arbitro

It's rare I disagree with Tomasson but there are aspects of this interview in which I do. They travelled to Norwich on the day before and stayed overnight. There was plenty of time for the players to recover from the journey down and relax in the hotel. Similarly they travelled to Chelsea by train the day before. They have access to masseurs in the hotel and pre match and opportunities to rest. In recent seasons Rovers have chartered planes to South Wales but the cost of this was £30k I was told. I do accept the tired line after the trip home by coach after the game. Perhaps staying down south after the Chelsea game would have been beneficial.

Some nice tributes to Alan on Lancs Live. https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/blackburn-rovers-superfan-alan-birdy-28065735

There's a paradox here in that we have a decent replacement in Brittain but moving him to right back weakens the right midfield position. As you say we need to strengthen in January in a few areas.

I've been told the early prognosis on Joe's hamstring injury is twelve weeks out and potential surgery. That's a huge blow to both Joe and Rovers.

Barry Bannon had a red card overturned today also and Sheffield Wednesday lost.

In truth Bruce I've never seen the words obvious mistake in the grounds for appeal. My understanding was that the appellant had to believe it was an error of judgement or wrong in law. I noticed today that Barry Bannon also had his red card rescinded. He too was sent off for DOGSO which I thought was incorrect.

I saw it in real time and wasn't in any doubt that Scotts first contact was on the ball. I was directly behind the linesman who had the same view but didn't seem to inform the referee. I don't blame the referee by the way. From his position I don't think he could see Scott getting the ball. Anyhow all's well that ends well I suppose.

That is his house.

Although it's difficult to predict the outcome of appeals I really felt confident about the red card being rescinded. Thankfully the ex players on the appeal panel understood that Scott won the ball and the contact with the Norwich player after that was a consequence of the tackle.

Terribly sad news. Alan was a Darrener and I remember in the late sixties catching the bus to Ewoodand he would be decked out in blue and white. He lived and breathed Rovers and when I hear the words 'true fan' I think of Alan. His loyalty and passion knew no bounds and he was always positive when I saw him at away matches and asked him for a prediction. He sat in front of us at Millwall which was the last time he saw his beloved Rovers. For his many friends and family match days won't be the same. I really hope Rovers do something special in his memory. Sincere condolences to Annette and his family.

With Spurs running out of centre halves (a bit like us) I wonder if Ash Phillips will get to make his debut. With Wolves, Villa and City coming up it could be a real test of how much he has improved down there.

Just looking ahead to December there are seven scheduled fixtures for each club with the majority having those seven in a 27 day period. Having international breaks in September, October and November has exacerbated this but for us it will really stretch a small squad that is already creaking through injuries. Keeping players fresh will be a challenge for all the clubs and although it's relatively early in the season it could define it for some.

I'm not a technical person so I don't know if this will affect anybody on here.

I think that's a bit unfair Tyrone. I'd wager that the last thing on Scott's mind was getting sent off. His professional instinct kicked in and he thought he could win the ball and prevent them from scoring. And in fairness he did win the ball. The genuine look of astonishment on his face when the referee produced the card told me everything.

To simplify it's the next league match he will miss.

The extra game suspension was brought in to deter 'frivolous' appeals. I can't remember the last time this was enforced. Scott will miss the Nobbers game only if the appeal fails.

If we appeal and it is unsuccessful then Scott will miss the Nobbers game.

Early on yesterday he went down right in front of us after making a challenge. He was holding his ribcage, the same area which saw him in a cryogenic chamber last week. I felt for sure he was going off and I'm certain that some players would have bailed out at that stage. Despite his obvious discomfort he stayed on and put a real shift in until he was taken off last on. I think his hunger and desire is one of his assets and that this comes from his non league background and now he really appreciates his life as a footballer.

Personally I wouldn't factor anything like that into decision process and would be surprised if any referee did.

It's the denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity Scott was sent off for. In that situation it just has to be a foul irrespective of the force of level of contact used. I don't believe the referee saw Scott's first touch was clearly on the ball. Once the referee determined that he really had no choice. From that perspective the referee was right. Hopefully Rovers submitted statement and video evidence will be based on Scott clearly winning the ball and contact being the inevitable consequence of this. My real hope is that anybody who knows the game sees this and with ex players hopefully that will be the case.

Whilst I was active it was a written report and had to be sent within a couple of days. A few years before I retired the caution and send off details had to be telephoned through to PA Copy within a few hours. It became more difficult then to admit any wrongdoings before the report went in. I think that's why they have improved the appeals process and reduced the timelines. If we do appeal the result should be known by Wednesday at the latest.

After the report is submitted there is no referee input. If he was to admit he was wrong the report would still be made but with an admission that they got it wrong. I did get some wrong (three from memory) and told the FA. The players concerned were exonerated.

I think ex players would look at the challenge and say it was a good tackle and that gives me hope. The referee is allowed to admit he was wrong but that hasn't happened for years as the arrogance of most of them won't allow them to admit it.