[theo_luddite]

Happy St. Georges Day (23rd) to all our readers - including our friends north of Hadrian's piles (of stones).
I'm sure you'll be celebrating it with just as much joy and fervour as the rest of us do south of Hadrian's piles.  



Anyone going down the local beer garden for a freezing cold pint then? No, thought not.

Additionally to all our readers who also celebrate St. Georges Day (sort of) in Canada, Croatia, Portugal, Cyprus, Greece, Georgia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republic of Macedonia.
He got around a bit that Georgie boy. Bit of a lad in his day apparently.

Blackburn Rovers v Town
Ewood Park
Chicken Run Lane
In An Old Stand by a Stream
Venky's Dream, Venky's Dream
Nr. Darwen
Lancastria
BB0 1TY

Kick-off 15:00 UK Time
Saturday 24/04/2021


The Old Stand by a Stream

Jack Walker's millions helped to rebuild the main stand (now The Jack Walker Stand), the Darwen End and The Blackburn End with 3 looky-likey stands, however the Riverside stand has only had a lick of paint on the roof and some 2nd hand colourful deck chairs from Blackpool prom fitted to the terraces to meet with all seater stadium requirements. At least you don't get the stand supports in your way in the front 10-12 rows.  

Whoever rebuilt the Darwen End certainly didn't think leg room was much of a requirement.
Whilst it used to be a covered terrace, it is still pretty much all standing, as trying to sit down if you're owt over 5' tall is almost impossible.
Is it designed with some kind of natural selection in mind for future generations?

https://darwinawards.com/

Sorry, wrong spelling of Darwen.  

No idea if the other new stands are the same but as they are looky-likey they probably will be.

Let's face it, if you build a ground on the A666, aren't you asking for some spooky goings on?



On the tellybox?
Not showing anywhere at the moment other than iPlayer

Finger lickin' er, not quite so good.
On 19th November 2010, "Venky's became the first Indian company to own a Premier League club after paying £23m for a 99.9% stake in Blackburn Rovers.

No one could have foreseen the catastrophic chain of events that transpired, resulting in Rovers dropping from the heights of the Premier League to the despairing depths of League One.

Their incompetence incensed supporters and Venky's were greeted with vitriol when they attended matches at Ewood Park. The last match they attended was in January 2013 and while representatives of the family were present at a fixture in December 2018, there has been no indication of whether the owners will return in the future." - (courtesy Lancs Live, last November).

My view
Not that I'm biased or anything but .....
While local steel magnet Jack Walker invested millions in his home town club, managing to attract the likes of Alan Shearer, Chris Sutton and some chap called Kenny Dalglish as manager, who collectively went on to win the most unlikely of Prima Donna League titles (until Leicester came along), Venky's inherited an ageing, expensive (wage wise) side that quickly found themselves relegated not once, but twice.
Rumour had it that Venky's weren't even aware that relegation existed at the time they bought the club.

Personally I still don't fully understand their reason for buying the club or even what magnetic field drew them towards it.
On my two visits to India a few years back, whilst I saw the occasional airport advert for Venky's, when you mention Blackburn Rovers to anyone in India, they generally go, "Who?".
Kids over there use t-shirts and sticks for wickets, not jumpers for goal posts. it's enough to have you spitting feathers.

Town fans calling for a take over by rich Yanks or other foreign owners with no idea about the club, English or even European football need to be careful what they wish for.

How to get there, pies 'n' pees an' all that.
It's all in here, you can't get in, but it's all in here

Latest news
To the best of my knowledge, Town haven't been bought in the last 24 hours by some multi-billionaire Yank, Russian Oligarch with Roubles to burn or some Middle East state with dodgy human rights records that wants to become the latest place in the sun holiday destination.
Neither am I aware of Real Madrid or Barcelona inviting us to join them in some equally dodgy European Super League thingy or another after being impressed with our record in the top flight from nigh on 100 years ago. Of course if you know owt any different?

Out Injured/Suspended
Campbell and Mbenza won't be available, not too surprising in Campbell's case.

Back training but not oven ready/Back in the frame
Pipa and Toffolo will likely be in the squad after being rested against Barnsalee as should Eiting and Koroma.
Vallejo might be available for the Coventry match.

Last time out
We both came 2nd, same result, to South Yorkshire opposition.






Tables
On the back of wins against Barnsalee and Stoke, Coventry launched themselves into mid-table mediocrity, thus taking the heat out of our game next week - well, for them anyway.


Form
I've said it before, I'll say it again, we both need locking up for it, we've got previous and it's not good.




Town compared to the same time last season
No change here then


In case you are interested, Blackburn are 10 points worse off than at the same stage last season.

Innies and Outies


So how come a top departure (Stewart Downing) has played in 18 games this season?
Easy, his contract was allowed to run down and then they re-signed him on a new (likely much cheaper) 1 season contract, which wasn't big enough to make him a top arrival - well not in the eyes of Transfermarkt.

Who's banging 'em in?
Well it isn't a certain Mr. Downing, he isn't on here, so bringing the old 'uns back isn't always a good idea.
Hopefully someone is taking notice about us and a certain Jordan Rhodes.


A 21 goals a season lad is normally a prized asset and will get you up somewhere in the top half if not sniffing the play-off's.
When the rest of the side only contributes another 30 & change however, you'll likely find yourself where Blackburn are - except .....

Barnsley - For 55 - Against 46
Blackburn - For 54 - Against 49
but Barnsley have won 22 while Blackburn have won 13 - fine margins.  

Local music
Back to the 1960's with The Four Pennies - you can play along with this one, the video gives you the chords to play.


Coming into more er, recent times, one of the late Johnny Plee's favourite punk bands - The Stiffs

The greatest record in the history of the Universe? Well, it's too late to argue with him now.

The King George's Hall has commemorated these and other local bands plus the "worldy-famous" that have played there with a slightly unusual but nice tribute none-the-less.  
https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/ne...rges-hall/

There's a different grate for each decade. Pity they picked a rainy day in Blackburn to unveil them - oh, hang on a minute.

They can't all lose
Just as long as Dierby and Rotherham keep doing it and we don't.
Barnsley haven't done us any favours in their last two matches, so they owe us one.
Direby and Brum can't both win but Brum (unbeaten in 5) are a lot safer than Direby (lost last 4) and us.



We've played 'em before
Blackburn lead the overall Head-2-Head by 7 wins (8 if you read someone else's stats apparently ), however the last 9 games has seen 6 draws and 3 Town wins.
The last win for Blackburn was in March 2014, 2-4 at ours, we drew 0-0 at theirs.
Their last home win was the season before, 1-0.


Next up?
Coventry at home. Let's hope Mark Robins gives his lot the day off if we still need a point or three, though somehow I feel he won't. Just saying.  

Pressers
Careless on Radio Local
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09fkbvy

For the benefit of the players that can't understand him (apparently).
https://www.htafc.com/news/2021/april/ca...burn-test/

I'm sure he said more but maybe it got lost in translation.

The view from the Blackburn End
"On a clear day you can see a far as the M65"
Well, if they knock the top half off the Darwen End.

https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/fo...s-20448057

10 points and several places behind where they were at the same stage last season and he sees that as progression?  

This weeks kwik kwiz

Who will be the first Town player ....

1. to give the ball away in our half leading to a Blackburn chance or a goal?
2. to get a yellow card, probably for time wasting but any reason will do?
3. to have a shot on target?
4. in which half will it be? (hint, "Theirs" is not the correct answer).
5. to score? (for us or them).

on a different note -
6. what colour chino's/tracky bottoms or other leg covering of your choice will Careless be wearing for this match?

and finally on a more topical note -
7. how many pot-holes does it take to fill the Albert Hall?
8. how do you like your chicken? (roast, curry, KFC etc). Winner comes up with best recipe/meal as chosen by me. (Sorry, but Mrs. Tweedie didn't do vegetarian pies).
9. if you could go to the match by train, would you get off in Blackburn and walk, or Darwen and get a bus/taxi or even walk after visiting a beer garden of your choice (or several)?
10. antigram - shitroomdew?  

[jjamez]

1. to give the ball away in our half leading to a Blackburn chance or a goal? Gonna say keogh
2. to get a yellow card, probably for time wasting but any reason will do? Obrien
3. to have a shot on target? Schofield, nah bacuna
4. in which half will it be? (hint, "Theirs" is not the correct answer). Smartass okay Blackburn's? 1st half
5. to score? (for us or them). Armstrong will probs bag for them

on a different note -
6. what colour chino's/tracky bottoms or other leg covering of your choice will Careless be wearing for this match? Beige

and finally on a more topical note -
7. how many pot-holes does it take to fill the Albert Hall? Isn't the Albert hall a giant pot hole anyway?
8. how do you like your chicken? (roast, curry, KFC etc). Winner comes up with best recipe/meal as chosen by me. (Sorry, but Mrs. Tweedie didn't do vegetarian pies). Dead preferably
9. if you could go to the match by train, would you get off in Blackburn and walk, or Darwen and get a bus/taxi or even walk after visiting a beer garden of your choice (or several)? I'd go to Blackburn and work my way from there


Only ever been once and managed to swindle my way into the players carpark. I was there in the press area for uni but also managed to get my dad in there with us, it was just after they had got relegated and signed Jordan Rhodes from us so I managed to talk to him and a few others. They were playing a wolves side that got relegated with them so it was a very interested watch and a top experience

[theo_luddite]

Cheers jjamez but answer 5 is wrong. Which Town player will score for us or them - please pay attention at the back. Tsk. And smacked legs for missing question 10 but bonus points for your experience.

[jjamez]

But sir it says for us or them

[theo_luddite]

But read the line above the questions - "Who will be the first Town player ......".

1 hour detention before the match peeling spuds and carrots for Saturday's tea.

[ritchiebaby]

Tough luck, jjamez, you're up against a right curmudgeonly old boot there. Still, detention will be a sight more enjoyable than watching the match.

8. Balmoral - a bit messy if you're doing the stuffing yourself, but jjamez might oblige once he's done the veg. If cooked for at least 10 minutes longer than the recipe suggests, it's lovely.

[jjamez]

Do you need haggis for that?

[ritchiebaby]

Spot on, jjamez. And a wee dram too.

You're absolved from having to watch the match.

[jjamez]

Unfortunately Ritchie I'm gonna watch the match, possibly the last one I see for a while with the willow and leather season

[Amelia Chaffinch]

Thanks, theo. Just having a bit of a lie in and thought I'd have a read. I'm always late at reading them these days. Must be because watching Town is such a life-sapping sport.

Snoots is the one to ask about chicken. He likes hunter's chicken sometimes when we go out (pre pandemic of course). He likes m&s buttered chicken curry.

Can I have detention instead of watching the match?

I might have to resort to my jigsaw. It's bad when I have to do that.