I would really like to see Toth in action but if his mere presence consistently turns Pears from a liability to a clean sheet every game, he is a transfer fee well spent. I fear we will.persist with pears too long and we will toss away 3 points for want of making the switch earlier.

Plenty of bite in that one. Dolan should have put that one chance away. We were not winning individual battles all over the park and couldn't string passes together. Heckinbottom is an excellent manager to get that performance out of that lot.

QPR are big lumps who are deadly at set pieces. The defence can be got at. The question is who learns best from the Preston match? QPR as a blueprint for how to play against us or Rovers for how to up our game against big physical opposition?

We never got going today but it has to be acknowledged Heckinbottom has us sussed. Better get this sorted because QPR are Preston on steroids.

He did more pointing than Keith Andrews

One prediction that will certainly come true. The Rovers subs bench today will be the strongest most impressive and most experienced we have had since we were in the Premier League. My loving devoted fans will be appreciating the hyperbolic adjectives.

Depending how he is going in training, I would hope to see ACD get a chance against that PNE left side at some stage.

Last night was perfect for us. PNE slogged through 120 minutes against a Fulham side with ELEVEN changes from their last PL game, suffered two injuries forcing players off the field, no doubt picked up plenty of cuts and bruises then stood outside at 10pm+ on a September Lancashire evening in their sweaty kit for 33 penalties (16-15 plus the two that were missed)... I saw the first 10 minutes and Fulham were breaking at speed with ease except for the final balls which went out of play for goal kicks...

Amazing any player, agent or selling club have been willing to do business with the current Rovers set up. Ok we have shuffled some of the pack but Venkys and Swag remain as the dealers.

5,684 allocation sold

Looking grim for Morecambe and Stanley to stay in League football. The Bolton implosion is unexpected.

I will be very happy if Eustace finds himself in a Premier League club in the summer.. With us.

To the extent the early season table is a predictive guide, all the top 9 have winnable looking games this weekend.

It is pretty obvious that while transfer fees weren't splashed, the brakes were off on the wages bill this summer. Doing the deal with Dolan this Autumn is a litmus test for the club. I am encouraged by JE's comment. We have competition for places all over the squad which will lift performance levels but if we are in and around top 6 at Christmas then we need a couple of Prem quality players in the January window to seal the deal. We found the send button 11 times in the summer, let's hope its not taped over again on January 31st,

Given what happened to him at Birmingham and the Stoke chopping board (and the "opportunity" to reunite with players bounced out of Ewood... ), Stoke don't bother me. When Everton fire Dyche in November if we are continuing our run is a whole different matter.

Impressed by the Japanese lad from Celtic

Ohashi is a lot quicker than his strong frame and running style suggest. Quite apart from his skill at knowing the right place at the right time, he has the pace to get there. For the third goal, Hedges pass forced him out wide but he had the speed to get from near the touch line to the edge of the area before retreating Bristol City players could either intercept his drive inside or give cover to the bamboozled full back and they only had to run straight back to defend their goal. I would agree about Gueye up top and Ohashi in the number 10 role BUT - Ohashi has been scoring as the front man without Gueye on the field - Dolan is now playing the number 10 role really well with the set up for Ohashi's first perfect; tackled his man fairly in the centre circle, pace to break Bristol lines running straight at goal, strength to evade the tackle and played the ball while falling with perfect pace and direction for Ohashi's strike; no wonder he got a snog from Tronstad - and there is Cantwell building match fitness - and Weimann who undoubtedly provide effective halves and cameos as consistently one of the best behind the striker players in the Championship for years. What a wonderful problem for John Eustace to have... Starting at Deepdale

5,000 (3200+1000+800)

Watched bits of Pompey v West Brom. West Brom are very useful with some top Championship players but don't scare me. Pompey would have at least been level in the first half if they had a striker. Most Championship sides would be putting away the sort of openings Pompey created against West Brom 25% to 50% of the time, not going 0 in 5. They have League One bruisers up front. Overall, Pompey will be bottom half but unlikely to be relegated because they will score against worst sides with poorer keepers than West Brom have.

Just watched PNE v Sheffield United highlights of the season opener. I would start Gueye even if he comes off after an hour because the PNE boys are big and chunky with a long throw specialist as well as corners to defend. We need Gueye at both ends of the park. If he's ready, this is the ideal game for ACD given the way PNE had no idea how to handle Brooks in the Blades game. Just like Bristol City, we owe this lot rectification for some recent defeats. PNE look ponderous and will be vulnerable to the sort of breaks we have been springing this season from defence.

On the nose. I am struggling to think of a time since we were relegated from the Premier when we were going into the next game with 17 players deserving and easily good enough for first team starts and we'll over 20 I want to give game time to. The lesson of JRC to the whole squad is have a stinker and you might not get a chance at redemption for weeks or months. Pressure on places produced excellent performances from Pears, Beck, Batth, Dolan and Ohashi. Less so from Hedges and Baker who were both solid but solid is no longer good enough to keep your place in this squad. The Tronstad Travis combination will take some shifting though.

The stats lie- they would suggest we fluked it but that was as comfortable a win in this league as they come. Strength front to back, left to right despite the makeshift looking line-up which were causing vapours on here from 2 to 3pm. What I liked was our usually sloppy half hour was perhaps 8 minutes before half time and the ways we controlled the first 15 again then ripped into them at the start of the 2nd. Trav took his gift with supreme composure and Ohashi smacked them home at the end of two devastating moves with the ball travelling quicker than the Robbins could reorganise from us taking the ball from them deep in our half. Both previously first choice full backs out shows great strength in depth and so good to see the Cantwell, Tyjon and ACD cameos at the end. Here's hoping Pompey hold the Baggies tomorrow so we can have a week rather than only a night dreaming the season had just ended..

Waggott staggers on. Now with a great opportunity to sell more tickets and bond with fans he is cocking up Bristol City and PNE ticketing. Retire man!

Don't tell JRC against Blackpool. Perhaps that was half asleep under playing in retrospect.

Oh boy, I hope so. But I don't think we are secure enough in ourselves as a team and squad for that sort of certainty. I look at the Bristol City defense and am pretty certain we have enough in our likely starters and subs to get goal chances and listen to their boss and doubt he will have fixed the problem. So my hunch is more that they will lose than we will win if that makes sense...