Well seeing as you mention it............?

Only you could come out with that ? Well you and the Unicorn botherer ? Anyway Hughes said to Bellamy come to us for a season, get fit and give us your best. If you want to stay we'll try and sort something but if as I think is likely a top club comes in we won't stand in your way and will let you go for what we paid for you. An opportunity for a quality player to relaunch his career on a gentlemen's agreement, i'd have TM down as someone similar who sticks to his word.

Town !!! ! Your research didn't stretch as far as that rather obvious point ?

I could give you a dozen reasons why we have been in the past ! It is possible in football for people to help each other out without any conspiracy being attached, remember Craig Bellamy ?

Not really if they wanted to give the lad a helping hand because long term he might have other aspirations and be too dear for us to keep.

I just wonder if the whole idea of Rodwell is just to get him fit and relaunch his career from here, he comes in works on his fitness, has a short contract, steps in and helps out when needed and at the same time puts himself in the shop window. Was he ever going to be 'our' player so to speak ? Very much sounded like Mowbray was unofficially alerting other clubs.

Remember the results of some survey a while ago when they were in the prem doing ok saying that about 25% of their season ticket holders came from Colchester or something. Like Norwich their town/city isn't huge but they've a hell of an area to pull from.

He's being clever and keeping the main lads onside but as pointed out at the same time it's a bit daft to basically say the others only fill in when needed. You come in do the job well, better than the others in some cases, then you keep the shirt whoever you are it's as simple as that. If he's just itching to get back to the old formula so he can tinker about keeping the others happy by chucking them in here and there and making predictable subs we'll go nowhere it's just Bowyer mk2. It's also why we draw so many ! Thought Mowbray had a far bigger set of balls than that, to push this on you need to make changes for the better and when they work stick to it. You need to strive to improve and upgrade all the time otherwise it's the comfort zone drift.

And what happened to the plan of loaning in good players who can challenge the established ones with a view to buy ? Hopefully that hasn't been shelved !

From the squad we have now and the young players breaking in there is absolutely no point bringing in anyone unless they can contribute. No risk is fine but no use is pointless and we don't want any blocking the way of the others because we are doing a big club or someone a favour. I refer back to centre half cover if Downing goes and some pace for the wings = vital

We bobble along an the same weaknesses pop up regularly so fans follow the theme, another target man with a goal or two in him to help back up DG, A big strong centre half we've been crying out for for years and of course that rare Rovers phenomenon that only occurs with the eclipse.....a proper winger with pace. Then as football is football we get a curve ball game like Saturday were there are changes, you think we are nailed on to lose but we win and those who've stepped in have their best games yet !!!!! I still think we need all the three above but can see that game clouding the thinking and this window being very much as you were. P.S...... I don't think there are any funds for anything decent anyway .....

It was one of those games where it looked like a lot of individual battles going on around the pitch and a few sub plots, the kind of thing that undoes Rovers at times so I was pleased they stood up to it and we ended up bullying them. Not sure what people expect of Nuttall but to me that's the best I've seen him in a Roves shirt he did his bit besides poaching that important first goal. I think under Mowbray Rovers look to counter when they can and play football in patches and I think they tried that yesterday but they stopped us so we dug in. The strength of our bench along with it being used correctly was the telling factor for me just as it was for most of last season in league 1. There are plenty teams where that can be applied against in the Championship that's why we should do ok, we are stronger than a lot of sides even n this league.

Both to be fair, I think it was just one of those games that had to be toughed out, ok we could have been a bit more adventurous particularly on the right wing first half but we had a defensive winger on there obviously to stop them. They went out to stop us and the result up to a point looked all the world a nil nil grind but he did the right changes both tactically and personnel wise although some of it might have been forced and we turned into a win. We've been on about grinding wins out for ages so yesterday we did it and I honestly reckon had we gone looking to play the tippy tappy powder puff stuff again yesterday we'd have lost comfortably. Maybe it's just an over reaction from me but I was happy to see us hand out some 'treatment' ourselves yesterday instead of wilting, never one for the purists but it was a typical Championship hard fought game

Kevin Moran and David Mail.... ?

Has anyone ever told you about the champagne tastes on beer money Jim ?

Duffy and Hanley were similar slide a ball down Grants let side or between them and they were in trouble, Duffy had legs like a new born giraffe on the deck at times, Big Col was always done for pace when left exposed although he usually nailed them which was still in the rules then. We've struggled with the ariel physical stuff at times and I think that's why Downing stands out a bit from the others he's more suited to it. For me that's where the balance of two centre backs complementing each other comes in and we haven't had that here since Samba and Nelson I don't think.

Conway worked hard yesterday and shored up the wing defensively but he did get a bit of freedom down that side at times yet he's a complete busted flush as an attacker. More balance having him there than a striker though.

I wouldn't be a fan of him left sided in a back three in fact i'm not a fan of a back three at all but he's done it a time or two and not looked comfortable and not launched any passes. Mind you debating the merits of him or Rodwell at centre half is quite nice not long ago it was a debate between Gordon Greer, a lad on loan and Wes fookin Brown !!!!! Shows how far we've come, the new Colin Hendry will be along soon ?

It's amazing how a lot of the others drug cheating gets brought up all the time yet Furys now gets swept under the carpet because he's getting the sympathy vote. He was a cheat and if you look at some of the other cases most offered up an explanation, he didn't apart the wild boar nonsense also his meltdown seemed to coincide with him being busted not the other way around. Two year PEDS ban is on his record and always will be but coming from a family of petty crooks and major recreational drug dealers he's a very canny operator especially now he's in bed with plastic gangster Frank. But we've been here before, ban the fooking lot of them !

Games down there over the last 6 years or so have been similar I think, we try to play they go out to stop you, they try and bully you but we stood up to it, it is what it is. A few more stodgy efforts like that and we'll finish in a good place, sod the entertainment lets just bite and grab and nick the points at these type of gaffs.

Yeah fair point but the prospect of him launching passes from left back wets the appetite a bit more than those two being the oppositions 12th man when it comes to passes.

Not long ago it was said he wasn't a defender and should be starting as a midfield stopper, same with Lenihen I said it myself. Amazing what difference one good game makes although I don't think we should lose sight of the fact the way Millwall play and the way TM set out today suited those two more than maybe some more open games. He certainly lloked the part though and personally I wouldn't mind a back line of Nyambe or a new one, Lenihen, Rodwell, Mulgrew. I think Charlie would be a cracking left back at this level and we'd then have a solid back line with height in it and a bit of craft. Won't happen though so I'm only dreaming.

He's a poacher that's what he is he isn't a good player but he can be a good poacher he carries that kind of goal threat. Pleasing thing is since last time I saw him he looks more physical and used it he didn't shy away or appear lazy as sometimes in the past. Made some intelligent runs today as well he's a handy option to have on the bench. Could he have pinched another goal or two this season if he was used like Brereton has been ? Could we be a few points better off ? It's a fair argument I reckon.

I thought it was a terrific team performance even if we'd seen it out at 0-0 so the win was the icing on the cake. I've moaned about the team sometimes having a soft underbelly at times but they stood firm today in fact bullied at times a strong team at a hostile ground, a team who go out to stop you and win from set pieces. We matched them all over the park only low point was Bell giving the ball away every time he had it but he stuck to his task defensively. Mowbray got the 'in game management' and subs just right this time, his tinkering paid off as it does now and again against the more bog standard sides. As for Nuttall well that's just why I've been screamiing for him to be in ahead of Brereton for ages he's way ahead in terms of development and was a handful all game against their rugged defence, he also always carries a goal threat even though he's no Danny Graham. Send Ben out on loan and let's have a bench with Nuttall playing a part and maybe A N Other striker plus there is Samuel to come back and young Butterworth but what do I know eh Biz lad... ?

Looks like he's really putting Nuttall in the shop window !