He’s probably a technically really good coach. Obviously did well enough with the young kids to get the promotion to first team. There’s an argument that maybe you are better off with someone who has been there and done it with the first teamers as you aren’t really working on developing their techniques or their basics - stuff you can learn from a coaching manual, and a lot of it is the mental stuff. I’d lean towards this myself. However a lot of keepers will tell you they want to do interesting, varied and enjoyable sessions. It can get really repetitive, so maybe Benson has a knack of keeping them sharp and happy. If the keepers are happy, who are we to argue.

Hopefully that puts an end to the talk of Brereton not trying. He worked hard again at what was often a thankless task, hopefully that goal gets him back in amongst them. Really poor for their goal. Morton especially, who was shit all game. Hyam and Brittain didn’t cover themselves in glory either and their introductions weakened us defensively. Hope JRC is not going to miss games. Talk of Travis being injured for the goal and hard done to by the ref is delusional. If he’d been playing against us people would have claimed he should’ve been sent off twice over. What a save at the end from Pears. His recent form is a real unexpected bonus, my previous doubts of him are proving very unfounded. Good point, but I’m far from convinced with the way we play.

That ridiculous near assist for them from Dack is a symptom of shitty modern football and the “style” we are trying to embrace. Why would any attacking player look to play a first time ball back to their centre back when they are well in the opposition half? Stupid.

I like the way West Brom play. Jealous of the way the way they play on the front foot and get balls into the box. That said I’m really impressed with how we’ve dealt with it so far. Defending really well, Scott Wharton especially. Brereton is far too wide, but I’m far more annoyed about Morton being persisted with.

The very same! He said that if the Riverside is condemned then the council would be more likely to help fund developing something in its place. He wants a campus for the UCFB and was more interested in how this could be somewhere people played computer games and used virtual reality than actual football and proper reality.

I was very suspicious it was all part of the Brockhall downsizing plan, perhaps due to the fact I heard about it at the same time. However the fact it hasn’t materialised makes me think I was right. Fielder is particularly keen on the idea of council and other grants. He’s hoping they will come flooding in once the Riverside is condemned.

A couple of years ago they had plans in (and I think approved) to remodel the site where the BRIC currently stands completely and build an astroturf pitch next to it where the away coaches park. Reading between the lines I think there was some back and forth with the council. Rovers wanted them to pay a significant amount towards this but the council wanted more use of the facilities for the wider public than the club were willing to give up. One thing mentioned was moving the early years Academy, and possibly the women’s team to there. I assumed they had rethought this when the Brockhall scheme got shot down. Two people at Rovers have pipe dreams that this could have something to do with…Waggott’s wants a hotel, Paul Fielder wants a three sided ground and a university campus.

He hasn’t. He was appointed in June 2012. Incompetence has never been a barrier for as long as he’s been at Ewood.

I’m not sure this is the plan as Brittain hasn’t played regularly at right back since September. And that includes spells at left back and on the bench, not just injuries.

I’m not sure I agree with the whole Brereton isn’t trying viewpoint. Unfortunately he’s playing like an out and out winger at the moment, he’s getting up and down the line and certainly not shirking his defensive responsibilities. Unfortunately we don’t seem to be playing to his strengths and he’s clearly lost a bit of swagger. I’ve not really noticed him pulling out of tackles - it’s certainly not blatantly evident like it has been with Morton and Brittain, but there is a bigger issue with our entire team being reluctant and/or incapable of tackling generally. Give him a go up top. He’s clumsy enough to be a handful and quick and strong enough to find some joy centrally.

Basic maintenance of Ewood has been neglected since Venky’s rolled up. Funny how a few new bulbs and a bit of jet washing or weeding is beyond them, but they have managed to find the money to put mirrored glass in Jack’s box directly above the tunnel. Rumour has it that Balaji’s son has started coming to games. Whoever is in there doesn’t want to be seen.

Just watched the highlights back. I think it’s very harsh to blame Gallagher for their goal.

That’s a good point in isolation, but it’s depressing seeing the slide down the table. Thought Travis was excellent today. Centre backs, Pears and Dolan all worth a mention too.

If we play Dolan on the left and Brereton as the centre forward I’d be happy. Won’t happen though. Tactics are a bigger issue than personnel.

Hyam and Adam Wharton both starting for the U21s so should be back in contention soon.

Pears JRC Carter Wharton Pickering Thomas Travis Buckley Hedges Dack Brereton Back to basics, get the ball in the box. Hedges just gets the nod over Dolan by virtue of being left footed.

Promotion wasn’t possible for a good chunk of those 53 seasons as we were in the top flight. No, the failure is Venky’s. They’ve not only overseen the worst period in the clubs history, they caused it. I know some people will say that we were worse in the 70’s, but that ignores the platform Jack gave us. Venky’s trail of destruction is like winning the lottery and a decade later ending up on the dole. The entire reason we weren’t able to sell players ins reinvest the money is down to them. Our model falls at the first hurdle. You are absolutely right to have worries about this “projects” execution, because none of it is working either on or off the pitch.

Which only makes any sense if your primary objective is to develop players rather than to have success on the pitch. Fine for a chicken farm, but all we will do in football terms is become a blue and white Crewe.

Everything about our “project” is massively flawed. It’s like an off the shelf plan that isn’t fit for purpose. - Employ a director of football. Ignoring the fact that the club is dysfunctional from top to bottom and expecting him to change this - Play out from the back. So basically try and do what everyone else is trying to do. Not only is it causing all sorts of short term issues with results, even if we do it well, there will be teams that do it better because they can afford better players. The only way to buck the trend of the monied teams being the best teams is to do something different effectively, not doing what everyone else does averagely. - Develop players. In theory, as soon as our players become good enough to get in the Premier league we sell them. Hardly conducive to long term on pitch success. In practice we are hamstrung by poor negotiations, a limited and unswerving wage structure, and owners with unrealistic ideas who don’t care but like interfering. On top of this it’s also now being used to dampen hopes and expectations and shrug off failings. The journey went nowhere for 5 years. The project will be the same.

I wish I was that optimistic! I don’t think many of them have any fire in them.

I think I’d agree with this. It was interesting at the start of the second half last night when we seemed to change the system a bit. At one point it looked as though JRC had moved up front and he spent a good 15 minutes all over the park. There was obviously an instruction to try something different for a spell. I haven’t been overly impressed with Brittain, and he certainly hasn’t had a run of good performances like JRC has. I think JRC is susceptible defensively, but no more so than Brittain has shown to be so far. Joe has offered more going forward too.

Can’t agree on this. He’s having his natural game squashed out of him to become a 5 yard passer. A player with a bit of individuality and who offers something a bit different being stifled by the tedious playing style Tomasson prioritises above all else.

Thomas should have come off 5 minutes earlier. He was feeling his hamstring and/or cramping up. Wouldn’t be surprised if he now missed the next game with a strain.

He is killing Dolan with the whole “needs to take less touches”. He terrifies teams when he runs at them, but he’s been coached to pass it back to the centre halves.

That was absolutely painful. Travis was much more like it first half, got up and down the pitch box to box like any half decent midfielder should, never mind this CDM/CAM tripe. Had to go pound shop Sav late on though and blot his copybook. JRC is fast becoming one of my favourite players, respect him for becoming the hard man of the team, but it’s laughable really. We have put ourselves in an impossible position with Brereton. He was shite tonight but we have to play him from now until the end of the season or else why didn’t we sell him (or at least encourage or accept bids before anyone says he might have refused a move). Jack Vale summed himself up on 25 minutes. Thomas was running with the ball, down the wing, trying to make space for a cross. Vale ran across and onto the outside of him. Baffling. Couldn’t care less if he dragged a player over, he ensured Thomas had no target to cross to. Sorba Thomas had a few jitters to start, but a really good debut. Looked hungry, grafted. A proper winger! I’m worried slightly as his performance was a bit like Giles against Swansea last year where he crossed all day to nobody, or at least nobody who could do anything with them. Feel for Dack getting hooked - didn’t look happy. Dolan should be unhappy not getting a look in. Sick of Morton - him and Hedges should never be allowed another set piece ever again. Most of the rest were pretty average. Broughton - aside from the debuting Thomas, the 10 players who started the game were all here this time last year. Pretty damning of our recruitment. Tomasson - I hate this football. It’s completely dull and uninspiring. Feel for him in terms of being let down in the window, but don’t know what difference personnel would make when we play like this. ”Wee with the willy we’ve got” is a popular phrase amongst Rovers fans… Tomasson appears to want to use his willy to do something completely alien to it. He’s forcing shit out of it.