleming junior, aged 3 and 3/4’s was a big fan of Shefki’s. Blissfully unaware that Rovers have a habit of selling their best players (and Shefki) if good money comes along, on hearing the news she just burst into tears. (As did John Williams probably when Palace offered £2.5 million, all your Christmases….. etc ). Explaining that it was a lot worse when Alan Shearer left did little to cheer her up. After careful consideration I’ve advised her to choose Lucas Neill as her next favourite player, “He won’t leave us” I explained. Wednesday 6 September. The Lancashire Telegraph, always first with the news, pick up on a story that the Daily Mirror reported the previous week. Bad news. Ryan Nelsen requires surgery on his troublesome hamstring and will fly to Finland for the op next week. The unique and bizarre procedure involves removing muscles from the back of the patients eyes and stapling them to the damaged hamstring. We were later to learn that Nelsen will be out until after Christmas, his hamstring is fine but he can’t see. Friday 8 September. The Sun: “England Striker Lashes Out”. “The shame of Wayne Rooney. Fat disgrace Wayne (20), seen without his comedy ginger beard, was in shame last night after it was revealed that he punched a man, knocking him to the floor, whilst out in Manchester last weekend. A source said that Wayne was so drunk he couldn’t stand up. “More drinks please barman” The victim, a blonde floppy haired man with limited pace and questionable positioning technique, innocently approached the steaming drunk England International for his autograph. The drunken pie disposal unit, currently banned from playing for his Country (although he showed no shame at letting the entire country down, he was even seen laughing at one point, according to an onlooker), snapped and lashed out, incoherently shouting expletives before soiling his trousers with his own wee. Wayne’s girlfriend, Colleen, felt sorry for the man and bizarrely offered to take him home with another lady friend for an all night poker session it was claimed by a passer by who decided to stick his nose in. No one at the nightclub, apart from a source, an onlooker, and a passer by, was available to make things up.” Well that was what they were going to print anyway until they found out it was Mickey Gray. Booooo!!! Mickey Gray from Blackburn Rovers. Booo!!! Hisssss!!! Not them again… Boooooooo!!!!! Also on this day Rovers move to plug the gap left by Ryan Nelsen’s injury by re-signing Stephane Henchoz from Blackburn with Darwen Council Tourism. Saturday 9 September. Sheffield United 0 Rovers 0. A tale of three penalties this one. McCarthy was cynically hacked down for ours but somehow managed to play on afterwards. Lucas stepped up, their keeper guessed right, but dived left, and made a comfortable save. At the other end Zurab gave away the Blades first penalty on the account that he has arms. The referee spotted Zurabs arms connected to his body when a corner was taken. He had no option but to award a spot kick which the legendary Brad saved, diving to his right. The final penalty was actually given by the linesman when he noticed that Lucas Neill chested the ball down in his own penalty area. Noting that Lucas’ chest is near his arms, that there wasn’t much time left, that the home crowd made a loud appeal and that he couldn’t see the incident from where he was stood, the linesman quickly realised that he had little option but to make the wrong decision. Brad saved. Still our second point and up to the dizzy heights of 19th. Thursday 14 September. Red Bull Salzburg 2 Rovers 2. We return to Europe with a visit to Australia. We score two away goals and could have won this one had it not been for a very late equalizer from Janko who rose high at the back post (as though he had wings) to head home. Red Bull took the lead through Zickler after some pretty von Trapp style defending, only for Robbie Savage to equalize and score his best goal yet for the club (better than the other one) with a 25 yard curling free kick into the roof of the net. We then took the lead when The Artist Formally Known As Pedersen struck a 30 yard free kick that their keeper could only spill into the path of Benni, who made no mistake. A good result really, it was never going to be easy going there with their plastic pitch, they hadn’t conceded a goal at home all season either. All to play for and hopefully we can get to the group stage so I can get to an away match and not have to listen to Radio Lancashire. Read on to find out what happens! Sunday 17 September. Rovers 4 Manchester City 2. League game 5 and our first win. Sending us up to 12th and banishing all thoughts of relegation for another season. Surely we’re safe now? A superb display of defending excellence from the lads, especially in the first half when City somehow managed to score two goals against the run of play. Joey Barton with their first equalizer when he was allowed to run through the impeccable Rovers defence, despite being clearly offside, apart from Bert playing him on. How the linesman didn’t raise his flag is beyond me. I mean most of our players played him off, it was very harsh. The second fluke of a goal for City must surely have been the work of witchcraft. The commanding and assured Andre Ooijer scored an own goal when the ball somehow swerved and hit his foot in a “funny way” and flew into our goal. Before then The Artist, who dominated the midfield for the entire 90 minutes, bagged a couple with two trade mark free kicks form 25 yards that the keeper managed to avoid saving. The first of which The Artist directed in off Sincalirs head. Clever stuff from the Norwegian hard man pop star. Second half we stepped it up a gear (into 2nd and briefly into 3rd) and scored two more goals. Benni McCarthy with his third in six and then Paul Gallagher, back from his loan spell playing in goal for Norwich, adding the fourth. Saturday 23 September. Surely we’re good enough to win the league now? Middlesbrough 0 The Mighty Rovers 1. Our second win of the season, up to 10th and just seven points off the top of the league. It’s up for grabs now, we just need to keep the run going. Rovers played well and the highlights showed that we dictated play. When Boro did threaten we ensured that only Jason Euell had the chances. Good thinking lads. Chris Nonda, or as the Lancashire Morning Telegraph call him, Doctor Congo, scored the winner with a cracking header from a bending Bentley cross. This guy looks good to me and certainly isn’t afraid to put the effort in. All of a sudden we're in the top half. Also on this day Rovers drew London club Chelsea in the League Cup. Hopefully they’ll just play their second string (worth about £80million). Thursday 28 September. Rovers 2 Red Bull Salzberg 0. Well what a good do! Didn’t think it was possible but we did it. We won in Europe for the first time since we beat Rosenborg 4 – 1 at Ewood on 6 December 1995. McCarthy scored his fourth goal in eight games (keep that ratio up please Benni!) with a nice little trick and a well placed finish. Dave Bentley scored a spectacular second goal to wrap things up with a fantastic half volley from 30 yards. He then attacked the corner flag which must have been giving him a bit of stick for not scoring since February last year. It was good to see the fella show such raw emotion to be honest. Although he got booked for his troubles as UEFA and FIFA are trying to stamp passion out of the game. Hughesy “We’ve not covered ourselves in glory in Europe in years gone by, which is why we made it a priority to reach the group stages, and hopefully now we can progress from there.” I like that “we” bit for all number of reasons. “The crowd were excellent tonight and we are now looking forward to more European nights like this at Ewood Park.” It was a great night, I’m already looking forward to the next one. Finally, this review wouldn’t be what it is today (whatever that is) without a few words on the star of the season to date. Bert. or more specifically: Bert Mk II. There can’t have been many of us who hadn’t written him off if we’re honest, he was going nowhere fast. Yet by simply moving to right back Bert has been in impeccable form. Every credit to him. A new and a very good player, if there was a player of the season trophy awarded at the end of September it would be ridiculous. But Bert would walk away with it. Sometimes it’s nice to be proved wrong. So Wigan up next tomorrow. August seems a long, long time ago all of a sudden, we were unbeaten in September (surely not Manager of the Month material?!?). Let’s keep it going.

Steady on! It wasn’t all night. You were stressing. “WHAT ARE THEY DOING!? WHERE ARE THEY GOING!? WHAT DO THEY DO IN TRAINING?!?” etc etc. All I did was suggest if that if you were going to panic, then you panicked quietly Anyway, Benni scored 10 seconds after that. Great night, really enjoyed it. Good atmosphere. See you Sunday Capt.

I suppose I do. They were shouting and singing down here, making a right racket that Celtic lot. Where did they think they were, a football match? Some of them were even happy.