His line from the 1988 Cup Final is as iconic as the Gascoigne/Jones photo from a commentating perspective. Against massive odds Wimbledon had just beaten Liverpool and Motty said "the crazy gang have just beaten the culture club". Brilliant.

The stats do bear out his confidence but my heart rate has been off the scale at times 😃😃.

I felt the McConville challenge fell into the orange category but for the referee to be consistent he had to apply the same sanction to Trafford.

I have only felt relatively comfortable when leading at home in the league games this year (Cardiff, Swansea and Blackpool) when we kept some semblance of attack. Home games against the likes of West Brom, Huddersfield and Birmingham saw us to go a solid back five and in my view invite pressure unnecessarily. I didn't really think about it too much until someone mentioned what appears to be a change in Tomassons mentality since the turn of the year. I noticed on Tuesday he got quite agitated a few times motioning for the team to push further up the pitch. Even at Watford and West Brom we were pushing on late in the game in an effort to win.

Another legend gone and so close to another broadcasting icon Dickie Davies. John Motson was one of the voices of football and his longevity in football spoke volumes for his love of the game. I met him several times and he was always personable and courteous. The first time I came across him was on my Premier League debut as a linesman in the Sheffield derby. Match commentators would always touch base with the match officials for any quirks or snippets they could use. The referee on the day, my good friend Keith Cooper always had quite obscure football questions and he asked John "which was the last FA Cup final when neither team wore red or blue?" Quick as a flash John got the answer and the year. John and another esteemed commentator were the only ones who got it right. His footballing knowledge knew no bounds. RIP John Motson.

I blame Mr. Donellan for that! 😀😀

It's risk versus reward for me. Off the top of my head I can think of half a dozen goals we have conceded from over playing or attempting a risky pass in dangerous areas. I like to see us pass the ball and maybe take a chance but in the right areas. One positive from recent matches has been our use of the long diagonal pass as we have several players who can knock this type of ball. In fact the goal on Tuesday included one such pass in the build up from JRC.

Well done to Bolton who beat Stanley last night to go through to the Papa Johns Trophy final at Wembley. I would have preferred Stanley to have won but hats off to Bolton who are also pushing for promotion to the Championship. Their success dispels the 'who would buy us' myth should Venkys leave. And the 'be another Bolton' excuse is blown out of the water.

Loftus Road is probably my favourite away ground as it's compactness and steep stands really lends itself to make it atmospheric, more so than any other ground in my view. You are right on top of the pitch and can really get involved in the game. Hopefully we get a good following and a result to make the journey home and days after enjoyable. With the wind in the right direction we can win it but I'd take a draw.

Gareth on his appointment and his Rovers connection.

I wondered where I'd seen him before.

I think the sheer volume of games in a short period is one of the main factors in these injuries. By next Tuesday we will have played thirteen games since the turn of the year. The stupid World Cup break and FA Cup run have exacerbated this.

I chuckled to myself this morning when I saw the goals from Liverpool v Real Madrid. Two top, international goalkeepers quite simply gave a goal apiece away trying to play out from inside their own penalty areas as they were being closed down. Whatever happened to Row Z? As the old saying goes 'I've never seen anybody score from Row Z'.

I was told there will be some investment (£750k) but this is from a payment/grant from the Premier League which is effectively to allow the Rovers Ladies to play their home games at Ewood from next season. It won't be a Desso pitch but large areas will be stitched.

I heard the Blackpool fans jeering too but in all honesty I thought it was a wayward pass simply because I didn't see Thomas. It was like he was camouflaged 😂. Even then he read the awkward bounce perfectly, attacked the space and got in a pass to create a goal which is one of the reasons we signed him.

Levitation?

I thought tonight the collective was really good, perhaps the best team performance at Ewood for some time. Lots of seven out of ten tonight for me. I have been critical of us in the past for looking a bit tame at times but tonight we had a really good old fashioned scrap and came out on top. In truth I never felt unduly concerned that Blackpool would score but a second for us would have been nice. My only concern was how tired some players looked although in fairness Tomasson did take off the more tired ones and this breathed some new life into us. With a few days rest now and players coming back we should be getting stronger. Winning football matches is what we exist to do and long may it continue. George Graham and his Arsenal team eat your hearts out 😂😂.

Info as follows. I think you can order online and collect from the ticket office. The best place for a neutral to watch from is the Jack Walker Stand.

Madine is missing for Blackpool. He is serving the fourth of a four match ban after two red cards, the first of which was given retrospectively after he trampled all over Travis. It's some kind of natural justice in my view that he can't play against us. He is in the Ched Evans mould, the type who bullies centre halves and the type who normally do well against us.

An interesting interview with Tyrhys Dolan where he says he isn't a young player any more. He strikes me as being a really nice guy and talks a lot of sense. https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/football-news/dolan-blackburn-rovers-playoffs-heartache-26286371

I was told Cirino is out for the season. Taking Leonard off is a strange decision unless he is injured. If he is on the bench tomorrow why risk him by playing him tonight, have him travel nigh on 600 miles and then get home in the early hours. It's not ideal preparation.

Mick McCarthy can only really play one way. Historically he has had a team that works hard, has a reliance on set plays and plays the percentages to win second balls, quite the opposite of Swansea actually. It will be interesting to see how Tomasson approaches the game, his team selection and tactics. I'm not expecting much in the way of scintillating football but I am expecting a win.

Dickie Davies was the face of British sport along with David Coleman. I fondly remember his role in Saturday afternoons as the anchor man for World of Sport which he carried out with skill and professionalism. RIP.

And Brereton and his agent know this. No transfer fee usually equates to bigger wages and bonuses. I don't blame him by the way, it's another mess created by the owners and their cohorts.