PM'd you Bob

Well Kevin Bond has just been sacked by Newcastle ... maybe he could take over the mantle and finish the job his father so nearly did.

This is what really annoys me - why don't they comment or try to reason why the fans are not actually going. Why don't they try and get out of their armchairs and look into the situation, they might find that there is also a dwindling in the crowds at home games and not just ours Why not have a go at Boro for their home crowd and all the empty red seats Where is the report having a go at Citeh for their following at Ewood last week. Why can't thy realise we are not a city club and don't have the support of MU/Lpool etc or the media hype to go with it to attract 'other' spectators. Lazy journalism

As I have said before - nothing should take priority in Football - they are games and cups to be one regardless and should treat each as such. Take each game as it comes.

Interesting might not be the word TDI as all I can do is echo the comments of everybody else at the moment. He has certainly started off well with the plaudits to boot - lets hope it continues.

But that's just it Tris- the interest has gone not just in the Rovers but football altogether. They just don't take any interest prior games anymore -just look at the results (if they catch them) The game needs bells lights and jangly things putting on it and throwing at people to knock it back into their heads to try and get them back into the buzz with Rovers the being the cherry on top Get them for one game and there is every possibility they will get the feeling back or a bit of it anyway - get the atmosphere going and nostalgia may kick in for some - it might just have an effect. The club needs to get the so called stayaway fans out of their Slumber and try and re-alight the glow. As yet I haven't seen anything warranting proactivity to gee up the fixture from the Rovers point of view through any media outlet or whatever. For us that go/are going - yes it is a really important game but it needs that IMPORTANCE chucked down the throats of people who just take a passing look nowadays - Rovers need to try at least to get their interest

Difficult to predict IMO due to various reasons could go anyway; Boro stung by the midweek result and need a win - Boro Rovers a bit more galvanised at moment and on a bit of a mini run -Rovers Rovers have started scoring, Boro forwards don't appear to be -Rovers Rovers defence does not exist at the moment - Boro If Brad not on form - Boro If Brad on form - Rovers Woodgate on form - Draw Last Season we trebled them Will it be 3 away draws in a row for Rovers? Can we keep a second away clean sheet in the league? So I think I will sit on the fence and go for a draw - but as I can't see our defence keeping them out will go for 1-1

See your point Tris but as FLB has posted its only one game on a Thursday night early in the competition. This is not going to kickstart the public into coming back straight away just by making it £15 Maybe later on in the competiton , however there is nothing that I have seen from the Rovers doing anything to try and entice the stayaways to come to this game. It needs advertising putting up in lights- explanation of what happens if we get through. In addition could they not bundle the ticket price into the next set of games - ie buy the Salzburg ticket and get the next 2 home European (we are guaranteed these aren't we if we get through) at the same price. Apathy kicked in some time ago and the one game will not make a difference as some will have lost interest to a degree ie about the competition etc. To me the club should be making a ding dong of the match and generating some serious advertising messages with the above. If that doesn't start the ball rolling then I haven't a clue

You just still don't get it do ya

Agreed at last I think However, from your comments you make it seem like your idea is the only one that could work which is probably the reason why the remarks fly back the way they do.

Before Scotty gets his claws on you Fire me down here, but can I just clarify a few points you are trying to make. Are you saying, that unless we go down your idea road of LU, we are not going to be able to compete regardless and the same for other clubs who cannot pull the numbers? If so would this not effectively kill off the interest anyway and any real competitive interest with no relegation or promotion. Where does it leave other clubs or the structure of the League at the moment LU - Maybe (as you keep barging on about ') be on paper the most logical idea theoretically, however practically everybody knows this would be a non-starter as there would not be enough time for it to evolve and establish itself to become 'effective seriously' as a Football Club. How far do you expand it to include what clubs - as I am certain the fans of Rovers/Burnleh/Accy Stan/Blackpool/Nob End /Notlob/Bury/Rochdale etc etc... would not want to go and watch the inbred 'Sister team' of AFC Wimbledon. Following on from this -would this not also have to cover other areas of the country in a similar vein ? I'm sure the fans of the likes of Stoke/Port Vale/Crewe or Bristol City/ Bristol Rovers /Swindon etc would be all in agreement In defence of Scotty, is he not a prime member of the BRISA with a role to fulfil? IMO that is 'thinking big' or doing something however small which hopefully will contribute something to moving BRFC forward. Instead of trying to fire points of each other schoolyard behaving - how about a think tank together -I'm sure Scotty would take forward any worthwhile ideas you have TND or at least give more strength to your LU proposal. Alot of good, genuine, concerned, honest ideas/reasons have been posted on here and what would appear to be practical thinking in to how they could be incorporated to work unlike the Rovers who probably have more information to hand than we could ever have but still seem to be nowhere on getting any sort of encouraging results.

Krislu this is the reason why I keep going on about the higher echelons need to get a grip and sort something out - it appears all that seems to happen is people keep dragging their feet. Paul - I have to admire you again on your comments except the ludicrous k/o times as it is the clubs fault and not just Rovers for selling out to TV FLB - I agree but the so called powers that be that run our game ( I agree with Paul BTW in that that they haven't a friggin clue) should have been able to stand their ground , throw some influence or whatever but as above for whatever reason everything is a mess ... Wembley, cheating in the game, amount of time need to get things sorted, the appointment of the Engalnd Manager the list is endless ... The game is in a mess and it might be too late to rectify it -for those that are bothered anyway ie the paying Fans.

Probably so very very true Roversmum and it also sets a precedent now - if it is true and word gets out who is to say what would happen with Liverpool/MU/Newcastle fans did the same and the majority turned up with concession tickets - What the hell would they do then???

Beat me to it As for supposed to be good but kak - Per Frandsen springs to mind (Emerton would have been here but he has redeemed himself slightly lately) Ward & Dahlin but I didn't rate them as any good before they came anyway. How anybody can call Blake is strange - he might not have been the best but he wasn't the worst Based on terms of money it has to be Grabbi/Davies - with Grabbi probably nicking it due to the fact Souness only ever saw him play on Video Players that shouldn't have left for whatever - Garner/Sellars/Hendry/Sutton/Speedie/Duff/Dunn/Berg/Barker ......

Apparently not though nowadays as the tactics and mentalities adopted bear more to not getting beat rather than trying to win a game which I feel is where the natural entertainment 'gets lost' most of the time.

According to Radio Lancs presumably Benni with Reid coming back into the middle

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe people are saying they are not bothered about how we do. Surely the apathy has not rubbed off on our fans now. Its a Cup competition and there to be competed for regardless that's what its all about - otherwise what is the point. On another note -listening to Hughes on the Radio last night he is surprised at how good the team are to his expectations (worrying??) and the feeling was from the reporters out there that they reckon we will go 1 up front with 5 across the middle. Personally I don't hold any positives for tonights game as I have not been impressed at all thus far this season and don't feel we strengthened at all for Europe. So if we do get beat lets hope we keEp it down and notch at least to give us a chance at Ewood -not that playing at home as done us any good before though.

Some excellent posts and reasoning above folks - Alan 75/Paul I doff my cap to you guys. TND Think I can see the reasoning behind some of your posts now This to me typifies it to me though from the link to the Guardian from Paul's post 'Once upon a time when Spurs issued their fixture list, my diary revolved around it and I'd go to 40 games a season' Obviously for me it was Rovers but I think you get the gist - interesting also the post from Jon the Rovers fan

Yep but it doesn't just relate to Rovers. As I have mentioned previously, something has to be done amongst the higher echelons of the game and the clubs need to be in agreement. Wages/Salaries/Bonus etc have spiralled out of control which is impacting increasively upon the paying spectator and cannot carry on. Understandably players have a right to get as much as they can - but if its not there / or there are levels set it can't be paid - simple as, and the players would not be able to hold the clubs to ransom. There is alot of greed in the game and money is being taken out to its detriment with the costs being piled onto the fans with more being asked for. I'm not naive in the sense to believe this is the only factor, but I would say it is a large contributory factor. .

Spot on FR

Not wantimg to tempt fate, but this is coming on the back of a European game and I can't off the top of my head remember us winning or drawing the following league game before - anybody know? (Sorry , I'm being lazy here)

Not quite TND - From what you have said you have based your comparison price on our Season Ticket prices against a walk on price so I take it he is just a walk on fan but committed none the less. However as you mentioned he has stopped going - he is used to paying the level of prices they set but then they raised the bar and he stopped - akin to what has happened at Rovers. - so did you not mention the £36 for the Category A game against Everton and then get a response? Would be interesting to see how long he would go on for that price level. Don't think many people are disputing the value of our S/T , just the price 'in general' as such for watching football and even the Rovers S/T ticket is alot for people to lay out regardless.

Mmmm - so is Sparky telling porkies re his fitness or is he being shoehorned in for Thursday??

let's just not go there folks (sorry John a private joke regards a board member) - couldn't resist Anyway, back to the nightmare don't know how the Palace fans saw it with regard to the Rovers fans but it was a very surreal and horrid time for us due to a catalogue of events. We just knew ... we really did Twas not a good feeling to be a Rovers fan that day hence the responses you see thus far - it holds bad bad memories.

Indeed Scotty .. and much to my annoyance I still cringe at what I said that night ' that will probably cost us' -I ain't no psychic but it has happened too many times ... Windy Miller ... in terms of how the game was going to span out,this to me was the defining moment on reflection. As mentioned previously ... 'Glad all Over' - you must be $%%$%^& joking I too hate Selhurst Park ... but then again I don't like Palace either but don't know whether its down to this or not .. could be Vince Hilaire