jim mk2

We've lost 4 in 5; they've won 5 in 7 if I remember right All the signs point to another defeat On the other hand it often pays to be contrary so I'm going 2-1 Rovers And @MashedPotatotes gets his spuds boiling at the prospect

That’s the beauty of football - winning against the odds. And on our form it was a big surprise. Batting away criticism of the club and manager by constantly quoting our league position doesn’t wash. You’ll have to do better than that because it’s obvious as it stands we’re heading for a fall

Meaningless, as we know from the Mowbray years. On current form the notion of us finishing in the playoffs under this manager is fanciful

A bit of reality on your part instead of saying it’s all ok because we’re 3rd in the table

Not for much longer. It’s clear we’ve been over achieving. Results are poor and form is dire. The manager looks out of ideas. It’s not difficult to see us sliding slowly down the table and finishing some where in the middle

Outwitted by dull old Mowbray Think about that

A team mate always wore his wife’s knickers to play football in which we all thought was a bit odd even 50 years ago. My pre match routine before Saturday games was always bacon and egg lunch - win or lose I didn’t change it. I alternated between 7 10 and 11 in my playing days. 11 was the favourite and seemed to win more than if lost

We have a good track record away from home against the North East teams. A win against Tony's lot would be very welcome. I still haven't forgiven him for the Peterborough away match towards the end of last season

There's a clear lack of quality in the Rovers squad. We've a few decent players (none Premier League IMO), some very ordinary ones and some promising lads who may or may not get better. But overall, there's a lack of quality. And hoping that fringe players from Premier League clubs will fill the gaps doesn't work either - apart from the likes of Elliott, Harwood-Bellis and Tosin (credit Mowbray?) most of them have been poor to say the least. This January we desperately need some players who will come in and make a difference - not lads just to fill a shirt.

Good Lancashire lad and superb footballer He'd be in my all-time England Greats XI Bolton rejected him because they said he was too small

A cup quarter-final was at stake .... 2 games from Wembley, a day out to remember But hey, we're "focusing on the league" for a top 6 place Hurrah!

Another dispiriting defeat in front of the home fans following on from the Preston debacle Can you blame folk for not turning up?

So the brilliant and exciting win at West Ham was all a waste of time because Tomasson didn't want to field his first XI He'd better win the next league game then

Forest are fighting a relegation battle but have put out a decent side. What is their focus? It is possible to try to be successful on more than one front.

Cup quarter-final is on offer tonight and Tomasson puts out a reserve team. Then they wonder why gates are low

Why the weakened side? Does the possibility of a good cup run mean nothing to the manager or the club

And the best of all, Alan Ball, born Farnworth 1945

Brilliant game, 2 very good teams both in different league to England

Penalties Allez les Blues Let’s see Messi crying tears of pain

And that Harry is how you take a penalty

Come on France

English managers and England teams don't win so presumably the FA are happy to carry on in the same way If the FA wanted to win the World Cup they'd poach Deschamps from the French Deschamps could win his third World Cup today as player and manager

That hadn’t occurred to me and it’s an interesting idea and although it might explain the obsession of playing from the back i think if the EFL had made such a directive the story would have been in the media. It was good to hear Rovers mixed it up more yesterday. We could not carry on as we were. Has Tomasson seen the light or have the players had a word with him?

Toyed with going to Norwich and so glad I didn't - I haven't seen us win this season yet Great result and so unexpected after the Preston debacle. I had a look around some Norwich sites and fans are clearly not happy with Smith. It doesn't seem a happy camp and we probably played them at a good time Have we stopped playing Pep ball at the back? I certainly hope so. Preston apparently were woeful losing at home to QPR today - which puts last week's result in some perspective Which side of Tomasson's Jekyll and Hide team will turn up in the next match?

The players' attitude in the Burnley and Preston games was awful. They just didn't want to know. Has Tomasson lost the dressing room - because that's how it appeared I'm worried we could get a 5 or 6 goal drubbing at Norwich.