That's what Ewood was built for it always comes alive for games like that and is as good as anywhere in the country when everyone is up for it. Sadly though a decade of middle of the road championship fare and a mostly negative or dour vibes emitting from the inner corridors means more often that not it's a white elephant to modern day Rovers. Waggot enjoyed his champers hob nobbing with Shearer and his Geordie pals though so everything is fine in his corporate pandering world. It's quite pathetic they are happy to have it a third full at times and do nothing about it when they know they could half fill it with home fans with a bold effort on pricing. And it wouldn't affect the billionaire owners wallets one jot nor make much of a dint in the fabled 20 mill per season.

Was tremendous last night the best iv'e seen him here looked a lot stronger and more direct than usual. Still think he's best used as an impact sub.

Lineker is and always has been a knob this is a man who went an entire career and didn't get booked, probably because he never made a tackle. If Mike Tyson was the Baddest Man on the Planet saint Gary was/is the biggest wetwipe. Anyway from watching it back he managed to refrain from his usual sneering towards Rovers in order to respect big Al who was happily going on about his time here until the tax dodger swiftly changed the subject to Newcastle. We had our 5 mins in other words.

Drawn level now twice in the space of a few days against good opposition instead of crumbling so the signs are good.

Yes have to say last night Wharton looked every bit the defender we thought he was going to become a few years ago. Think a lot of it is down to involvement and once he has his favoured position hes found his timing again. It was way off under JDT when he was a bit part player. Also in terms of style i really thought we should have been approaching games against Southampton away and the likes of Leics and Leeds at home in similar fashion.

To be fair Lowe didn't seem to play much of a part under JDT either he was always slumped in his seat after doing his pre match bibs and cones bit. Mowbray had them all a bit more involved for some reason but i agree the whole set up needs new ideas now.

Agree and i was thinking the other night that if a manager like Allardyce came in he'd probably have him doing a role like Diouf did. Get him on the ball in a certain area and just win free kicks etc in positions to deliver into the box. He's an odd player he doesn't have much pace or skill to beat his man but can still cause problems when he is involved around the box. Still a bit too much of a luxury player for me who only seems to want to be involved in the final third for the 'look at me' moments. Get him grafting and he'll be ok.

Always shown signs he can be a steady number 1 behind a more pragmatic defensively organised team. For me TK should have been reinstated last season and we might still have him now if that was the case but all that has been done and dusted. Pears showed in his first stint he was ok as long as the team wasn't too open or dealing with too many set pieces and crosses. JDTs style wasn't be the best for developing keepers in the basic art of goal keeping although it helped their footwork get some overtime ! End of the day they've made us into a development team so players in whatever position are learning on the job and unfortunately are going to make their mistakes, cost us and we have to lump it. The ones with the real ability right mentality and coaching will come through it though and improve. Biggest thing in the case of Pears is the change of style and tighter work on all defensive situations. He needed to improve on set pieces/crosses and still does but nice to see he's adding Kaminski like reflexes to his armoury now as well. Confidence is the real improvement tool though. Although no point getting excited Waggot will have him out the door to pay the bills before he's anywhere near the finished article !

I thought Siggy was ok when he came on but he really does need to track back more and more importantly get moving when hes either lost it or passed it to a team mate outside the box. Was a time or two last night he dropped into midfield, passed then just stood there as the team broke forward. Got to support team mates at all times going fwds sideways or back in this league if you want to make an impact. Think it's a mental thing with him it needs hammering home what you have to do, get to grips with that he ca be a more important contributor.

People on here during a game is just like what you hear around you in the ground i thought we'd come to terms with that by now. It's called 'heat of the moment' stuff. But lets trawl all the way back through a thread to find something negative to suit a narrative 🧐

Lamenting ? Iv'e just read several pages back and there is no lamenting quite the opposite in fact. You put the drama in queen at times you really do.

More evidence cheaper tickets work even when it's live on the BBC. By the way in case it doesn't get mentioned on there x500 times per min Newcastle from their borough population of c8ook and 50k home crowds are bringing 7 thousandish. Beware of the relentless todger waving in the away end and sycophantic drooling from the commentators. COYB Rovers 1 Toon 1 at the end of 95 mins...

Since last summer probably...

Good look to him, good enough for the Swedish national job, good enough to win the league back to back with Malmo, good enough to walk into a league hes never been before with a small budget and give a club its highest finish and best cup run in over a decade. Not good enough for the powers that be to back him at Blackburn Rovers. Waggot, Suhail, Venkys hang your heads you collection of pillocks.

Decent turnout on the cards considering the live terrestrial tv.

I always said they'd still fund the club at some level or other even if less than 3k turned up every week and 3 stands were shut such is their seemingly ignorant stubborn attitude towards it all. Only way they'd sell is if forced one way or another.

Nope.

Prem teams although their passing is quicker and more accurate it tends to leave more spaces and be more open as they look to let the ball do the work. So that suited JDTs style and our young players coped with the pace better than a more senior side imo. That's out the window now though so if it were me i'd still start a young team with many changes and go down the JDT route of be brave, have a real go, make a statement this is your chance. Personally i see no point in risking all the key older players just to try and hold on for 95 mins then getting beat anyway. Just have a real go with young legs and take what comes that's what the cup is all about.

We warned the keeper situation would cost us and it did no doubts about it and there is a whole host of people to blame for that. Ironically Leo is probably the last one.

The BBE seems emptier every game and that's a sure sign pissed off regulars are staying away now.

Who would be the least bit surprised they've blown a chunk of the first Wharton instalment on another with an awful recent fitness record. It's just sooo Rovers.

We haven't though and they'll probably be happy if they can flog him for 1 mill plus add on's once Batty has steeped into the first team squad. That's the model brought to you by Suhail, Waggot and Greg Broughton. Top 6 doesn't come into it.

I thought that was Knightrider not Nicko ? Maybe they are one and the same.......

If we did go into admin and people lose jobs it isn't because of fans wanting rid of the ownership by any drastic measure. It's because of the rotten ownership itself.

But.... You build from the back and give yourself the firm foundations to keep conceding low and hope to build on it at the top end. Hard to beat in other words. So Brum was a dour stodgy game and a 0-1, PKE 2-2 and despite a pounding for a half hour spell either side of HT we didn't completely cave and came away with a point. Similar at Cardiff they asked the questions first half but we didn't let one in and second half we had a go but they defended well, so we were difficult to play against and came away with a point. 3 away games, 2 scored 3 conceded but two draws and a fist clean sheet since November so the base is being put in place. Hence he deserves a bit of credit, entertainment isn't on his mind right now and shouldn't be on ours.