Herbie6590

My personal bias ? He took Sir Roger to Newcastle & that was unforgivable. Kendall did even more with less IMHO ?‍♂️

When I started thinking about it...it was really difficult to weigh up relative Impact v Resources & that’s largely why I thought it would be a great topic for an opinion piece. As I said in the piece, it’s all about opinions & personal biases.

A slightly longer version of this week's Accrington Observer column Who is Rovers Greatest Manager (...of the last 50 years) ? On an international weekend without club football, thank goodness for Twitter. Last week a Tweet asked “Who is your club’s greatest-ever manager?”. My first reaction ? Bingo, this week’s column sorted..! My Rovers viewing started in 1969, therefore I’m going to restrict consideration here to the last fifty years so that my first-hand experience of watching Rovers can inform the commentary. The downside of this approach means that Bob Crompton’s FA Cup winning reign from 1926-1931, Johnny Carey’s first spell in charge from 1953-1958 which saw Rovers return to the top-flight and Dally Duncan leading Rovers to the 1960 FA cup final are all ineligible, though worthy achievements. This will be of course, entirely a matter of subjective opinion and heavily influenced by personal biases as you shall see. Any comparison of achievements must also consider the context of those achievements; notably the resources available, how they were used and the personal impact of the manager in question. In true “Top Of The Pops” style, let’s count down from five to one...if at this point you are hearing Alan Freeman’s dulcet tones over the legendary theme, “At The Sign Of The Swinging Cymbal”; then my friend, we are on the same page... 5. Mark Hughes Hughes joined Rovers as a player in October 2000 on a free transfer from Everton, one of many Rovers signings over the years that I have vocally questioned, only to have the evidence of my poor (and premature) judgement rammed down my throat. Two goals on his debut against Tranmere indicating that perhaps Souness knew what he could add. However, it is his managerial record we are considering and Hughes returned to Ewood in 2004 to take over a side bereft of confidence and potentially on the road to relegation. Hughes subsequently led Rovers to two FA Cup semi-finals, UEFA cup qualifications and fashioned a side of skill allied to strength, leading the Guardian to christen us “Blackeye Rovers” in their “The Fiver” column, following the clash between Andy Todd and Robin van Persie in the Cardiff FA Cup semi final. A team that contained the likes of Robbie Savage, Roque Santa Cruz and David Bentley gave Rovers fans some great moments. Arguably, his reign at Rovers was to prove to be the high-water mark of Hughes as a manager, as despite his promising start, subsequent appointments failed to live up to the hype. High Point: 4-3 win at Ewood over Manchester United in 2006 4. Graeme Souness Souness, initially at least, was exactly the right man, at the right club at the right time. Rovers were in danger of being cast adrift in the second tier, or perhaps even worse and the whole club seemed to need a shake-up. The iron-man image of Souness was just what was required to reinvigorate an ailing set-up on and off the pitch. Souness built on the young talent at his disposal, namely the exciting triumvirate of Duff, Dunn and Jansen and added to it some quality and experience with the likes of Berg, Hughes and of course, the inimitable Tugay. For signing Tugay alone, Souness could be regarded as something of a messiah. Promotion was soon followed by a triumph in the League Cup, ensuring Rovers joined the pantheon of clubs to have won all three main domestic trophies. The signings of Andy Cole and then Dwight Yorke creating a buzz, the future seemed bright. However, slowly and surely, the abrasive side of Souness seemed to alienate some of his key players - most memorably Yorke in a 5 a-side match. When Newcastle came calling, many suspected that the timing salvaged his reputation and prevented Rovers having to dismiss him following a poor start to the season. The signing of Javier de Pedro summing up latter-days Souness. High Point: Cardiff, 2002 3. Howard Kendall Kendall joined Rovers as player-manager from Stoke City, on the back of a recommendation from Jimmy Armfield, after the Rovers board had tried to secure Armfield’s services. He took over a disjointed, dispirited team that had just suffered relegation and re-shaped them in his mould; hard-working, industrious, tenacious, organised but with flair and ingenuity when required. Securing promotion from the third division back to the second in his first season; incredibly, he almost made it back to back promotions the following year. Rovers capacity to avoid defeat resulting in a number of drawn games that ultimately would cause heartbreak as victories were required. That he managed all of this at a time when Rovers financial peril meant that (allegedly) nothing brighter than a 40w bulb flickered in the offices, tea bags were dried out and used twice and Kendall himself it is said, used to buy the milk for the staff tea, is little short of astonishing. His influence as a player should also not be under-estimated, but as he later went on to prove with Everton, he was indeed also a great manager. Had he stayed at Ewood longer than two seasons, perhaps he would have been indisputably Rovers’ best ever, but it was Everton that were to reap the benefits of his Rovers apprenticeship. High point: Gigg Lane, April 1980 2. Kenny Dalglish Dalglish is one of the legendary figures in British football and that he ever managed Rovers at all is still a source of astonishment. For younger readers, imagine Pep Guardiola quitting Man City next February and by October, being installed as the new Rovers manager...yes, it was THAT big at the time. Dalglish brought gravitas and instant credibility to the role, able to attract players to Rovers that wouldn’t have given (and in some instances didn't give) us a second glance previously, he was serious about his work and what he was expected to deliver. His signings were astute, his team building relentless and the results inexorably rolled in. Promotion via the play offs and of course the small matter of the league title means he must be right up there, but adjusting for the resources at his disposal, means that in my view, he falls just short of the number one spot in this chart. High Point: May, 1995 naturally... 1. Don Mackay I did say at the outset that personal biases would come into play and Don Mackay made me fall in love with Rovers all over again after the relatively sterile years of the early/mid 1980’s, where my Rovers habit had been broken by attending university. I followed from a distance of course, but preferred playing to watching. However, once Don was in situ, The natural enthusiasm of the man was infectious. His belief spread throughout the club and in time, the town. There was something uniquely appealing about Don and the teams he assembled that won me over. Bargain signings seemed to gel almost immediately. Gradually, Rovers became attractive to watch and competitive. Glamour signings like Steve Archibald and Ossie Ardiles demonstrated the newly-found ambition. Much like Howard Kendall a decade earlier, the handicap of a shoe-string budget (initially) was overcome and resulted in successive appearances in the play-offs, albeit leading to annual heartbreak of course. But, THAT day out at Wembley in the Full Members’ Cup means that the Don just edges it for me. A day I never thought I’d see, Rovers lifting a trophy and at Wembley...little did we know what was to come. Don Mackay was a guest on the BRFCS podcast and still speaks fondly of his time at the club, but his memories are tinged with sadness that he couldn't utilise the Walker finance in the way that his successor was able to. On this list, you're number one though Don. High Point: FMC, Wembley You may well have your own view on this topic, but one topic we presumably can all agree on... “Who is Rovers’ Greatest-Ever Caretaker Manager ?”.

No higher praise than the man himself recommending a listen on his social media accounts....so if you haven’t yet listened, give it a try...click the podcasts tab & the links are there for iTunes & non-iTunes users alike.??

A slightly longer version of this week's Accrington Observer column Rangers Revelry Means Rovers Regress At a family Christmas gathering in the early 90’s, doubtless over a mince pie, I found myself deep in conversation with my maths teacher uncle, discussing various mathematical concepts, including “regression to the mean”; doesn’t everyone after all? The context being that as a Burnley fan, he was keen to point out that Rovers were, at that point (1993/4), serially over-performing and nature being nature, eventually Rovers would drift back towards their mean performance level. In his view, charitably this was mid-table second division at best but more likely, third division and so he recommended that I enjoy the ride as it wouldn’t last – not a biased opinion, merely mathematical modelling he assured me ! As the conversation unfolded, I recall using the example of QPR as a club that could be a template for Rovers in the long term. They’d had moments of fleeting glory, winning the League Cup in 1967 as a third division team and pushing the all-conquering Liverpool side of the mid-70’s all the way to the final round of matches in the Championship race, before eventually finishing as league runners-up in 1976. An attractive blue & white kit, a neat & tidy stadium generating a lively atmosphere, a history of flair players including the likes of Rodney Marsh, Stan Bowles, Dave Thomas, Gerry Francis, Trevor Sinclair and Les Ferdinand plus of course former Rovers like Mike Ferguson and Simon Barker – there are worse role models I argued. Sadly, my uncle’s grasp on statistical outliers combined with the cyclical nature of sporting achievement meant that in the long term he was proven correct, but that said, I feel sure he would give up Dyche’s recent achievements for just one Claret league title, even if it was 25 years ago. Since the 1990’s, Rangers like Rovers, have moved between divisions, they have won the second-tier title, won a Wembley play-off final and had Mark Hughes as manager, the parallels go on. Saturday morning social media provided the kiss of death though as various Tweets highlighted that Rangers hadn’t beaten Rovers at what was then called Loftus Road since 1993. I was there that day and so was Tim Flowers as he made his debut; a scrappy Les Ferdinand goal deflected via Colin Hendry, saw Rangers win 1-0. The sense of inevitability that this run would come to an end was now palpable; possibly matched only by those Match of the Day highlights that show a player receiving an innocuous, early yellow card...you just know that red card is going to follow. That or the classic Star Trek meme when a previously unknown science officer in a red shirt is beamed down with Kirk, Spock & McCoy – inevitably doomed. Statistical probability can only be defied for so long...regression to the mean remember ? The performance on Saturday was essentially supine. A low key opening from both sides saw the ball moved slowly, inaccurately, with little purpose but Rovers initially at least were very much in it; albeit without ever giving the impression that each player had learned his lines properly and was sure of his mark. Hampered by the loss of Cunningham, substitute Bell couldn't deal with a cross and Burnley’s loanee Nakhi Wells scored for Rangers. Williams failed to clear early in the second half, two-nil and in all honesty that was that. No way back for raggedy Rovers from here. Tony Mowbray has much credit in the bank in this correspondent’s view but notwithstanding this, the evidence of recent weeks suggests that Mowbray still has not settled upon a preferred formation or a team selection. The amount of tweaking to personnel and tactics seen so far this season suggests that games are still being treated as experiments in a live environment, pre-season practice games seemingly failing to identify a definitive solution. Gallagher is in, but out of position, then in and in position, then out altogether. Ben Brereton can only watch from his convalescence and nod in acknowledgement and perhaps sympathy. We are trying to wean ourselves off our Danny Graham dependency, but like hungry schoolkids in a sweet shop, it’s far too easy to have just one more sugar rush and hang the consequences; so he’s back in after being out. Rothwell is in and out like an ill-judged hokey-cokey at a silver wedding do. The signing of Holtby means Evans, Travis, Johnson and Downing know one of them has to be out for him to be in. Now if you achieve some decent results, it’s “effective squad rotation” or “healthy competition”, but if you don’t, it’s “managerial uncertainty” or even worse incompetence. Rovers’ performance on Saturday was lame, disjointed, half-hearted and one-paced; as grey and unattractive as that away kit, despite what Jack Pitt-Brooke of “The Athletic” might have Tweeted. Fragile at the back, lacking guile and creativity in midfield and largely toothless up front. The only consolation being that QPR’s defence had its own lax moments and somehow gifted Rovers two goals, lending the final scoreline a veneer of respectability the performance scarcely deserved. Rangers main instruments of torment were the midfielders Eze and Chair; for all the pressure they were subjected to, they might as well have been dictating play from actual easy chairs; slippers on, resting on a footstool. Chair was eventually substituted after 72 minutes, perhaps he didn’t have the legs for 90 minutes? He was replaced from the bench by Pugh – the sedentary puns merely cushioning the feeling of disappointment. Just two short weeks ago, I speculated as to the possibility of back to back wins becoming four in a row, making a bold statement that would make the rest of the division sit up and take notice. Well, football has a way of making us all look daft from time to time and the last fortnight has reminded us that promotion from this most challenging of divisions requires fortitude, skill and determination on a scale that right now appears to be elusive. International weeks sometimes interrupt good runs causing momentum to be lost; this one has arrived just in time to allow a serious Rovers rethink, hopefully to avoid further regression. Let us hope this time is used wisely.

Thanks Stuart, this was quite the labour of love but we got there in the end. There is a LOT of prep & then a fair amount of post production involved in getting these out so when they are appreciated by the audience it makes a massive difference. Going out into a vacuum is quite daunting... Matt was a gent and I only wish we could have carried on because there was loads I wanted to ask but a few hundred people in the adjacent room were keen for him to talk to them so ?‍♂️ Be great if our enhanced credibility from doing stuff like this means some other other former players are more open to being guests...we can but hope ??

Thank you...BTW, I often drop in some “Easter eggs” at the end of an episode to reward those who make it that far, so well done for sticking it out ?

Saw this on Twitter earlier...a bit academic but interesting... http://fcbusiness.co.uk/news/in-focus-growing-attendance-model-gam/

Podcast now out...

After several weeks of planning and preparation, BRFCS meets a Rovers legend in the form of the one & only Mr Matt Jansen together with the man who helped him to write his new book - journalist & writer, Jon Colman in a special podcast episode in which we also launch a new sponsorship deal. Listen carefully for details of our exclusive discount deals for BRFCS podcast listeners at theterracestore.com but most of all listen to Matt's story; from the perspective of the writer & the man himself. Interviews conducted by Ian Herbert. View full record

All things are possible...

Yes. It goes to help cover hosting fees etc.

Old Blackburnian is on holiday this week - normal (?) service resumes next week but here is a preview of the upcoming QPR game written for the lovely people @LoftForWords Last season looked par for the course as a newly promoted team, what did you make of it? Well initially we over-delivered, turning in some pretty good performances “early doors” as Big Ron would say and that inevitably raised expectations. A period of looking at the league table “above the fold” meant that calculations of how many more wins were needed to reach the play offs reached their apotheosis after 10 minutes away at Brentford in early February when we had raced into a two-goal lead and frankly, besting the Championship at that precise point looked a mere formality. However, eighty-odd minutes later, Brentford’s five goals without reply had given both the team and the fans a chastening dose of harsh reality and forced an urgent reappraisal. Those cancellable bookings for the play-off final hotels looked a tad optimistic. Our season then collapsed like the post-referendum pound and soon we were very much “below the fold” and wondering if the sting in the tale was to be a relegation, whence we came A late-season recovery, aided and abetted by three points at Loftus Road (thanks once again...) ended with a fifteenth place finish, which I would have happily signed up to back in August 2018. All in all, “Tony ultimately came through, but at times his concentration wandered and his performance dipped. B+, could do better”. What business was done over the summer and was the squad stronger or weaker by the end? We lost keeper David Raya to the aforementioned Brentford fairly early on in the window, defender Paul Downing had been effectively released in January, flat-track bully Jack Rodwell fell down a crack in the space/time continuum, from which he is yet to emerge, much-loved, stalwart winger and part-time barber Craig Conway was freed and Ben Gladwin...yes him...also departed Ewood; his most memorable contribution being missing a sitter at home to Plymouth in the promotion season and never being seen again. Inbound moves saw Christian Walton come in on loan from Brighton to replace Raya, Stewart Downing came in to maintain the Rovers “Downing quota” at a solid one and ensure Mowbray was surrounded by a Teesside burr as often as possible. Bradley Johnson joined from Derby on a free to increase our “Bradley” quota to two, but the big money signing of the summer brought back Sam Gallagher; a previous loanee, to add options to our attack and reduce our dependency on the ageing or is that “ageless” Danny Graham. Overall, you would have to say stronger but perhaps not in the areas most needed (the defence Tony...the bloody defence...) and not by a sufficient margin to really excite the fans. How would you assess your start to the season, results are all over the map really? Rovers are absolutely determined to be consistent in their inconsistency. We must be an archetypal Cup team as on our day, we are capable of beating anyone or being beaten by anyone. We are currently mid-table, I expect us to finish mid-table, but the route we choose to arrive at that destination will be circuitous I suspect and not without its moments of triumph and disaster, which will not be treated both the same. Tony Mowbray presumably has credit in the bank from the promotion still, but how’s he doing? In my eyes, yes. He’s a decent man doing a decent job with what he has available to him. I struggle to see him ever taking us back to the Premier League in all honesty, but equally, we are a lot more organised and competitive than under all of his predecessors back to Allardyce. Solid, unspectacular, faithful, generally likeable; much like a Teesside Labrador really. Stand out players and weak links in the side? It used to be all about Bradley Dack but he’s found it to be tougher going in recent months as opponents have latched onto his threat and largely nullified it. It used to be Danny Graham but having spent £5m on Gallagher, Mowbray has to try and find a niche for his new signing and Graham has often been sacrificed. The recent addition of Lewis Holtby is an intriguing one, he could just turn out to be a master stroke. Another Lewis, namely Travis of this parish is probably the next player to leave for a pastures new for a large fee. Liverpool let him go, they may just regret that. He oozes potential. Weak links ? The defence, especially after a couple of clean sheets when they think they’ve cracked it. Is Ben Brereton being written off despite the outlay? Precious little return so far… He’s injured. When he’s not injured he’s played out of position. When he plays out of position he looks lost. Frankly, when he plays in a Rovers shirt at all he looks lost. I feel sorry for the kid, the fee isn’t his fault but the sooner we all recognise that it’s £7m that simply needs to be written off “for tax purposes”, the better we will all feel about it and as such, we can then all move on. He seems highly unlikely to ever be a regular first teamer at Rovers let alone goal scorer and Mowbray’s use of the cheque book with Brereton and Gallagher especially may well ultimately define his reign. These two signings are presently under-performing luxuries we simply cannot afford. The ghosts of Kevin Davies and Ciccio Grabbi appear to haunt Ewood to this very day. Another big money signing this summer in Sam Gallagher, who you’ve had before of course, how’s that gone? Well as per Brereton above, when Mowbray has been given the password for the club internet banking account, it doesn’t seem to end well. Gallagher did a job for us originally, when on loan, albeit without ever ripping up any trees and frankly, doesn’t seem to have progressed all that much since we last had him. We can’t afford to splash the cash very often these days and on the two recent occasions where we have, we appear to have been scammed by the Championship equivalents of those “Nigerian princes” offering untold wealth for “a small administration fee” and access to your current account. Mowbray henceforth should only be allowed to sign players costing £750k or less based on the Dack precedent! What are the ambitions for this season and have they changed since the summer? The more realistic/pragmatic/pessimistic* delete as appropriate, Rovers supporter would say consolidate, improve a few places on last season, have a cup run perhaps...all good. The more ardent Rovers supporter, of which we have a few, proclaimed the signings of Gallagher, Downing and Johnson to be the combination to unlock promotion...not really feasible IMHO. Progress is the watchword. Finishing at least say, three places higher than last season would be a solid (if unspectacular) season. Anything more than that would be a handy bonus. Finishing lower than last season would be hugely disappointing. This squad has potential but no matter how many we sign, we always seem to be two short. Was it ever thus ?

Harsh ?

I get Phillip Seymour Hoffman more often TBH...

Matt was amazing last night....AND he’s recorded a special bit with us for our very own BRFCS podcast....coming next weekend all being well....

He also confirmed that BRFCS will have an exclusive Matt Jansen Special podcast dropping next weekend ?

A slightly longer version of this week's Accrington Observer column The Ballad of Reading Goals Just before football once again became fashionable, post-Italia 90, Channel 4 dipped its toes into the niche market that was and in fairness probably still is; “football-related drama”, with its series “The Manageress”. Starring Cherie Lunghi as “Gabriella Benson” it charted the trials and tribulations of a woman in a man’s world as “Gabriella” becomes manager of a struggling second division side, charged with turning round their fortunes. Interestingly, if you look for this gem on Amazon, the DVD, quite wrongly, is described like this; “...the 1980s football-based TV drama starring Cherie Lunghi as the embattled first female manager of struggling Blackburn Rovers...”; ...it’s as if Don Mackay never existed! There are clips of the series available on YouTube and the sharp-eyed (& perhaps more mature) reader will notice it was filmed at Reading’s old Elm Park ground. Much has changed in the footballing world since 1990, although with one notable exception in France, a female manager of a 2nd tier side is not yet one of the regular features of the modern game. Reading left Elm Park and moved into the majestic Madejski Stadium in 1998; built apparently on the site of a former refuse dump, so yes indeed, obvious punchline fans; it is used to seeing a load of old rubbish served up on a regular basis. However, any rubbish dumped on Saturday came almost exclusively from the home side. The Royals used to be known as “The Biscuitmen” as a homage to the presence of Huntley & Palmer’s in the town, well that, or based upon the evidence presented on Saturday, perhaps a tendency to crumble in their own box? Much pre-match chatter surrounded the addition of Lewis Holtby to the Rovers ranks during the week and despite the proclamations that he had kept himself fit during the summer, most of his activity this week seemed to be courtesy of North Sea ferries and the M62 if social media were to be believed. An early appearance therefore seemed unlikely, but Tony Mowbray nevertheless named him as a substitute. Pre-match injuries and illness had robbed the team of the services of Adarabioyo and Rothwell and Mowbray confirmed that the switch to a back four had been enforced. The absence of Rothwell certainly made it a little easier to name Holtby on the bench. This also possibly meant a reprieve for Adam Armstrong and he was to prove influential in the first half scoring a lovely goal when set up by Stewart Downing, the two wide men combining neatly. At the start of the second half, Armstrong also contributed to the breakaway that resulted in a Rovers second. Gallagher broke down the left, looking up and seemingly struggling to choose between Armstrong and Dack appeared to pick out neither but some shoddy Reading defending allowed Dack time to stretch, control, turn, shoot and via a deflection, score his 40th Rovers goal on the occasion of his 100th appearance. He truly is Tony Mowbray’s best signing for Rovers and pound for pound, quite possibly of his managerial career. It’s on record that early in his Rovers career, in particular when being played wide left away at Shrewsbury and refusing to track back when Rovers lost possession, I questioned the wisdom of the signing. I couldn’t be happier to be proved wrong...yet again! The elegant solution to a problem I didn’t recognise that we had..! Rovers turned in a hugely encouraging team performance here, marred only by a momentary lapse of concentration as the former England junior international John Swift brought Reading back into the game in the 57th minute, not long after hitting the post from an almost identical position. Rovers hadn’t recognised the danger and their sloppiness in allowing a repeat attempt brought quite literally, Swift retribution. Not all that long ago, given the scenario of a goal pulled back by the home side, half an hour to play, I would have been fearful of a capitulation costing at least one if not three points. One of the really pleasing aspects of this game was the use of substitutes to impact on the conduct of that last 30 minutes and the quality that was available to Mowbray from which to select. First Holtby, then Johnson, followed by Graham, in a seven-minute spell with about 15-20 minutes to go, established that if Reading were to take anything, they needed to up their game considerably. Rovers and especially Holtby, started to treat possession with the due care and attention it deserves and when five minutes of added time was indicated, Rovers responded with a training ground passing/possession exercise that kept the ball for over three minutes, killing off any momentum that the home side tried to create. Last week I said that Reading away was exactly the sort of game that an aspiring promotion-chasing team should be looking to win. If there was any disappointment at all at full-time, it’s that Rovers only scored two, when comprehensively on top for large parts of the game. If Rovers can nail this deficiency and maintain the defensive solidity of the last few weeks (West Brom away apart) then hopes and expectations can be re-calibrated accordingly. Back to back home games in store next week will provide an opportunity for further assessment. Luton are enduring the sort of reality-check that might be expected of a side that has enjoyed two promotions in two seasons but any complacency displayed by Rovers could be punished so easily. Nottingham Forest at home, on paper at least, provides a much sterner test. They have enjoyed a revolving door of managerial appointments and player recruitment and as we know all too well, that is far from a guaranteed route to success but they are among the early front-runners in the Championship. Forest’s only defeat so far was on the opening day of the season, but since then they have collected some impressive scalps along the way including Fulham and Swansea away, so Rovers will find this to be a stern test of their credentials. The Championship currently has the top thirteen sides separated by just five points. Any team in this group taking six out of six from their next two fixtures can expect a loftier perch from which to view proceedings come early October. Can Rovers make it four on the bounce ? We shall see. Old Blackburnian

E0B28C8B-8EEE-41BF-95AB-A9C3450C995C.MOV

Liked what I saw today. Simple passing, respect for possession, read play well...should have scored though ?

1840523E-D280-4028-AA38-3A01B54C3722.MOV

Matt on Sky earlier today... 73B07EB3-0B88-4393-A3A7-1B597247D167.MOV

A slightly longer version of this week's Accrington Observer column Transitional Rovers Strive To Remain Part Of The Conversation As the old gag has it, “Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be...” and for various reasons this last week, my mind has wandered to times gone by, evoking many different emotions and memories, let me explain... Over a weekend that saw the final test cricket of an epic summer being unfurled, it was cricket, albeit of a somewhat lower standard, that prevented me from attending Ewood in person last weekend. I found myself “doing my bit for the (cricket) club” by standing as an umpire in a match that was part of the centenary celebrations of the bank’s sports ground in Beckenham, at which I had first played in my halcyon days shall we say. The afternoon of sport was opened by a former bank clerk and World Cup winning captain in yet another sport, 2003 hero Martin Johnson, still looking outrageously fit and healthy, whose entertaining and eloquent reflections on his career in and out of rugby set the tone nicely. “Sport is about bringing people together....” was Johnson’s main message, whether that is as teammates, opponents, spectators or even match officials. That said, his second main point appeared to be that if you worked for a bank in the 1980’s, playing international rugby was a cracking way to obtain extra holidays and don't worry too much if your till didn't balance at close of business. I could have used such a concession myself as staff and customers of Midland Bank Accrington will no doubt testify..! Whilst travelling, I had been passing time on the train by browsing through my digital photos, recalling my cricket from ten years previously and that set me off on one of those Google rabbit holes, as my mind inevitably drifted to events at Ewood ten years previously. Who were we playing? What team was selected? How did we fare? How were we feeling? Well, full marks to anyone who can answer without reference to Google, but I shall reveal all. It was of course the last full season before the infamous sale of the club to Venky’s and the ninth consecutive top-flight one being enjoyed at Ewood. Rovers had started relatively poorly under Sam Allardyce, taking one point from the first three games and scoring just one goal. Wolves were due up next and were despatched 3-1 with goals from Diouf, Roberts and Dunn. How much has changed since then? Well clearly, quite a lot; Rovers are in a different division, the attendance that day against Wolves was a healthy 24,845 in the days before the Waggott Tax and the squad that season included Champions League winning Michel Salgado (making his debut as a late substitute that day against Wolves), a midfielder who in 2018 would go on to win a World Cup for France, namely Stephen Nzonzi and a promising young English defender, discovered and nurtured by Steve Kean (!), one Phil Jones...whatever happened to him and all those add-on bonuses we were sure to earn from his transfer? Fast forward to September 2019 and it’s now Millwall that are the visitors in front of 11,873 spectators. Tony Mowbray elected to shuffle his pack, employing a new formation and giving John Buckley his first League start. Mowbray has tinkered with three centre backs before but chose to combine it here with Armstrong up front. The cost was that Graham, Gallagher and Travis all started on the bench. It surprised many Rovers fans and seemed to have a similar impact on Millwall boss Neil Harris. I’m not sure why this match was chosen for such an experiment and whilst in recent weeks I have queried the seeming lack of chemistry in central midfield between Travis & Johnson, it was quite a surprise to learn that Travis was the sacrificial lamb to accommodate Buckley, especially as it was Johnson who was hooked at half time against WBA. Buckley would be the half time change this time and Travis wouldn't feature until the death, replacing the impressive Stuart Downing. I suspect that Derek Williams is not the player that many would have identified pre-season as being the prime candidate to take over the Charlie Mulgrew mantle of “key goal-scoring defender”, but hot on the heels of his winner at Hull he opened the scoring here with what could rightfully be described as a scorcher. If I were Williams I would consider practising free kicks and penalties and affecting a Scottish accent. Last season, Sheffield United’s overlapping centre backs were the wonder of the age but the second Rovers goal could have been straight out of the Chris Wilder playbook; Lenihan crosses, Williams desperate to add to his tally slides in at the back post but narrowly fails to connect, leaving the lively Dack to slot home. It’s perhaps just as well that the goals are being shared around, as Gallagher and Armstrong are still to open their league accounts, Danny Graham is seemingly being courted by Western Sydney Wanderers and Brereton is recovering from knee surgery. Dack is currently carrying the lion’s share of the scoring burden and must be grateful for any assistance from whatever source. Four clean sheets in five, (the WBA aberration apart) is definitely welcome news whether it will prove to be three or four at the back that endures. Ten years on, Rovers find themselves still seemingly in transition. The plan for a Premier return still undergoing recalibration. Rather than being right at the heart of the promotion conversation, Rovers remain in earshot, but no matter what the transfer activity in the previous window, we seem to be perennially consigned to being a couple of players short of a genuine promotion push. What are the chances that the next two inbound transfers will be a former Real Madrid favourite and a future World Cup winner? Well at the time of writing, the next player in is set to be free agent and German international (with an English father), Lewis Holtby. This potential move for the former Spurs and Fulham man seems to confirm that a significant factor in signing for Rovers now, is having the same first name as an existing squad member. Bradley, Sam, Joe and now Lewis adds credence to the emerging hypothesis. If there's a 13 year old "Kylian" or "Lionel" in the academy I might just get giddy with the potential... Midfield is possibly well stocked in terms of numbers and by possibly, I mean definitely. One can only imagine that if this move is finalised, then the likes of Smallwood, Davenport and Rankin-Costello may well be candidates to exit in January, on loan at the very least; albeit for different reasons. Reading away next up and that falls into the category of one of those fixtures that a serious promotion candidate will look to win. They have lost their last two, at home to Charlton and away at Middlesbrough, but looked very impressive as they dismantled Cardiff City earlier in August. They do however, boast “Pele” and “Puscas” in their ranks so perhaps deserve some respect. Now if they had two Peles and two Puscases, well that would really be something.

150 sold so far - fear not ?