Fringe players and kids i certainly wouldn't be starting the likes of Graham and imo we are still a little bit light in the striker dept it would be nice if there was a youngster looking to take his chance in games like this. Brereton probably wouldn't be started up top if he was fit.

I'm sure that in the mid 90's we came out top or joint for local support in a poll of Prem clubs ST fans that lived within 5 miles of the ground.

The music at Ewood is a continual debate i remember us moaning it was too loud as far back as when Ince was boss. Once sat next to 6 thousand Sunderland fans in the far end of the Riverside who were in full voice pre match and the music cranked up and completely drowned them out. Fair enough you may think except a nice chant was spreading around the whole home sections you could actually here the BBE from there as well then boom ear splitting music. They've never got it quite right i don't think.

Modern forward thinking from an old school manager.... ? Or maybe we just can't find, afford or attract any good wingers because there aren't many about so this is plan B, either way it's frustrating to watch although Gallagher copes well with it but he'll never cut his teeth as a good CF keep starting on the wing. Samuel, Brereton and now Gallagher have all been deployed there when the simple answer is a right sided midfielder or winger. I'm not thinking they are keeping it warm for Chapman either because he'll never be anything more than a cameo player i don't think.

I just reckon the police and stewards getting fed up of having to do something inside and outside the ground to justify their wages banged the drum for that one. We've seen how they've handled the PNE game in recent years and i'm sure they'd have every local game kicking off at dinner time if they could. Once it was put to Waggot that it might be a cost saver as well that was it, section closed. It wasn't often great but there was a bit of life in that end anyone who thinks it looks and sounds better now must be a right misery guts, so what if they were often only a few hundred in both sections ? At least there was a murmur of encouragement for the team attacking that end, taking set pieces etc as well as a bit of banter with away fans giving it an actual football match feel. I often think a lot at Ewood think they are at the theatre the game kicking off is like the curtain going up and a hush decends and thery don't want any distraction from a few herberts shouting at each other over a fence to their right/left..?

Like at Hudds or one or two others a very wealthy owner could step in and say right we need these crowds back so cut STs to half price promote the hell out of them and i'll personally subsidise it for a season or two. The aim being get as many back as possible and quickly as possible then concentrate after that on trying to keep hold of as many as possible. It wouldn't even need that as like Williams did with the increase in tv money he used a bit of it to get punters back in again as crowds were flagging even in the Prem largely due to price increases. Last season with promotion, feel good factor, decent little team emerging again, popular manager and an increase overnight of say 5-6 mill guaranteed before gates and everything else. That was the perfect opportunity to try a real bold initiative because anyone who knows Blackburn and these North West clubs in this congested areas knows that's what people respond to. Living in the shadow of Man U/City/Liverpool, Burnley in the Prem and all the other local bragging rights us in these areas i think makes us crave little bits of success for motivation more than anywhere else in the country, it's an absolute football hotbed, a real heartland but in a way there's more clubs to go round than fans so every little thing counts. What this lot did is take that opportunity and increase prices and look to contain things in the ground and cut costs instead of riding a rare wave of euphoria. They don't know the town and how it works round here and it seems just assumed that promotion despite price rises and alienating people by closing sections would gloss it all over and a host of stay aways would flock back, big mistake. Said it before at the time i can understand it purely looking at a balance sheet from a business point of view but this is football and Blackburn in particular has challenges and differences some similar areas don't so it is an isolated case in many ways. Now with Bolton and Bury floundering, Dingles keep staying up and will be hoovering up new young support from inbetween areas on the back of Prem football and Preston doing ok again it is more important than ever to get people in Ewood again regularly not just sitting about hoping for promotion or regular big away followings to boost numbers. So Messers Waggot/Cheston/Pasha/Raos and whoever else = Wrong strategy at the wrong time. Then you spent 6 million on a substitute so don't cry about lack of income !

I'm not sure what they are actually boycotting against it's not like they are trying to get rid of an owner they hate is it ? Contributing to busting their own club now i'd like to think if Rovers were in the same position we'd get a few thousand more on. They'd be the first lot to screech 'shite support' so they deserve some stick but no doubt Chorley might benefit a little bit as will the boozers in Bolton/Horwich and Chorley when they are all in there watching Man U and Liverpool instead. Every credit and respect to the ones turning up regularly though.

He says we need to find the balance which is true but you need the front men in their correct positions and you need some pace out wide. More than ever though you need to be able to put decent balls in another major flaw in our current set up aside from relying on 1 dead ball specialist. Mulgrew might have scored in this but we might have let two in as well so we are a work in progress again.

I suppose Holidays do play a part especially in this league with the earlier start as we move into Autumn people have less to do so more may fancy afternoons on the match. Still should always be north of 12k these days though imo.

Couldn't see the game today but sounds like a shocker however 3 clean sheets isn't to be sniffed at just need to find the knack at the other end. Invest c15 million all in in strikers to add to your ten goal per season man and stop scoring, invest nothing in defence to wide spread angst and stop conceding ! Funny old management going on although the tightening up in tactics is helping at the back which was much needed but maybe contributing to the lack of action at the other end. Can't have it all i suppose.

Where did all the Cardiff fans appear from ? Another turnout to pull Waggot out the do do but another poor home one you have to ask why it looks like home fans will be down on last season and considerably down compared to last time we were in stability mode. Seems to me all Waggot has done since he's arrived is manage to maintain similar taking whilst reducing home fans in the stadium, is that what he calls a balancing act ? Easy to blame the fans but right now the walk on prices look a bit stupid to say the least.

Closer it gets iv'e a nagging feeling Kovalev might do a job on Yarde the difference in experience is massive and could be what tells more than anything.

This keeps cropping up time and again by 'newbies' so if his agent is at it does he want to come back ? Iv'e repeatedly said no al;though thinking about it a player like that would be handy in this present squad and he'd probably fit Mowbrays game plans although he'd have to chop off Bennetts head first to get in the team. However the guy himself bailed out, maybe he was gently pushed it was a fire sale after all but he openly courted Sheff Weds etc when he was here as well as seeming a bit of a boozer. If he did come he'd need to be on very modest wages and be prepared to stay at RWB or RB. On a free with a 12 month deal ? Maybe.....

Nice day, good feeling in the air i hope the manager lets them off the reigns today ! i wouldn't have minded Warnock himself as manager not long ago but one of the few things remaining pleasurable in this league is to send the likes of him home with a bloody nose. COYB

Remember when Rovers signed Givet and the random bloke discovered with 50k in a brown paper bag he'd been told to drop off somewhere or something ? Large manager allegedly bent as a rusty old nail no wonder the fat slug and bald guy wanted shut of him he'd have been tucking right in to the impending feeding frenzy himself ?

There's millions in tax and VAT to be made from football in this country no wonder outside money is very welcome so yep no Govt will touch it. As long as there is no obvious direct trace to anything really dodgy i don't think they care where some of that money comes from either.

Giving the ball away a bit too much sometimes after about 18 months or whatever of sporadic first team action is something to work on with a young player, Giving it away too often after 5 - 10 years of first team action means it's time to be moved on and perhaps drop a level to somewhere it might not happen as much.

Agree that clubs bailing out other clubs sets a dangerous precedent and probably also why the authorities are reluctant as football being football and full of the chancers it is the piss will start to be took before long. If there are handouts of any kind on offer suddenly there are plenty of hands wanting to grab a piece and not all very genuine. Having said that 2 million in the wider football community is a morsel and if this was West Ham or someone of that ilk someone would slap the money down even just for the publicity of a good deed. Think you've got to look at Neville, Scholes and crews like that pouring money into essentially starting new clubs and looking to SKY on the back of their profiles and influence to back it to the hilt with live games. Perhaps the likes of them should look closer to home and get involved in ready made historical clubs like Bury etc.

Great fighter Lewis top ten HW all timer although i was never totally keen on him in or out the ring but knowing he was represented by Anderson makes me even less keen now. No wonder he was a pal of big Barrys, i wonder if the tantric one counted Akon as a client as well !

Is this why he stopped being an agent ( allegedly ) and started retraining as some legal vulture, to protect himself ? Wouldn't surprise.

If he learnt to hold his position and stand his man up better he'd be ok but similar to Henley it just doesn't seem to improve. Against a pacy winger who wasn't much good with his final ball he'd probably look ok. Some good right sided players though at this level and therein lies the problem.

Ritchie ? Or his dad ?

It's no wonder they now have a bit of faith in TM and the gang and reading those kind of things you almost feel a bit sorry for Mrs D but then again you remember Kean. I'm pretty convinced the brothers came over for that Wigan game to sack him and she intervened at the 11th hour and granted him a new contract to head them off. She made her own nest there.

If Lambert had signed Bell..... well you know the rest ?

Some want a line of taxis outside to nip them to the nearest local for a quick jar at halftime then back before the second half begins ! Seriously though the only way forward is to have separate booze and food kiosks i think. It's like when you just want to nip in and pay for a bit of petrol but there are several people in front getting their weekly bloody shop as well or asking for cigs, lottery tickets etc etc. Just slows everything down and doesn't really make sense. When you go into some big pubs and food halls these days they have separate bits for those queuing for food / booze and those who just want a hot drink.