He would...?

Alex is an integral part of the podcast strategy to “improve the penetration amongst the younger demographics” that are so crucial to “pivoting the numbers around a coherent marketing strategy amongst the A1s & B1s”. ?

Last Season’s Failings Revisited... I think it was Sophocles, in his writings in the 5th century BC, who coined the phrase “misery loves company”. I say “think”; I pretty much “know”, partly because of my innate love of the Classics (ahem), but more honestly, because I also know how to use a decent search engine. Either way, “misery” would have been right at home at full time at Ewood Park last Saturday afternoon. Misery could not in fact, have been more at home, if it had found itself telling a group of children that their long-awaited school trip to Disneyland had just been cancelled and the teacher arranging it had just scarpered with all their spending money. In recent years, opening day and Rovers have not really been on speaking terms*. (can you remember the last opening day victory ? Answer below...). We have lost and been relegated, lost & been promoted, lost & stayed where we were; so perhaps a note of caution before becoming over-excitable and calling for Mowbray’s head as some were on Saturday? The pre-match optimism bubble was pricked before half time.We didn't even get the chance to try the “imaginatively priced” new concourse food before Rovers conceded. First reviews on these offerings were at best "mixed". A bright start from Rovers with some neat movement from Sam Gallagher, a couple of deft touches from Stewart Downing and early signs that Bradley Johnson would use his presence gainfully in the centre of Rovers midfield raised the spirits. However, all were soon distant memories once former-Sunderland Netflix star Jonny Williams or “Joniesta” as he was once christened at Crystal Palace, picked out Purrington, ghosting in, unmarked, at the far post to put Charlton in front. Nominative determination indeed as Andres himself would have been delighted with the cross and Ben was definitely purring as it curved inexorably towards him. “Defenders are coming” Tony Mowbray promised the faithful at the Fans’ Forum only a few months back, yet the line-up starting Saturday’s encounter was straight out of the 2018/19 playbook and this time, with no silver linings and the only Bradley performing to expectation being Mr Johnson rather than Mr Cooper; (Mr Dack showing only fleetingly). Converted midfielders filling three out of the four defensive positions, only Bell an authentic defender, but even he continued to look out of sorts. He is quite the enigma, seeming only content to attack at three-quarter pace and even then, only under sufferance. New on-loan keeper Walton looked unsure of the calibre of those in front of him and in fairness, the feeling looked mutual for parts of the game. A little attempted tiki taki triangle in front of the Riverside causing many a palpitation as mishit pass after mishit pass eventually saw a throw in conceded. It could so easily have been worse. An energetic start to the second half promised much, Bradley Johnson demonstrating his value in winning a decisive header, resulting in an o.g. equaliser for Rovers. But then Tony Mowbray seemed to take the steam out of the engine by removing Armstrong, who to this correspondent looked a constant threat, moving Gallagher out wide and playing Danny Graham through the middle. Downing was also replaced by Rothwell and in the blink of an eye, momentum was gone. Charlton sensed they could be more ambitious and Rovers hapless defence obliged with a series of passing errors that would embarrass even a decent school team. That the winner came from a corner with a key man once more unmarked and a keeper seemingly neither willing nor able to come and claim screamed déjà vu. The scriptwriters from last season had clearly had their contracts renewed. Walton in fairness did make a couple of sharp stops that spared blushes but overall it wasn't pretty. In a final throw of the dice worthy of a serial loser in a casino betting his taxi fare home on black, only to see it come up red; Mowbray sent on young John Buckley for Lewis Travis, presumably instructed to “try something…anything” to force a second goal. In fairness to Buckley, the odds were stacked against him and he made little impact. There were many in the team that really ought to have taken on that mantle before him. It bodes well that Mowbray trusted him with the task, but a penny for Ben Brereton’s thoughts when Buckley was given the task. If not then, in those circumstances, when? A disappointing day then turned into an ugly evening as fans vented their respective spleens on social media. The only problem being that Elliott Bennett had seemingly decided to trawl the "interweb" to see what the fans thought. What the fans thought, was that Bennett was once again being played out of position, had turned in a “sub-optimal” performance and that changes need to be made. It was often not quite as eloquent, nor polite as that, but I’m sure your imaginations can fill in the blanks. Bennett however, saw fit to call out some of his critics and a few tawdry exchanges that ensued really did nobody any good. One fan’s rather innocuous comments in particular became a focal point for Bennett’s impromptu fan club and the fan deleted his account rather than face more of the unseemly vitriol. The fact that the fan’s observations were not especially imprudent (certainly not by Twitter standards) and were possibly shared by several thousand witnesses at Ewood on Saturday just adds to the farcical nature of the whole episode. Fans love to see passion and direct engagement with their heroes can be mutually beneficial. However, I do think there is a lot to be said for players staying off social media for 24 hours after a game to let feelings calm and to encourage a more mature and considered reflection upon the events of the day. Rovers now have the opportunity to right the wrongs of last Saturday by visiting pre-season promotion favourites, Fulham and inflicting another defeat on them. Fulham also came a cropper against a newly promoted side, in the form of Barnsley and so you can be sure that Scott Parker will not want to have to explain away two consecutive defeats. Neither of course will Tony Mowbray. It should prove to be interesting. Following that, the League Cup pits what will almost certainly be a changed Rovers XI against Oldham Athletic for the “David Dunn Derby”. Wins in both would provide optimism for different reasons, defeats may just exacerbate the angst. One final note, following last week's sad news regarding Kevin Stonehouse, another Rover of that generation has also left us with the news of John Lowey's passing on Monday. Lowey made 156 appearances scoring 16 goals after being re-fashioned into a midfielder. Thoughts are with his family & friends of course. *Last win ? 14th August 2010 v Everton at Ewood, 1-0…(can’t remember a single thing about it to be honest.)

#NoKneeJerking ?

Thanks for the feedback...as Kamy said, we apparently met his agent & talks were held. If something develops I’m sure @Kamy100will advise ?

The pod squad reconvenes for a new season and predicts sackings, goalscorers, POTY & final finishing position. We hear from "Grumpy Riversider", "Alex - the social media influencer" plus "Tony Mowbray". Music from The Symmetry. Panelists on the line are Jen Bellamy, Millie Costley, Mike Delap, Kamy, Scott Sumner, Michael Taylor; hosted by Ian Herbert. Pre-records from Bill, Hollie, Josh, Linz, Louis, Stuart & Tom all add to the occasion. View full record

“Give us an A...”

@roverseas on Twitter does his thing & I er...”added value” OK...helped him out...

This season, following the retirement of "Blue Eyed Boy" & after making a number of substitute appearances in recent seasons, I have stepped up from the academy squad to take over the column in the "Accrington Observer" each week*. I will post a (usually slightly longer) version on here - here's the pre-season preview edition. Hope you enjoy. The phoney war continues throughout the summer; in the absence of any action on the field, the battles instead must take place in the transfer market; clubs vying with each other to spend astronomical sums, all fuelled by Sky Sports’ hyperbole (and cash for that matter) bolstered by the needy tabloids all with columns to fill. Managers jostle to put themselves in the position to sign the players they hope will strengthen their team or at the very least, their squad. Talented youngsters are often sold to balance the books, some old favourites may be released, sometimes the old favourites decide themselves that it’s finally time to call it a day. So it is these days, even in the world of newspaper columns. This time, for once, not as a result of any activity from the fledging online phenomenon “The Athletic” which is busy hoovering up sports writers across the nation (my offer letter must be stuck in a junk mail folder...probably), but sharp-eyed readers will notice that the by-line on this column has changed as “Blue Eyed Boy” has decided to take a well-earned retirement. These are big shoes to fill and I feel sure that all the regular readers of Jim’s columns online and in print would want to join me to say a well-deserved “thank you” for all of his past insights, anecdotes and opinions. This particular promotion from the bench is unexpected; but… “at the end of the day Jeff, all I can do is take the chance when it comes, give it 110% effort and hope that I can deliver where it matters on the laptop keyboard….” Enough of the clichés, a new season, a handsome new home kit (that away kit might be a future column in its own right), some new players…not many of them defenders granted, some new opponents to confront; all possibilities, at least at this juncture remain open. First up at Ewood is newly promoted Charlton Athletic; a club that like our own, has had its issues with controversial owners but finds itself currently on an upward trajectory notwithstanding. Manager Lee Bowyer looked like leaving, then signed a new contract and at least at time of writing, will lead the Addicks back into the Championship. Owner Roland Duchâtelet has courted enough controversy during his tenure to last a lifetime. His five-year reign has been event-filled to put it mildly; fan protests have included black cabs being driven to stalk his Belgian home, plus plastic pigs and packets of crisps interrupting games when hurled from the stands by disaffected supporters. He really must love football though, owning significant stakes in four clubs across England, Germany, Hungary and Spain. Pan-European protests ahoy… Rovers will start the campaign having been one of the few clubs in the division to be a net spender during this window, although there are some valid questions about the destination of those funds; used as they have been largely, to strengthen midfield and forward departments, rather than the defence. All this despite Mowbray’s Fan Forum promises earlier this year, that “Defenders are coming”. Perhaps it’s Northern Rail’s fault then? Since last season, significant departures include David Raya and Harrison Reed. Raya’s discontent was sign posted once Mowbray called him out so publicly and then dropped him. It was not the action of a manager hoping to rehabilitate a talented, though error-prone keeper. Reed stated early on that he wanted to try and break through at Southampton, as his loan expired. He will be missed but is hardly irreplaceable. The faithful Craig Conway has been put out to grass and is currently training with the stricken Bolton Wanderers. Jack Rodwell also left Ewood but frankly, who will notice? Christian Walton in on loan from Brighton fills the David Raya shaped-hole in goal; Bradley Johnson seems to be the designated replacement for Reed; Stewart Downing assumes the role of “vintage winger to be brought on to provide crosses and/or fill in at full back” from the fondly remembered Craig Conway. Sam Gallagher is the designated “contractually we must have someone from Southampton in our squad” nominee, although he still falls firmly into the category of “promising, but as yet unfulfilled”. Mowbray will certainly be hoping for a better goal return than the one in four that Gallagher achieved in his last Rovers (loan) spell or indeed the one in five & a half he produced whilst at Birmingham, also on loan. A glimpse into what might emerge as the story of this season is the extent to which the manager feels he can truly blood some of his academy protégés. The likes of Magloire, Buckley, Butterworth and Rankin-Costello have used pre-season friendlies to stake their respective claims. The old guard really should be looking over their shoulders. Hopefully, this youthful vanguard will act as a catalyst for greater achievement from the established first-teamers. Rovers long-term viability relies upon the development of our own youngsters or like Lewis Travis, polishing up those deemed surplus to requirements by others. Just imagine if we had paid £7m for Travis & picked up Brereton on a free...how would that affect our perceptions ? Travis, I am predicting, will be our key man this season, so you know who to blame if his form ebbs away. Sorry Lewis... The Championship, as always, will be a difficult league in which to prosper; especially when confronted with relegated Premier League clubs armed with substantial parachute payments, city-based clubs with ample resources like Leeds, Bristol City plus the club with possibly the best owner in the division, Middlesbrough. Rovers on their day last season went toe to toe with some of the division’s best such as Leeds, Derby, West Brom, and Aston Villa; but those (as yet) unresolved defensive frailties mean that those capitulations at Brentford, Bristol City, Preston, Sheffield Utd and Swansea continue to loom large in the memory and structure expectations accordingly. I expect an improvement on last season’s fifteenth place finish. I hope for a top half. I dream for a play off place. The cricket, tennis and golf have been great, but welcome back football and hopefully I can welcome you dear reader, back next week and future weeks. Finally, I feel duty bound to acknowledge the sad news that emerged just as this column was being put to bed. The passing of Kevin Stonehouse at just 59 years of age was something of a shock. Kevin was and will continue to be, fondly remembered by Rovers fans of a particular vintage. He never gave less than maximum effort and his return of a goal every three games, largely from midfield or wide roles would be incredibly highly-valued today. The thoughts of all Rovers fans will be with his nearest and dearest. RIP Kevin. *assuming I'm not sacked, in which case, it's been lovely

Thanks to "The Symmetry" for their new podcast theme for season 2019/20...here's a taster... & thanks also to NYC Rovers for once again providing our very own customised jingle... We are so lucky to have such creatives walking amongst us...thanks again !

He followed BRFCS & numerous other Rovers fans on Twitter & did RT us occasionally which always made me feel a little warmer inside

A goal every 3 games playing more often than not as a winger/wide midfielder. Terribly sad. Far too young.

Anyone ?

I’ve shared this on Twitter BTW...getting a lot of love ??

The Rodwell twins ?

For absolute clarity, we are not aware of ANY initiative to change the badge... this guy does some interesting stuff though...

The usual reason is commercial - establishing copyright over the new design & meaning that a load of new merchandise etc can be produced with the new badge e.g. Arsenal changing the direction of the cannon on their badge

Alan is a freelance who does a lot of TV work for Sky so he will have access to their infamous “Sky Sources” I assume...

Kieran Maguire @PriceofFootball on Twitter published this FFP headroom table earlier today...Bristol City really need to go up this season...

Here’s the Twitter thread...??

I had the privilege of being there for that occasion.

Coincidentally it was a question asked on Twitter earlier today by New York Rovers chaps...we were speculating about the potential for a change in the badge. I distinctly remembered the badge being around when I started going to Ewood (1969 ish) so I asked Fred Cumpstey who gave me the answer. The Google search confirmed Fred’s answer in that the programme cover changed for the 1967/8 season. i always thought it odd that the red rose badge appeared on the shirts but everywhere else used the roundel type badge...well at least until it appeared on the shirts. i also recall being quite excited to see a new kit with the new badge...oh how naive we all were in the 1980’s...no kit launches then...you just waited for the first home game & peeled your eyes ?. The red & blue stripes suddenly appearing on the shorts for the legendary Feb 1975 game v Plymouth being a case in point...a kit change, mid-season...crazy times. ?

Summer 1967 first used

That was exactly the point...?

I always loathed the black & grey Lonsdale one...a right cheap & nasty Mike Ashley special... ugh