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!

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

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! 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!

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 !!!

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.

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!!!

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.

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.

Sadly Chaddy, when Waggott and co know there are more like you, the agony for us all will be prolonged. The club will, IMO, continue to take the fans for fools and dump on them window after window and season after season. If you really think anything other than the loose change from the Raya and Wharton monies will be reinvested then it might be time for you to undertake a huge self analytical review. IMO, the only action that will resonate is a huge boycott by the fans (season tickets, match, attendance, merchandise etc).

Indeed! Our owners and Waggott don't deserve such commitment and loyalty. Often think only an ongoing mass boycott will have any impact.

Will be amazed if that starting 11 makes it to half time without any injury. A fast start neeeded, first goal will be so important though we know from Saturday even a 2 goal lead is no guarantee. Concede early and it will be game over.

If he's still here by then!

It's very sad when illness strikes any individual whether they be young, old, poor, rich, unknown, famous. Good luck Tony, hope you are soon fighting fit for your own, and your family's, sake. An American philosopher called Emerson wrote in the 19th century "The first wealth is health" - one of a number of poignant quotes I have on my office wall. How very, very true.

Agree. Think Cardiff win at 7/4 will be a very good little earner. Our seaon continues to unravel. Will we ever get another consistent run of games out of JRC? Will Fleck ever be fit enough to play more than 20 minutes for Rovers? Can we risk McFad, Hedges and Gallagher for a 4th game in 11 days given age and recent long absences? Should Buckley be thrown in after a lengthy absence and very little game time? What a sad and desperate mess we are in.

Not quite. What you have to remember is that for those of us who started supporting Rovers in the 1960's, life was very different. Mobile phones and social media didn't exist. If we weren't happy, we had to find a way to express our displeasure and believe me, we did! We lived and followed the club through some of the 'crappiest' times imaginable, times many of today's fans would, I suggest, find too distasteful. I remember league games in the 1970's when we had less than 4,000 on Ewood - might be wrong here but recall a last league game of the season in 1970's in Division 3 when we had just over 3,000 fans on Ewood. When some of us still followed Rovers home and away in those dark days, it's insulting to be criticised because we weren't at Preston yesterday. But for those 3,000 to 4,000 hard core back in the 1970's, the club wouldn't be here today.

That is not what I said. Being 'targeted' by someone who was at Deepdale yesterday and knew I wasn't, inferring I wasn't a 'real fan' is utter sh1te. There are many on here who followed Rovers in dark, dark days before the likes of you and @chaddyroverswere even twinkles in your dads' eyes! No one is saying because we are older we are superior supporters. The point being made is upstarts should think carefully before shooting their mouths off about supporters who helped keep the club alive in the real dark days following the club wherever they played and letting the then 'powers that be' know what we felt with pitch invasions and demonstrations on Nuttall Street. We were not like today's keyboard warriors, happy clappers, content to sit on our hands and do feck all.

I didn't say that! Object to someone who goes to Preston for a Championship match and infers 'I'm not a real supporter' as I wasn't there. Feckin shite. Are you Chaddy's brother?

So you were there yesterday and I wan't for a Championship match - what do you want, a feckin Blue Peter badge? When you've watched the Rovers in shit holes like Tranmere, Halifax, Chesterfield and Mansfield in the old Third Division on cold Friday nights / Saturday afternoons then you have earned your colours. 'Rovers till I die' - hope there's a bit more to your life than Rovers! This shower of sh1te are simply not worth it.

Good guess! However, after following Rovers home, away and in Europe for cica 60 years, circa 50 years as a season ticket holder, I don’t need lectures! I can readily recall my dad taking me down to Johnny Forbes on Northgate for my first season ticket as a 5 year old. Whilst we have, IMO, imbecilic owners and an equally imbeciilic CEO, I will not be setting foot in Ewood Park again. For those who swallow all the, IMO, Waggott sh1te then good luck.

No it hasn't Chaddy - you really think likes of Klopp, Arteta, Dyche etc aren't hard and aggressive with their players!?

So JDT was solid defensively when he first arrived but then we started leaking like a sieve and he hadn't a clue how to stop it?! Think the 'attacking style' developed as and when the players knew how to adapt to JDT's requirements. As posted previously, for me jury out on Eustace. Limited experience at league level (60ish games), solid rather spectacular at Brum (as was Bowyer here when first appointed) and talking of Bowyer, too much 'luvvy, luvvy, family' stuff - little wonder likes of Brittain enjoying life. We need an aggressive, hard bastard who takes no prisoners.