Rich Sharpe says we do

If he’d photobombed you this would make for a terrific anecdote ?

Scott Sellars, looked like a strong breeze would blow him away but the ball stuck to him & he skipped over & around challenges

I suspect City will need to keep Tosin even more so after yesterday

I can still remember buying that single from a record stall on Accrington market...?

This week's slightly extended "Accrington Observer" column... Injury-Ravaged Rovers Bounce Back Just one season in the Premier League, even finishing bottom, is the footballing equivalent of scooping the lottery jackpot. Rovers’ opponents last Saturday for example, were relegated after a single season and earned; if earned is the correct term, just shy of £100m for their efforts. To cushion the blow still further, Fulham will receive at least a further £75m or so over the next two seasons in the form of parachute payments to reward their failure. To say this gives them a head start on the majority of their divisional rivals is something of an understatement. Such an abundance of riches enabled Fulham to spend approximately £25m of the total of £33m spent by all of the Championship clubs in January window just gone. Eighteen Championship clubs kept the club cheque book locked firmly in the safe, untouched, unwanted and unnecessary. As we now know, Rovers were a member of that parsimonious group. Taking on one of the pre-season favourites for promotion is inevitably a challenge but when your squad has been ravaged by injuries and reinforcements have been as difficult to locate as a Rovers shirt in the home section of Turf Moor, you travel in hope rather than expectation. When your opponent has as its midfield fulcrum, a former Rovers Player of the Year and a man that former Rovers left-back Tommy Spurr described on our latest BRFCS podcast (out this week folks – go to www.brfcs.com/mb/index.php?/podcasts/ to hear in full !) as “absolutely, unbelievably talented...”; then it’s likely to be a long afternoon. The afternoon started emotionally, with Tony Parkes being presented to the Ewood faithful before kick-off, amidst resounding applause and one or two tears I fancy. The injury-influenced selection headache manifested itself in Rovers demonstrating a cautious approach. Much like a health & safety conference - safety-first seemed to be the maxim. The game seemed to have all the hallmarks of a cup-tie, with Rovers playing the part of the lower-league hosts, aiming to keep it tight, hoping for a breakaway or set-piece opportunity to nick a result. Fulham also seemed keen to keep it tight but you sensed that they believed they had the cutting-edge needed to score; though Fulham intriguingly haven’t won a game by more than a single goal margin since November. Fulham moved the ball faster, with more precision and posing greater danger. The probing usually started at the feet of Tom Cairney, the afore-mentioned former Rovers POTY. Watching Rovers fans could only dream of a midfield combining the talents of Cairney and Lewis Travis and wonder as to what that would do for promotion prospects. Sadly, if incongruously, it was a mistake from Travis, the Man of the Match, that set up Bryan to find Mitrovic who relished the opportunity to swivel and fire a shot past Walton. Rovers still had some chances, Gallagher tested Rodak and in fairness, Rovers did have the ball in the net only for it to be ruled out; questionably as it transpired, for offside. To the naked eye from a vantage point in the Riverside, it looked like the cross had been flicked onto Lenihan, who it should be noted, finished with aplomb. The assistant referee certainly thought there was a flick, as his flag was raised immediately and interestingly, with little in the way of protest from Rovers. However, with the benefit of TV replays, it was hard to discern whether there was a flick from a Rovers player or indeed whether Lenihan had even strayed offside. The referee’s decision is of course final – well, it is in a division that has no VAR and in fairness, justice was probably done. Rovers managed just a single shot on target in 90 minutes and that, despite at various points using Armstrong, Gallagher, Graham, Samuel and Brereton in various permutations. Rovers operating a “Bring A Striker To Work Day” it seemed. Possible redemption was at hand with a further Ewood fixture on Tuesday evening. Despite Storm Ciara’s weekend battering, the game went ahead. Tony Mowbray had lost yet another midfielder to injury, this time Joe Rankin-Costello. On a bitterly cold evening that had brass monkeys seeking refuge from the cold, Rovers recalled the talismanic Danny Graham and the stalwart Elliott Bennett for the injured Gallagher and Rankin-Costello. Interestingly, neither would last an hour. Rovers once again were out of the traps quickly with Adam Armstrong presented with a glorious opportunity to score virtually from the kick off. His finish lacked conviction but he was to have Rovers’ next two shots, seemingly keen to make amends. Most of what was good from Rovers usually involved Armstrong but lacked the required finesse in front of goal to make it really count. Hull’s most potent threat came from set pieces, most notably a corner leading to a six-yard box skirmish before the referee’s intervention awarded Rovers a free-kick for an infringement to ease fears. Former Accrington Stanley loanee Mallik Wilks ballooned a chance high, wide and handsome into the Blackburn End summing up their first half efforts. The second half started with Hull hitting the Rovers bar following a poor Lenihan clearance but it was to be a double-substitution from Tony Mowbray that was to prove to be a catalyst. Rovers seemed to blossom and a goalmouth scramble from a corner saw Lenihan stab home from close range. Many would have wagered that a single goal would prove sufficient to win this fixture, but all of a sudden, the team was inspired. Armstrong perked up and picked up the ball, drifted to the right, looked up and aimed a beauty into the top left corner, a definite goal of the season contender, bettering his own previous goal of the season contenders. "Armstrong Of The Season" ? Almost from the kick off, Hull tied themselves in defensive knots and the keeper mishit his clearance to Samuel who struck it straight back into the bottom left corner this time. From nowhere, Rovers were now in their comfort zone and the crowd could relax and enjoy the remainder of the match with no concerns, other than how to fight off hypothermia. Rovers moved up to eighth, at least temporarily and once more fuelled dreams of the play offs. However, the last two games have illustrated the gap between the very top sides in this division and the mid-table ones. Rovers are presently quite correctly positioned somewhere between the two. “The best of the rest”, just outside the play-offs feels like a more realistic stretch target – especially given a treatment room with more croc(k)s than Chester Zoo. Charlton up next, football for a fiver – what a tremendous initiative from the home side - Rovers go into the Valley and will hope that they can put the home side on the skids.

Doesn't he just ? He was a joy to interview, a real gent. Thanks for your feedback.

Is now a good time to do a retrospective piece reflecting on what has happened in the meantime ? ? DM me if you fancy doing something for a future episode ??

In a special episode, Tommy Spurr chats with Ian Herbert and discusses his career, managerial styles, injury, retirement and much, much more. Learn about Gary Megson's unique motivational style, whether Jordan Rhodes is REALLY that nice and what went on during the 2013/14 season. Thanks so much to Tommy for his time and honesty. View full record

Thank you, much appreciated, Rich has always been extremely accommodating whenever I’ve asked if he fancies coming on & he provides insight which is as close as you can get to a club employee. As you say, a gent.

Thanks so much...the credit is due to @4,000 Holes & Scott - the Easter Egg at the end offers a clue as to why...?

Best ever issue IMHO - especially catching up with the original founders. It spans the generations really well.

1. Legal - but only if true market value - if it's legal, it's compliant within the rules so not "circumventing" as such 2. Legal - but only if true market value - but Rovers Trust put an ACV on Ewood & the value of the stadium will I suspect be relatively small beer - kicks the can down the road for one season 3. Legal - but only if true market value 4. Not Legal - so opening up to a challenge from EFL which could involve financial & points penalties 5. Massive grey area - I suspect Derby will spend a lot on lawyers trying to prove it's within the rules The Price Of Football podcast by Kieran Maguire is a terrific resource for this stuff if anyone's interested.

Have a listen to Episode 126 of the BRFCS podcast

What are the legal ways to circumnavigate FFP?

We can *Lose* £13m (on average) per season based on the FFP calculation. If our turnover grows, we can spend a lot more than £13m.

In this episode we chat with Lancashire Telegraph reporter Rich Sharpe about the January window, FFP and what the summer might hold for Rovers. We also have another reminiscence from our man in Canada Bill Arthur who recalls 1994/5, can't think why ! Produced & presented by Ian Herbert. View full record

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Wow...tough man to please

Probably saw this... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45919720

BRFCS catches up with Scott Sumner of 4000 Holes fame as he tells Ian Herbert all about the upcoming 100th issue of a much-loved fanzine. We also welcome a new 1st time contributor in John Wareing who shares some of his earliest Rovers memories. View full record

I don’t get the disdain for Cheston. He’s an accountant. I know a few and the ones with charisma are very much the exception ? Thankfully none of them are Rovers fans so I might just get away with posting this. ?

We played in our red & black away kit at home to Man City in the early days of the PL as well

Calculating FFP losses isn’t just a case of adding up the losses in the club’s accounts. The FFP calculation is a separate one that takes into account allowable expenditure. So for instance the published (accounting) loss might be say £10m but that is calculated after say Academy costs of £3m. The FFP loss therefore would be £7m. This is highly simplistic but hopefully illustrative.

This week's slightly extended "Accrington Observer" column... Drawn By The Riverside The landmark milestone was finally reached, albeit “bong-less” at 11pm last Friday. The arguments from both sides had played out and the final denouement was that Remain had won. That’s right, Rovers would remain with the squad with which they had started the window. On the plus side there were no Leavers, thanks perhaps only to Bradley Dack’s unfortunate and untimely cruciate injury. Enquiries were apparently made from Portsmouth to Poland, but Po'Rovers suffered “short arms but deep pockets” syndrome; not a signing, loan or permanent was forthcoming. In January 2019, just after the window closed, Darragh Lenihan suffered an injury, Rovers were then pummelled by Brentford and any optimism lingering regarding play-off prospects soon dissipated. The lack of incomings this time round was not a total surprise given the rumblings of FFP, but it was a disappointment. To stand still is to fall backwards in reality. Fans naturally always hope that a rabbit can be pulled from a hat – whether that bunny might be a veteran with fire still in the belly, dropping down a division or a youngster with a point to prove stepping up the leagues, but this time, nothing. All of that meant that the trip to Tony Mowbray’s homeland might prove to be something of an anti-climax. Of course, the previous away game hadn’t promised much either, but five goals later, the party was in full song. Rovers had once scored five away at Ayresome Park back in 1982 in a Noel Brotherston-inspired five-one victory over Malcolm Allison's side, but only the most rabid Rovers optimist (rightly as it transpired) expected another one here. If ever a match was set up to inspire its own round on BBC Two’s “Only Connect” then Saturday’s encounter with Middlesbrough at the Riverside was a strong candidate. Each team managed by a former Middlesbrough centre-back, one player* the brother in law of the opposing manager, a former Rovers striker on the Boro bench, a former Boro striker on the Rovers bench, a former Boro winger and a Boro midfielder sadly (for the purposes of this column..!) didn’t make it into the Rovers squad; but connections everywhere you looked. One by-product of the fallow transfer window is the opportunity it presents for some of the promising academy products. One of those for whom a bright future is predicted is Joe Rankin-Costello and here, he made his first start. It was Boro that started the brighter. Stewart Downing perhaps a little over-eager to make a point to his former employer received a yellow card for a late tackle on Nmecha barely four minutes in. Rovers struggled to impose themselves but when they did finally create a decent opportunity, a Gallagher cross aimed at Armstrong came to nothing. Boro then broke quickly and both Fletcher and Nmecha used their pace to cause anxiety. Rovers best response came when an interchange between Downing and Rankin-Costello gave Armstrong a chance to fire off two left-footed attempts in quick succession but to no avail. A Nyambe cross encouraged Rankin-Costello to challenge this time, but a collision with Aynsley Pears, son of Middlesbrough’s legendary keeper Stephen, resulted in a lengthy stoppage, a serious head bandage and the use of the numberless “blood shirt”, bringing back memories of Ian Pearce away at Shrewsbury back in 1993. Another injury setback saw Lewis Holtby depart proceedings shortly before half-time, opening up even more opportunities for young talent - on came er...Elliott Bennett. As the added time wore on, Rovers looked leggy and the half-time interval was a timely release of pressure. The second half saw another formation, with Bennett now fulfilling the “number ten” role and Gallagher once more out wide. Interestingly Rankin-Costello was now resplendent in blue bandages – half the game in white ones, half in blue – he’s one of our own alright. Boro continued to look dangerous and no more so than when Howson cut on from the wing and fired a shot just, only just wide of Walton’s right-hand upright. One straight out of the Armstrong playbook right there. The opening goal involved Armstrong but this time as provider. Lewis Travis had seemed to be suffering from his midweek exertions, but suddenly, out of nothing, he found a burst of energy that took him past a couple of Boro midfielders. From the halfway line, deep into the Middlesbrough box, a one-two with Armstrong neatly sidelined another couple and a left-footed shot was passed into the corner of the goal. Against the run of play perhaps, but a delightful goal from a deeply impressive player. The equaliser came following some nominative determinism when some wing-play from Wing resulted in a smart shot being parried by Walton, but only as far as the onrushing Coulson. Both Nyambe and Gallagher, static at the far post, could only look on in anguish as Coulson moved past them to score. "I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield...down by the riverside" Any chances that came in the last few minutes were largely as a result of the introduction of Rudy Gestede and his aerial threat proved hard to handle. One header in particular brought out the very best in Walton with a fabulous right-handed save from close-range. There was still time for Travis to earn a yellow card with a scything challenge that could have been classified as a “dark orange”. Last season 74 points got Derby in the play-offs so that means Rovers would probably need somewhere between 30-35 points from our remaining 16 games to reach that total, so to keep the arithmetic simple, 2 points per game on average. Could Rovers win say 9, draw 5 & lose 2 ? It’s highly unlikely, but not totally implausible...but let’s overlay reality now, we have lost our best player (and probably his replacement), have not been in the top 6 since Kean was here (I think...) and all of a sudden, it’s more of a pipe-dream. A top-ten finish (in other words, a five place improvement) would I believe, be a decent season all things considered. Rovers run of form over the last ten games illustrates the difference between play-off spots and also-rans. This very sequence includes five draws but just the two wins. Turning draws like that into victories, without the services of Dack, Holtby, Rothwell and Evans to deliver two points per game on average is a very tall order. However, with no squad reinforcements in January, the opportunity for those promising youngsters looms large, but you win nothing with kids, right ? One final footnote this week regarding the recently revealed and terribly sad news of Tony Parkes’ recent diagnosis. The very epitome of a club legend, always on hand to contribute in whatever fashion the club needed over the decades, the campaign to name the Riverside in his honour is the very least he deserves. What a servant to Blackburn Rovers and what a hero. *it’s Stewart Downing