Pape! What a cross, what a header.

He's been poor, but he's a LOT better than the likes of Buckley, Weimann, Dolan and even Tronstad tonight so far. Change of shape needed for the 2nd half, get 2 up top and attack them.

Portsmouth are terrible. We've managed to be even worse so far.

It's true. If you take the stadium tour, the guide will take you into the suite and tell you the same.

I know it's early and I've been one of the more 'on the fence' fans with him, but Buckley has been horrific so far. Literally passing to nobody and just panicking with the ball at his feet. Dolan not much better.

Agreed, some are being far too harsh on Cantwell at the moment. How can we expect him to soar like an eagle when he's surrounded by pigeons? And I also think there's a player in Leonard also; getting into those positions and having the knack to be there for the chances is a skill that not many players have. Once he converts a few, I genuinely think he'll be a decent goalscorer.

That is literally their plan. One of the sons who attends uni in the UK uses Jack's former suite (which is now adorned in Venky family portraits) occasionally throughout the season. Their intention is to pass the club onto him in due course. It never ends.

Maybe there's a reason I coach at U10 level and Mr Eustace earns his many thousands of pounds a week 😄

I wouldn't be against starting with 2 forwards, even though it means a change in shape. Go old school with a 4-4-2, with Gueye and Leonard up top. Have a diamond central midfield, Tronstad sitting and Cantwell behind the front 2. Start fast, early couple of goals.

Agree with this. We had a prolonged dry spell in the 60's to 80's but doesn't change the fact that we've spent more seasons in the top division than any other division, across our history. We're literally the only team in English football to have won a major trophy in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. And, despite being out of the top flight for some time now, we're still somewhere around the 12th most successful clubs in English football history. I think some people forget exactly who we are sometimes, current owners and custodians very much included.

No idea if there's anything in it, but BBD would be a substantial upgrade on what we currently have. He was hot & cold, absolutely, but when he was hot, he was one of the best forwards in the division. And, even at cold, he's still significantly better than what we currently have.

Pleased with the result and performance, even the subs coming on offered more in attack than what we've seen in recent weeks. Gueye and Dolan both looked decent, with Leonard doing a good job to get into some good positions earlier in the game. Thought Toth looked good, but needs some games under his belt to become more confident with his distribution. All of the defence played well, amazing how much better Hyam looks with Batth alongside him. Batth's mazy dribble down the left wing! Weimann took his goal well, after missing that chance just before. On the slight negative side, if I'm being picky, JRC looked knackered from minute 1 and didn't really do a great deal in the game. I'm a big fan of Cantwell and he did fine, but he really does need to start controlling games and showing a bit more end product. Just what we needed, that. Though we need to follow it up with a win mid week now.

We're a third of the way through the window. The fact that we have literally nobody through the door is absolutely criminal. Both the manager and Waggott have gone on record to confirm there is money to spend. We have about 6k 'Recruitment Heads' and they've had since September to plan, analyse and negotiate. It is absolutely unacceptable. We need some communication from the club as to what is going on.

Scumbag. And his untalented offspring. Just the mention of his name makes me feel sick.

Pretty sure they did, I just couldn't be bothered searching online for the article, to be honest. I'm quite sure it's not permissible, saying you'll definitely play a player if he's available, irrespective of form or ability.

He's also a massive pisshead. If you can't control your alcohol intake whilst being handsomely paid to be a professional footballer, that speaks volumes on it's own.

I believe that was speculation, which was never confirmed anywhere. In fact, I have it in mind that it was refused by someone at the club. I not even sure it's allowed.

Yep, Poveda and Khadra on either side that night were electric.

I genuinely expect Waggott and his shadow Director mates to be the restricting factor. Previous managers have publicly said that the owners will spend/send money when it's requested & justified - the likes of Mowbray used to go over to discuss face-to-face with them. I'm not in the business of defending them for a second, but I genuinely think Waggott and Pasha are the ones with their grubby mitts firmly on the handbrake.

He is really poor, the current announcer - sounds like a Work Experience kid and I'm surprised they've kept faith with him. I don't like digging people trying to their job out, but he's just not good enough. I've never announced at a stadium, but I'd be a massive improvement, never mind an actual broadcaster / similar.

I was surprised by how often they resorted to long balls and dark art tactics, but they'll say it got the job done, I suppose. Their GK, with the basin-cut hairdo, was an absolute penis, wasn't he? As soon as they scored, he was giving it the big one to the Blackburn End and didn't stop - then all of the time wasting and girly run-ups for goal kicks, etc. Thought we defended well overall, but we just don't have the quality going forward. I'm a fan of Cantwell, but quite frankly, the rest of the squad just isn't on the same mental wavelength as him - they don't make the runs for his passes, for example. Leonard offered so much more than Gueye in a short space of time.

We'll be setting off in 10, only live up JWW - not been as excited for a game in a long time. Today is the day, boys and girls. I don't advocate gambling, but I've popped a fiver on Cantwell to score and then Beck, JRC and Barnes to be booked (£400 back). See you down there...

I'm hopeful that the 'Cantwell being ill' thing is a bit of a smokescreen and opportunity to rest him before tomorrow's game - he's undoubtedly the man with the bit of magic to turn a stalemate into a Rovers win. Looking forward to seeing the fullest Ewood we've seen for a while, for an actual big game as well. It'll be the biggest crowd my 9 YO will have been in, along with the atmosphere, etc. Can't wait.

It's clear his weight and hairline have. I genuinely hope he plays; it'd be a disadvantage to them. And if he does, it gives someone like Batth, Beck or Gueye the opportunity to make themselves a hero by leaving a very deserved one on him. Bring them on.

It's sad that people need to be reminded to not punch any other person in the head, because they support a different team. Let's hope we don't see any kind of that backwards behaviour on the day.