Just checked out ticket sales on the ticket map and sadly they don't look all that smashing! I find it almost unforgiveable that we are sat 3rd in the table and STILL people don't come. 😪

This version of one-upmanship on "I had an injury that didn't stop me/but still had to..." is riveting, it truly is.

3 hours ago, neophox said:

Kaminski

Nyambe Lenihan Van Hecke Wharton Pickering

Travis, Rothwell

Dolan, Khadra

Gallagher

 

Us playing with 2 in the middle of the park doesn't seem to work. We constantly get overran. Although Buckley plays as a 'false 9' he does drop in the 3 meaning Travis and Rothwell can sit deeper. If Pickering is fully fit he deserves to be in the equation but I can't see that happening. Giles will almost certainly be in. If we need to do so then go for the old switcheroo of bringing Khadra on. His pace frightens teams to death.

Kaminski

Lenihan Van Hecke Wharton

Nyambe           Travis      Rothwell           Giles

Buckley

Dolan         Gallagher

9 hours ago, darrenrover said:

In a similar way, in a bit later era and in my capacity of being involved in logistics and distribution, I recall a delivery of green sand to BWFC when 'The Reebok' already resembled Southport Beach! 

Rovers current groundstaff are all as 'die in the wool' Rovers' fans as you or I and take a particular pride, despite the issues chucked in their way, of the state of the Ewood Park pitch and those at the STC and Academy.

They do not get the credit that they deserve IMO.

If it resembled Southport beach now you'd be delighted it's mostly green 😁

8 hours ago, darrenrover said:

JHC, the pitch is pristine!

The chances of the game being called off because of the pitch are ZERO!

Not sure if serious...

32 minutes ago, speedies gonna get ya. said:

Anyone concerned this might be called off. We've had a couple of matches close to being off this season, Preston in particular. If its heavy rain on match day I can't see pitch draining fast enough. Hope I'm wrong.

Thought this myself. Weather looks horrendous all day Friday and equally all Saturday morning. The only saving grace could be the wind. It'll take plenty of the moisture out of the soil if there are periods of no rain.

Rovers 2 - 0 Millwall 

Jean-Claude Van-Hecke '82
Hedges '88

Two late goals with the roof coming off the BBE and Sweet Caroline ringing in our ears

4th. I'm confident of 7 points over the next 10 days which I think will really define our season. We seemed to have a turning point during the game against West Brom and key players like Buckley suddenly seemed to grow in confidence after looking so lacklustre for the first half and the previous 5 games.

Keep the faith and keep believing. Much of our positive run post Fulham was us dragging the team on and that attitude will help the players keep believing too.

I thought we did well in the end. 

WBA are very one dimensional and you tend to see the same when teams have Andy Carroll. He is such a focal point that he's an easy option. I've heard and seen lots of comments saying he was excellent. He wasn't. Wharton and Van Hecke played very well and the game was exactly what they wanted. See Forest for games they don't want - movement and pace.

We really grew in to this one . Buckley looked back to his resplendent best in the 2nd half before coming off. The ball in for BBD's "goal" that was ruled out for offside was top drawer and an absolute nightmare to play against. Hopefully it gives a little more confidence for Saturday. Nyambe was excellent and I think that position really suited him. You see Lenihan step out with the ball a lot in the current system and with Nyambe's pace and directness with the ball, along with ability to defend, will see him cause a lot of problems...however we really do need him in the wingback role if we can.

JRC is like a fish out of water. Misjudging the flight of the ball so often when we were trying to hit the diagonal became embarrassing for the lad.

I think Gallagher is more and more becoming an impact player from the bench. Playing him from the start doesn't ever really seem to get the best of him. 

I think we all would have taken a point last night. At least 7 from the next 3 are a must and we will be looking good again.

Gally should score. Great ball from JB AGAIN

What a ball from JB

Out of his depth the lad. Almost feel sorry for him.

Rankin-Costello is plop.

When I was awake at 5am this morning  (thanks to my 2 year old daughter) I lay awake reflecting on the Forest game and too often Forest were able to get the ball "between the lines" and run at the back 3 particularly in the first half. As such; I'd go for Rothwell in the false 9 and bring in Johnson for further protection. Adding Johnson in there with Travis gives us two robust players and adds further screening in front of the back 3.

Rothwell has the pace to allow us to press from the front. Gallagher was excellent when he come off the bench on Wednesday and I'd be tempted to play him up top with Khadra - who I always think is very unlucky to be removed from the action on 60 mins EVERY game, especially against Forest as they were plopping there pants just before he got brought off with his direct running.

BBD will no doubt get the nod over Gallagher (and with every justification) but I think the lad looks a little jaded (although he has a very languid way about him anyway does Big Ben).

Gallagher was a revelation when he came on the pitch. He MUST sustain that intensity in his next performance. We all know he has it in his locker which is why he so frustrating when he doesn't show it.

A weak referee and a very, very naive challenge from Lenihan really ended hopes of anything although I feel like the sending off rather spurred us on. Had Lenihan stayed on the pitch would likely have been a similar result.

It feels like the balloon is deflating and we need a couple of solid results pronto to get the pep back in our step.

Really hope we get a decent turn out tonight and we are vocal. BBE looks on its way to being near full. 

Really think we should have done some kind of midweek ticket incentive to get the ground bouncing. £20 for a match ticket is a snip anyway IMO but a few extra thousand could really help propel is on.

2 hours ago, Miller11 said:

I think 10 of the 11 pick themselves:

.                            Kaminski

           Lenihan    Van Hecke   Wharton

Nyambe                                                  Giles

                  Travis                Rothwell

                              Buckley

             ????????????          Brereton

 

If Gallagher is fit, I’d go with him. Coming off the right he should be getting on the end of Giles’s deliveries. 

No need to disrupt a successful formula unless necessary. It would be harsh to drop Buckley off the back of an admittedly poor performance on Saturday.

No need for Johnson and Davenport both to be on the bench, I’d have Vale or Dack (or both) amongst the subs instead.

Has to be Khadra surely. He frightens teams and is perfect for our counter-attacking.

I think edge this one 1-0 akin to the 'Boro game.

Shite.

1 minute ago, jim mk2 said:

 Gone over to the dark side

Does he now live in Yorkshire so no longer has access to the interwebs?

8 minutes ago, Atko's Engine said:

I'm not getting much work done this morning...😲

Same. Never mind Rovers making signings I'm at risk of signing on at the JobCentre!

Brentford just announced Christian Eriksen so unlikely to be in for Rothwell I imagine!

6 minutes ago, Danny O.Brien said:

Hope we can sign this matt Giles lad from wolves. One question though, if he was doing so well and aying regularly for Cardiff why was he recalled?

Think Wolves were a bit thin on the ground at the start of the month so brought him back for cover. Don't forget there was lots of flapping about Covid and games being suspended at the time.

4 minutes ago, CheshireRover said:

Could this not work in our favour? 
 

They’ve royally fucked him about, embarrassed him big time, in pursuit of mind games (or maybe it was genuine, who knows), if I was him, I’d want revenge and the best way to get that is give us 110%, get us promoted and subject them to the joys of being screwed by FFP.

 

All theoretical, but it could have that effect…

Just thought that myself. It really could go one of two ways. It will also be extremely annoying if we had other deals lined up to replace him and they now collapse. Hopefully we can still manoeuvre some wiggle room to bring the much needed extra bodies in. 

Don't think it's good news now if Joe stays. It's clearly upset the apple cart massively and it would probably be better all around if he went.

Get him gone. Genuinely didn't think this would happen with any of the 3 out of contractors. To down tools shows a complete lack of respect to the club. You've been paid handsomely for several years for being average. 

In a way I hope it is Bournemouth and we gey to shove it right up him on the penultimate game of the season.

Just another in a long line of footballing mercenaries. A typical average Joe.