A Rover All View, with Simon Leigh

I DOUBT Sunday's trip to Brum will linger long in the memory. Villa Park? I'll bet the dinosaurs had better facilities at Jurassic Park.

It must be a deliberate ploy. Place the seats in the away end so close together the fans are prevented from singing because their knees are wedged under their chins. A 2-0 defeat. Followed by traffic backed up most of the way home.

I don't suppose any of that would have been more than a minor irritant had the result been more favourable.

Our old friends 'missed chances', 'wasted situations' and 'no clean sheets' came back to haunt us with a vengeance.

First half: Complete territorial domination by Rovers against a lacklustre Villa side. The home support stunned into silence. Friedel not called upon to make a save in the first 45 minutes.

But let's be honest if we were still playing as you read this column today, we still wouldn't have scored. Away support realising this and a little subdued as a result, hence the match played in a funereal atmosphere.

Second half: BIFF! Caught with minds in the dressing room and sucker punch number one came within 30 seconds for the first goal. Rovers reeling on the ropes. KERPOW! Ball bounces off the Villa crossbar and as we apparently stand about watching the replay on the big screen, bemoaning our luck, we get caught on the break with sucker punch number two. On Villa's third serious attack. Down and out.

I can't say a word against the standard of the overall performances, but this isn't translating itself into points so something is obviously going wrong somewhere. The problem so far is that we have lacked quality and ruthlessness at both ends of the pitch.

The main problem is the lack of punch through the middle up front which has worried me since day one.

Is it too harsh to say in this respect we have varied from looking lightweight at best to completely inept at worst? A close second, the defence. We just can't seem to keep a clean sheet and this in itself puts added pressure on the forwards for obvious reasons. Oh for a 'Hendry' and a 'Shearer' who in addition to doing the business at both ends of the pitch would provide a spine to the side.

Even allowing for injuries, the squad also bears a distinctly lopsided look to it at the moment. Eleven players, Dunn, Duff, Dunning, Mahon, Gillespie, McAteer, Johnson, Tugay, Flitcroft, Hignett (and arguably Neill when Curtis is fit) available to compete for places across the midfield.

Conversely we appear to lack both a natural goalscorer and the right blend at the back with 30-somethings Berg, Short and Bjornebye.

So how much money is available post Mr Walker? We don't know. This season alone, however, there's the thick end of a million quid per place up for grabs. Longer term the club's future is dependent upon Premiership consolidation. Give Souey whatever backing he needs to maximise the club's position.

Talk of a loan signing collapsing over the payment of £500,000 does not auger well.

I went to the unveiling of Uncle Jack's statue last week and it is absolutely magnificent. Congratulations to the sculptor for creating a fitting tribute to the great man.