Now that's a good idea I'd not thought of. Perhaps we need, at least for the next few seasons, to go back to the concept of regional divisions for the present Leagues One and Two. Well thought-of, that man!

Nah. I just think, "Ah bless; how sad to be a club so desperate to jump on the coat-tails of the famous Blackburn Rovers".

Obviously we never had the best of him; but, at least, he wasn't a Danny Murphy, using Rovers as a transition into another career. Perhaps we signed him a season too late. RIP Peter Whittingham

All too predictable. As will be TM's post-season analysis that he only promised more points and a higher final position in the table than last season. Which he'll probably deliver.

And for many of us, it was our route down from The Manxman down to the ground. I recall reading about plans for building an Ewood Halt - my name for the station, not what was in the paper - in the Lancashire Telegraph on the train going up to the EUFA Cup game at Celtic. And still it's being talked about.

I have a number of friends who are season ticket-holders at St. James' Park whom I asked about AA when we signed him. The consensus was that Rafa Benitez didn't think he could make it at the absolute top level. They made it sound like we'd got an absolute bargain at the price we paid for him; I'd be staggered if their beloved owner ? doesn't habe a good sell-on clause written into deals like the one on which we acquired him.

Well, if he is, I hope he can explain today's second penalty to his evaluators' satisfaction.

A bit of selective editing from someone who wasn't there and who won't pay Murdoch! I haven't heard ANYone neutral - BBC Radio 5, Quest TV - commentating on the game who thought that that Brentford's second 'goal' was a penalty. Obviously, I'm sad at the outcome, but it was a point I'd have taken at 12.29 this lunchtime. I'm a bit worried that Michael O'Neill's improved Stoke to the extent that I fear that 5 will be our maximum haul of points from today's and next week's two games. Let's hope I'm wrong.

Shouldn't that read, "the 2 points the Ref chucked away for us with the softest penalty decision ever"?

Mark Chapman on R5 says again that Brentford got a soft penalty. Nobody in the R5 studio saying that about ours. Mind; in the great scheme of things, what people in the R5 studio - or on here - think about Brentford's pen don't matter, do they??

FWIW Radio 5's commentator & their people in the studio agree. Interestingly, they didn't say that about ours. Mind you, even if they had, it wouldn't have affected the award, would it?

I've come late to this debate and am 'bingeing' on the last 10 pages or so of this thread at the moment. And, although I've gone a couple of pages beyond Mark's post above, I keep coming back to it. And that's because I'm perplexed by the last phrase in it. I'm not sure what it means. Are you saying, Mark, that if we can't get a better manager than TM: then the club should fold; that; if he's eventually replaced but by another name from the client-group of our least favourite agents, we should stop supporting the club; or what? Have to say that sounds like a real counsel of despair to me.

Thanks a bunch for that, Colt! I can't now get the image of Mulgrew as 'Captain Mainwaring' out of my head!?

Of course the downside of 'Football For a Fiver' is when the full house of home fans boo their team off at ht. [as mentioned by the Radio 5 reporter at the game!]?

And the lovely thing is how our goal difference is gradually increasing. Now up to +10; could make all the difference between 6th & 7th place at the end of the season.

Can't remember how long ago it was now - the years fly by - but when Everton suffered an 'epidemic' of, I think, knee injuries, David Moyes blamed the club's physiotherapist - one "Baz" Rathbone - and sacked him. Do similar questions need to be asked of our trainers?

Yes, it'll be a bit of a bear-pit dahn there on Saturday. I've just been talking to a pal in East London whose son lives near the ground and it's already a sell-out @ £5.00 a ticket. [Random question: Will Waggott have the nous to talk to his opposite number at The Valley about how to fill a ground with lots of fans for the day who might be tempted by a good result for their lads to return again and again????Or will he try to sell them the idea of a Waggott Tax?!] Back on topic: So how will we cope with a newly-resurgent Charlton - and their presumably fired-up crowd? I wasn't at last night's game [Please don't have a pop at me like you did at my pal, Russ, last night, inglorious basturk: I'm 73; mobility-impaired and no longer drive; live 20-odd miles from the ground and wouldn't have got home by public transport till around midnight.] but it was quite funny listening to the occasional reports from Ewood on Radio 5. The reporter was someone I'd not heard before, but he was quite enjoying the game and I remember thinking, "I'll bet what I read on the Message Board after the match won't be quite like that!" Nor would I have expected it to be; we're all - hopefully - "Rovers till I die." After we'd got the 3rd goal, the R5 reporter said that the introduction of Samuel and Brereton had made a difference and implied that the latter had been a bit of a hulk intimidating Hill's defence. So do we go with an ultra-cautious - we'll keep hold of the point we started the game with - approach or do we go a bit gung-ho and try to get some revenge for that 1-2 shock they gave us back in August? I'm not going to pick a team this far away from the game - there's plenty of time for another one or two of the squad to go down with injuries between now and Saturday - I just hope we keep the back door closed better than we did against Fulham and, perhaps a bit like it sounded on R5 last night, keep plugging away till Charlton crack.

That afternoon in South London was probably the first time since 7th May 1960 that my heart was broken. Life seemed so unfair!

Totally agree. It really will show Waggott up as utterly insensitive - especially after the verbal kicking the club's management got in FTH recently over their lack of respect to our deceased heroes of yesteryear - if the idea of naming a pitch at Brockhall after TP goes through, and the Riverside Stand isn't re-named.

Corrected for you, OJR!!?? I've a soft spot for Fulham - the first match I remember my Dad bringing me to at Ewood in 1953 - and, at the start of the season, I thought they'd be pushing the top two harder than they are. I think that, despite the Teesside Tinkerman, we can win this one by either the only goal, or the odd one in three. Our back four will have to keep a very close watch on Mitrovic, though.

I can only agree with every word that everybody's put in this thread. Especially with the need to get the Tony Parkes Riverside Stand named a.s.a.p. Tony wasn't "one of our own" in that we bought him, but he certainly became one. Has anybody answered the call to manage a club more often? I'm half-watching the Oxford - Newcastle replay while catching up with the Board. Given the Board's recent record with recognising those of our former heroes who've recently died, I was particularly interested to catch sight of a big photograph of Jim Smith, who of course managed both clubs, with his dates at the Kassam.

Isn't 'if' a very big word?!?

The question that keeps recurring to me in catching up on this thread is, "How much actual interest do the Venky's owners have in us?" Obviously they can't love This Great Club Of Ours as much as we do; it's in our blood. But is there someone based in Pune whose job is to keep them up-to-date with what's going on in the Championship? And, who knows, keeping an eye on this Message Board?! Or do they rely on TM telling the them the truth on his occasional flights out there? If the latter, then, sadly, I fear your optimism is misplaced, stinny1. If they're relying on cautious old Tony with his slowly-slowly approach, then they wouldn't see the need for pushing the boat out.

One of the snags about coming on here the day after the curtains were drawn on the the transfer window is that you - I! - quickly use up your daily quota of ❤️ to say you 'like' a post. So I just want to say I like this post of Tyrone's; imo it brilliantly captures the pre-Uncle Jack era.

Suggested amendment for you, Paul.