That's a key position and we are only well catered for if they're all fit to play---which they never are!

Yes its a perverse thing with Venkys. When we are doing OK in the League they won't give us any money because we're doing OK without it. The idea that if they did spend we'd do even better and maybe get to the Promised Land seems to have eluded them

Best to look at it as 4 from 6 against Leeds and we don't have to play them again.

In context, Burnley were in Div 4 and only avoided the drop out of the Football League on the last day of the season. But, yes, this was a bad time for English football----violence, crumbling stadiums etc. But simply, I was just confirming that we did indeed have attendances as low as the 3 thousands.

Well that's true but in that period I wrote about we really were in the doldrums and I did wonder at the time what the point was and whether we would survive. Not till Jack came along did things change----bigly! and we all know how many Jack Walkers there are.

That's what we're paying Cantwell apparently.

1982-4---------2 seasons where we had attendances in the 3000's. Average attendance for both seasons was in the 7000's. There was a lowest attendance of 3587 in 1985-6 but average attendance was 5826! That was the nadir. Not till 1991-2 did our average attendance get into double figures--13288. From 1970-1991 we had only 6 seasons with average attendances over 10000. Stats curtesy of Parsons!!

great post.

That's true. We had gates of 3000 too didn't we? I felt happier supporting Rovers then than I do now. There literally were no funds then. Now this lot dissembled a Premier League team, filled it with rubbish and sank it. Never explained, never apologised, never learned anything.

3 matches in 6 days, 2 against promotion contenders. Not going to end well is it? Inadequacies of squad to be laid bare. Start well with a full squad and see momentum ebb away from Christmas onwards. Little money, if any, to spend in January----how many times have we been through this? No hope with useless Venkys.

Sounds to me like Eustace is a bit sceptical....

Dream of Sammi sadly.

Its a provocative post setting ourself up as the sensible middling arbiter of what we should think---that's where the "moral high ground" comment fits. I assume you see yourself as "the calm sort"----not really relevant to being a football supporter is it? Following your club is an act of passion. Whether its "classic Jackson" or not is irrelevant to me---he's right isn't he? As you seem to agree later in your post. We did sign the three you mention but none of them have set the world alight have they? Its not an achievement just to sign 3 players, wherever they come from. Its whether they are good enough that matters. After the long series of transfer window flops we are entitled to be worried that another will see our promotion hopes shattered after Christmas---again.

Your'e contradicting yourself!

If we lose to Burnley and Leeds (hardly unlikely) then we'll have taken one point from 5 games. That is a slump. Can be arrested by some decent signings in January. Without them we are going nowhere and we'll be looking back at that run of 6 wins in a row and thinking its put us clear of the relegation zone rather than putting us top 6.

On the face of it this is a perfect target. Exactly what we should be looking for. Get 2 strikers and a winger and I'll be a happy man!

So how much farther up the table would we be if we had 2 goal-scoring strikers? Are you seriously saying the manager has been adequately backed in the transfer market?

Agree about positivity but that's a hell of a caveat Gav!

And when we were in the Premiership, the DE Lower was allocated to Rovers fans and the Upper to Away fans. No trouble that I saw.

Fancy, there was a time, not long ago when we had 3 decent strikers! Unthinkable now---we haven't even got one of that standard. The dumbing down continues.

Even if that's true it couldn't stop them selling seats to Burnley fans in the Darwen End upper! Sticks out like a sore thumb.

Unlikely that he'll be able to improve significantly at the age of 27! you never know I suppose but we can't rely on it. It seems likely that his role will be as an impact sub and I'm accepting that he does make an impact of sorts when he comes on---chaos agent and all that! At the end of the season strikers are judged on how many goals they've scored not how many assists(intentional or otherwise!)

Yeah I'm not talking about flying down the wing, I'm thinking of driving through the middle (with the ball) and Dolan does that very well. I predict we will lose him for pennies and spend a lot more money trying to replace him. For all his failings he is one of our players who makes things happen.

Watch it again.

His work for that first goal was absolutely top drawer. We mustn't lose him, especially for next to nothing. He has that pace and ability to drive at the opposition from deep positions.