'Really nice' and 'exicited' are NOT terms I would use in the same sentence as any of Gates's overblown and overpriced offerings.

Can you make phone calls on it ???!!!

Like Liverpool?

At the risk of winning the 'Stating the bleedin' obvious ' award. Not only do we have to start winning but we need to start winning by 3 - 0, 4 - 0 to get rid of the crap GD. So with that in mind Us 4 ( Dickov 2, Jansen, Stead) Them NIL

Newcastle have made an offer to us. "What did we ever do to you guys to deserve this punishment!? Please please please take him back. We will give you kieron dyer, robbie elliott and a hotpot??" Don't think we should - though the hotpot sounds promising. Some of them are even thinking of getting Keggy back.

Sparky was my first choice, so I'm very happy with this. My thoughts are that he has the confidence, experience and abilities to lift and remould the team. Under Souness,things were coming unglued, we heard more and more stories of dissent and back room bust ups, and the common denominator was Souness. Sparky already had the confidence of the senior members of the team before he was even appointed. I don't think he is going to come in a 'new broom' and try to get rid of the team en masse and replace it with his signings, somthing which would have happened with 90% of the other choices. So very happy, welcome back Sparky. 3-1 rovers against Pompey.

In which case the board better get its finger out or we'll finish up with the absolute dregs, or worse - Kevin Keegan.

After 64 pages of beating this speculation to death, we're no nearer an answer than on page one. Just out of interest though, given the possible short list, I'm wondering who the eventual manager would bring into the club as backroom staff/coaches/trainers. God knows we need a couple of good ones to get everyone singing off the same song sheet. Colin Hendry for defensive coach anyone?

I should imagine the players outside the team were doing cartwheels. Would you like to work for a strict boss ? or would you prefer Easy Street ? Somewhere in between with some tactical nous would be good.

Did Coventry go bankrupt in the last forty minutes or something? sorry, badly written...but you get my idea.

Whatever we think of Shearer as a player/person/ex-rover we know bugger all about him as a manager. Why we would want him as our manager is beyond me, and as Jim said the best we could hope for if he did turn out to be good is for him to naff off back to Newcastle as soon as they tire of Souness. If the barcodes want Shearer to learn his trade somewhere, send him to Scunthorpe, or Grimbsy, but we (I) don't want him. At least Sparky has managerial experience albeit at international level which is different to week in week out prem managering. Of all the names mentioned though I DO NOT WANT ex -England managers who were truely hopeless/a laughing stock at club level. With the exception of El Tel in his prime what has the others really acheived? I would rather see a manager with the ability but who has not been given the chance to gain the experience, but who would grab the chance and give 110% ( note I said Manager NOT coach so no Kidd comparisons) than journeyman show ponies who have been around but have little or nothing to show for it except a long CV and a large bank balance. I would not even consider some of the older names being considered. If as has been suggested Souness was a couple of games from the chop anyway, we've saved money, got rid of coaches we've been complaining about for years and now have an opportunity to get a manager to drag us out of the doldrums that Souness gleefully led us into over the past 18 months. Souness was past his use by date and the Barcodes are welcome to him. But 'Note to the Board' Please no has-beens, journeymen, or anyone who has been given the elbow by more that two clubs.

Maybe it is a wind up, or a betting scam, But.......... Monkey boy is a manager without a club, he has links to Ewood and anything is possible. How many Barcodes would have put money on Souness taking over at Newcastle. Mind, Monkey goes into my 'Oh God, Please NOOOOOO!' pile, with Houllier, Venables, Hoddle (nearly threw up typing that) Gullet (!), Graham, et al.

I'm nearly throwing up at the thought that this little group is even mentioned in connection with BRFC.

I'm with Tony and PhillipL, Thanks GS for the memories. But......... Without having said anything I have been concerned with his efforts over the past 12 months and I look upon this as a good opportunity for us to get a new manager in and step up a gear. Mark Hughes'll do for now. I'd like to see him given a go. P.S. the barcodes are very underwhelmed with GS being given the job.

great post guys. 3-0 to us.