All i saw was a team tactically out thought and out fought again which will have left the more casual attenders and viewers thinking 'Nowts changed' The fans did their bit last night the team and manager didn't but there's a very good opportunity to put it right on Boxing day. Although that gate will probably be down to about 15k ish now.

Manchester is Manchester, Liverpool is Merseyside and Bolton & Wigan are two shoiteholes slapped in the middle both with their share of overspill from the others. That's the way it is.

Williams has always had the passing ability of Lowe so it was no surprise but after Tosins composure it seemed worse. I thought tonight after about 15 mins 442 with a decent winger or two would have suited us better against them. Something a bit more solid looking as they exploited the little pockets of space which pushed us back but we had nothing wide as outlets.

Sometimes we just have to accept a team have done their homework and do a job on us. Doesn't make it any easier to take and we should be able to deal with it but we are what we are. Forever terrified of the bright lights of the top 8 !

If we are going back to the 80's aye.

Hull fans issuing similar rallying calls for their Boxing day game we aren't the only ones struggling to pull them in this season. They've probably lost more than we have over recent years.

Why ?? Opening up the lower just to accommodate a couple of hundred maybe, just shows how stupid and pointless the whole idea is. It's only covering over why they really did it anyway, useless to a man the crowd controllers down there.

How do you think it feels for those who turn up every game ? Sad thing is Ewood is way too big for a northern town team muddling around midtable in the second tier. If they can't grasp that i suggest you point out to them the opinions of 'plastics' carry very little weight in English football outside of their own cliques. Do what every diehard fan of a club like ours should do an tell them per head of population our support stands up to most others and everybody in that ground no matter how few is worth ten thousands glory hunting armchair snowflakes !!!!!!!

We won't see 24,500 tonight, Boxing day or any other anytime soon, 18k ish all in for both depending on the away take ups.

Yeah i remember now there was a big group tried to sneak there on a later train or something but got rounded up and sent back i think.

I'm sure it was compulsory and only ST holders allowed to apply for tickets, no ticket no travel as i recall hence why it wasn't sold out. Remember getting letters through the post with to do's and don'ts for the day, you'd have thought you were going to be entering Belfast at the height of its troubles or something. Mind you the great unwashed, most of whom hadn't been to the game, lived up to their scum tag in fine style in their own town afterwards.

That's been a philosophy of Mowbrays since he's been here and it's often led to the baffling and beffudlement of his own players and fans. Something the opposition have seized on a few times, when it's worked like last week it's seemed more like stuck clock syndrome. I'll be more than happy if he's more or less moved away from that ideology and gone back to something a bit more standard as the first option. The best strongest first 11 that compliment each other and have been getting results let the opposition worry about what they know is coming at them.

It's impressive and all seems very organised and professional so got to give credit to Mowbray and whoever is overseeing it. To me that's still where his greatest strength lies and although you'd expect that of a club like this anyway i doubt it was that way when he walked in. As long as the main focus and funds remain committed to pushing the first 11 as far as is humanly possible we should do ok.

It was a good crowd and atmosphere in league 1 for this fixture despite tv and standard prices so hopefully a repeat of that. Wigan will bring 2-2.5k which is decent for them and about normal here. Hopefully we hand them their arses on the pitch.

Riverside used to have a capacity of over 5.5k i think

Wrong signing, wrong club, wrong time, wrong fee. I think it'll go down as one of those sadly, if Forest had loaned him out somewhere then without the pressure and being used correctly he might have been looking good now a division or two lower. At the right club obviously.

People not seen since Oxford may be turning out, that's great. What will the club do to entice them back a few days later ? Nothing because Brum might bring 3k ! Over to Tony and the boys...

The 'ITK' 's are turning on each other now ! Whatever next, relax lads them days have gone....hopefully.

Given his agent i'd say there is a strong possibility of it happening and it's not a road i'd go down unless the fee is about 500k which is unlikely. You are right in saying he fits the ethos and the way TM does things. Still prefer a better no 1 for now but he looks like he's settled down a bit to be fair.

I keep saying it but i'm 90% expecting we'll sign Walton full time and probably pay a handsome (undisclosed) fee.

I'll never forget that one it was Radio Lancs phone in gold. 'If we were in Rovers position we'd.....' - STILL get smaller gates mate ?

Meanwhile in Burnley many years from now ... 'B'stds support was so crap they paid for Bury supporters to go'.....

But for me the second side more represents the type that has struggled and normally looked a bit disjointed. The first side is the one we are more all about and more comfortable with, the one which has transformed the season. No brainer for me that's the number 1 way to go with the other being an option B. No more mix and match between the two though that's where the problems start. Keep it balanced, keep it simple.

99% with this, total sense. Personally i prefer Arma as a sub at the min and Rothwell despite him not always tearing up trees brings a bit more balance to it from the off imo.

He never seems to learn he'll be complaining next time Lenihen breaks down. Waggot says we don't want gap fillers but that is exactly what TM seems to specialise in. If he was presented a good quality player and told we could afford it he'd snub it if it meant actually replacing someone i'm sure of it.