Herbie6590

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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 ?

In case you haven’t already...Don is terrific in this...

Keegan, Waddle & McDermott in the team...17k in the ground

This week's slightly extended "Accrington Observer" column... Draw, Draw, Quick, Quick, Draw "Money can't buy me love..." as a popular beat combo once proclaimed but there are those who suggest it can buy promotion. Rovers opponents last Wednesday, Stoke City, are owned by the Coates family, who also own Bet365. Peter Coates is in many respects, Stoke City’s equivalent of Jack Walker and has backed the club substantially at various points over the last thirty years. With the club having largely squandered their parachute payments and now falling under the auspices of FFP, the wealth of the Coates family has not insulated Stoke from their on-field problems. Bet365's CEO is Denise Coates, daughter of Peter and has a net worth apparently in excess of £10bn, earning £323m in 2018 alone, making her the highest paid executive of any UK company. Gambling only pays when you're winning...or when you're the bookmaker. I’ll nail my colours to the mast early on here. I’m not massively keen on the normalisation of gambling in football. I believe we will look back at some point in the near future with incredulity at the proliferation of gambling adverts in a similar way that 1980’s F1 cars festooned with tobacco ads look so incongruous to us now. But that said, the Coates family have been model owners and unlike some owners, pay their taxes. I’m equally sure the Coates family would willingly have parted with a few bob more to persuade the referee to blow up early last week had they been able. On a cold evening that demanded some spicy fare to warm the heart of your cockle, both sides conspired to offer up the footballing equivalent of a limp, service station salad that has sat on a plate next to the oven for a week. Armstrong once more started brightly and Rovers had the ball in the net when Joe Rothwell pounced on a Butland spill from an Armstrong shot, but Rothwell was clearly offside. Stoke were less than wholeheartedly adventurous but when they did attack, they looked dangerous. Had they truly gone for the win, Stoke might just have secured a couple more points towards their race for safety. Gallagher had a one on one but was foiled by Butland, Armstrong cut in and tried his luck but the shot was easily smothered by Butland once more and that was about it. It’s entirely possible that had a coronavirus scare caused it to be played behind closed doors, few would have quibbled come 10pm, such was the dearth of a spectacle. Off the back of the draw at Brentford, hopes were high that the two subsequent home games would provide the fillip for a play-off push. Swansea at Ewood in the second of the back to back fixtures offered a different sort of challenge to the relegation-threatened Potters. One of those peer-group sides that Rovers have to overcome if top six is even remotely to be a prospect, Swansea clearly had a game plan that involved slowing down proceedings and frustrating their opponents – a Lewis Travis tribute some would argue. A reorganised defence seemed to have removed the prospect of Nyambe attacking down the right but the opening goal came from just this source with a delicious, curling cross worthy of Trent Alexander-Arnold, finding Sam Gallagher – in a central role note – able to flick it home from close range. The first assist of the season from either full back. Danny Graham on the bench doubtless immediately posting congratulations to Gallagher via the medium of his Instagram account. Rovers settled down and for all the world looked like they would reach half-time a goal to the good. Not so fast, spiky Liverpool loanee Rhian Brewster showed his class taking a pass on the turn and firing a shot hard and low into the bottom corner beyond Walton. All square and a growing sense of frustration at the lapse. Soon after the restart, Tosin Adarabioyo highlighted perhaps his main weakness; namely dealing with tricky forwards with fast feet in the box. Not for the first time this season, it cost a penalty when Jordan Garrick was fouled in the area and astonishingly, Rovers were now behind. Swansea managing two goals from two shots on target, efficient certainly. What really stuck in the craw was the fact that Garrick could easily have seen red for a late and high challenge on Walton in the first half. The game then followed what seemed to be an inevitable script of Rovers battling but struggling to gain a foothold in a brave defeat. Tony Mowbray went full “Football Manager”, throwing on Graham and Brereton to partner Armstrong and Gallagher in what initially looked like a throwback 4-2-4 from the 1960’s. This seemed to unsettle Rovers more than Swansea though, as Gallagher is still nowhere near as effective out wide and Armstrong is on a hot streak playing through the middle. That it worked despite this probably explains why Mowbray sits in the dugout whilst I’m typing this column! Brereton let us say “won” a penalty following a direct run into the box, which cleverly cut across a Swansea defender; Brereton’s left leg sprung out, made contact, down he went. Danny Graham took the kick rather than Armstrong, but Gareth Southgate’s Godson in the Swansea goal saved it. Graham also managed to hit the post, it all pointed to “one of those afternoons”. Deep in injury time, a tired Bennett cross ended at the feet of Adarabioyo and the big man spotted Johnson just outside the box with a neat, stabbed pass. Johnson looked up took aim and quite brilliantly found just the right deflection off the head of Swansea’s Kabango, totally wrong-footing Woodman. All square, and in fairness the least Rovers deserved on the balance of play over the ninety minutes. Three points from nine has to be considered to be a disappointing return; especially from two-nil up at Brentford with two home games to follow. But astonishingly, the gap to the play-offs at 5pm on Saturday night was just three tantalising points. Ten games left, but Rovers really need to string wins together now, not draws if the season is to have a chance to end gloriously. Frankly, still to be in the conversation at this point with the injuries that have blighted the squad is testimony to the team spirit and determination. There can be no doubt though, that a lack of guile or unpredictability has made it so much more difficult to unpick packed and disciplined defences and has cost points. Dack might just have been able to offer something different, or Holtby, once the promise of Harry Chapman would have excited the home crowd, but the reality is, we will never know. Our next opponents have of course recently changed their name and so it's Wayne Rooney’s Derby County lining up on Sunday. Rooney's salary being largely picked up by a betting company, this time it's the Gibraltar-based 32Red, who also sponsor four other league sides including Preston North End. WRDC have just won their first game in five and probably still believe that they could yet close the eight-point gap to sixth with a run of wins. All things are possible in this crazy division, would you bet against it ? There's plenty willing to take your money either way.

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Who should have been on the bench ?

This week's slightly extended "Accrington Observer" column... Bees Strikes Sting Rovers It was quite the weekend for armchair referees. In the VAR-equipped Premier League, numerous TV replays of events at Stamford Bridge, reviewed by the experts at Stockley Park, revealed absolutely no problem with an horrendous challenge by Lo Celso on Azpilicueta. Then they apologised and admitted they'd got it wrong. Then they said no further retrospective sanction against Lo Celso was possible because it had been seen by the referee real-time and reviewed by Stockley Park. Glorious. Meanwhile at Griffin Park, there were two distinct schools of thought regarding the crucial award of a no-VAR assisted penalty to Brentford; it was either a poor decision, or a very poor decision, depending upon your perspective. From the comfort of a sofa with the ability to rewind & replay with impunity, it soon became apparent that Brentford’s Mads Roerslev had “gone to ground” as they say; following a deadly combination of reckless heavy breathing from Bradley Johnson and a Paddington Bear-style hard stare from Amari’i Bell. This manoeuvre owed more to Tom Daley, with a theatrical flourish worthy of a BAFTA or Olivier Award winning actor. It fooled the referee and the scoreline was ultimately tied. The bitterest pill, was ours to take, if we took it for a hundred years, we couldn't feel more ill... Notwithstanding the fact that Rovers had been on the back foot for large parts of the game, to have the mental and intestinal fortitude to hang on, in a game where the opposition is dominating proceedings was laudable. A victory here could have been a real watershed moment, a draw would have to suffice. This fixture had a lot riding on it for both sides. For Rovers it was all about spending at least part of Saturday afternoon in those elusive play-off places, the Holy Grail that seems to be perpetually just out of reach. For Brentford, their goal is promotion and with it, the prospect of spending the first season in their spanking new stadium as a Premier League team. Unsurprisingly, Brentford started the game with high intensity, moving the ball quickly, accurately and dangerously. Rovers, much like an opening batsman facing hostile, short of a length, fast bowling, spent large parts of the game on the back foot, nervously watching the ball move. The opening ten minutes saw Rovers’ right-hand side being given a thorough chasing, the sort of robust, forensic examination normally only carried out by a qualified medical practitioner with the aid of rubber gloves and a comforting bedside manner. Rico Henry was a constant thorn in the side, combining at various points with Benrahma, Mbuemo and Watkins – Brentford’s BMW – to keep Ryan Nyambe, Dominic Samuel and John Buckley fully occupied. It seemed only a matter of time before the defence would be breached and so it proved; astonishingly though, it was Brentford's defence. Walton was quick to spot Armstrong pulling away from his marker and with a wind-assisted kick, launched the ball deep into Brentford territory. Pinnock misjudged the flight in the swirl, Armstrong controlled delightfully and lobbed the advancing David Raya with a deft touch worthy of Rory McIlroy flighting one out of a green-side bunker straight into the hole. One shot on target, one goal, one Angel of the North celebration, game most definitely on. The remainder of the first-half was conducted in a similar vein, Brentford largely controlling possession, moving the ball with precision from side to side, probing the Rovers back-line, creating several shooting opportunities. When a shot found its way towards goal, thankfully the ball seemed magnetically drawn towards the once-again impressive Walton. The half-time whistle brought with it some blessed relief but also growing optimism that the afternoon could yet prove to be fruitful for the visitors. The second half commenced with Rovers trying their best to impose themselves on proceedings. A swift break saw a long ball reach Samuel who evaded a challenge, nudged the ball through to Armstrong but his shot was blocked by Raya. The ball looped up around the penalty spot and the onrushing John Buckley was comprehensively cleaned out by Raya, who seemed unsure whether to try and punch or catch the bouncing ball. The Sky commentators considered it soft, keen to imply that as Raya had parried the ball, he was exempt from any sanction from the referee. However, Law 12 seems explicit on the topic; "holding or impeding an opponent with contact" is an offence punishable with a direct free-kick. Armstrong placed the ball on the spot, then sent Raya the wrong way, two-nil up at Griffin Park once again. Brentford may well have a BMW, Rovers have the AA. A chastened Brentford now really needed to step up to the challenge and unfortunately, they did. Their first goal was an absolute peach. Ollie Watkins latched on to a lovely long ball and controlled and shot in one smooth movement. The shot fairly rocketed right into the top corner with Walton absolutely helpless. Given the circumstances of the Rovers penalty, a cynical observer might suggest that the referee might just be susceptible to an opportunity to even things up. Time and time again as a supporter you believe you see this sort of behaviour from referees; time and time again officials proclaim that such an opinion is nonsense and referees judge each instance on its merits. How many times do you see a dodgy corner so often followed immediately by a free-kick awarded against the attacking side? A glance at the key stats and the evidence of your own eyes suggests that this was a hard-earned point against the odds and so it was, but when a couple of goals up with twenty minutes to go, thoughts inevitably drift to the points dropped rather than the one won. There were a number of bright spots emerging from this encounter. Walton, Nyambe, Travis and Armstrong were all on top of their game once again. Young Buckley in the centre displayed some lovely link play, receiving on the half-turn, laying it off just before a challenge and moving into space. Reminiscent in some respects of Duncan McKenzie for those old enough and lucky enough to have seen him in a Rovers shirt. Rovers are now back in the territory they found themselves in December – close to the play-offs, playing well, a couple of winnable homes coming up in the next week. If this season is to continue beyond the regulation forty-six matches, then realistically, six points has to be the target. The margin of error now is minute. If Rovers are to gatecrash the top six, an average of two points per game from hereon in may still not prove sufficient. By the way, I still don’t want VAR in the Championship, despite Saturday’s shenanigans. Everyone on the field is human, players and officials alike, it’s a sport not a video game. A few post-print deadline observations of the Stoke City game :- That was dreary. As entertaining as root canal work. Once more Rovers demonstrate why we are amongst the best of the rest, not the best of the best. The absence of a catalyst to make something happen, a creative spark, a maverick if you will costs Rovers heavily in games like this. It was crying out for some ingenuity from the likes of Dack or a Holtby but nobody selected in their stead could fill the void. Maybe Stead could have filled the void...? The substitutes could arguably have been used earlier but you got the sense that it was one of those games where had we played all night, we wouldn’t have scored. The mantle of favourites clearly does not rest easily on Rovers' shoulders. A replay of the Wigan game. Even Rich Sharpe Tweeted out "Rovers 0 Wigan 0" at full time. Chalk it down to experience and move on. Disappointing. Frustrating. Sadly, all too predictable.

I might be imagining it (!) but I seem to recall on the stadium tour being told that the ground was originally meant to be like that (see Telegraph clipping above) but pitch maintenance issues were cited as a reason not to do it. Of course nowadays, clubs with enclosed stands have lighting rigs to counteract the permanent shadows that occur in winter so less of an issue. Now Ewood has been built as 4 discrete stands, I think filling in the corners wouldn’t look right given the designs used on the 3 modern stands.