Would go with team as @joey_big_nose post.

Wont be easy but the lads really should be buzzing after showing just what they are capable of against Newcastle.

The thinking now amongst some sports' scientists is physical tiredness is all in the mind.  So after 3 full days' rest, the lads should run out at Swansea eager, hungry and ready to give it a feckin good go.

My optimism levels have been restored after Tuesday and I'm going for a 3-1 Rovers' win.

On 25/02/2024 at 00:31, AllRoverAsia said:

So, Southampton's surge to be in the the top 2 is having a bit of a hiccup. 

Not exactly unexpected.

Thanks Russell, keep up the good work.

Know the area from previous work down there and built up some contacts.  Think you will generally find there are many Saints' fans who dislike the bloke - both his persona and his abilities as a footballer manager.  Like me, mystified how he got the job with a track record that hadn't delivered much.  'Arrogant, cliche ridden useless prick' is one of the more polite statements I've heard!

6 minutes ago, tomphil said:

It's an odd one as although there'll be connections even if timelines don't add up we have to take into account Broughton was always stating about continuity plans always being in place.  So it's hard to gauge whether he did or didn't have involvement in it all though not much point being here if he didn't.

As always it's the veil of silence that is the real issue but it does smack of returning to the previous way of working.

If Broughton is still a Rovers' employee by the end of March then I'll be hugely surprised.

3 hours ago, NeilInBristol said:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/17610789

 

Any one know what happened with this?can't seem to find any update anywhere. Met some rovers fans in the pub last night who were reminiscing over what " could have been" had this had happened. Also a bit of chat over the WEC Group plans but again not sure what ever came about from this?

Think you'll find Wild no longer has an involvement with WEC Group and though I think Grabko still posts on this MB, it all seems to have died a death some time ago.  

I would love to know who Broughton's choice was to take over from JDT!

If the rumours are correct, he had very little, if anything, to do with the arrivals of Eustace, McFadz and Fleck (though the signing of Fleck isn't looking a great one atm).

I think McFadz is going to be a key figure for us for the rest of the season and maybe even next season.  To me, he's a bit John 'McNameeesque'.

Also, thought Wharton was superb last night with a performance we haven't seen from him for almost 2 years. 

One swallow doesn't make a summer but Eustace's overall management was excellent last night.  Let us just hope this will be replicated every game.

It was quite clear the 3 'coaches' calling the shots were Eustace, Gardiner and Downing.  Lowe cut a forlorn and peripheral figure and, hopefully, his career at Rovers is now over.

A superb performance I didn't expect.

Absolutely heartbreaking.

There is hope for the future.

Well done to Eustace and the players.

Hope I'm wrong but poor substitutions which will cost us game.

Think it will be embarrassing tonight.

Having seen our midfield, have stuck a tenner on a 5-1 Newcastle win at 33/1.

Think my joy tonight will be derived from our takeaway and a nice wine.

As the great Dave Allen would say "may your God go with you".

2 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Eastham starts for the under 21's which means Michalski is with the first team.

Gilsenan should be on the bench at Ewood tonight.  It's what makes the FA Cup so magical when a young lad comes on and makes a name for himself.  IMO, this lad has a 'X Factor' but needs to be given the stage!

2 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

City match was in 1969? I woz there

We're all celebrating a 20k plus crowd tonight but it seems a long way from the end of the 2011-12 season when I remember in particular for personal reasons an end of season game against lowly Charlton Athletic in front of about 27k.

  

You are correct!

Some leeway called for when recalling events of some 55+ years ago!

The buzz around that match was amazing - the magic of the cup!

I seem to recall 'Big Mal' being interviewed on 'Sportsnight With Coleman' before the match was played saying words to the effect it would be all done and dusted by half time!  Like him or loathe him. 'Big Mal' was a personality and the likes of him, Shanks and Cloughie brought real colour to the game. 

1 hour ago, arbitro said:

Right now that's an attendance of 22000 which is great. Tickets can be bought up to 6.30 pm so I think there might be 23000 on. I know that Rovers have turned away a lot of people too, people who don't have a buying history but the suspicion is that most of them were Newcastle fans. 

It is nice to see 20k+ plus in Ewood, however, some perspective called for.

If I recall correctly, we averaged 25k+ in 5 or 6 seasons when in PL with a highest average of 27k round about 94/95/96

Also, we had 42k on Ewood for the FA Cup match against City back in 1967 when the ground really rocked particularly when Big Jim Fryatt soared to head an equaliser for Rovers.

Biggest Ewood attendance since 1960 was 54k for a cup replay against Burnley in 1960 - unfortunately, my dad thought I was too young for that match.

How times have changed.

Resting players!?  It's shite. 

Unless they are carrying an injury, the strongest 11 should be selected.  They are professional athletes.  Players could quite as easily get injured in the next training session!!!

Don't molly coddle the buggers - feckin man-up!

45 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Wouldn't surprise me if Gallagher is rested for this and on the bench. 

 

Quoting what Jackson wrote in LT an hour or so ago!!!

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

I would rest McFadzean for this game and play Koumetio. Move Hyam to the middle of the back 3. Wouldn't play Chrisene at left centre with Wharton in the middle of the back. 

Plus I would play Garrett in place Buckley with him being a sub. 

Pickering starts at left back. 

So my team would be 

                    Pears

   Koumetio Hyam Wharton

Brittain Tronstad Garrett Pickering 

               Dolan Szmodics 

                    Gallagher 

Subs:- Wahlstedt McFadzean Chrisene Moran Buckley Telalovic Sigurdsson Glisenan Ayari 

 

That team would get absolutely mullered.  Your midfield would get overrun and outclassed and we know Brittain isn't up for a scrap - and the pressure on that defence with Koumetio, had to check my diary to see if it was April 1st!

41 minutes ago, roverblue said:

Stick out the reserves, league is more important. Especially some of our stalwarts/injury prone people like Sammy, Gallagher, Pickering, Tronstad shouldn't be risked IMO.

Of course the league is important but this is a huge, huge game for Rovers and a chance to give the fans an occasion to savour.  To 'surrender' before a ball is kicked would be a humiliation on national tv and a humiliation we might not recover from.  Even if we lose, the team and the fans need to take something from the game even if it's only a little restoration of pride.

Over 50 years ago, a Southern League club knocked the mighty Newcastle out of the FA Cup at Edgar Street following a sublime Ronnie Radford strike.  The FA Cup has a unique magic and Rovers need to give it their feckin all with the strongest available 11 and let's see what happens!

56 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Bartin was probably great at 16 but he never got any bigger. He was way too short to be a keeper.

In those days, generally, goalies in the main weren't that tall!

Think Barton was similar height to Fred Else (who he replaced) who played hundreds of games for PNE & Rovers - would think both a couple of inches short of 6 feet.  Even Roger Jones wasn't quite 6 feet.  Think burly Adam Blacklaw measured in at just about 6 feet.

Even the great Banks was only about 6 feet (as was Shilton who replaced him as England's goalie).  Seem to recall likes of Bonnetti, Stepney, Lawrence etc all sub 6 feet with international honours.

Doesn't matter whether a goalie or outplayer though, the old adage still rings true, a good big 'un always beats a good little 'un !!!

1 hour ago, J*B said:

It’s impossible to predict but my head tells me a motivated JDT that hasn’t been lied to about the project and hasn’t uprooted his family and travelled them to another country gets a lot more than 2 points from PNE, Cardiff and Norwich. At the same time the JDT we ended up with that had lost the dressing room, was pissed off at the management with an upset family at home probably doesn’t get 2 points from those 9.

Which in reality just compounds the issue further. All they had to do was do as they promised and in my opinion JDT would have been the best manager since Allardyce, but they fucked it up. 

Excellent post.

Think the family bit was huge - moving your family even from one town to another town in the same county can be difficult enough with all that entails (friends, schools, relatives etc) but from one country to another!!!

Sadly, we will never know how good JDT could have been for Rovers.  I salute his refreshing honesty and would trust him far more than, IMO, all the scumbags now associated with our club. 

38 minutes ago, yoda said:

Sir Roger, I still remember his 1st home game at the Blackburn end when he dived full length mid air to his right and saved a certain goal, not only did the Blackburn end think it was going in but Sir Roger saved it and held it with both hands, never seen a save like it since. 

Can't quite remember that but do seem to recall we signed him around transfer deadline day that season and reading about it in the LT on a Saturday!

Sir Roger replaced Adam Blacklaw who moved on (to Preston or Blackpool ?) at the end of the season.  Blacklaw was ex Burnley and he replaced John Barton (who I think made his league debut for Preston at just 16!!!!!!!!).  Remember John was a nice bloke but not the best goalie to wear a Rovers' shirt - think he lost his life to cancer again at a relatively early age.  Heard a story that John who worked part time for a firm of funeral directors once dropped a coffin!  Not sure whether fact or a 'jest' as John did have a habit of dropping the odd cross / shot!!!  

55 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Wasn’t Graham Moseley at the club at that time ? 

Might be wrong here but think Moseley left Rovers not too long after we signed Sir Roger.

Eustace MUST field his strongest 11 and give it a Bowyer 'right good go'.

The last thing we need is a compromised Rovers' team humiliated on national television - that might prove a final nail in the relegation coffin with what it would do to confidence and morale.

RIP Paul and condolences to family and friends.

So sad to lose another former Rover at a relatively young age.

Had the huge job of replacing Sir Roger and made a good fist of it at the tender age of 18 or so (and Pears and Leo are called young goalies at 24/25!)!

An era when Rovers were served well by their goalies with the exception of 'Dracula' Butcher - Sir Roger, Paul and Jim Arnold were all very good with the likes of Pears and Leo mere shadows of those lads. 

Think that's the strongest 11 Eustace could put out.

In our situation, think you always play your strongest available 11.  Trying to be clever can be costly 

Difficult to call tomorrow and head and heart are differing.

Not a big Buckley fan but streets ahead of Garrett and Ayari (a desperately poor Broughton signing) and he should help.

Gilsenan has to at least make the bench - don't think he's had a fair crack but I certainly think there's something about him and he would bring flair and goals.

Sadly, I think Norwich will win by 2 or 3 goals to 1 as some of ours will  no doubt have one eye on the Newcastle game.

4 hours ago, philipl said:

Wharton dominated central midfield in his second PL game. He made several excellent interventions and tackles - a side of his game that goes unremarked. None of his through balls came off but that more reflects the standard of forward Palace had available on Monday as much as anything.

I used to live in an area dominated by Palace fans and they are already besides themselves at how good Adam is.

Everton fans of my acquaintance are howling about transfer fees being squandered in the past meaning the club couldn't follow through on having tracked him for two years. I believe Newcastle are similarly frustrated.

 

The lad's an absolute class act - I posted on here last season that in 2 to 3 years time, he will be running England's midfield.

Friend of mine is a big Liverpool fan and he was surprised and disappointed they didn't make a move for him as he thought his different style to what they already have in midfield would give them an additional edge.