After the midweek draw with Chelsea - another clean sheet - Rovers go to Highfield Road to face Coventry who have Kevin Gallacher returning to their ranks.

Following the exciting draw on the opening day, Rovers midweek victory over Arsenal set up the visit of Man City to Ewood Park nicely...could Rovers make it back to back home wins ?

It’s August 1992. A young man called Alan Shearer is about to make his league debut for Blackburn Rovers. I don’t know about you but I have a good feeling about this young man.

Came across this on Twitter earlier today https://player.bfi.org.uk/search/free?subject=Football+matches|Blackburn+Rovers

Ha! https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/6205460.comment-peter-white/ https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/6200622.shearer-rovers-fans-left-black-blue/

He posed in the new kit & featured on the back page of the Telegraph but I have no recollection of him playing.

This week's "Accrington Observer" column... You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Till It’s Gone I’m not entirely sure if Joni Mitchell is a massive fan of English football, but the portentous lyrics to “Big Yellow Taxi” certainly ring true in these potentially apocalyptic times. Events move quickly around these parts and last week, the Premier League and the EFL each demonstrated the sort of flexibility usually associated only with an experienced yoga class. From robustly insisting that the weekend’s football would proceed unimpeded, the realpolitik of the situation soon demanded a pragmatic response and following a u-turn, football eventually was stopped. Just like that. Faced with an exponentially-growing, global pandemic, it was testimony to the prevailing power of modern-day sport that postponement was held at bay way longer than seemed sensible. The commercial ramifications seeming to hold primacy for an indecent period of time, the health of the sport’s audience and practitioners evidently some way down the pecking order. The presence of around 3,000 Atletico Madrid fans in Liverpool last Wednesday already looks like crass complacency of the highest order. Football’s lack of joined up thinking at the highest levels it seems is rivalled only by that of our most senior politicians. Against the backdrop of the biggest public health challenge of, at the very least, a generation there are no complaints from this quarter regarding the cancellation of a mere sport. But, I do miss it, already, after just a single blank weekend. It’s the routine, the camaraderie, the tribalism, the sense of community provided by football that is so very difficult to replace. How long will we be without our drug of choice though is the question? At this juncture, it seems that it will be months, rather than weeks, at the very least. Whilst there is even the slightest risk that the virus could spread amongst fans travelling to a game, drinking in the pubs before and after or cheering on their favourites during it; then football must stop. A quote circulating once more in the press over the weekend and curiously, attributed to both Arrigo Sacchi and Carlo Ancelotti proclaims football to be, “the most important of the unimportant things in life”. A more accurate representation of the current state of affairs than the famous Bill Shankly quote, which was delivered, I strongly suspect, with his tongue firmly in his cheek. The single biggest revelation of last weekend was just how much time I typically spend watching, reading about, thinking about, Tweeting about and thanks largely to this very column, writing about football. I had so much spare time that at one point I found myself tidying the loft and sorting out my vinyl LP collection, which had lain untouched for some fifteen years. As it turns out, my wife is actually quite pleasant company but she no longer works at Woolworth’s apparently. The old ones are the best as they say. Football is likely to be off the agenda for quite some time. There are of course many other pressing priorities to address. Once those are under some semblance of control, then and only then should the resumption of sport return even to the conversation. When it does, there is a whole host of issues to be resolved. The prospect of the season being voided looms large. The 2020 Euros have just been postponed. The pre-Qatar World Cup football calendar could end up looking radically different. As for our very own Rovers, what prospects lie in wait? The cashflow impacts of no football for several months will take their toll; hopefully Venky’s will continue to fund the wage bill but they too, in their core business, will not be immune from the worldwide impacts of a recession or worse. Contracts will expire at the end of June, loanees will return to parent clubs, but what will happen to the unresolved fixtures? Many of the remaining 71 EFL clubs will be in far worse a state of jeopardy than Rovers but you do sense that Bury FC will not be season’s only casualty if this crisis continues as expected. How many of these footballing paradises will be paved and replaced with parking lots before the next football season kicks-off? How many seats in grounds nationwide will be tragically and unexpectedly empty? Stay safe people, look after your families, friends and neighbours and let us hope we can all reconvene here soon, fit and raring to go.

We’re working on some more ways to fill the void...subscribe to our a YouTube to ensure you don’t miss out... https://www.youtube.com/user/brfcsdotcom B78D3FFD-2BA1-4984-984D-8ACA53547BE9.MOV

From our home page, Twitter feed...

The Kevin Gallacher record has just been corrected by Kevin Gallacher...Golden Source ???

Part 2

This takes me back... part 1

The intriguing aspect is the timing of the 2022 WC which makes staggering the start dates of seasons less of an issue than it would be normally. Entirely possible that it might be 2023 before “normal” timings resume...

Kappa...the first iteration, Italian styling, based on traditional Rovers designs & The return of that wonderful red & black striped away shirt...

We’re doing this on Twitter... if anyone not on Twitter is equally bored feel free to join in...? #‪CombineRoversPlayersNamesToMakeA......for example Country & Western star Bassist with an indie band Actor

Bumping it on the Home page ??

Great game at Ewood today...what a result...all to play for ...

Well....

Here’s mine...it was worn at Spurs with yellow shorts but sold as a replica with black shorts...

This week's slightly extended "Accrington Observer" column... Derby’s Ram Raid Exposes Rovers There are any number of sports psychology books professing that pressure is a positive force, "diamonds from coal" and so on; whereas stress is corrosive and undermines performance. Sports stars are routinely exposed to both scenarios throughout their careers. The very best learn to avoid, eliminate or at least reduce stress to manageable proportions. Pressure on the other hand occurs when the participants have “skin in the game”, the result is important and the outcome is at least in part dependent upon the performance of the individual. It is this jeopardy and the fear of failure that drives on the very best to perform at their very best, repeatedly and consistently when it matters. Clive Woodward when managing the 2003 England Rugby World Cup winners referenced T-CUP – “thinking correctly (or clearly) under pressure”, the ability clearly, coolly and clinically to make the right choice at the right time. Think Johnny Wilkinson, deep into extra time, off his weaker foot, “he drops for World Cup glory” as enshrined in Ian Robertson’s memorable commentary. At various times in this topsy-turvy season, Rovers have threatened to spark into life and gate-crash the top six party, only to fail to rise to the occasion, the pressure of expectation proving to be too much to handle. Sunday afternoon was the latest instance and once again, the promise that had been steadily accumulating was swiftly surrendered. Derby County are far from the side they were last season when they emphatically and vibrantly pinned Rovers back for what seemed to be roughly 88 of the 90 minutes but somehow failed to score. This iteration under Cocu however, is still finding its feet and is learning how to accommodate the eclectic talents of one Wayne Rooney. Mr Rooney however was absent from the squad, as was former Rovers loanee Tom Lawrence. There are times when the “diem” has to be “carpe’d” as it were, Sunday was one of them. Victory would capitalise on the failings of rivals the previous day and the oh-so-elusive top six would be breached for the first time since the beginning of September 2018. The opening fifteen minutes suggested Rovers were indeed up for it. Derby looked languid, Rovers looked calm and composed and far from stressed, nor particularly under pressure. Gradually though, Derby grew into the match and seemed to realise that the simple expedient of running purposefully and directly at the Rovers defence and/or slipping a through ball for a teammate to run onto was a revolutionary tactic that Rovers simply could not handle. The Derby opener was, it has to be said, an absolute cracker, Louie Sibley scoring his first senior goal with what could conceivably turn out to be the best of his fledgling career. A rasping drive from 25 yards curling away from Walton into the top corner. Out of nothing, Derby had the lead and they never truly looked like losing it thereafter. The second followed an ineffective parry by Walton from another long-range shot, the ball falling kindly to Chris Martin to finish, paradise for the Rams. Derby were building the pressure now, Rovers by comparison were moving from being under pressure to looking distinctly stressed. It could and should have been three just before half time, Waghorn rounded Walton but from a narrowing angle, could only contrive to hit the inside of the post, the ball rebounding to a grateful and relieved keeper. After such a lacklustre opening half, there was a sense that things could only get better but any dreams of parity disappeared after the opening third of the second half. Rovers had the lion’s share of possession but didn’t really create a clear-cut chance of note. As in the first half, Derby then slowly eased themselves back into control and any thoughts of a comeback could be placed on the back burner. The third Derby goal summed up the afternoon, a clumsy, poorly executed and largely unnecessary challenge by Bennett felled Jason Knight and the ensuing spot kick was coolly converted by Chris Martin, leaving Rovers very definitely in trouble. Still time however, for one more example of the inability to T-CUP was to follow, with the hapless John Buckley rightly red carded, for an “over-exuberant” let’s say, challenge on Curtis Davies. A truly dispiriting afternoon all round. It reminded me of a young(er) Lewis Travis getting sent off away at Portsmouth in the promotion season. Coming on as sub, desperately keen to make an impression and so doing, but for all the wrong reasons. Travis learned from it, Buckley will too. Where to next for Rovers? Astoundingly, despite a run of form yielding a paltry three points out of the last twelve, Rovers still are adrift of sixth by only three points, albeit with just nine games remaining. The crucial difference now though, is that from tenth position, Rovers have to somehow close that points gap and simultaneously perform better than at least four other teams currently above them. On the "last six games" current form table, Rovers are just outside the top six. Millwall seem to be the dark horses who are timing their run but keep half an eye on QPR and Reading. With a number of European matches now being played behind closed doors thanks to coronavirus and rising concerns as to the public health implications, the outcome of any football match needs as always to be kept in perspective; notwithstanding Bill Shankly. Rovers best performance of the season is quite possibly the impressive away win at Ashton Gate last December. Failure to complete the double over the Robins on Saturday will surely consign the lingering top six dreams to the dustbin. Curiously, that might just relieve the pressure and help eliminate the “top six stress” apparently burdening the side. Might that in turn allow greater freedom of expression and potentially improve results? Maybe this is all part of a cunning plan? If it comes off it’s genius, “thinking creatively under pressure” perhaps? Forget T-CUP, Sunday was more akin to a mug’s game. Rovers now need to find a special brew to restore all the feelings that we get from you.

Rich Sharpe confirmed on podcast Ep126 that Smallwood turned down a loan move in January.

He’s out of contract in the summer so presumably we’re trying to sign him permanently if it works out...

Yellow tie, Andy Burgin ? next to Lee, Graham Oates ?