Hypothetical conversation in the dressing room after the match:

TM to Lewis Travis - What the hell do you think you are doing driving into their box after only 22 minutes?

Travis - Well I got a penalty didn’t I boss.

TM - What would have happened if they had hit us on the counter?

Travis - Sorry boss

TM - You know I only like to play with 2 and a half forwards and like my 2 centre midfields to sit well outside the box passing side to side or backwards and try to break up any counter attacks

Travis - Sorry, you know best boss. In future I will stay well out.

TM - Good lad. I think you are starting to understand the Mowbray way.

RIP Barrie - lovely left footed midfielder. Never forget his thunderbolt v PNE at Deepdale in  a 5-3 win in the late 60’s

Turning point for Sheffield Utd tonight - Henderson howlers, confidence levels will drop and panic will set in last 20 minutes of matches. Seasons change on moments like these. Won’t get promoted now.

32 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I'd have had Metcalfe on the right wing and Rogers in Metcalfe's place. Connelly had been a top player in his day and was obviously in the 22 that won the World Cup but his best days were behind him.

We'd get promoted with that team today.

It was the same old story in that era, just a couple of players short of being  a really good team.  Blacklaw was past his best and why we signed Brian Hill I'll never know. Just one of a long succession of left wingers brought in after Mike Harrison left that weren't fit to lace his boots. Don Hutchins anybody ?

I tried my best to get Rogers in that team. I realise Connelly was in the latter stages of his career after being a top player at Burnley and United but I always liked him. He scored 36 goals in 149 appearances for us - not a bad return for a winger.

Brian Hill - dear me. I don't think I ever saw him beat a man. His greatest moment in a Rovers shirt was chesting the ball into the net from one yard to score. Another dud sold to us by Huddersfield.

My joint team would be: 2-3-5 or today could adapt to 4-4-1-1

Raya

Newton Wilson

Hunter Mulgrew Knighton (capt)

Connelly Metcalfe Graham Dack Armstrong

Subs: Blacklaw, Bennett, Lenihan, Evans, Rogers, Martin, Fryatt

The younger players selected of today are of my opinion as to how well I think they will progress in the future.

Apologies, to The Don, Eamon and Gentleman Jim who were not included in the starting 11. You were my favourites at the time.

I think this team would finish top 2 today and definitely top 6.

Ferguson, McEvoy, Pickering, Douglas, Harrison

RIP Mike - terrific winger

Really surprised we played the last 15 minutes with a front 3 of Nuttall, Graham and Armstrong and backed up with Travis, Bennett and Reed pressing forward. So unlike TM. Maybe after our recent capitulations a light has switched on in his head.

2 hours ago, AllRoverAsia said:

I hope he plays at Ewood and divine justice prevails.

Just wish we had an Andy Todd in our ranks to sort him out.

11 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Unease is a good description. There is something causing the nervousness at the back. I don't think it's Mulgrew, more a combination of Lenihan and Raya. They are panicky, particularly Lenihan. Raya is a great shot stopper and improving every year, but I notice his assertiveness is not where I would like it to be. The best keepers are the boss of their box. He should be barking at everyone, Mulgrew included.

Another recent thing I saw and didn't like was after the Birmingham penalty Gardner ran into him and jostled him, another Brum player squared up to him. Raya looked scared. You cant let the opposition get away with that. Not just Raya, but I was very disappointed not to see some of our other players straight over giving it back to the Birmingham players. We looked like wimps. All led to the tide turning in their favour. Would that kind of thing went on against Sparkys team? You can bet your bottom dollar that it wouldn't have been stood for and rightly so. 

Agree. At the time, I was livid that no Rovers players went over to stick up for their young keeper. A bit of a melee would have slowed the game down, so as not to give them momentum, as well as showing support for your team mate.

As you say, couldn't imagine Neill, Todd, Nelsen, Samba or Savage standing for that.

Excellent preview Proudtobe. This fixture always sticks in my mind. My first ever away game, which was on Boxing Day 1964 at Elland Road. As a 9 year old, I don't think I have ever felt as intimidated or anxious as I did that day. It finished 1-1 and I think Dougie scored our goal. We had a super team around that time, as many of our more senior posters will agree, but had just lost Fred Pickering to Everton for a massive fee in those days. Leeds had just started the Don Revie era and were challenging Man Utd and Chelsea . We played them back at Ewood 2 days later and lost 2-0.

Great memories!

I thought he did a really good job in the 80's in difficult financial circumstances. We had a good keeper and defence, lacked somewhat in midfield but with 2 good wingers and a goalscorer. We were always just a few players short of pushing for promotion. Enjoyed his press conferences - no bull just down to earth.

Really good preview Proudtobeblue&white.

Talking about Holes. We all have our top 10 Rovers players, our top 10 Rovers matches and our top 10 Rovers goals. Whenever we go to Deepdale, I always think about one of my top 10 goals. Occurred in a brilliant 5-3 win in 1967. I was 12 years old and still remember a 25 yard left footed pile-driver from Barrie Hole. Similar to the Steven Reid strike at Wigan. I will forever remember that match and also got the legend Bryan Douglas's autograph outside the players entrance. 

Barrie Hole was a talented left half with a magic left peg.

Still got the Programme.

A Day in the Life (4000 holes in Blackburn Lancashire)

‘Comb over Keogh’ always looks dicey to me.

When Derby score first they then press for a 2nd and go for the jugular. Hope we can learn to do this over time.

I don’t think I’ve ever been as nervous listening to a match like I was today. On the final whistle I checked my blood pressure and for a 63 year old It was so high I should have been carted off to A & E ?

Hope the pre-match negativity from some on here about TM’s line up will be laid to rest.

In Tony we trust!

Sad to see so much negativity towards the managers tactics on here pre match. I think he is doing a top job and we must trust he knows whats best.

Having seen the compilation of Brereton, the way he runs reminds me a lot of Garry Birtles. Just hope he has a better scoring record for us than Birtles did at Man Ure. ?

Thursday 7pm

It seems that I am in the minority here but I think under the catastrophic circumstances our club are in, this is not too bad an appointment.

I think it gives us a better chance of surviving than we had a couple of days ago. Even if Mowbray gets an initial response and positive results for the next few games, that may be enough to save us.

A good guy and hope he proves his doubters wrong.

Just pleased I won't have to listen to motormouth babbling on anymore.

A top guy and will be sadly missed. He put together a team that was hard to beat and had the ability to snatch a winning goal. Also we had those cup matches against Villa and Coventry which will always stick in my mind forever. I was on my honeymoon the night we clinched promotion against Bury and was listening to the match on the radio which didn't impress the missus. A bit like Neville in Auf wiederseun Pet

Happy days. RIP Howard - a Rovers legend

I was fortunate enough to see him play at the latter end of his career.

I also met him several times when he did the stadium tours.

I true gentlemen and a true Rovers legend.

RIP Ronnie.

You can criticise McCarthy all you want but in my opinion he's been a very good player for us and one of the best players in term of techincial skill to ever grace the Rovers shirt . In his first season he was particularly brilliant since then he's been a bit hit and miss, but for the large part he's been a key player in our team. Even when he wasn't playing at his optimium level he still came up with the goods in terms of goals. We probably wouldn't even be in the Premiership if it wasn't for all thoose vital goals he scored towards the end of last season.

Seemingly the new regime under Big Sam particualry since the beginning of this season has seen Benni not get as much time on the pitch as he would like in the build up to the World Cup in his own country. Obviously some sort of issue between McCarthy and Big Sam. Not really difficult to see how it might have arose. McCarthy is a flair and specialist player who can only be used effectively if he's got a strike partner and with the ball played along the floor. Whereas Big Sam is more a 4-5-1 man with a direct style of play and prefers players who "put in a shift". In many ways Benni was always a round peg in square hole under our current tactics and style of play under Big Sam.

I don't blame either Big Sam or Benni, sometimes in football there's just a clash of personalties and the only option is for the player in question to leave. Fergie/Becks, Souey/Dunn are just two example i'm sure there's many more you can think of.

Yes Benni had his flaws, but don't all players? I'd prefer to reflect on the good and all the joy he brought us during his time at the club. Quite fitting his last game at Ewood for us was the Fulham game, in which he was the best player on the pitch by a country mile and demonstrated some of his sublime ball skills. That begs the question is it a mistake to sell him? in terms of player quality I'd say yes because we'll do well to find a player of a similiar quality for the price and it puts a lot of pressure of Kalinic now if our replacement for McCarthy doesn't fire. In terms of team morale and dressing room harmony? probably yes.

But overall I'd like wish Benni good luck at the Hammers and thank him for all the good memories.

Good to see someone putting forward a balanced perspective on this.

Yes, he his out of order for engineering a move by failing to turn up for training but some people have short memories.

I can think of several occasions when Benni has scored that all important goal or tucked away a crucial penalty that has meant a valuable 3 points. I have often said to myself, "Thank you Benni for being so cool under such pressure, you are a class player".

Also, as Grizfoot points out there was only one player on the park who showed any class against Fulham.

90% of members on this board are against hoofball and playing one up front.

Ask yourself, Do you honestly think this style of football suits him. In his position you would be really brassed off sat on the bench against Villa after putting in a big performance a few days before. I always thought that if you are given the opportunity to shine and took your chance, then you would keep the shirt for the next game.

The only person to come out of this with any credit is BS. It's only a couple of weeks ago that he was seriously panicking about his job and a large percentage of our supporters wanted him out. My God, it's a sad day when you get chastised for having the bottle to take a short corner against the managers wishes.

I could have sworn that I heard Benni's name chanted several times against Fulham, or maybe I was mistaken. Perhaps it was just Grizfoot and myself?.

According to SSN, Benni due to have a medical in the moning after agreeing terms on a 2 and a half year deal.