Tyrone Shoelaces

Three players missed out from the list of those who played for both teams - Alan Hunter, a terrific Northern Irish centre half who we sold to Ipswich for a big fee where he the became the mainstay of their defence for many years. Just what we need now. Bobby Bell, who came in the other direction in part exchange for Hunter and cash. Blink and you missed him, amazingly he was sold for big bucks after playing just 3 games for Rovers. Vanished from sight immediately after that. If you can say " I saw Bobby Bell play " you're a very rare person. Roy Stephenson, a bit part player /reserve in the great Rovers forward line of the late 1950's Douglas, Dobing, Dougan, Vernon, MacCleod. Only a reserve at Ewood but Alf Ramsey turned him into a First Division Championship medal winner.

I doubt they'll be so poxy on Saturday. They'll have watched that last night and be fancying they can get something.

Grabbi was light years better. I remember him scoring a goal against Everton. He came inside from the old inside left position, dipped his shoulder, took two defenders out of the game and side footed the ball into the far corner cool as you like. Easy peasy. Very much like Armstrong's goal at Millwall.

Their guy put one into the top corner from a similar position.

The only problem with that is why would anyone who's scouted him actually pay us a fee. I think a loan away from the club is the only answer.

Well what can you say. Another great chance of progressing thrown away through a combination of bizarre team selection, bad luck and poor play. Above all we needed to start on the front foot. Newcastle are there for the taking. What happens, we give a central midfield player time to turn on the ball, pick his nose, tie up a loose bootlace, then bang a shot at goal. Our central midfield nowhere to be seen, possibly discussing whereabouts on the pitch they should be playing. Next thing two of our guys go for the same header and get taken out of the game, our right centre back gets done on his wrong side for pace on our left, the marking is still loose in the box and bang, we're 2-0 down before we've got into the game. Newcastle can't believe their luck. A potential banana skin is turning into a walk in the park. We eventually clear our heads, decide who's playing where and start moving the ball in a more direct manner. This results in Armstrong getting on the end of a good move and tucking the ball through the goalies legs for 1-2. It's game on now and we start playing with some purpose, Right on half time Lenihan powers in a header from a good corner and we go in at 2-2 cock a hoop. Momentum definitely with Rovers, Newcastle looking shell shocked. The second half starts and it's business as usual, lots of huff and puff without ever threatening to blow Newcastle's house down. Pre half time momentum lost. That's inspite of the fact they look like they don't really fancy it. They're there for the taking but we can't land the knock blow. Several subs come on without really influencing the game, Dack in particular looks like he's just taken off his pyjamas, drunk a Lem Sip and put his boots on. So we go into extra time. Nothing much changes until we work a good move that puts Dack in on a one on one. He has to take it early and he just puts the ball wide of the posts. On another night that's us 3-2 up and the Geordies going down like a pricked balloon ! As is the way of it in Football they go down the other end and somehow manage to conjure up another shot from the " D " . It's well struck and obviously moving around but Raya palms it back into the danger area and a lad runs in from an off side position to finish. I once played in a team with a completely mad goalkeeper who had a habit of heading shots like that away ! After that we're chasing the game and as usually happens we got caught with a break out and their lad finishes the game off with a good shot to the top corner. I can't blame Raya for that, it was a terrific shot taken from a similar position to the one Brereton put out for a throw in ! As for the performance, most of the time it was pretty turgid. As Sutton said we haven't got the players to consistently pass the ball out. We lack pace on and off the ball and we don't get around the side of teams. Their lad Murphy showed how dangerous getting around the side can be. Most of the time we play in front of teams that are set to defend against us. As a result of that we don't make anything like enough scoring chances and if we don't take them we struggle. Another criticism is we rarely shoot from distance, two of their goals came from having a crack from outside the area. As for the selection - I know we'd every centre back out bar one either ill or injured but 3 at the back when 2 of them are full backs ? I'd have gone 4 with Bennett, Nyambe Lenihan, Bell. There were times when Lenihan didn't have another Rovers player within 25 yards of him. Bizarre. Nuttall out wide ? He's only just a centre forward. Anyway Scores on the doors - Raya 5, I like the lad but that error was game changing. Reed 6, worked hard but he's wasted out there. Nyambe 6, tried his best but got done for the second goal Lenihan 8, MOM for me. He has a habit of losing position. He should have left Bell to deal with the header that led to the second goal and stayed with the striker. Good goal at the other end. Bell 6, Did ok. Travis 7, did his best to move us forward all night. Sometimes plays the difficult balls when an easy pass is on. Smallwood 7, played well after a poor start. Bennett 5, looked like a fish riding a bike out wide on the left. Brereton 5, what can I say ? Never a winger in a million years. Missed a guilt edged opportunity to work the goalkeeper. The strangest signing ever for me. Armstrong 6, looked a threat, strange decision to take him off. Maybe the illness in the camp affect ted him as well as several of the others. Graham 8, did really well with a succession of long balls, tired as the game went on. Subs Conway 5, did very little apart from smash our best free kick opportunity of the night straight into the wall. Dack 6, tried but not at his best. Nuttall 6, gave it a good shot in spite of being out wide most of the time. Rothwell 5, ineffectual.

Shaun Edwards got a high tackle resulting in a fractured cheek bone after 5 minutes of a Rugby League Cup Final at Wembley. He played on with that for the next 75 minutes. Just saying.

Typical, it looks like the black guy ( Cisse ? ) who piled into Todd in the first place got away with what would have been a red card today. I liked Todd but we were 2-0 up when that happened. We ended up hanging on for a 2-2 draw.

I'm expecting a tough game on Saturday. Lambert will have them up for this one.The juries out with Judge after a really bad injury but James Collins in the defence will make a big difference. He could be a " John MacNamee " style signing for them.

Mm, that's a bit concerning. 2 Ipswich players in the team as opposed to our 1. James Collins won't be making life easy for us on Saturday.

I'm hoping for a proper performance and a good win tonight but has I said a while ago we have a habit of getting good draws away only to play like drains in the replay. Come on Rovers, prove me wrong.

" Proper " wingers are born and not made.

Play in your opponents half, that's the best way to see out a game.

He was a really good player in his day and a fine manager. Nothing is forever though.

For me League position wise we are over achieving by a few places. I thought we'd be around 6th from the bottom. Football wise we are about where I thought we'd be at the start of the season. Although we were promoted ok from a football point of view we blew hot and cold somewhat. When we were hot it was enough to get us over the line. With more or less the same team I didn't expect things to be a lot different this season.

Hang on a minute, where have I slated him ? What I said was he isn't going to go on forever and we need to be looking at a realistic replacement. Even Dougie had to hang his boots up eventually.

Yeah but will he be one of our best players next season ? Unless someone else gets signed we'll have Nuttall, Brererton and Samuel to play up front.

Only Dack has been a roaring success. Reed is a good player but will he be here next season. Everybody else will be a year older and the stalwarts are not likely to be better. If we stay up I think we'll probably be OK next season but if we're looking for promotion we need changes.

When players get around the 33 mark they can be here today gone tomorrow from a physical point of view.

Looking back over the history of football management not being able to improve a successful team has got plenty of managers the sack. I was reading about Bill Shankly the other day, a great manager but totally ruthless when it came to moving players on, as club legends like Ian St John, Roger Hunt, Ronnie Yeats all found out

Johnny Byrom was only 17 when he was playing for the Rovers first team in the First Division. Stuart Metcalfe would have been about that age when he made his debut.

I thought he was the sort of player who can dominate youth team games because of his size advantage but when they get up against blokes their own size they lose that advantage. Maybe he just didn't fancy it at Rovers and his heart wasn't in the move ?

Yeah I saw that, I know he's only a young lad but he looked deeply average when I saw him play.

I agree, the minute you start standing still in this game is the minute you actually start going backwards.

Most centre halves are vulnerable to the sort of ball that gets them turning sharply. That's why they are centre halves and not strikers. An ideal pairing is one centre half that dominates in the air and a quicker guy that gets everything on the ground.