You'vre got an inexperienced coach coaching a raw keeper at first team level it's ridiculous really what can he pass on ? They should never have let Keeley go he was responsible for bringing Raya though and I feel he'd be a better keeper now if he'd had another year or two under him. Steele although never great went backwards almost straight away when JK left. These appointments probably fell under the league one cost cutting but now we aren't in league 1 anymore, another area that needs upgrading but Ewood still resembles a bit of a jobs for the boys outfit.

We've had some cracking teams down the years and the best one I've seen is the one that won the league but that particular Rovers side in that Villa match era would've given any one of them a game. They spank this current lot quite easily. That Villa match was the best atmosphere I remember on the old Ewood it was electric from start to finish. God knows how many were actually on but you can bet it was a couple of thousand more than the official stats lol

Coyle over Mowbray Merce really ? Come on fella your proving yourself as mad as a box of frogs with that kind of talk. If that clown was still here we'd be about 10th in league 1 now at best. He wouldn't have got us up last season he really wouldn't, instead of Dack there'd have been Giles Barnes and donkeys of that ilk on nice cushty contracts probably arsing around angling for pay offs ! Anthony Stokes ??? say no more.

Neither but if pushed City all day every day I cannot stand Liverpool and the their legions of armchair whinging victimised fans. They must've spent about 1 billion trying to win the Prem in the last 20 years, balls to em.

This is the problem it's going to end up with loads needing replacing in key areas as well as upgraded the ones who've struggled this season and just aren't really championship level week in week out. That'll cost big money and we've already wasted a window and a load of money on a kid. As for Mowbrays contract he should be on a rolling one and those on here screaming about a 5 / 10 year contract well I hope you've wobbled your heads now do you never learn ? The punatics don't but his stock was quite high after promotion I suppose and he might have courted interest from elsewhere.

He's fast turning us into a shower of shite now, what a terrible judgement call not getting some good defenders in and letting one go who could at this moment probably out perform Mulgrew or Rodwell. Luxury players those two are.

He can bang the drum to them all he wants but until he the manager gets in a commanding centre half or two and/or a solid keeper this will carry on happening. Has all season, did last and the one before yet he seems to think it's just mental. Well if it is it's proven beyond doubt now some of these are too mentally fragile and that'll never alter.

I can't find the words.....

Wouldn't be surprised if he phases Reed out quite a bit now as chances are well stacked he won't be here next season, understandable I suppose but when you've decent talent here and still a chance of a good finish you should use it. To be fair to Mowbray Reed has looked a bit jaded recently.

That's why this summer is huge for him as he's given himself the platform to try and alter all that. First season was all about trying to make a silk purse out of Coyles sows ear, last season was just all about getting back up straight away before there was massive budget cuts, hence the fire power he brought in and playing as many strikers as possible out of position at times. This season he's got a free pass in some quarters under the consolidation headline even though in truth we should be several points better off and looking at an exciting seasons end. Now if he doesn't make genuine efforts to improve those areas that should've been improved by now we'll know he's either blind to it, ignoring it just to plod on or there really isn't the ambition from above that they like to say there is. We aren't expecting him to spend 20 million either, a couple of good defenders won't cost that.

He's rebuilt the whole core of the club from the inside so if he left tomorrow there'd be a far better platform than when he came. Ideally he'd have been the best type of guy to take over after Bowyer and add his experience to the mix that was sadly lacking then. I still think we'll need something more to push up a level but for now he's a safe pair of hands and this summer and next season are massive for him. If he doesn't at least try to kick it on we'll be in bother as we saw with GB stability only lasts a season two with what you have you need to add quality and freshen it up. An even bigger ask if good ones begin to get sold and that money isn't reinvested, a huge summer for the ownership as well.

You could tell he'd worked with Souness Don had the same minerals there never seemed to be any playing for a draw or damage limitation with him although most teams played with wingers and two up top in that period.

Maybe, sounds like the kind of stroke he'd pull.

Not sure in fact for years I thought DM had signed Sellars ! Speaking of Barker I remember him standing out, whatever happened to good all round midfielders like his type ? Have they disappeared or are we just so engrained in the two defensive mids mold now at Ewood that seems to have manifested itself in the last 8 years that we've forgotten they exist ?

It was the best thing he ever did and i'm pretty sure he didn't walk away from a potential pay off. My guess is Shebby was about to spill the beans on him so he took what was on offer and the old option to resign and scarpered. Kean hung on in the face o fierce abuse and threats just for the money and he would probably have left at any time for more money.

Such a different mix of types of striker in that lot though so not really a fair comparison but Garner was certainly good enough to bang in goals in a half decent side in the 80's version of top flight, maybe not in the 90s version though. He was an out and out instinctive poacher who just happened to be able to play a bit as well......and drink and smoke a little inbetween, well quite a lot actually ?

Sign a couple of good players in summer, show this alleged ambition they have, get a bit of a buzz going then push the schools etc tickets from the beginning of next season. And try some tickets deals for some attractive fixtures the kind people might want to go to, also stop moving bloody kick off times when you don't need to !!!!!

Brilliant to hear from the Don, fantastic teenage memories when he breathed new life into the club and nice to hear him pay tribute to Saxton. When you look at where the other local rivals where at that time those two worked miracles. Saxton brought in Sellars, Don got in Hendry. Gayle, Speedie and both of them got the best out of Garner - All my fav Rovers cult hero's right there !

Means sod all where Kean had us we were about to begin a losing streak when he was potted and basically he still had a Premier league squad although a very pale imitation of the one who he back stabbed his way into taking over. I'm utterly convinced we'd have ended up doing the double drop that season had he stayed, there'd have been no 1 season bounce back either !

1100 sold so should be a few more there come the day, not bad at all considering they all seem to have basically thrown this season back onto the middle shelf.

From the way TM is now talking about it being 'only' a mental thing I fully see us starting next season with the same defence unless some get sold. Worrying that he only thinks it's that although I doubt he'd say he didn't think they were good enough now after the window and no veiled threats of upgrading one or two. He's part right it is somewhat down to the mental thing but more fragility than just thinking they can shut up shop after every lead and going straight into backs to the wall mode, that hasn't happened many times because they concede that quickly it hasn't had chance. Top and bottom is that defence as a whole isn't good enough to do what it should and as said before if he doesn't acknowledge that privately in his own mind and address it we'll have big problems next season. They aren't bad just not strong enough to give us the platform for where the club needs to be going.

Nearest big local city Manchester and with other local clubs falling by the wayside for decades it's understandable how the red plague gripped places like that especially when you think of the George Bests etc. Dads take lads and that's where it begins way way back. Liverpool though, yeah a complete glory hunt from the late 70s onwards, embarrassing how many shirts turn up literally overnight when they near some sort of success then almost totally disappear again when they cock it up. They've always been a club people support for ONE DAY every now and again !!

It's had long been the town/city of the dual fan I've lost count of the ones I know who have their hometown team and their fav big local team shirt just for good measure. So long out of top flight they feel the need to associate with some of the big guns, no doubt why a lot pitched up at Ewood for a few years in the 90's ..?

We have to take into account you're on about fans who've stuck with at least a passing interest in local teams as most of those areas listed like anywhere else in the North are over infested by Man U & Liverpool 'fans' who seem to far outweigh everyone else. The local clubs really would have some big crowds if people had a bit more loyalty to the historic clubs near them instead of the ones on their tv screens. Honourable exception to Chorley were there's always been a good few actually go watch the big 2 as well as City and Everton.

Good job you didn't work there either I doubt you could've gone back and edited things when you were a bit wide of the mark first time.