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Whenever these two play it has been a nightmare for the home side in recent seasons. Incredibly Hull will be playing us with very realistic expectations of challenging for an automatic promotion spot. All I can see are the biggest thugs in our division.. We have gone 210 minutes without letting a goal in against the Tigers- another 100 minutes or so of clean sheet would be very welcome.

Between last Friday and mid February, 11 players are due to become available - 4 yesterday. The youngsters have all given good accounts of themselves which means Ismael will have 28 genuine contenders for selection or thereabouts assuming the pitch/lurgy/injury/transfers don't reduce the fit squad Ismael will have a selection headache, formation choices and absolutely no excuse.

From a Rovers TV perspective, the ground was visibly emptier than at any other point this season and the Rovers TV commentators were talking about the boycott. There was a younger person sat next to Gestede in the Pasha row in the directors' row. Anyone know who it was?

Cantwell had a poor game. Baradji looked good when he came on. First half, it was amazing it took Watford so long to score but from then on we shaded it without showing much quality. The Watford back line was there for the beating but we didn't have what it would have taken.

Watford need to bounce back from two rubbish home results if they are to keep top 6 dreams alive,

Another 3 points go begging. Mowbray JDT and Eustace would have stolen a win last night- Swansea were there for the beating. Goals 1 and 3 needed a proper left back on the field and we had two on the bench. All 3 goals would have been prevented by a decent centre half providing leadership and he plays for Wrexham now but George Pratt would have done better but he too was sitting on the bench. Powel did well, Jorgenson is lightweight currently but got himself where it mattered for our equaliser. Despite the Pasha Gestede demolition job, I think we have the squad to stay up but seriously doubt VI's managerial ability to use them to save us from relegation and pray the treatment room are doing their stuff properly.

Replacing Hyam with McLoughlin was probably the decision which has relegated us,

I had forgotten the transfer window is still open. I guess it is like an open window for throwing ourselves out of...

Into must win territory because the Swans are a team we need to be below us after the 46th game. Alebiosu as unused sub for Nigeria last night so he comes straight into the side for me. More controversially I would start Forshaw in place of Baradji and I saw enough of Jorgensen to be starting him too. Pratt for either McLoughlin or Cashin but that won't happen. Definitely keep Atcheson in the side.

Catastrophic Cashin debut. Long felt McLoughlin's level as a Hull reject was a correct assessment of his capabilities. With George Pratt in the side instead of Cashin we are not 2 down inside 10 minutes. Crap selection. The biggest problem is VI is simply not coaching us on how to play when in possession. There is no guile, no movement, no nothing. These players are much weaker than the team which the loons dismantled but they are better than what they are showing. Of course we are ravaged by absences but this is getting dangerously bad.

Don't know who had the bigger stinker, us or the ref. Joergensen has potential if we ever work out how to pass more than one ball to him in a half.

The two wing backs or whatever they are terrifying me. Otherwise as good a line up and bench as possible in the circumstances with 8 unavailable.

The news of Guehi and Glaser's departure from Palace plus Mateta being available for sale surely means Adam is on his way either in this window or next.

People often think Blackburn is a difficult place to settle in. Try a town of 42,000 which is a 16 hour car journey from Oslo and further north than practically all of Alaska.. It is far enough inside the Arctic Circle that at this time of the year, the only "daylight" is caused by refraction by the Earth's atmosphere for an hour or so each day. When he signed it was probably brilliant sunshine at midnight and warm enough to venture out in a light sweater.

So we have loaned a midget centre half from Brighton (echoes of JPvH in our dreams), successfully tempted a winger cum forward from 32nd place in the Champions League, Gueye is teaching Shanghai how to trap a ball and Mercer is a hero. Have I missed anything?

Papa switched sports to being a horse?

We usually put on a strong but losing display at Portman Road. One of my favourite games of all time was a 4-3 defeat in the League Cup in the days when full strength sides were put out. Ipswich were 2nd in the First Division and we were languishing in the second. Garner tore Butcher and Osman to pieces (the England first choice central defence partnership) and after leading 2-0 then 3-2 late goals from John Wark and Paul Mariner squeaked Ipswich through. I expect after having two good performances against Ipswich already this season, we will again give them a good game. Would be nice to go 1 up and get 3 points this time.

Loans are likely to be signed after the deadline... oops!

Thankfully we are not going to find out...

Glad we did our bit for the record goal tally in this year's third round.

Game of 3 halves from Rovers TV for me 1- no audio no video 2 -audio no video 3- no audio but had video Probably made the game much more bearable. Take aways - Toth clinched his place thanks to ET - Baradji classiest player on the pitch - Henriksen has an engine on him and can play a bit when in a familiar position - if only Tyjon had been running onto the pass Baradji slipped through to Doherty No Cup run so back to the Academy the lot of you...

When the injury happened, the Nigerian coach said it would be a two week absence.

I am sure I am not on my own in saying I have been extremely pleasantly surprised by the way Pratt, Litherland and Atcheson have not looked out of place playing Championship football and that extends to Dlamini's cameo appearances. So I am actually looking forward to seeing more kids in the team tomorrow confident that they will at least be a match for the likes of de Neve and Sidnei whom I fear will get game time ahead of more deserving youngsters. The big plus will be Toth back in goal. Really hope Hull extend him but not to the extent of back bends picking the ball out of the net. Cashin will be an interesting sighting - have we got the £9m worth of star or the version who apparently was rubbish at Brum? As for taking the Cup seriously, are we even the taking the League seriously this season???

The last Group game in which he got a deep gash which kept him out of the Round of 16 and might not be healed by Saturday.

Very much doubt we will see Ryan in a Rovers shirt again. On Saturday, Nigeria face Algeria- the only two countries with a 100% win record at AFCON. If Nigeria win that, they will be hot favourites to win the Trophy on Sunday 18th. Hopefully that gives enough time for Ryan to pass his Everton medical and for Rovers to use some of the proceeds in this window.