Seem to remember our 'fans' at the end of the Oxford match (last match of the L1 season) showing huge restraint and obeying all requests not to invade the pitch 😉

I know when I was watching us in the Allardyce years I got the pragmatism but that didn't stop some of the football being fairly dull. My biggest issue was the way he effectively threw games against bigger teams to focus on those he saw as direct competitors. Achieved the result he wanted but took away from the fans the feeling that we could compete and enjoy giving the occasional bloody nose to the bigger teams. Ultimately though most of the blame lies with the Walker family. I think a fall back down was becoming inevitable under them but the big issue was the way they exited and handed us over to the bunch of shysters we've been saddled with ever since.

Our CCTV has probably been switched off to save on the running costs!

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.