We'll just have to wait a year or two longer before we play our nearest neighbours then!

Yes but who cares? I wouldn't care if it happened to us either.I would simply see it as continuity. I love these stories, just shows there is always hope. As Gav says, the idea we would just disappear is ridiculous.

I remember Vernon playing for Rovers, alongside Duggie and Clayton. He was a great inside forward, a number 10 when Duggie was on the wing. Great skill and a terrific shot on him despite him being as thin as a wafer. Quick too. Gutted when he went to Everton but it was to be a worn path where Rovers were concerned. And yes, he was a chain smoker. I know because there was a Bolton-Preston FA Cup replay at Ewood one season, 6th round? I sat next to him in the old A Stand in Nuttall St and I'll swear he never had a fag out of his mouth the whole game!

What do you mean "if" there is a thread about Stanley. There is, its called "Stanley"! And by all means start a thread on Darwen if you want to. Just stick to it, don't bring Jack /Walker Trust/Walker family or Fergy/Man Utd or Abbey or any of the other obsessions you've been bombarding us with since you returned. Remember your own sentence "its not all about what you might be interested in".

Well, deep breath, my post was about Stanley which, after all is the heading for the thread! Your's is all about you, not an unusual occurance I've noticed.

I'm more interested in the fortunes of little battling Accy Stanley than plastic Manure. So what's the problem? Against all the odds still playing and actually prospering this season, results-wise anyway. Came back after being closed down, a true inspiration if we go the same way.

There are 8 teams below us. 4 lost, 2 drew (and I agree they were 2 unexpected points gained), only one won(Bristol City) and that had the effect of pushing Fulham further beneath us and Charlton didn't play! Not much to fret about there!

Which makes it all the more galling that Preston are 7 places above us, even after tonight's win and have 8 more points.How did that happen?

I absolutely agree with your first 3 sentences!

Totally identify with everything you've written there. Maybe it's as simple as Vinjay says----the owners are cursed! By the way, they are cursed by me----everyday!

In the end we might well look back on this season and regard sacking Bowyer as the difference between relegation and staying in this division. That 9 point "mini-haul" from Lambert's first 3 games looks like a dead cat bounce at the moment but its the only thing separating us from the bottom three.

Well that's true but then I never expected to see Rovers win the Championship at anytime in my life apart from 1963-4 and then only till Christmas! I suppose my point is that those two were different class to Simpson who was bloody awful! Your grammar in that 2nd sentence is excruciating Philip! Can do better!

Noooooo! Can't agree here. Loved both of them and was angry when Atklins got sold. Never looked "fashionable" did Atkins. Simpson was a total liability and judging by that woeful back-pass towrds the end of the City game he still is!

How could any team be Champions of the Premier League with Danny Simpson at right-back? It defies belief.

Yet, incredibly, Vardy turned 29 a few days ago! Can't help wondering what happened in those "missing years".

Its not JUST you Stuart!

Stuart---you still going on about him? What's the point? We know you think we should have kept him but it won't change. I don't mind if it all goes wrong and you can say " I told you so" but why not leave it for a month or two?

Bit like Kalanic. The "nearly man". Nearly got on the end of that cross etc etc. But liked his energy and enthusiasm all the same. He would walk into our team now.

Given the number of players most seem to think we need, let's reflect on the standard of the squad GB assembled shall we? I am on the record, several times, as saying that the squad isn't good enough to achieve anything this season and the managers first priority is to keep us in this division. I'm sticking with that and anything better, like top half, is a bonus. Real fans want every manager to succeed. We gave Bowyer a long time, too long, so lets do the right thing by PL

Definately the best left winger we have had in my time.

From the Daily Record-----"Kean also kept Blackburn up on the last day of the season after replacing Sam Allardyce in Dec 2010" !!!!!!!!!WTF?

I absolutely agree! Can't wait in fact!

How is this relevant to anything? I can think of dozens of players who were never considered nice guys eg Keane, most of Leeds most successful team ever(!),Rooney, Djouf, John Terry? Opposition players were terrified of Samba and rightly so.

Beautifully put Den!

By and large modern footballers are a spoilt lot, too much momey, too much time on their hands to spend it, everybody idolising them and they are often only kids away from home. Not surprising how some go off the rails. That is where management comes in. We had it, we threw it away. In any case, Rovers new owners at that time didn't discriminate between those who had the right attitude and those who didn't. Nelsen, Salgado,Emerton were all decent blokes as far as I could see but it made no difference. Let's keep the blame where it truly lies eh?