That looks like our pics. You can't see the background at all. It just blurs into light

It doesn't feel like a transfer window without chaddy links and lists of players he'd sign that many of us have never heard of

Where has he gone?

Sorry about that! My memory playing tricks. The first live football match I ever went to was at St James Park in 1968 when Newcastle played Celtic fresh from their win in the European Cup. I've sort of always assumed it was because we held both European trophies at the same time that they played one another. Blame it on old age. Anyway, Newcastle beat Celtic that day and I was hooked so when my friend suggested we went to watch the Boro at their next home game I was more than up for it.

Haven't seen the Telegraph today yet.

What rallying call is that?

Except I'm from the north east so i watch Newcastles results and, apart from that win in the inter cities fairs cup back in 67 that's never really happened despite Newcastle being a big city team has it. In fact, even the Boro have had more success in recent years and they're hardly multi billion pound projects.

I actually stopped attending the season before relegation when Coyle was appointed, the BBE upper was closed without consultation and I got a snotty letter from the club asking why I was in the BBE upper, when I'd offered to move when my kids were no longer juniors only to be told by the club that they were quite happy for us to keep our seats there provided demand for the family stand did not mean they needed to move us. I've never been to Benidorm either but don't let facts get in the way of a dig, will you? I am however very fortunate in that I am able to enjoy retirement by travelling outside school holidays for the first time in my life. I don't expect you to care why I don't attend. I don't expect any other fan to care. This all started because I happened to attend at the weekend and merely remarked that it was a pity for me that the replay is probably on the 1 night in the next month that I can't attend. It probably suits others that it's likely to be 15th Jan and I hope you all get down there and thoroughly enjoy yourevening. Bring on Watford.

Now there's an original idea! Threads staying on topic . . .

It so happens Rev that my son lives in Newcastle and wanted someone to go to a match with him so we made a weekend of it. He couldn't or at least preferred not to go with friends there as they're all Newcastle fans. I have never claimed travel difficulties going to Ewood although parking is now more of a problem and means I don't really want to go on my own as I often used to when I had a pass for that car park near the travellers park. If I can't persuade my husband or daughter to go with me to Ewood then it's more of an issue now than I used to find it. I'm working on getting my husband back to matches too. He was more reluctant to attend than I was for a number of years , and I think he still is. But like me, he enjoyed being at the match on Saturday so he may attend the replay with our daughter if I can't go. We're getting there. We didn't stop going overnight so we're not necessarily going to start going regularly overnight either.

Thing is, I don't find liking rugby makes any difference to how I feel about watching other sports. There are things I like about rugby like the relative respect for the ref and their clear use of the tmo . And I like the raw power, and to some extent brutality of it. And yes, I like standing with opposition fans with a drink in my hands. We do not sing Swing low, not at Sale. I like rugby union and always have. That however, does not detract from the way watching Rovers makes me feel. Rugby doesn't leave me feeling bad for the rest of the week if Sale lose. A Rovers loss has me grumpy for days even if I haven't seen it. Listening to final score or whatever has my heart racing when they say there's been a goal at Ewood and I don't know which team has scored. Rovers have my heart whilst others have my interest. But sometimes the thing you love hurts you and it can take a long time to get over it.

Sale sharks Paul play rugby union and play it rather well, not rugby league. I seem to annoy Rev rather out of proportion to anything I actually say. Put me on ignore if you like Rev. I haven't fallen out of love with Rovers, Stuart, or I wouldn't be here. I just fell out of love with attending Ewood when a number of factors came together. I'm currently working on getting back to enjoying watching my team live. I made a start at St James where I remembered how at home I generally feel among Rovers fans. I'd go to the replay if I could, but the meeting I have is not one I can miss. I'll doubtless make another few matches before the end of the season. I won't buy a season ticket for well documented reasons but that doesn't mean I won't be there. And before you ignore me, Rev, I've never been to a match at Chorley, just as I've never been to a rugby league match.

I went to Newcastle at the weekend. I happen to have a meeting I can't avoid on the 15th Jan. I'd rather go to the cup game at Ewood but I'm obliged to attend this particular very dull and unnecessary meeting for a number of reasons I won't bore you with. If the match is moved, not for my convenience but for a TV audience, then I will go if at all possible. And if the RL was a dig at me, I have never been to a rugby league game in my life.

I don't know league games will be dire that's true but many are dreary affairs with neither side wanting to lose and so one or both often sets up originally to defend and hope for at least a draw, whereas the cup offers a result you know counts on that one occasion. And Newcastle were pretty dire on Saturday. But the result still mattered there and then rather than as one of a series. Don't get me wrong. I like watching league games too. I was just trying to explain what it is about the cup that some of the people on here were talking about miss out on by not bothering with cup games. I couldn't believe the crowds a couple of years ago when we went on that little run and beat premier league opposition and I wanted to try to explain why I like the cup. And you never know. There's always that one in a million chance you might win the thing!

If its the original 15th Jan date I can't go. I'd love to as Id rather watch a cup match than some dire league game and some of the best matches I've seen in recent years have been cup ties. I love night matches too - the dark outside the stadium makes you feel more of the all in together type feeling that adds to excitement. However, long standing meeting arranged for 15th and I don't feel I can escape it

I don't want to be controversial or stir a hornets' nest that's being dealt with elsewhere but how will Brexit affect future recruitment from Europe? Will the rules about needing to play so many international games apply there? In which case recruiting from abroad suddenly becomes a whole lot harder as players we'd be looking to pick up would not be current internationals

The first thing my son said when he saw the team was that we should be all over their keeper as he's small. Not rough him up but crowd him a bit. Sounds like we did just that

How I agree. Except in my case I'm the one complaining as my husband is watching it and it's utter garbage

And the lasses!

The downer was how comfortable it all was up to the pen. As my son said after the match if the goals had come the other way round and we'd equalised late on wed have been coming away from the ground buzzing. Instead we came away feeling disappointed not to have held on.

Sitting up at the back of the stand. Forgot my binoculars! ?

Got my ticket. Weekend visiting son and going to the match with him

It's where most of the Boro footballers live. Mendieta (sp? ) has a farm or something round Yarm. It's become the posh bit of Teesside if such a place exists. When I was younger, Normanby, where I lived, was where the likes of Souness lived because the then chairman, Charlie Amer, had an estate in the grounds of his house that they lived on.

Ha ha ha. Bet they wished they'd had him last season

Doesn't actually live in Middlesbrough I wouldn't think. But on Teesside, yes. Nobody much lives in Middlesbrough unless they have to. And it's Middlesbrough not Middlesborough although they're known as the Boro with that extra o in there. ?