What you're missing here is the change in lifestyle of large numbers of fans. When I was working, I was here for most of the season and away during some school holidays. A season ticket was by far the best option for me. I missed the odd game but most of my time could be structured to make sure I missed very few. With retirement came choice. I dont have to be here if I choose not to be. Having broken away from having a season ticket when the club closed my stand, appointed Coyle, and wrote me a snotty letter about why I should never have been sitting where I was when theyd been happy to renew my ticket there for years despite knowing I'd no children with me, I found I no longer needed to structure my time around attending Rovers matches, so I stayed away longer on my summer hols, took breaks away mid season without looking at the fixture list, and generally found other choices. I dont want the tyranny of a season ticket. It may be the clubs priority to have season ticket holders, but having one is no longer my priority and I suspect there are many of the missing 10k like me.

Replying to 47er They know what they need and scout several players who might fit the hole in their squad and be available. If someone says no they dont hang around too long. They move on to the next on the list. That's what proper clubs do

Thank you

I only seem to go to even colder climes in winter. ?. South Korea at minus 12 a couple of years ago. Bavaria at minus 4 this year

Doesn't warmth make muscles work more easily? And psychologically warm weather makes you feel better anyway. I dont begrudge them it. Plenty of us go for a bit of winter sun if we can

DON'T!

Cant be real. It's too many syllables for a Korean! ?

There is no point at all in trying to discuss anything with Chaddy. He does not discuss, merely tells you why he is right

According to the commentators yesterday Denly was under instruction today 100 balls. Runs irrelevant, just keep batting. Dong know if there was any truth in it, only what theysaid

Used to see him in our local pub when we lived in Somerset. I remember one of the staff at our school whod taught him at primary school telling us that they had to rein him in even then because he kept hitting the balls over the wall even at that age and they couldn't afford to lose that many Mind you I think Stokes is very special. His passion and his ability to drag himself up to bowl again even when hes exhausted, and his increased adaptability as a batsman, getting better at judging when he can slog and when he needs to temper it a bit, would make him my favourite of the 3 named

My father in law taught him many years ago

I'm in agreement with you fof once, Chaddy. I just read the news out to my husband and we were both shocked. Not my favourite pundit but a great player, and no age really. RIP

Haven't seen it. Watched Knives Out last week. It was slow to start with but its quirkiness grew on me and I ended up really enjoying it. Watched Last Christmas the week before, which was what we call in our house a Friday night film ie you come in from work so shattered that, sitting down in front of the TV, you'll watch anything provided it's not dire. Says a lot about the film when I had to look up what I'd seen as it was pretty unmemorable. It had some decent performances but the overall film wasn't even ok

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If hes to go then it has to be sooner rather than later. The longer you leave it the further adrift you are, the more disillusioned players and fans become and, most importantly, the less time any incoming manager has to assess the squad and do any wheeling and dealing in the January window

They're Yorkshire. Get over it?

Happens in other sports too. Steve Diamond at Sale Sharks is a real old fashioned manager, often called a dinosaur, but he has brought through Tom Curry and reinvented Faf de Klerk who has just won the World Cup. A year or 2 ago de Klerk couldn't get in South Africas squad

He plays differently for Sale. More passing game.

It was youth v experience and experience won in the end. Most of our lads will still be there next time and some the time after that and they'll have this defeat to look back on and spur them on. Delighted for de Klerk and cant wait to see him back at Sale but gutted that England couldn't get going and give them more of a game. I think Sinklers going off so early took so much away from our scrum and just knocked us back a bit where we needed to be on the front foot. A different early start might have made a difference.

To be fair, they have tried to buy the ground. But it's not about the giveaways. It's about promoting a feel good factor for fans who go and attracting new fans when there are potentially people who might think, I enjoyed that. Perhaps I'll give it another go. Simon Orange is a local businessman who gets the fans or who employs people who get the fans. It comes down to the way the club is run. It's not about spending loads of cash. It's about using a bounce in your fortunes to the max and making fans feel important. We've had it at Rovers in the past. I used to enjoy going to Ewood so much that I couldn't wait for the next match and used to go to youth cup games and so on. Now, even when I do go, it's more in hope than expectation, and I almost have to twist my husbands arm to make him go with me

Very true. Also someone who watches a lot of rugby nowadays

Wales 22 not 25. Rugby's been metric for years! Lol

I've acknowledged it's a one off for Sale. But Rovers had an albeit smaller chance to ride the crest of their wave when we were promoted and nobody grabbed the chance. It's more attitude I'm talking about. Not the size of the opportunity. It's about making the most of whatever chances come your way and looking at situations to see if you can make something from what's on offer Growing their fanbase is important to them. It doesn't seem to be important at Rovers

If you want to see how good marketing works look at Sale Sharks this week. They're not a fashionable club. Less than a minute on the premiership highlights most weeks even if they wipe the floor with the opposition but they know how to cash in on good times. This week Ben Curry has been on Breakfast TV and 5live and would have been on Sportsday but for events at Westminster. Then today they've had breakfast tv at their training ground at Carrington. They're offering free bacon sandwiches to ST holders who turn up tomorrow to watch the World Cup final at the club. And if England win the World Cup they're giving away 100 half season tickets. They have a marketing dept actively seeking opportunities to connect with fans and riding the wave of international player success. Compare with Rovers who seem to miss opportunities to connect with their fans at every possible moment. I know this is a one off opportunity for Sale but they've certainly worked out how to milk it

Complicated. And then they wonder why people can't be bothered.

First things first; I didn’t speak to a single person at half-time at Preston who thought the home side would play anywhere nearly as bad in the second half, writes Simon Smith I struggled to read past the mistake in that phrase nearly as bad