'Output this field as a link' ignoring replacement patterns

I am outputting the field 'Node - Comment Count' as a link to the node itself. I have included the fields 'Node:nid' and 'Node:Link' above the comment count field and excluded them from display. I then used the replacement pattern [nid] and/or [view_node] in the 'Link path: ' box. But the view ignores ANY replacement patterns and I get an empty link: <a href="/"> I am absolutely stumped. Could this be a bug, or am I missing something?

I do have token module installed by the way.

Query	

SELECT node.nid AS nid,
   node.title AS node_title,
   node_revisions.body AS node_revisions_body,
   node_revisions.format AS node_revisions_format,
   node.created AS node_created,
   node_comment_statistics.comment_count AS node_comment_statistics_comment_count,
   DATE_FORMAT(FROM_UNIXTIME(node.created), '%Y%m%d%H%i') AS node_created_minute
 FROM node node 
 LEFT JOIN node_revisions node_revisions ON node.vid = node_revisions.vid
 INNER JOIN node_comment_statistics node_comment_statistics ON node.nid = node_comment_statistics.nid
 WHERE (node.status <> 0) AND (node.type in ('blog'))
   ORDER BY node_created_minute ASC

<?php
$view = new view;
$view->name = 'blog';
$view->description = 'Custom blog page';
$view->tag = 'default';
$view->view_php = '';
$view->base_table = 'node';
$view->is_cacheable = FALSE;
$view->api_version = 2;
$view->disabled = FALSE; /* Edit this to true to make a default view disabled initially */
$handler = $view->new_display('default', 'Defaults', 'default');
$handler->override_option('fields', array(
  'nid' => array(
    'label' => 'Nid',
    'alter' => array(
      'alter_text' => 0,
      'text' => '',
      'make_link' => 0,
      'path' => '',
      'alt' => '',
      'prefix' => '',
      'suffix' => '',
      'help' => '',
      'trim' => 0,
      'max_length' => '',
      'word_boundary' => 1,
      'ellipsis' => 1,
      'strip_tags' => 0,
      'html' => 0,
    ),
    'link_to_node' => 0,
    'exclude' => 1,
    'id' => 'nid',
    'table' => 'node',
    'field' => 'nid',
    'relationship' => 'none',
  ),
  'view_node' => array(
    'label' => 'Link',
    'alter' => array(
      'alter_text' => 0,
      'text' => '',
      'make_link' => 0,
      'path' => '',
      'alt' => '',
      'prefix' => '',
      'suffix' => '',
      'help' => '',
      'trim' => 0,
      'max_length' => '',
      'word_boundary' => 1,
      'ellipsis' => 1,
      'strip_tags' => 0,
      'html' => 0,
    ),
    'text' => '',
    'exclude' => 1,
    'id' => 'view_node',
    'table' => 'node',
    'field' => 'view_node',
    'relationship' => 'none',
  ),
  'title' => array(
    'label' => '',
    'alter' => array(
      'alter_text' => 0,
      'text' => '',
      'make_link' => 0,
      'path' => '',
      'alt' => '',
      'prefix' => '',
      'suffix' => '',
      'help' => '',
      'trim' => 0,
      'max_length' => '',
      'word_boundary' => 1,
      'ellipsis' => 1,
      'strip_tags' => 0,
      'html' => 0,
    ),
    'link_to_node' => 1,
    'exclude' => 0,
    'id' => 'title',
    'table' => 'node',
    'field' => 'title',
    'relationship' => 'none',
  ),
  'body' => array(
    'label' => '',
    'exclude' => 0,
    'id' => 'body',
    'table' => 'node_revisions',
    'field' => 'body',
    'relationship' => 'none',
  ),
  'created' => array(
    'label' => '',
    'alter' => array(
      'alter_text' => 0,
      'text' => '',
      'make_link' => 0,
      'path' => '',
      'alt' => '',
      'prefix' => '',
      'suffix' => '',
      'help' => '',
      'trim' => 0,
      'max_length' => '',
      'word_boundary' => 1,
      'ellipsis' => 1,
      'strip_tags' => 0,
      'html' => 0,
    ),
    'date_format' => 'custom',
    'custom_date_format' => 'F jS Y',
    'exclude' => 0,
    'id' => 'created',
    'table' => 'node',
    'field' => 'created',
    'relationship' => 'none',
  ),
  'comment_count' => array(
    'label' => '',
    'alter' => array(
      'alter_text' => 0,
      'text' => '',
      'make_link' => 1,
      'path' => '[nid]',
      'alt' => '',
      'prefix' => '',
      'suffix' => '',
      'help' => '',
      'trim' => 0,
      'max_length' => '',
      'word_boundary' => 1,
      'ellipsis' => 1,
      'strip_tags' => 0,
      'html' => 0,
    ),
    'set_precision' => FALSE,
    'precision' => 0,
    'decimal' => '.',
    'separator' => ',',
    'prefix' => '',
    'suffix' => ' comments',
    'exclude' => 0,
    'id' => 'comment_count',
    'table' => 'node_comment_statistics',
    'field' => 'comment_count',
    'relationship' => 'none',
  ),
));
$handler->override_option('sorts', array(
  'created' => array(
    'order' => 'ASC',
    'granularity' => 'minute',
    'id' => 'created',
    'table' => 'node',
    'field' => 'created',
    'relationship' => 'none',
  ),
));
$handler->override_option('filters', array(
  'status' => array(
    'id' => 'status',
    'table' => 'node',
    'field' => 'status',
    'operator' => '=',
    'value' => '1',
    'group' => 0,
    'exposed' => FALSE,
    'expose' => array(
      'operator' => FALSE,
      'label' => '',
    ),
  ),
  'type' => array(
    'operator' => 'in',
    'value' => array(
      'blog' => 'blog',
    ),
    'group' => '0',
    'exposed' => FALSE,
    'expose' => array(
      'operator' => FALSE,
      'label' => '',
    ),
    'id' => 'type',
    'table' => 'node',
    'field' => 'type',
    'relationship' => 'none',
  ),
));
$handler->override_option('access', array(
  'type' => 'none',
  'role' => array(),
  'perm' => '',
));
$handler->override_option('header_format', '1');
$handler->override_option('footer_format', '1');
$handler->override_option('empty_format', '1');
$handler->override_option('use_ajax', '1');
$handler->override_option('use_pager', '0');
$handler->override_option('row_options', array(
  'inline' => array(),
  'separator' => '',
));
$handler = $view->new_display('page', 'Page', 'page');
$handler->override_option('path', 'blog');
$handler->override_option('menu', array(
  'type' => 'none',
  'title' => '',
  'description' => '',
  'weight' => 0,
  'name' => 'navigation',
));
$handler->override_option('tab_options', array(
  'type' => 'none',
  'title' => '',
  'description' => '',
  'weight' => 0,
));
$handler = $view->new_display('feed', 'Feed', 'feed');
$handler->override_option('title', 'Front page feed');
$handler->override_option('style_plugin', 'rss');
$handler->override_option('style_options', array(
  'mission_description' => 1,
  'description' => '',
));
$handler->override_option('row_plugin', 'node_rss');
$handler->override_option('row_options', array(
  'item_length' => 'default',
));
$handler->override_option('path', 'rss.xml');
$handler->override_option('menu', array(
  'type' => 'none',
  'title' => '',
  'description' => '',
  'weight' => 0,
  'name' => 'navigation',
));
$handler->override_option('tab_options', array(
  'type' => 'none',
  'title' => '',
  'description' => '',
  'weight' => 0,
));
$handler->override_option('displays', array(
  'default' => 'default',
  'page' => 'page',
));
$handler->override_option('sitename_title', '1');
?>