The lad has scored goals which enabled us to play Forest at home in the League Cup- worth about £200k to the club and will probably chip in about 25% of our league goals. So let's say we have a 25% chance of promotion to the PL and Ben is 25% of the reason for us getting us that chance. Expected value is £160m x .25 x .25 = £10m So an offer of under £10.2m in January wouldn't be acceptable even on this basic asset value calculation.

There are formal procedures for a player to sign with a club outside the Federation they are currently registered in. Villareal have to inform the club holding his registration when the player has signed otherwise the new contract is invalid under UEFA rules. Rovers are absolutely clear they have received no such notification so officially he has not signed. I can think of no advantage to either Villareal or Ben for the rules not to be followed. Can you think of any?

I am as certain as I can be all details with Villareal were agreed within the January window and a contract is fully drafted with only Ben' s signature missing. Now why hasn't he signed it?

I thought the deadline for points deductions to be effective this season as opposed to next season passed at midnight last night. Now more than 13 minutes too late...

Dack is the sort of clever player who could thrive in either the Prem or Championship. Definite keep for me.

Apparently tickets will be on sale at St Andrews on the day.

Both Buckley and Brereton who scored easily the best goals of the 21/22 season at St Andrew's are out of this game.

Come on without, come on within..

Do a simple net present value calculation with absolutely known probabilities and Diaz' scoring record and you arrive at the £15m valuation. Offers of £8m are no brainers to reject. There is no debate to be had.

Obviously the East Lancs derby has lost its allure despite both clubs doing so well.

Still cannot do it in a day trip Manchester return unless 25 minutes on the ground at Valencia Airport counts

Surely this game can fill Ewood to its 31,000 capacity?

I see in my time away, Blackburn folk have not lost their love of being miserable and put upon. Joining in the spirit, I am ecstatic JDT has the opportunity to get moaned at and make lots of folks unhappy. Pears or TK JRC or Brittain 2 from Ayala, Carter, Hyam and Scott Wharton 4 from Hedges, Szmodics, Thomas, Dolan, Brereton Diaz and Gallagher Run out off the bench for Adam Wharton, Jake Garret or Ash Phillips if we have a cushion? Assuming Pickering, Morton and Travis are picked, two of these named won't even get on the bench. Whither Edun and Mola?

The UEFA rules are pretty explicit. There is nothing to stop Ben Mrs Ben and Mason from visiting estate agents in Villareal but signing right now outside the window when he is becoming a free agent but still contracted... Plus Villareal is a bit of a back water so popping there and back from wherever Ben lives is more than a day trip. At this stage of the season, the club knows where its players are. If not 24 x 7, they certainly don't have entirely unaccounted for two day gaps.

That 4-2 Leicester win saw Heskey produce one of the most complete centre forward displays I have ever seen from a centre forward. Heskey was so fast powerful and direct. He forced a number of fine saves in addition to the two fine goals he scored. He was so good that a little Rovers winger playing a blinder on his debut went nearly unnoticed. Damien Duff.

Glad Hyam on the bench for this Scotland Spain game. Scots going at it the proverbial 110%. Bodies totally on the line at the back defending their 2-0 lead.

Good news apparently on the injury. Arguably the Chilean recognition spurred the transformation from the gauch youngster to the goal scorer he has become. And the Chilean fans are a fun bunch.

He is rated second on the Chilean fans' player rater despite 0 shots 0 assists 0 everything in the stats, only lasting 50 minutes and coming off at 2-1 down which was turned round to a 3-2 Chile win...

The worst possible news from Chile. Limped off after 50 minutes holding his leg.

Worth about 1m to the club or about a third of the revenue Rovers get from paying spectators

I know highlight clips are not reliable guides but Brittain looked alarmingly below the level he can and should be at. Gilsenan unfortunate not to score on several occasions.

Had Ryan stayed at Rovers, ir is more than possible JDT would have ironed out the failings in his game and turned him into the devastating right wing back he could have become. R9vers wouldn't have needed to buy Brittain and could probably have afforded Ahmedhodzic so that stupid useless agent screwed us as well. But then would JRC have got his chance? Perhaps a player with even more potential than Nyambe.

On TV you could see he was onside by a distance so I could celebrate the goal worry free from 2000 km away.

Clubs without parachute money are at a disadvantage getting promoted but an advantage staying up once they get there. On current league positions all three clubs promoted without parachute money in the previous 3 seasons are staying in the PL.

Win 4 draw 5 lose 0 gets Rovers to 78 points with only a slight increase over 1.6 points per game we are currently averaging.