With the quality of that stoke squad must be something wrong there. That said I picture them flying out of the traps 2nd half and winning. I’m sure crouch will be on to score against us. Done it for 3 different clubs so he likes us.

Wow. We now have a buffer for the mandatory last minute goal.

On the basis in Sri Lanka’s last game Herath, Dananjaya and Perera took all 20 wickets vs sa it’s fairly safe to assume they will produce a pitch turning sideways. That being the case it’s not going to be one for our seamers or batsmen for that matter. In which case I’d also go with 3 spinners. It’ll be a poor side regardless. If Denly with his mighty 35 div 2 average gets picked, or whichever square peg plays, 1-3 will be about as grim as I’ve ever seen for an England test side.

Burns, Denly and stone in squad for Sri Lanka.

I not fluent in manc but judging from irrate lads going into town I’m guessing bobbins means shite.

As with rovers under Kean perhaps that does at least stop the board putting off call re management and coaching structure. I was so conflicted. I did want us to win but the structures in place are just so wrong. But as we know with rovers...

Unless he went off injured. Can’t fathom it

Lester 53 off 4 overs. Faulkner 8 off 2 overs. Poor captaincy. In fact it’s barmy.

No I don’t. Simply because they’re all on the gravy train. It’s nowhere near as toxic and perilous as venkys/Kean situation but it’s a similar scenario. Huge disconnect between club and fans. At the end of the day with the contempt they show for cricket the numbers are about 5,000 so halved in a decade. Very familiar. Allott runs the club like his personal fiefdom. He was always on the board but once his sky services ran down he effectively appointed himself in the role he’s in. And no doubt an improved salary to boot. The old man has been to a few members forums and he is always stunned by how unprofessional Allott is. To start with even he/they will only answer questions they want to and react childishly to any negative questions (of which there are obviously plenty). He once said there no batsman out there to improve us which caused merriment. As for Chapple he’s just bumbling along in a seemingly tenured position. His comments in 2014 when he took us down as interim coach are almost identical as ones he made other day. Im starting to view him as almost a Colin Hendry type figure legend as a player damaging reputation in the post playing days.

Takes a special kind of team to skittle out arch rivals for 209 and finish 105/0 on day 1. Only to lose the game before lunch on day 4 by 95 runs. We’re weak and fold like a pack of cards as soon as Davies gets out. As far as the season goes slightly unlucky with injury to livi, no one could have predicted both Jennings and Buttler would get selected for the test team and Hameed averaging 9 was pretty pathetic. So with effectively zero batsmen and 50 spinners wasn’t going to end well. As for the club I’d like to clear out the jobs for the boys lot. To replace Chapple Stuart law perhaps. I know he’s ex Lancs but he’s been away. We’re crying out for an outside voice. I’d like a main man then a respect coach as the no2. David ripely from northants. An offer to farbrace maybe. Justin langer perhaps someone needs to drive impeccably high standards and to be someone who players look up to and who are intimidated by. Failing that lot I’d like us for once to think outside the box and take a risk-Shane warne, sangakkara someone inexperienced managerially but with high end international pedigree. Will any of it happen. Hell no.

That’s about the shape of it. We got 4 tickets but that leaves another couple of lads who will be using touts. On the internet tout sites the going rate is £150 they won’t pay that so they’re going to see what the crack is on the day outside the ground.

Hameed golden duck. Not sure where he goes from here. 2 dreadful seasons now. This year he averages 9. It’s torturing the poor sod now.

A rip off indeed. If you’re a member of any of the 4 clubs and bought them through the respective counties then it’s £76. For the event junkies happy to buy tickets before even know who’s playing and therefore unlikely to support any team it’s £46. Maybe I’m getting old and grumpy. But increasingly finals day is for groups, probably their first game of the season, with only a vague knowledge of the sport, but who are all dressed as Smurfs or umpa lumpas for no reason. They are up and down, up and down, up and down without the faintest knowledge or interest of who’s playing or what’s going on. Only content once sweet Caroline has been sung. Meanwhile real fans who are only interested in supporting their team and have done throughout the season are locked out. Or jumping through hoops to get in. As a side note what’s this grip Edgbaston seems to have over finals day. Since 2007 only been to the bloody Rose bowl and Sophia gardens. In the early days Trent Bridge, the Oval both had a do. Never OT or Headingley.

Finals day tickets sorted. They’re not playing games at £76. Especially as we have zero interest in watching the games Lancs aren’t involved in. So as lancs up first could be back in the centre by 2pm. Bit disgusting each of the 4 teams at finals day only get allocated 500 tickets each of which Lancs sold out rapido. On the basis edgbaston is 25,000 that’s 23,000 event junkies, day trippers and prawn sandwich brigade probably most with no affinity to any team playing. Each club should get a minimum 3,000 and whatever gets unsold goes back to general sale. The first finals day went to at the oval in about 2003 was in the ball park of a tenner and we bought tickets from old Trafford the day before. Those days are gone.

Last defeat was vs Wimbledon and was our 3rd in first 6 games was it.

Never saw that coming. Fantastic

Couple of interesting stats: Between 1938 and 2016 England were never bowled out in a session. It has now happened 3 times since then. In the last two years, England are averaging more batting first in ODIs than in test matches.

Re stokes there is definitely a type of person our legal system seems to protect and fortunately for Stokes he fits the bill. Regardless of any mitigating circumstances and what constitutes reasonable force most ordinary joes would not have been so lucky. That’s just my opinion but with my cricket hat on good to have him back albeit very harsh on Curran. Might have been tempted to drop Buttler myself but if he ever turns up in a test match he’s a match winner. Plus Buttler seems to be Ed Smith’s pick so was always playing.

Kent vs Lancs in the t20 quarters. On a bloody Thursday though the one day we unanimously said we couldn’t do. Bank holiday weekend so could have been Monday or heaven forbid all the games Saturday afternoon but don’t want to upset the paymasters at Sky. I’d love just once fans to be considered in sport.

This is off a supporters group twitter from yesterday’s members forum meeting: “A member asked Chapple at previous forum whether there was a batting coach at which he allegedly responded there isn't a specific one. Same member at ydays forum asked Allott why there is no specific batting coach. An agitated Allott said - I'm sure Chapple didn't say that. Yes he did member replied. Well we have specialist coaches in all areas. Players are different, some need guidance some think they don't. It doesn't look like any of the batsmen are getting coached, she replied! Allott, looking increasingly angry, hit back - Look, I'll tell you what, we'll just sack all the coaches shall we. That make you happy? Our reporter piped up, "be sensible lad", and he was shot a glare of pure evil from Mr Allott. Allott's whole attitude during meeting was one of condescension. For instance just asking for an update on injuries had him sarcastically saying oh and so and so banged his elbow yday, do you want a rundown on everyone? (Thank God the meeting took place before last night!)” All sounds about right for rovers, sorry Lancashire. Force of habit.

I was properly angry leaving old Trafford last night. I thought they had slumped to the lowest depth in throwing away the game against Leicestershire. Last night surpassed that by some distance. It was embarrassing. They’re dreadful. They are so mentally weak and crumble under any sort pressure. Faulkner calls himself the finisher. Hopefully his time here is finished he’s not the same guy had in 2015. It’s just about the worst Lancashire side I’ve ever seen. Not many teams go into a match with 4 batsmen. Two of whom are in their twilight years Croft/brown , Vilas who has been hopeless and Davies the only one who looks decent. The rest are all rounders that neither bat nor bowl that well. There’s also some illogical thinking behind the scenes. Batting has been an issue for years now, across all formats. So we sign 2 spinners for rest of the season. A Scottish club player and an Afghan who’s played 17 professional games in all formats (he looked alright to be fair). Now have Parkinson, Parry, Livi, Croft, Lilley, Scotsman and the Afghan. So just the 7 spinners. Even Kerrigan still hanging around. Haven’t got many who can hold a bat but clearly need more spinners. Even more galling when poorer counties in every way like Worcestershire replace a top player in Guptil with another overseas player who hits 39 and 102*. Plus replaced Head with Parnell who so far has figures of 2/22 and 3/20. Whilst we plunder Bonny Scotland and Afghanistan. Yorkshire tomorrow without livi, jos and Jennings could be a massacre.

Cheers. A mate of mine said he heard one today but couldn’t make head nor tail of what was being sung so I was mildly curious as to what it was

What’s the chant to the tune of only fools and horses?

Bugger

Oh dear.