Hit them hard enough to rebound though and smashed that it. If you're going down the middle it should never ever be powder puff.

I think the Diaz saga will sadly become more about getting him fit and performing in the bigger shop window that is international football. If the promotion tilt continues to slip away it won't be long before TM starts saying he doesn't want to lose him in summer. Whilst virtually inviting bids in with every other next breath, it'll all start with the local rag blaming the player and his agent as per.

Gates have gone up 3 or 4k since first half of the season and yesterday was virtually all home fans. These little initiatives seem to add about 500/1000 tops although only around half of those will have been tempted. Other half will probably have been trapping up anyway. So walk ons have doubled in recent months and now they have a real ST deal needs hatching for next season. If they can't come up with something on the back of this season to get the figure to 10k and above again they need to feck off. Support is still there, not what it was pre venkys but 12/13k regular can be achieved if they price it right and keep having a real go on the pitch. Yesterday was frustrating and the end heartbreaking but it was still absorbing full on stuff in the 2nd half, that's what football is all about.

The Hedges saga had always looked odd it looks even odder now. Was it a case of get him in and on a contract asap in case we get potted in summer ? Why make such a fuss of signing a player you then don't want to play ? Similar to resigning the boro winger then freezing him out this looks. What's the betting he ends up loaned out next season.

Todays gate of 13500k including not many from Bristol was a respectable one. How long have you been going on Ewood ? You should know better, your recent self appointed attempt at club PR man needs to stop. You are to fan representation what Agnew was to club directorship.

Rothwell should never take a corner again they are abysmal. Sunday league lads with stinking hangovers hit better ones.

Time to parrot again but as said this morning about the rotating of the forwards nothing highlighted it more that it doesn't work than that first half. Disjointed rubbish all playing as individuals again and absolutely nothing in the middle and ..yet again..Buckley showing that although it worked for a brief spell he has no idea how to play that false 9. Of course the complete lack of striking options was there for all to see, the world didn't begin and end with Maja, no plan b there though. Upped the tempo second half and looked more like they wanted it, helped by brizzle fancying it on the counter. That opened things up for Khadra who was his usual good/bad/theatrical. The team then looked so much better and balanced when he went to a version of 442. Suddenly Gallagher is causing problems and we are pulling Bristol down both sides, on comes Dack. A man, even a half fit one actually in the box and the chances start flowing it seemed only a matter of time before one flew in. It did, in the wrong end as threatened all afternoon. Ball kindly falling to a guy who can finish (remember those). Don't want to hear any waffle about bad luck you make your own in games like that. We blew it and collectively they are going to blow this season.

The only really forced one apart from BBD missing is at right back. The attacking players have mostly all been available odd games aside but in standard fashion they are just being rotated around now. He even tells people in the press that he's doing it according to opposition yet it gets ignored by some, that approach is a hark back to previous seasons. This is Mowbrays plan B although it used to be plan A. Brereton Diaz missing has massively hampered us as it was always obvious it would but right behind that is the sheer lack of striking options in the entire club. Only one person is responsible for that. We still ended up recently with a midfielder at right wing back (forced) , a midfielder playing false 9/forward (unforced), a 6'4" forward playing wide left, sometimes right. And of course a left wing back playing right wing and the left or right footed wide forward or whatever he is sat on the bench. The one they've chased ages and made such a fuss of signing and made sure they ended paying a fee for him. Non of this is stick beating it is all fact, then people wonder why we aren't scoring.

His hand hasn't been forced with Giles or swapping around Dolan, Buckley, Khadra, Gallagher on the front line. Nor has it been forced to not use Hedges. I wish people would actually read posts as i did include the line 'where possible' in regards to unchanged. Surely even you can see that since there was a few forced changes we have crept back into last season territory of mumbo jumbo on the pitch. There is no balance nor fluidity in attack they are all playing like individuals again. I agree we all saw it coming, as we usually do but pity the manager is always ignorant to certain things. You can get further when the owners give you rare opportunity in a Jan window. It's how you chose to use it that is the key.

That is him all over and he's happy if it works once just so he can justify it. We've all been pleasantly surprised this season, shocked in fact with his sticking to the same team and system where possible. Holding off the rotation and keeping more square pegs in square holes its played a massive part in getting us where we were. Slowly though and predictably standard Tombola Tony has crept back in. The only thing keeping it together is the 3 center backs staying fit and the lack of options to rotate them.

He's a good one the best we've had for a decade but i don't think hes ever fallen into super keeper mode. Nowhere near the amount of clangers in him that Raya had though. The Fulham goal looking at it from his angle wasn't as easy as it first looked it took a little scuff up just in front of him. Yes he should have done better but keepers in general are taught to parry now. They don't take balls in like they used to probably on account of lighter balls nearly always having spin on them. On another day a defender toes it away but fair play to the Fulham lad, if only we had someone in the box alert enough !

Despite his good points one of the main issues with TM is he isn't pro active enough he's mostly always reactory. Whenever theres been chance to put the foot on the gas or do something bold in a window he has always taken the safe option. Then it's back to the old stability versus having a real go argument. We know were most inside Ewood are more comfortable to be, the risk v reward doesn't look like it's worth the hassle.

The real left wing back he has craved and the team has needed has now arrived, to play right wing. Fact is good as he can look hes neither scored nor created anything yet so to sum up we might assume he isn't in his correct position.

Last time he went for face to face meetings the first thing they did was discuss his contract extension and permission to buy drones. He came back with that all signed and sealed so no reason to expect anything different this time. He is NOT going to India to be sacked or step aside so remove all notions of that. If Vs were to remove him it would be like all the others and someone else would do the dirty work. If they wouldn't do it someone else would be temporarily parachuted in to do the deed.

I was just thinking that when reading his latest waffle he really never sees the error of his ways yet from the stands it's loud and clear. Full on denial mode he's in again now, didn't need strikers, loads of options, swaps around after studying opposition then bizarrely says he just concentrates on what we do...... Too many options again now for his muddled approach but it's entirely predictable. When Dack was in his pomp it was all tailored for him, similar with AA last season now it's been BBD this season. Take them away and hes no idea what to do it's just change the front players around every week hoping to catch the opposition out. We didn't need any strikers but there aren't really any in the entire club apart from Vale, surely it wouldn't have hurt to get another in.

Ahh the old Chorley bus station. You could smell it from Wheelton 🤣

I think the system has worked this season and still is all we are missing is some balance across the front line and goals obviously. I really feel if he alters it much we'll start conceding bad goals again it's this system that suits the back line and midfielders. That's why we have stayed in the mix and not been losing 0-1 every week like last season. Yes there should be a plan B and there should be a target man and another striker of some sort on the books. For me it's yet again come back to recruitment and squaddies over horses for courses. There was opportunity to get real back up and plan B but his default setting has always been mix and match. In his element rotating and swapping about the forwards, an excuse to use everyone and just hope something works. Imo if he starts faffing about with the whole team and system things really will go up in smoke. Was always going to be the case this season that if we do finish in the top 6 we'll have to grind ourselves there. Possession football and 433 would never have done it though.

When posts start with 'I've heard...' it's usually best to scroll on.

It doesn't need slicing it just needs telling as it was in factual form not rewriting to suit your argument. Mackay didn't have those funds available for more than 5 mins, you've no idea whatsoever how it would have panned out had he had a season or 2 to go at it. Fact is his drawing power couldn't match the spending power so he wasn't sacked on results really. Previous evidence of getting into the plays offs 3 seasons on the bounce with not much. Plus the players he was trying to bring in would suggest he'd have had a damn good go at it. The main difference for me is the man was bold and ambitious way before Jack put the coin in. He was never happy to rest on his laurels and prattle on about journeys. He demanded the team punch above its weight, that has been missing here since the days of Allardyce. It isn't back yet despite the lofty position.

Don couldn't spend the money and attract players that's why he fell on his sword. At least he tried, if TM had that money he'd tell Venkys to spend it in India instead and him and Swag would spread a million around the squad !

Not strictly true it wasn't all results based he was sacked because one of the biggest names in world football had already been sounded out and said he fancied the job.

They really need to be sensible with any new contracts dished out to this regime because it only delivers when it's under a bit of pressure. One year rolling deal makes 100% sense, no more talk of journeys and all that crap. Just heads down season on season and drive it forwards stop putting feet up on desks in a comfort zone. Otherwise backwards we go...again.

- 'one good season in four' -

When you consider we are the 10th most successful club in the country and probably one of if not The most successful town club.

As long as Suhail backs up Stevie and Tony's words then that summary i can see being terrifyingly close to the scenario.