Unless he is already down to his leotard

Just posted my team Chaddy. We have 8 of the same players but a different formation. Travis, Szmodics and Hedges lose out to Adam Wharton, Dack and Gallagher in my team. for me Dack is many times the player Szmodics is, and Gallagher offers more, all things considered than Hedges. Regarding Travis, I thought he was dreadful last night, slow in possession and something of a liability. Vastly overrated in my opinion.

Kaminski Brittain Hyam Wharton Pickering Dack Morton Wharton Gallagher Hirst Brereton Absolutely no chance of this but it's how I would line up. I think this team would find a way to win.

Agreed. Kaminski has the option to pick a long ball from a goal kick in a controlled environment where he can select which area to target, whilst under no pressure. Instead he plays it short, we panic and he gets a dangerous back pass, so then resorts to punting the now moving ball upfield, under pressure from a striker. How can that be the preferred option, and why do we keep doing it?

5-1 half time. Free for season tickets, fiver otherwise

How funny; I was just about to post his name. Think he came twice on loan, perhaps from Sunderland. I thought he was a great player. If memory serves he played in the big 3rd round cup tie in January '83 against Liverpool. That game recently popped up on YouTube and is well worth tracking down.

Buckley coming on 2nd half I think. Probably for Wharton

I likened Wharton to Barker after his debut the other week. Very similar players. Wharton looks quicker than Simon, and lighter on his feet. Barker very often bossed midfield like all great players in that position. Barker spent much of his last season at Rovers (the Archibald season) injured, hence a cut price £400k to QPR. He would have been better staying another season as we would have walked promotion (Palace season) with him playing instead of someone like Jon Millar. If Wharton can score goals with the frequency of Barker (and I think he can) we will have some player on our hands.

Phil Starbuck

Oh God! Not on your honeymoon! What on earth will you find to do?

My trusty 'Blackburn Rovers A Complete Record' by Mike Jackman, reports this as taking place on Monday 25th March 1967. A crowd of 21,740 saw Douglas score the only goal of the game.

Great to watch him yesterday. Simon Barker -esque.

What was the attendance? Surely a bumper crowd with tickets priced from as little as £2. Particularly following the massive publicity and achievement of the national side this summer.

Let's hope in next weeks cup game Bradford don't become Leon Spinks

Pickering giving the ball away on his crosses time and time again. Unbelievably poor.

Go to a flat back 4 with Pickering or Edun off. Morton into midfield and Dack for Szmodics. Got to play higher up the pitch.

Idiot!

Dack to start today in my opinion.

I've seen him play three 1st team matches and I've seen him in around ten youth matches. On every occasion he appears calm, unhurried and fairly effortless. He is a difficult one to assess. I genuinely can't decide if he is a sensation, or if he has never truly been tested by a good striker. I am looking forward to see him compete against a streetwise, Danny Graham type centre forward.

Would it be a little premature of me to respectfully suggest that you might want to think about changing your username? Enviousclaret perhaps? 😁

That's tremendous. I love our bench for this!

I can see Pickering making way for Edun before too long. If he picks Edun at left back in the cup match and Edun performs, it might give him an interesting decision to make in the near future.

I love the idea of a tactical genius pulling the strings behind the front of house man. Think Taylor to Clough, Paisley to Shankley and Harford to Kenny. When did we last have genuine know how and quality in that role?

Thank you for posting that. Very interesting to listen to a manager so wedded to his principles that he can't see the wood for the trees. It reminded me of Mowbray who frequently doubled down trenchantly on his preferred style of play and stubbornly refused to change direction, adamantly persisting with his intransigent approach in the midst of an almost unprecedented run of disastrous results. Martin talks about watching us against Qpr and expecting us to play a certain way. He is then surprised when we adopt a totally different approach and he finds himself unable, or unwilling (remind you of anyone) to do anything about it. Clearly, what we now have in JDT, is a manager cut from a very different cloth to our previous incumbent. A manager who does his homework, sets out a plan and ruthlessly goes about his task. We have seen two very different tactical approaches in two matches. This unpredictability will cause uncertainty when future opponents assess us. We are no longer one dimensional or easy to pick off. Our manager looks to have a cold blooded steeliness about him. He is intense, tactically savvy and focused. Past reputations count for nothing. He has taken a player I have been unsure about (Travis) given him a sense of responsibility and unlocked a talent previously only hinted at. Look at his overlapping run leading to his goal in the latter stages of an energy sapping game in which he tore around the field largely out of possession. It just shows the difference between a true motivator of men and a man scarred by past failures, playing it safe and shackling his team's talent and thrust. Travis would run through brick walls for Tomasson. With additions to the squad (for me a left back, centre half and goal poacher) we could be an absolute force to be reckoned with. Next Saturday against a tougher opponent will give us a real insight into our potential for the season. I can't wait!

It looks like Fat Frank is now deserving of his nickname