Herbie6590

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

Ladies football costs are FFP exempt as are stadium refurb costs.

You kind of selectively ignored the very next sentence...? Our best run of the season? P15 W8 D4 L3 Pts 28 @ 1.86 per game ...had we not lost Dack, Holtby, Evans & Rothwell...might we have continued that form? Well we’ll never know now, but it’s not a massive leap of faith from 1.86 ppg to 2.0 I would venture...

Last season 74 points got Derby in the play-offs so that means we would probably need somewhere between 30-35 points from our remaining 16 games, so to keep the arithmetic simple, 2 points per game on average. Could we win say 9, draw 5 & lose 2 ? Put like that, it doesn’t sound totally implausible. But let’s overlay reality now, we have lost our best player, possibly 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. if we finish top ten, a five place improvement would I believe be a decent season.

Have a listen to Darragh explaining how he came to Rovers here....

This week - a double feature - a slightly extended "Accrington Observer" column...followed by the pre-match preview from @LoftForWords A Kick Up the R’s Following Rovers rather ignominious exit at the hands of Birmingham City in the Third Round of the FA Cup, their reward was a weekend off. In fact, their reward was a warm-weather training break in warmer climes in Lagos – Portugal that is, NOT Nigeria, I won't ever make THAT mistake at the airport again. No such luxury for the supporters of course, robbed of our live football fix, we had to go shopping, walk the dog or rely on TV to watch Shrewsbury Town try their utmost to re-kindle the flames of “the magic of the cup”. Is it really just over a month or so that Rovers were riding the crest of a wave and speculation was rife that the January transfer window could be used to strengthen the squad? Talk was of a push for the play-offs, just a couple of prudent signings and bingo...roll out the red carpet! Since then, on-field, Bradley Dack was ruled out for the season and results seriously wavered; off-field, Venky’s accounts revealed a continuing financial tale of woe, FFP warnings openly discussed and the squad remains resolutely un-strengthened. Heading into Tuesday night’s encounter with QPR, Rovers found themselves firmly in mid-table but in this crazy division, still only six points off sixth-placed Preston and with a game in hand. You could conceivably make a case for a late rush for the play-offs for any team down to sixteenth-placed Derby County. All that is needed is a bit of luck and a run where a club won say five wins out of six games to close the gap. But what sort of lower-ranking Championship side could possibly string together such a run? Rovers kicked off with an unchanged side from the fabulous away win at Hillsborough. For the kit nerds out there, QPR were resplendent in a jade green outfit enhanced by almost unintelligible gold lettering and numbers, that on a warmer evening might have made me fancy a mint Cornetto. It was the Angel of the North celebration that was on display early on for Rovers as Joe Rothwell sprayed a lovely diagonal ball to Armstrong. He controlled in impressive if unorthodox fashion, enabling him to cut inside and look up, calibrate his shooting boot and curl a lovely shot inside the far post. This mirror-image Arjen Robben routine seems to be one of Armstrong’s most effective party pieces. Rovers continued to have the upper hand, moving the ball around impressively through a midfield axis of Rothwell, Holtby and Downing with Travis acting as minder. It was Travis who next came close, pressurising the keeper into a mistake but the attempt rolled along the line rather than over it and it was gratefully hoofed clear by Rangers. Downing continued his modus operandi, operating in midfield like a one-man DHL service; dropping deep, collecting as required, distributing effectively, delivering the ball as if it was a precious Ming vase to be protected at all costs. All that is missing is a card behind the front door when his colleagues aren't on the same wavelength. Nyambe too picked up where he left off at Hillsborough, rampaging down the right at every opportunity. Rovers were defying the chills and warming to their task, forcing Chair to sit back and provide a defensive cushion to cover the dangerous and energetic Rothwell. A poignant moment then followed in the twentieth minute with a round of applause to mark the recent, untimely passing of a young Rovers fan, Tiana Thompson. Shortly afterwards, Rangers had their first real attack of the game, a long ball finding Hugill who frankly beasted Lenihan, knocking it down to Chair who returned the favour and Hugill needed no second bidding to chip over the onrushing Christian Walton. All square, out of nothing, thanks to one lapse of concentration. Unsurprisingly, this encouraged Rangers to be more progressive and raised anxiety in the home defence and home fans alike. Rovers were now having to work a lot harder to retain possession. Rovers regained the lead from a corner, even though Rothwell placed the ball conspicuously outside the quadrant (VAR? What is it good for?), then crossed for Darragh Lenihan to power home a header across the keeper to make it 2-1. How nice to report on an unmarked header in the penalty area being for Rovers benefit rather than against. One little cameo worthy of note towards the end of the first half had Rothwell and Armstrong combining outside their own penalty area to snuff out a QPR attack. Tenacious, determined and effective, it was lovely to see the unglamorous work being relished with such enthusiasm. The last few minutes were a tad torrid, Todd Kane (yes, him) crossed dangerously but Rovers hung on for the half-time whistle with their advantage intact. The second half started with Rovers bringing on Bennett for Rothwell who had not recovered from the knock sustained right at the end of the first half. It was clear early on that Rangers were determined to impose themselves on proceedings and this they did. The influential Eze started to dominate the midfield, probing and pressing, bringing his teammates into the game. Rovers struggled to hold the ball and when Travis did, in his fiftieth Rovers start, he was fouled roughly, three times in quick succession, drawing the first three yellow cards of the game. Travis seems to be becoming a marked man amongst Rovers opponents these days, presumably they recognise the danger he presents? Chances however, were few and far between, the best being a free-kick from Downing, but not having the necessary whip nor dip to trouble the Rangers keeper and later, a header from Gallagher failed to hit the target. Darragh Lenihan imposed himself on the game once more, this time defensively, proving that Rangers most certainly had a collapsible Chair in midfield, as Darragh absolutely scythed him down and rightly earned himself a yellow card. Rovers it seemed had now settled for the 2-1. Pressure built, but Rangers couldn’t create a clear-cut chance, the final whistle blew and the sense of relief was palpable. A modest attendance of 11,505 (excepting the 292 from QPR) went home happy. Next up for Rovers, is a trip to the Mowbray/Downing heartlands of Teesside. Rovers find themselves in tenth but astonishingly, only four points outside the play-offs. It will probably need more “arte” than was on display tonight to close that gap, but the “labore” is not an issue based on this evidence. Preview From Loft For Words https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/news/51832/from-a-home-defeat-by-luton-to-a-5-0-away-win--interview From a home defeat by Luton to a 5-0 away win - Interview Tuesday, 28th Jan 2020 03:32 by Clive Whittingham Blackburn Rovers are a team almost as ludicrous as QPR, with defeats to Luton, Charlton and frequently Birmingham set against big wins at Sheff Wed and elsewhere. Ian Herbert tried to make sense of it all for us. How would you assess the season so far? Largely underwhelming. Much like a DVD box set where the script writers like to keep the plot twists and cliff-hangers flowing to maintain interest, the performances and results so far have ebbed and flowed from the ridiculous to the sublime to keep us on tenterhooks. Lose at home to Luton, demolish Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, standard Rovers fare really. Our current league position of mid-table is probably a fair reflection of the totality of our efforts thus far. On our day, we can play some decent stuff, but much like England at a tournament, as soon as we come up against anyone good, we tend to lose. That said we have also conjured up home defeats to Charlton and Luton plus away defeats to Birmingham (twice...once in the cup...against ten men) and Huddersfield along the way, so losing to mediocrity is now a core competency. Rovers are an equal-opportunity opponent. League Results So Far: Blackburn 1-2 Charlton (Phillips og 54 – Purrington 43, Taylor 77) Fulham 2-0 Blackburn (Cairney 34, Mitrovic 81) Blackburn 1-0 Middlesbrough (Graham pen 25) Hull 0-1 Blackburn (Williams 62) Blackburn 0-0 Cardiff West Brom 3-2 Blackburn (Phillips 22, Livermore 31, Diangana 40 – Dack 1, Johnson 45) Blackburn 2-0 Millwall (Williams 18, Dack 74) Reading 1-2 Blackburn (Swift b57 – Armstrong 8, Dack 48) Blackburn 1-2 Luton (Travis 37 – Collins 17, Pearson 57) Blackburn 1-1 Forest (Armstrong 63 – Lolley 65) QPR 4-2 Blackburn (Wells 30, Eze 48, Osayi-Samuel 60, Hugill 77 – Dack pen 57, Armstong 88) Blackburn 2-2 Huddersfield (Holtby 20, Dack 33 – Grant pen 13, Bacuna 63) Birmingham 1-0 Blackburn (Colin 31) Preston 3-2 Blackburn (Barkhuizen 53, 82, Johnson pen 65 – Rudd og 1, Gallagher 11) Blackburn 2-1 Sheff Wed (Adarabioyo 88, Buckley 90 – Murphy 83) Leeds 2-1 Blackburn (Bamford pen 30, Harrison 35 – Williams 40) Blackburn 3-2 Barnsley (Dack 24, 86, Downing 69 – Chaplin 48, Woodrow 82) Blackburn 1-0 Brentford (Dack 11) Stoke 1-2 Blackburn (Evans og 80 – Dack 13, Gallagher 84) Blackburn 1-0 Derby (Armstrong 54) Swansea 1-1 Blackburn (Ayew 10 – Graham 4) Bristol City 0-2 Blackburn (Johnson 2, Armstrong 77) Blackburn 0-0 Wigan Blackburn 1-1 Birmingham (Armstrong pen 55 – Mrabti pen 63) Huddersfield 2-1 Blackburn (Stankovic 25, Mounie 71 – Graham 7) Forest 3-2 Blackburn (Lolley 22, Grabban pen 25, 55 – Downing 39, Worral og 71) Blackburn 1-1 Preston (Armstong 3 – Harrup 17) Sheff Wed 0-5 Blackburn (Holtby 19, 45, Dawson og 36, Lenihan 48, Gallagher 90) Much like us it’s a 5-0 win one week and a disaster the next, why so inconsistent? If we could solve that mystery we could take on all-comers. We haven’t been helped by injuries but that excuse could be proffered by virtually every team in the league in reality. Tony Mowbray has developed a resolute habit of tinkering with his line-ups, formation and tactics - often within the same half - but ultimately, we lack a bit of real quality and the injury to Bradley Dack hasn’t helped that. Unforced individual errors creep in, morale slumps, effort falls away, results go awry...the players then seem to buck their ideas up...rinse & repeat. Fine margins in the Championship this season, sometimes we have been on the right side, sometimes not. It’s astonishing that we are still in with a chance of the play-offs having lost more than a third of our games. Crazy division. Where is the team strong and weak? Best players/weak links? Midfield is probably our strength simply because we have stockpiled midfielders much like Sainsbury do Creme Eggs come January 1. Notwithstanding injuries and illness a plenty, we can currently boast one of the Championship’s brightest young things & one of its most accomplished veterans. Lewis Travis is the BYT and seems recently to be adding an element of “shithousery” to his range of many talents. He has taken to winding up the opposition and their fans at will these days and is eminently capable of adding a cherry on top by then setting up or scoring a goal. A terrific prospect with a great future if he continues to develop. The gnarled veteran is Stewart Downing. Our best thirty-something signing since Mark Hughes (was Danny Graham 30 when we first signed him ? - subs please check). Downing treats possession with the utmost respect and has a passing range that is the envy of his teammates. He’s certainly shown the cynics (me...) that he still has value to add. Our defence has been brittle most of the season. Loan keeper Walton has dropped a few clangers but of late seems finally to be settling in, another loanee Cunningham had his season cut short by a cruciate injury, the third defensive loanee Adarabioyo has provided height, strength and culture to the back four; but he can’t do it all on his own. Fans attitude towards Mowbray? Seems to be polarising. One camp “the hawks”, are convinced that Mowbray is not the man to lead the club back to the Premier League and that every match he remains in charge is an opportunity wasted. They point to his spending, reluctance to blood youngsters and constantly playing players out of position. The other, “the doves” argue that he has brought us back from League One at the first time of asking, is a thoroughly decent chap, has stabilised a footballing madhouse and so deserves patience and time. The main problem with Mowbray is that he has been significantly backed in the transfer market but his record is poor. The signings of Brereton (1 in 13) and Gallagher (4 in 27) for c.£12m have potentially brought us once more to the brink of FFP trauma and now of course, we can’t even sell Dack to balance the books. Mowbray’s best signings (Dack apart) have probably been the loanees he has brought in; Reed last season, Adarabioyo and Cunningham this. Venky’s though seem to be generally satisfied with the stability he has brought and I can’t see any imminent change on the horizon. Of course were they to decide to make a change, the chances of them actually competently hiring someone better are at best uncertain and perhaps this concern stops any sustained and vocal anti-Mowbray sentiment from taking hold. As long as we are improving our league position year on year whilst not threatening our financial future, I’d take that. Hopefully Mowbray can deliver but at the moment he’s drawing down on the reserves of goodwill. Any January business? To keep the fans happy (Cynical? Me?) there seem to have been a few rumours in the local press of “bids being prepared” for Polish wingers and goalkeepers but nothing tangible nor in reality, hugely credible. Expectations are rock bottom, but on the plus side, they are being fully met. The club’s cheque book remains firmly under lock and key. Sightings of it in action next week seem less likely than Bradley Dack starting on Tuesday night. Perhaps we could try to sell Ewood Park for say £250m to the company that bought Pride Park off Derby County ? Ins: Sam Gallagher, 23, CF, Southampton, £5m >>> Stewart Downing, 34, LM, Free >>> Bradley Johnson, 32, CM, Derby, Free >>> Tom White, 22, CM, Gateshead, Undisclosed >>> Lewis Holtby, 29, AM, Unattached, Free >>> Christian Walton, 23, GK, Brighton, Loan >>> Greg Cunningham, 28, LB, Cardiff, Loan >>> Tosin Adarabioyo, 21, CB, Man City, Loan Outs: David Raya, 23, GK, Brentford, £3m >>> Paul Downing, 27, CB, Portsmouth, Free >>> Charlie Albinson, 22, GK, Southport, Free >>> Jack Rodwell, 28, DM, Released >>> Craig Conway, 34, LW, Released >>> Ben Gladwin, 27, CM, Released >>> Scott Wharton, 21, CB, Northampton, Loan >>> Charlie Mulgrew, 33, LB, Wigan, Loan POTY candidates? The aforementioned Travis and Downing are amongst the front-runners. Adam Armstrong is trying to fill the Dack-shaped goal scoring hole of late and if he keeps it up, will be in the conversation certainly. If I had to award it right now, Downing just shades it for me based on his all-round contributions thus far. Expectations for the rest of the season? After Dack was ruled out for the season we went on a wretched run that suggested relegation might rear its ugly head but things have since stabilised thankfully. I predicted 12th in your pre-season preview and I still expect to be within one place either side of that come season’s end. Play-off talk is fanciful but we should have enough to steer clear of any trouble. Famous last words...*gulp*. Links >>> Official website >>> Lancashire Telegraph – Local Paper >>> BRFCS message board and podcast >>> Rovers Chat – Blog >>> Our reciprocal interview with Rovers Chat The Twitter @ianherbert, @loftforwords Pictures – Action Images

Because somebody told them they could “lease” players ?

This week's "Accrington Observer" column...with a few added extras... Five Star Rovers Offer Owls No Sanctuary Thanks to the city planners of Sheffield over many iterations, the streets around Hillsborough are a warren of one-way systems, traffic lights, tram-only streets and on match-days; coned-off carriageways designed to allow the departing spectators a sporting chance of getting at least half a mile away from the ground without being run over. Experience therefore dictated that last Saturday I would park a little further away from the ground and ensure that I would not get caught up badly in post-match gridlock. I need not have worried. Football supporters the world over travel to games with no certainty of the outcome. That is of course, the joy of sport; on the day, almost anything can and does happen. This isn’t cinema, theatre, ballet or opera – nothing is scripted. choreographed or is “in the can”; here, the actors make it up as they go along. Sport is competitive improvisation. Sometimes, let’s be frank, it’s pretty mundane, but equally, every now and then, you are fortunate enough to be present at one of those “I was there...” moments, memories of which you will carry with you for the rest of your life. Saturday was one of those for sure. Going into the game on the back of a winless run stretching to six games in all competitions, the pre-match mood was subdued, expectations structured, enthusiasm in check. Hillsborough is one of those traditional football grounds, a massive Kop behind one goal, stanchions obscuring your view, four completely different stands (though how the Leppings Lane stand has never been demolished and replaced remains an open wound in English football history). Rovers had a modest, but noisy and exuberant following, little did we know what was about to unfold. A bright start saw Rovers in a kit mash-up resembling a Dundee tribute act, dictating the speed and the pattern of the game. However, an early corner somehow found its way back to Walton in three passes leaving Lenihan, Adarabioyo and Gallagher marooned upfield, believing themselves victims of a practical joke. Rovers soon got into gear though, sharp inter-passing, movement off the ball, pace and no little invention followed. Who are you and what have you done with my Rovers? The opener came from Holtby but was a result of some persistence and invention from Armstrong who was causing mayhem, repeatedly cutting in at pace from the inside-left channel. An early goal up, we’ve been here before of course. Sam Gallagher in his now accustomed wide-right role looked a handful, cutting inside his marker, using his physique but invariably fifteen to twenty yards wide of goal. If only he could have the opportunity to run onto a pass through the middle eh? Nyambe too was immense, a warhorse on the right hand side, playing full-back, midfield and wing simultaneously. The next significant moment came when midfield powerhouse Lewis Travis won a 60/40 midfield challenge that drew a foul from Wednesday’s Massimo Luongo, interpreted by the referee as a red card offence. To the naked eye it was definitely a foul, certainly a yellow, but the red card was a surprise. We have been and will be on the receiving end of some dodgy refereeing decisions, that’s football, so when one goes your way, the imperative is to capitalise and for once, Rovers did just that. “It’s more difficult to play against ten men...” is one of the great football clichés and let’s be honest, Rovers have not always been arch exponents of despatching weakened opposition, so there was some trepidation at this point. Travis picked up the ball outside the area and shaped a lovely shot arcing towards the bottom left-hand corner only for it to hit the inside of the post, rebound off the back of Wednesday keeper Dawson’s head and dribble into the goal. At this point, Rovers felt that the tide was inexorably moving in their direction, but memories of Preston away are not yet expunged. Another football cliché is muttered in the away end; “next goal is going to be important...” Well so it proved, Armstrong and Holtby linking up menacingly once again ensured that the half-time pies, pints and coffees could be enjoyed in a more relaxed frame of mind, wrapped in the comfort of three-nil security blanket. The home fans vocalised their disappointment and large swathes voted with their feet, not returning for the second half. Social media chat then informed us that Rovers had once lost a game at Hillsborough in 1960...by five goals to four; surely not? Garry Monk threw the last remaining dice at half-time making his final two substitutions but the second half continued much where the first had left off. Downing conducting the orchestra, Armstrong and Nyambe troubling the full backs and centre backs with direct running and the defence resolutely solid, albeit under minimal threat from the featherweight Owls’ attack. A corner early on was volleyed home, side-footed by Darragh Lenihan with some aplomb and there we were; over forty minutes to go but no jeopardy at all. What fresh madness is this? Holtby went into full show-boating mode, Rothwell picked up a ridiculously unnecessary yellow and was rightly substituted to prevent the referee having the chance to even up the numbers. By now, the home fans that had remained in the ground were demanding red cards for Rovers players merely for breathing noisily in the general direction of their heroes. The steady trickle for the exits continued and it was at that point even the most jaundiced Rovers fan could start to relax and really enjoy the remaining half-hour, secure in the knowledge that there was no heart for the fight remaining in the opposition. The only remaining unresolved questions; how many more, could Gallagher score from the wing, would Brereton be introduced, is this the time for a Rankin-Costello debut? The answers; one, no – he moved inside to a central role to score...I know, yes and yes. The weight of pass from Rankin-Costello to Gallagher for the fifth was worthy of Stewart Downing himself, there can be no higher praise. Gallagher, made a robust case for being played through the middle by smashing it home with his left foot and that was that. Scoring five goals in a victory doesn’t come around too often, especially away from home. I’m lucky enough to have witnessed two such trips now, albeit more than twenty-three years apart; on an actuarial basis, I might just, possibly, see one more, I really hope so ! *Thanks to Andy Currie @andy_brfc for the "before & after" photos of an emptying Hillsborough

I went to Lagos last year...this place was terrific ?