Unfortunately the Man U game is on Sky (well, not so unfortunate as the club gets plenty of dosh) so it will be hard to determine just how many decide to return. Being on Sky TV always seems to mean it has hard to predict the gates or what it would have been without the Sky cameras. On the plus side a Saturday evening kickoff should make for a great atmosphere. Anyone remember that time we beat them 2-0 with a Shearer double at Ewood on a Saturday evening? If any game should be top dollar it should be Man U, they at least will fill the away end whatever. They and Liverpool are the two best cases for the Cat A+ games.

Seem to recall that Terry Gennoe studied for a PhD in Biology (or something related to that) when he was at Rovers. There was an article in a Sunday Magazine with photographs of him posing in a lab with skeletons, jars with insects inside and so on. All the cliches about science and so on.

Well it's good to see the Bolton local paper pushing the game. Shame there is absolutely zilch about it in today's Lancashire Telegraph. No wonder so few people in Blackburn seem to know about it!

Good to see our great media-fuelled reputation going before us once again. In this Liverpool review of the match we are described as a "rugby league" side! Not heard that one before! The Red Conundrum

There has been somewhat of a change in the makeup of the average crowd at Rovers in the past few decades. There are more women attending than before, which is good, but it does seem that less younger fans go than before. Football has traditionally attracted young males yet these seem to be being priced out or put off from going. In this article which is more about how racism at football put many ethnic minority fans off attending, it suggests that "The Premier League survey also found that the average age of fans was 43 and only 9% were under 24." Despite loudly proclaiming how the Premiership is for families, figures don't really back that claim. In reality, many families are either finding it too expensive or are getting bored of it, thus can't be bothered anymore. While I agree with Al that season ticket holders are special and should be treated so, I think kids should be treated as a special case too. Paul has argued in the past that the club may not make so much from them as they move away when they reach a certain age. To which I say...who cares if they go to university? It shouldn't be about making money in the short term, it's about increasing the Rovers following and making them fans for life, they may come back, they may not. Maybe they'll just buy kits every few years; a not unsubstantial sum over a lifetime. The club is putting out some great offers but I don't see how they can last. Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd etc can still charge big bucks. They need to be rewarded by the fans coming back again and again. Making it cheap to bring their kids will help and season ticket holders are unlikely to begrudge kids getting in cheap. There is a big difference between that and seeing stayaways paying so little. So that is my way forward...make it cheaper for families and don't try to view kids as cash cows. Look at it as a long-term investment which if it doesn't come off means nothing lost as how much would they have made from empty seats anyway? Not that Rovers haven't thought of all that already of course!

Always thought Barry Ferguson was as thick as pig droppings.

As above, Goodison Park. As well as the stewards the police there are very annoying, filming the crowd from as close as possible. Overall though the aren't many bad grounds to go to these days. Back in the eighties there was always the worry of getting caught up in fighting. Seem to remember the Victoria Ground (Stoke's old ground), Maine Road and Burnden Park as being dangerous places to go. Oh and Turf Moor in the Lancs Manx Cup was always interesting. You wouldn't be the only one to be surprised it was supposedly a friendly!

The Telegraph should have publicised this more as although the cheap Bolton tickets were mentioned on their website I don't think it has actually been in the paper. This should have been a big story and I'm suprised it hasn't been covered in the manner it deserves. If I was John Williams I'd be: A. A lot richer than I am now B. Have a strange new gray 'tache and C. Be straight on the phone to the LET (or LT as it is now) demanding why the paper hasn't been shouting this from the rooftops.

Letting Shay Given leave was one of the worst transfer decisions Rovers have ever made. As for Newcastle; can anyone explain why on earth Steven Taylor is being left out of the team to accomodate Titus Bramble?

Nothing to do with scandal...instead one of the goals of the season. Was scored by Mascara for Catania at the San Siro in their loss to Internazionale...a touch of the David Bentley perhaps.

Bit harsh on Lucas I'd say who I felt showed no signs of lethargy. The guy is a remarkable athlete...shame his mouth is as overworked as the rest of him!

Arsense from Arsenal disagrees with you... Beckham right for England, says Wenger Suggests that experience needs to be blended with youth, not too much of one or the other. I'm more in the middle as I'd rather not have him constantly back in the team and being once again undroppable but I'd certainly rather have him in the squad than Jenas. Useful as an option when crosses are needed, especially as we couldn't cross for toffee in Zagreb.

The problem is that if they somehow scrape a win over us we won't hear the end of it for the next twenty or so at least. They still go on about winning the league in '60 on a daily basis over there...

Stead makes loan switch to Derby Poor old Sealdinho...it isn't that long ago when he was being touted as a future England international. Now he's being farmed out by Sunderland...and they don't care so much that they have let him go to another team in their division. Still...he must be loaded by now so let's not feel too sorry, eh?

It seems that WBA could be going to plump for Tony Mowbray of Hibernian as they have been given permission to speak to him. Which would be a shame as Cotterill seems to be be doing a good job down at t'Moor.

Robinson was to blame for both goals. Of course you have time to legislate for it...there was nobody within ten yards so why do a whiffy airshot? The man had time to trap the ball, juggle it and telegraph it if he wished before booting it upfront. Why doesn't this happen all the time to outfield players in conditions like this? Regardless of the bobble...Robinson messed up. Simple as. Also if you compare the Flowers howler with that of Robinson the other night you can see the difference. Flowers tried to scoop up the ball and had his body in the way but only a bizarre superbobble sent it up and over his shoulder. Robinson was too cavalier when attempting to kick it, even though he already knew the surface was poor. If at that time any opposition forward had been running in it could be understandable but the fact he had so much time and space meant he should have been far more careful...which is, after all, his job. As for England...I haven't cared too much ever since the 2001/02 season. For the first half of that Andy Cole was a regular starter for England despite not always being in the Man Utd first XI...as soon as he came to Rovers and started scoring shedloads...Sven dropped him! All because he was playing for us. The refusal to take Matt Jansen to the World Cup by instead going for Martin Keown (eventual minutes played at that world cup = 0) merely compounded it. Rovers V England...Rovers all the way*! * - Especially now England really rubbish instead of just not that good

For some reason I seem to remember it being about £2.50 when I first started going regularly in 1986/87. Quid for kids although my memory may be hazy going back that far!

I'm reading 'Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation ' by Lynne Truss, which is wonderful for all us sticklers and pedants! Recently read 'Dude, Where's my Country?' by Michael Moore - interesting but miserable...the guy likes to whinge and while I often agree with him it is difficult to look past his often shoddy research and utter bias. Still funny in parts though and that is after all the most important thing. Can also recommend 'The Good Life' by Dorian Amos which relates how a couple from Cornwall upearthed themselves to the Yukon Territory in Northern Canada in an attempt to leave behind modern life. Stirring stuff!

Thought The Sun's headline this morning was very clever... "It's down to you misses Robinson"

With Liverpool likely to be exploiting the pace of Bellamy...is this a good game for Ooijer to start? The much slower Heskey caught him out against Wigan and meant giving away the penalty that could have lost us the game.

It's just a quarter page* near the back of today's LET. *well...less than that even! Rovers themselves have been advertising themselves though...billboards such as the one under the bridge on Darwen Street spread the word about 'The Card' they have brought out and so on.

Far too much is made of how English players or the team are overrated...as if that in itself leads to defeat. It's just balderdash though...this isn't no pride before a fall scenario or hubris. We were just crap, no need to blame the media. Well...not this time. The reason so many blame the hype is they can't face up to when we are just cack. So they need a convenient scapegoat....ah! The hype it is!

Do you have to bring this rubbish up after every time England play poorly? England lost because they were rubbish! Nothing to do with 'talk', nothing to do with 'hype'...they were just crap!

Wow...£15 for entrance to both games for season ticket holders? £7.50 for each game...that is a superb offer. Only £15 for non-season ticket holders per game too. They've been slated at times before...but nobody can say that Rovers aren't responding to the falling crowds now.

I agree that he is a good defender and his utility along the back four is invaluable. However, if he leaves (and he is obviously is going to) then he can be replaced. However, with all this mention of Liverpool, Barca and Milan after him I do think he is starting to be overrated by some. In his years at Rovers he had at least two average seasons. That was when Neill was mainly slagged off, other than that it seems to be because he can't stop telling reporters that he doesn't particularly want to be here. If he leaves, we shouldn't find it too difficult to replace him.