jim mk2

It's been pointed out several times that Ismael's lasted an average of 7 months at all the clubs he's managed, so he's already overdue for potting. But the great minds at Ewood saw fit to give him a 3-year contract so we better get used to it. Onwards and downwards.

England were basing their “feared” pace attack on a fit and firing Wood - which was always a gamble given his injury record. File his inevitable departure in the debacle file along with Stokes’s poor captaincy, McCullum’s unwarranted bravado, and the players’ inept batting, bowling and fielding. England could of course win 3-2 but I’ll eat my flat cap if they do

Whether (geddit?) or not the match goes ahead, one thing is almost certain: that the uncertainty will mean the attendance is likely to be among the lowest in the modern era. Sub 8,000 is my prediction, though of course the official figure will be higher. The resident statto wildesdenover will provide the relevant figures in due course.

England played some decent cricket against India last summer, battled hard and got their heads down when they had to against a top team. Then the final Test, a chance to beat India 3-1, England needed about 40 to win with 6 wickets in hand and loads of time to do it. So why did Smith dance down the pitch and try to smash the ball for 4 when England could have to the target easily nudging singles? It’s brainless stupid unthinking cricket to me and I blame McCullum and Stokes for this muddle headed approach that has led to the present debacle

A fine gesture towards fans who attended yesterday (including Sheffield Wednesday) would be free entry for the replay and half price for everyone else. What odds above nil are there of that happening?

Sorry I don’t understand why fans would want us docked points that would almost certainly lead to relegation. Docking us points won’t lead to a change of ownership - or any other positive outcomes. A fine is appropriate

Remember it well Parson unfortunately. Pitches were terrible in winter then (and into the 1990s - watch some of the title winning matches) but soil and grass technology has improved enormously since and there is no excuse for what is happening now. We’re the talk of football again - but this time for the wrong reasons. It’s embarrassing and very damaging for the club

The league will be scrutinising us now and I think some sort of heavy fine is inevitable and probably welcome if it forces the Ewood hierarchy to act and buy or hire proper equipment to keep the pitch playable. In the longer term the pitch clearly needs relaying in the summer. The worry is if another match is called off this season, and then the risk is that league might consider docking us points, which would be a disaster given our current position. It's just another sign that the club is slowly being run into the ground, as the reporter from the Sheffield Star noted. Ewood is being starved of investment and tired and shabby, and it looks it. Even in the posh seats in the Jack Walker Stand it's noticeable. We had a meal there a few years ago and the whole place looked like it needed a revamp. The toilets, quite frankly, were disgusting. This is also so sad ....... and the torment of these despicable owners shows no sign of ending

Pathetic and predicted It was said of previous England teams but this is the same: they can't bowl, they can't field and they can't bat (Root sometimes excepted) England should have won the last home Ashes series but Stokes blew it with his stupid declaration in the first Test England should have beaten India last summer but threw it away in the last Test because of the stupid Bazball mentality It isn't "arrogance"; it's downright stupidity England are an embarrassment against a very average team. Stokes and McCullum should be sacked when the inevitable Ashes defeat is confirmed And Keys can go too

You were saying old chap? I thought England were 100 light on 1st innings and it looks like going that way. You don’t win by Tests by dropping catches and giving wickets away - the difference between us and them

Archer’s 32 is the surprise of the day, the lad can hardly hold a bat properly. Hats off to Root, a proper Test cricketer. Why can’t the others play like him and treat each ball on its merits instead of trying to attack all the time? Bazball nonsense. Is 325 a decent score? Let’s see

Seven down, Jacks chasing another wide one. Brainless batting. The bowler didn't have to do anything. I'd take anything above 270. Root 100. Well played Joe. Hope it sticks in the convicts' craw

This lot have a death wish it seems. Brook and Stokes both nicely settled and then doing something silly. The useless Smyth gone too. 250 all out?

Brook is vice captain, where's the responsibility in playing a daft shot like that? Good recovery after a disastrous start (Pope played another awful cross-batted shot) and Crawley played well but it's all or nothing with him - he's either very good or dreadful. A Test average of 24 in the past year or so says it all - he's lucky still to be playing Test cricket

He's as weak as a kitten for a man of his stature. He gets outmuscled too easily and rarely wins headers even against defenders less tall than him. He's clumsy on the ball, lacks pace and cannot play with his back to goal. And on the rare occasions he gets sight of goal he usually scuffs it. Sell

The question is why Ismael continues to bring on De Neve and leave Ribeiro and Pickering sitting on the bench. Both are better defenders - has he provided an explanation?

Daft comment - the match had to be replayed in full.

Ipswich deserved nothing from that game. In the end though we don’t score enough goals, trying to defend one goal leads is always likely to end badly

The tense of the verb is all-important. "Will" describes a certain future event while the conditional "would" describes a hypothetical or possible event In other words, that's the Rovers website predicting an Ipswich win. It's not pedantry; it's wrong

Fly Me to the Moon - Frank Sinatra

Some s****houses in that Wrexham team ..... not least Moore, O'Brien, McClean And with Hyam there too the immutable law of the ex will come into play Our team will not be able to stand up to that lot Wrexham 4 Rovers 0

Probably not. We've been written off in their eyes, consigned to the metaphorical bottom drawer to be forgotten about in the hope that one day we might come good. I can't any catalyst for them selling - at least not financial. In the grand scheme of their multi billions, we're a little blip on the balance sheet

Why should an empty stadium bother them, or for the matter declining income? Their solution as always is to sell another asset. The fans mean nothing to the owners - as we know.

Preston away, QPR home; the highs and lows of football. It’s a funny old game, except it isn’t when you have to sit through putrid games like last night. QPR were everything we weren’t : well coached, skilful players, playing to a plan: it was obvious they were going to win from the 1st ten minutes. They should have been 2 up at half time. Chair was a delight to watch. Most glaring of all was the sheer lack of ability in that Rovers team. They looked like a bunch of squad players making up the numbers- which is most cases they are. Apart from the young left back, who should have a good career in the lower divisions but isn’t championship quality, not one player had a good game. Made a special effort to get to Ewood last night after a 300 mile round trip of the country. I won’t do that again in a hurry. Awful. And the worst of it, there were some boos but most fans shrugged their shoulders and left. Apathy reigns at a depressing and depressed Ewood

Made a special effort to attend, ff knows why Absolutely abysmal. Such a poor team, all of them squad fillers, not one you’d have as first choice Barely 10000 there or so it looked, and like a morgue, just sullen resignation