Struggling for fitness, minutes and not suited to the way we play would be my assessment so far. Aside from the very concerning injury and fitness set backs we don’t get the ball in the box quickly enough for him to benefit and his touch seems way too heavy for him to get involved in the build up play.

I think we miss JRC for this reason. He’s got a bit of edge to him and has been instrumental in most of the good things we’ve done in the past 12 months.

Completely agree on him shitting out of challenges. He is also slow to track back, goes hiding, shits himself if an opponent comes within 3 feet of him, won’t take responsibility for the ball unless he’s in a clear acre of space, is prone to silly cards for pulling people back as it’s easier than tracking back. I think he’s a cowardly player who is beyond useless when the team are up against it. His lack of effort in the entirety of his last 2 appearances has disgusted me.

I suppose we will see on Friday. If Brittain starts it immediately disproves the theory above, particularly with Hill on the bench.

How about Michalski? Anyone who won’t be responsible for 3 goals in 2 games due to relatively tame shots right into their body will do for me at the moment.

Hilton Hill Carter Hyam Pickering Tronstad Wharton Garrett Gilsenan Szmodics Sigurdsson Wahlstedt, Gamble, Travis, Telalovic, Leonard, Ennis plus the three biggest and most athletic players from the U21’s regardless of position. No Moran or Brittain in the squad.

Carter and Wharton pretty much the only two starters who can hold their heads up today. Garrett too when he came on, and at least Telalovic tried putting himself about. The rest were varying levels of crap with Moran being woefully out of form and in dire need of a prolonged spell out of the side, a keeper who is costing us goals regularly, and possibly the single most gutless and cowardly player I’ve ever had the misfortune to see in a Rovers shirt at right back. JDT might well be fed up and has a right to feel aggrieved after the summer. Nobody is forcing him to be so bloody stubborn in his approach though. I’m more worried that Wharton and Carter realise the club is going nowhere and decide it’s best for their careers if they move on asap. We need some signings in January, and if that means forcing out some squad players, fine.

Unfortunately he’s just committed to Derby long term. Give me him over Cowardly Callum any day.

Brittain and Moran off at half time. Fuck it, Wahlstedt too.

Brittain very lucky to earn a recall, Moran very lucky to keep his place, Garrett very unlucky to miss out.

Ideally, but needs must.

It’s been disappointing overall. There are some genuine causes for optimism but we are massively hampered by factors beyond the control of Waggott, Broughton or JDT. Our first choice 11 is more than good enough to beat anyone on our day. I wouldn’t swap Wharton and Tronstad for another midfield pairing in the league, and Szmodics has been a revelation. There are question marks in the goalkeeping department, and I’m not sure anyone knows who our first choice is, or should be. We’ve suffered from having to patch up the defence too often and a lack of consistency there, as well as the ability to sure up with subs at the end of games has been costly. Up top it’s a bit of a mess. Dolan, Moran and Leonard have all been selected at times when they’ve been short of form due to necessity. I feel a bit sorry for Ennis and hope he can prove useful, but we needed more than a punt on a striker who has done pretty well at a level below with a worrying injury record. I’m less sympathetic to Gallagher who, despite probably being our best option to lead the line has contributed zero due to his customary massive spell out injured. You can see the direction JDT is trying to take us. Tronstad took a while to bed in, but he was always lined up as the Travis replacement. I also predicted Garrett would move above Travis in the pecking order before the end of the season, which seems to be the way we are going. It’s still a bit of a mystery what we want to do in the opposition box as all our centre forward options are very different types of player. JRC has been an enormous miss and for the last 12 months we’re a far better side when he plays, whatever position that may be. One thing that has been a little surprising and perhaps disappointing is the lack of breakthrough from the academy so far. Yes, we play several graduates every single week, but with the squad as stretched as it is the fact that the likes of Gilsenan, Gamble, Batty, Montgomery, Gamble, Duru, Bloxham etc etc are only deemed suitable to make up the numbers and play in the league cup limits us. The best signing any team made last January was Luton bringing in Marvelous Nakamba. Bucked the usual trend of getting teenagers from academies and loaned in a seasoned pro who wasn’t getting minutes in the Premier League. If we could make a couple of additions like that in January there’s still a chance of the playoffs. As well as a bit of experience we need some more athleticism. In a few games we’ve been bullied physically and's we are really poor off the ball at times. Our record in the closing stages of games shows that when our players are running on fumes we really suffer. My wish list… An athletic full back who can come on and help us see games out. An out and out centre forward (or two) who isn’t averse to being in the box. A wide player with pace. I’d happily let Gallagher and Travis go permanently to bring in those 3 loans.

Here you go mate… One different version and one omission (The BRFCS pick - Come With Me by Puff Daddy and Jimmy Page) due to not being on Spotify.

👍👍 nice one Chaddy, tried to play a bit of something for everyone

Nah, he got clattered just after Markanday came on. Took a knock to the knee. Hope it is not as bad as it looked.

It’s a real shame we are talking about goalkeeping errors and shite referees again. Up until the 80th minute it was a great day. Nice to see so many people come down and see us in the fanzone and grab a blue and white Santa hat! Music seems to have gone down well too! Unfortunately it’s a really deflating result. A big reason for that is the squad being stretched to its absolute limits. We’ve got the basis of a team that can challenge this year - including the best midfield in the league, but they need some help! From a Trust point of view we want to make that point to the owners - Promotion instantly turns Rovers from a burden to an asset, and it’s time to give it a go. For those in power at Ewood the message is about how we can work together getting crowds like today in more consistently. The more members we have, the bigger our voice, and the more we can keep doing events like today. Please consider joining up today… https://www.roverstrust.com/get-involved/join-the-trust

Last minute preparations are still ongoing for tomorrow, please do come and see us at the Fanzone tomorrow. We Are The Rovers, BRFCS & 4,000 holes, Her Game Too, Rovers Chat, Proud Rovers and Rovers SAS will all be there to meet supporters and let you know what we’re up to over the coming months. Tomorrow’s theme is Blue and White Christmas, and we have some freebies along that theme that should help you get in the festive spirit and ready for the match! If you missed your chance to complete the safe standing consultation questionnaire we will have some paper forms(!!!) you can complete. We’re also hoping to sign up some new members and our gift membership packs are also available, and BRFCS have some exclusive merch on sale. We’re also going to be joined by Me To A Tee, a Blackburn based vintage designer and sportswear retailer who will have some select items on sale and some interesting Rovers and local items to take a look at. The playlist is also in… it’s an eclectic mix spanning 1956-now. Some of the featured artists will be in the crowd and there’s several tracks with Blackburn and Rovers significance. Bit of heavy rock, some ska, electro, post punk, pure pop, hip-hop, pure nostalgia, and a few Christmas classics! Food wise there are the usual burger vans, plus stalls selling bratwursts, jacket potatoes and curries. Plenty of beer and mulled wine too! Drag a friend or family member down, it certainly beats last minute shopping!

I’d throw Gilsenan in tomorrow.

Basically those who CAN’T print or use a smartphone rather than those who don’t want to.

I spoke to both Steve Waggott and Fraser Read specifically about this issue on Tuesday. These are the reasons I believe they have made the decision: - The idea of “Digital Day” is apparently a small part of a broader commitment to the EFL Green Club Standard scheme. My own thoughts are that this is a literal box tick towards that accreditation, and there is a lot more work to be done that will have significant costs attached, but will also provide savings in the long run. - Secondly there is a long term plan to move more towards digital sales and ticketing, which is happening everywhere. Rovers are behind the curve in relation to other football clubs. While we have digital tickets, uptake is low. Obviously the reason I got in touch with them was down to the problems this is causing supporters who want to attend the game. They are well aware of the criticism and have received contact and correspondence directly, they have also seen what people are saying on social media and this thread. They immediately conceded that the message hadn’t been conveyed in an appropriate manner, they know it has caused upset/concern/anger and I’m positive there will be some discussions around this. What should’ve been pitched as a “join us on our digital journey” type message has come across as “do it or be left behind”. I don’t know who is to blame for the tone of it, it’s obviously down to them to manage that. I explained that we’d had people contacting us directly to ask for help to ensure they could get a ticket. I outlined two proposal which WATR would be happy to endorse/assist with. 1) We would provide assistance to people on Saturday to get online. If necessary take cash and buy and print tickets for them. 2) Suggested a cash turnstile for a block of seats. Whether it was always the plan or it’s a direct result of the negative feedback, the club are basically going to do point one. They are having a permanent digital assistance point in the club shop, ensuring phone staff are trained up to provide support and not just sales. Perhaps most importantly they stated that they would not refuse anyone a ticket as a result of the changes. There will be exceptions where a paper ticket will be provided - but it’s an exception rather than an option. Cash turnstile wasn’t an option as, although green, doesn’t contribute to the second aim highlighted above. The aim here for the Trust wasn’t to “take the club to task” - it would’ve been a waste of everyone’s time as they are getting that message loud and clear already. The idea was to try and find a solution. Obviously we made the point that the timing of the furore here wasn’t great considering the efforts we were making for Fan Takeover. This isn’t an endorsement by WATR of a long term move to digital only ticketing - I think the fanbase have made their thought on that abundantly clear. This appears to be a pilot that has been badly presented and received. Perhaps if we had been consulted beforehand we could’ve let them know how much apprehension and concern the idea would be met with. As a slight aside, we’re in discussions regarding season tickets for next year (happy to discuss with anyone who fancies a chat on Saturday) and these recent events will likely tie into that in the future.

I’m hoping there are a good number of walk ons and on the day sales. Some early wages and Universal Credit payments for Christmas should hopefully help tomorrow 🤞🤞 At 2 quid a ticket there should be some groups of kids all going with their mates, if the weather is reasonably kind.

We’re giving away some freebies in the fanzone. We’re also selling our gift membership packs. £15 gets you a retro scarf, your certificate and card, and all the usual perks of membership. Good last minute gift for the Rovers fans in your life, plus it helps us to continue doing things like this.

As @Mike E points out above that was definitely Paul Fielder. His idea of a digital (every)day was having an empty ground where everyone watched on a screen and could use virtual reality to go wherever they wanted in the ground when a match was on. I’m not even joking. He categorically stated he didn’t want fans in the ground and pretty soon it would be a thing of the past. Also supporting a team was outdated as people supported players these days, and he was all about finding players who were a brand. He also told me he had approached Liam Gallagher about playing a gig at Ewood Park and “it’s happening, trust me.” This was the reality of his efforts… He also repeatedly referred to himself as @the most qualified man in football”. If a certain one time poster on here who went to QEGS is to be believed, Fielder had been hand picked and recommended to Venky’s and would soon be taking over from Waggott. Obviously that didn’t happen, and Fielder is now residing and working in Australia. On the flip side, when Fraser Read was asked why he had joined Rovers, his answer was “Why wouldn’t I jump at the chance to join Rovers. It’s a massive club with all the potential in the world. It’s a sleeping giant and we need to get back to the Premier League”. For clarity Fraser didn’t replace Fielder, there was some overlap and since he buggered off they haven’t bothered replacing Fielder at all which speaks volumes. The two have different roles. That said, the plans for Cambridge are clearly unacceptable. The Supporters Trust have made this clear to both Fraser Read and Steve Waggott, let’s see if they are willing to alter their approach as I’m sure the backlash has been pretty severe and the criticism unanimous.

JDT has had an absolute shocker today. We know he can be stubborn, and today it has really bitten us. Hill and Brittain (more on him later) were woeful. Not changing that at half time was stupid. Ennis would definitely have been a better option to bring on than Leonard, and quite why we didn’t bring on some more fresh legs with the 10 men flagging and the game gone I don’t know. I’ve never really taken to Brittain as a player. While he has ability in the ball I think he shirks a lot and hides. Today his performance was gutless and disgraceful. He stood around pointing and flailing his arms, tracked back quarter-heartedly at best, and kicked the ball just to be rid of it. His red card summed him up, and I hope it leads to a prolonged spell out of the side. Off days for most of them today. Wahlstedt definitely MOTM, Pickering steady, Adam Wharton the best of the rest. They’d be the only players I’d give a 6 or better to. Leonard and Moran are struggling for form at the minute, and not just today. It’s understandable, but it’s a problem that we are so heavily reliant on them.

Cocky wanker got what he deserved with that pen.