Was there that night. Sutton's goal 1-0. Seemed like that had clinched the title but then the 'mini-collapse' started! Looking at the team sheets it's almost entirely British Isles players - how times have changed!!

There can't be many teams who've gone from 20th in early Nov to 2nd by the end of the season! And a cup run where we got to Round 5 beating a Div 2 team away, a Div 1 team and taking Villa to a replay only a year before they won the League! Funnily the cup run coincided with the amazing league form. I know many other people on this forum hold the view that a good cup run can help turn form around.

It continued after that. I was at the game away at Millwall in Nov 79 where we lost 1-0 due to Keeley (I think) giving away a penalty in the 85th minute. Apart from thinking 'at least we're going to get out alive now' it seemed like we were going nowhere but the rest of the season was awesome as everything suddenly clicked. Don't know whether that means we should give Ismael the time or just that Kendall had a plan that the board could see and supported him to achieve it. Even if Ismael has a plan the current set of deadbeats in the boardroom don't have the capability or desire to back him anyway.

You could see that Eustace had a plan. We might not all have agreed with his approach - indeed some expressed that disagreement very strongly 😉 - but at least it was a plan. It had similarities with the early days of Kendall's reign. With Ismael it just looks like he's randomly throwing darts at a board with one eye closed and little idea of where the numbers are!! He might get lucky at some point but that will probably be down to the players suddenly rediscovering their fight and pride. Or doing like they did in the infamous Johnson 'false 9' game - decide to play how they want to play and fuck the manager. Unfortunately don't think most of this group have that in them.

Just read the first BLT comments - unbelievable!!!!!

Hope you meant exiting rather than executing 😉

I agree that the actions of the owners will ultimately see us relegated - highly likely to be next season. However their actions don't suggest this is their objective - if it was why did they sack Coyle? It might be that, with the current financial situation, they are just indifferent to relegation. Waggot just seems to be an effing idiot!

Thanks IraC. That covers my uni years when I only saw Rovers during the holidays and odd away games I could get to - so may never have seen him play.

I have no memory of David Glenn. Can someone enlighten me? 🙂

And just to the right of the policeman it seems that Demis Roussos was taking in a game whilst in London.

I have the utmost respect for Gareth Southgate as a human being. The way he changed the toxic culture around the team and allowed most of the players to display they are decent guys and good role models shouldn't be undervalued. If anyone heard his Dimbleby lecture on the BBC earlier this week then that can only reinforce the need for the good things he brought. However the evidence of last summer is that maybe it had swung too far the other way and the 'edge' wasn't quite there. The displays were insipid for the most part and the players didn't seem to have any spark or real hunger. One exception was Bellingham but that meant he was trying to do too much a lot of the time. I guess time will tell if those displays were all that those players can do or if the change of manager approach will take them to another level.

Totally with you there Tyrone. When I played full-back I was always looking to block those crosses as knew they were a nightmare for the rest of the defence. Shearer's goal at Anfield the day we won the league another great example.

Can I put forward Mike Newell's against Derby in the Play-Off semi-final 1st leg. Not only a great goal but one that totally changed the atmosphere and momentum of the game. Along with Shearer's 2nd against Man U in 93/94 season. In my 50 years of watching Rovers probably the two goals that I reacted to (embarrasingly?) the most! Although falling over after Marcus Bent's goal at Turd was also pretty embarrassing!!

Agreed. And the ground was named after the pub it stood behind! But people's behaviour was (generally) better then. I don't remember coming out of the pub - however pissed I was! - and making loads of noise in the way I hear it now. Additionally there is far more use of taxis now so much more and louder noise. I'm sure if Stanley have the right conversations with the council and put some mitigations in place around noise/times then a solution will be found. The direction from government is about prioritising economic growth and planning policies should reflect this.

My mum came with me and my dad on the Monday night. Only her 2nd time at Ewood and 3rd time 'watching' Rovers. 1st time at Ewood was to get me a voucher for a cup tie ticket!