We were rubbish but it wasn't down to lack of effort, it was down to us having no bit of skill out of the ordinary to create a chance. The team ran a lot, they passed a lot and they were completely lacking in ideas. It was the same time and time again - pass it sideways, then back, the forward, then back again, then run out of patience and lump forward to our two resident shortarses up front. Good tactics...that Bellamy is really going to win headers against David Weir isn't he? After all the slating Kuqi has received on here it was interesting to note that his first touch was to knock down a long punt forward. It must have been the first header that any of our forwards had won all game yet we must havem knocked dozens forward. Reid seemed to play well and did the kind of job that Savage should have done. Savage was largely absent today though, he couldn't even get the home fans worked up so that shows how anonymous he must have been. The most interesting part of the day was when Everton scored and some fat scouser at the front jumped up, turned around and, with chubby grin on t' face, shoved his fist in our general direction. Said scouser (who was with a kid in a wheelchair) got moved on by the stewards but it says it all about the afternoon that it was about the most interesting thing to happen. Rovers themselves certainly provided nothing of interest. Today it looked as if Hughes has created a team that can run all day and pass all day but when it comes to that extra bit of flair needed to break down a well-organised team like Everton they are lacking. Teams like United aren't so difficult to break down as they are so attack-minded, today Everton stood up to us and all we could seem to do was pump forward long balls. Poor do but hey...Sunderland next We should do better against them surely???

You were wrong Philip - they allowed Liverpool in through the back door as Everton took the fourth place. The FA chose Everton then Uefa had to change their rules. Good news to enter the Intertoto as long as we use it for friendlies.

From what John Williams has been saying recently The Academy will be gaining in importance to Rovers, not receding. The interviews suggest a future vision of Rovers only bringing in players who can go straight into the first team. Future squad members will have to be filled by The Academy. Hopefully this will mean more chances for our younger players rather than playing more experienced players who aren't up to it anymore - e.g. the last few years of Flitcroft or bringing in Amoruso. In Peter, Barker, Garner and Taylor we certainly have some players who might be able to make the step up in the future but they can't do that if not given the chance. It's not a chicken and egg scenario - they have to be involved in the first team at some stage. Danns was never given a real chance at Rovers yet his performances at Colchester suggest that he could have been a decent squad player for us. There seems to be a feeling that if you bring in a youngster that we will automatically lose points. Well...not necessarily. A lot of the time you can't judge how good a player is until given the chance. Reserve team football isn't the same. The manager has to find the right time to blood these young players without it affecting our game. Often it seems that managers are too cautious. Ferguson rarely worries about putting in the youngsters, neither should we with the few young players we have that reach that standard. United have loads of quality youth players...we have far less. Yet we should make sure those few do get a chance. It'd help the fans feel closer to the club if there are some out there who are 'one of our own' to watch rather than just another overpaid journeyman with no connection to t'Rovers!

To call a spade a spade...Rovers leased the store and rights to club stock because it either 1.couldn't be bothered to run the shop anymore itself or 2. the money was better from the agreement. We're now faced with many fans who either can't be bothered or are thinking of the money being better if they don't go...what right have Rovers as a club to complain about those fans?

True we should, as it is after all a long way for someone from the club to go and check! I've been reliably informed that the club know all about the problems but whether they can get SWI to improve their range of Rovers goods we will have to wait and see...

Of course having been born in Ghana and probably never having been to Nigeria in his life might have something to do with it... Damn..Ronin beat me to it

He's made it pretty clear that he'll be playing for the USA, not Nigeria. Much more advertising moolah to be made from there. Bit like Greg Rusedski swapping Canada for GB...

McClaren is saying the reports are untrue. What is true however is that Gibson at Boro gave McClaren a stonking new contract...he was rewarded by having to watch them lose 4-0 at home to Villa. The problem may be that they are paying players such high wages. The players know they can't get any higher so have nothing to work towards. JFH or Viduka are on their last big pay deal and seem to be living it up. Not like they have anything to gain they may think.

Hmmm...rang the store this time instead of going in and they have no Rovers scarves in. They don't know when they will be getting anymore in and they don't even have another delivery until Saturday.

That is the day before we went in Hughesy, day before the semi. We went in, looked around and couldn't find any. Then I went up to the woman on the till and asked if they had any and she said they were sold out. So we left. So where were these scarves? In transit? All we got told is that none were in and they had no idea when any more would be. Which part of the shop were they placed? They'll still be there if plenty were brought in I'm hoping.

There's not a lot a loanee can say in an interview without putting the backs up of either their employers or us. Even Zurab was mindful not to burn his bridges with Rangers even after settling in so well here. Certainly Pongolle is taking the right route in talking about Liverpool, they are after all his employers unless we decide to try and bring him in for good. Loanees are in a bit of a limbo really. Babbel went a bit too much the other way though by suggesting he was playing for some kind of joke side compared to his mighty Liverpool FC, who didn't even want him. As for fast players... Franz Carr Windy Miller before he started getting on a bit Steven Reid seems to be able to run at pace with the ball also Kevin Davies was rumoured to be able to make the Bacon Butty Run faster than anyone else in the club at the time.

Has any fan got anything good to say about the outsourcing? Do Rovers give a stuff? Less hassle for them by far. It's poor customer service and it's carrying the brand name. I'd expected to buy quite a few Rovers things to take back when I leave the country but I was so unimpressed by what I saw that I didn't bother. I'll go back and have another look but it wasn't the best of impressions for the club to be giving out...and like it or not when it's next to Ewood Park selling Rovers merchandise then it is the club being represented.

moved to more appropriate thread.

True and I agree with what you say...but you'd think being next to that big thing called Ewood Park would make their Rovers items the most profitable surely? Instead they had any old tosh piled up. How many Rovers fans must have walked away with their cash still in their hand? Does anyone know of anywhere else with a good collection of Rovers gear? I'd have bought at least a couple of scarves - say a tenner for two? Add that to Ozzie's two quid, plus I'd have had a pair of mittens as well at that price and Hughes now has £14 to put towards a new striker. There's a long way to go to get Dean Ashton but at least we're on the right track...

Went to the club shop the last week. They didn't have any Rovers scarves. Not one whatsoever. This customer's level of satisfaction is zero. I mean, come on...scarves!!! It's winter for crying out loud! Didn't they anticipate that people might like scarves in winter? Do they bring out their bobble hats in July???

Ok well forget about Moore, although if it hadn't been for his dodgy knees (or whatever) he'd have come to Ewood for half a million.

I'm hoping Rovers can get something a bit special...purely because it'd the first Rovers away game I've managed to get to for two years...and that was at Goodison too! A repeat of that day will be perfect...Everton 0 Rovers 1 with Stead scor...whoops, let's have Kuqi scoring this time then!

Mission accomplished Agent XXXX, return to base in Glasgow... Would be interesting to see just how much money in transfer fees he put Murray's way... Boumsong was 8 or so million, another 7 or so for Ferguson, Tugay, Amo, Moore, Walters at Liverpool, then Berg and the Eagle going there for free, although admittedly they won't be thanking us too much for that last one. Of those only Tugay has done the business and he was deemed surplus to requirements at Ibrox.

Across from Newcastle is Gateshead, which alone has almost twice the amount of people of Blackburn itself. Gateshead used to have a league side eons ago, but since then Newcastle are the only show in town. If only we had that kind of hinterland to tap into for support...

I know this one! David Murray.

Looks like Scolari is touting himself for the England job, despite his dodgy spoken English. Scolari rejects language concerns Scolari has the best background in international football of any of the candidates, his sides having knocked England out of the last two tournaments. This was on the way to Brazil winning the World Cup and Portugal reaching the final of Euro 2004. Certainly has a record as good as Hiddink (better if we are only including international football) and will be leaving Portugal after the World Cup. Hiddink and Scolari though do seem to be going from job to job. I'd quite like someone with a bit more personal connection to the England job. Hughes played for Rovers, for example, so had something in common. That's hardly being xenophobic. Unfortunately, none seem good enough from England. The only Brit mentioned much is O'Neill but he has more important things to deal with in his life than football. Hiddink or Scolari with Pearce as assistant?

Even when the game isn't on Sky it is often on some foreign channel. Wednesday's match against United for example was shown at some pubs around Blackburn. That can't be helping the attendances. Even on saturdays at 3pm there are games on in the local pubs, albeit not necessarily Rovers. Mind you, presumably Wigan have to put up with that as well.

Rovers fans are like that about most players or managers who leave, in fact we are usually like that about some who are still at the club! We even booed Shearer for crying out loud! When at Burnley Stan Ternant said that the Dingle fans were only ever happy when they are moaning...Rovers fans have more in common with them then we'd like! Although not the sleeping with the sister stuff, they have the monopoly on that.

Ferguson should just have a drink and calm down. Actually...make it a double Fergie!!!

Not only has Souness gone (with millions in compensation) but Shepherd stays! Good old Newcastle eh...always good for a laugh. Roeder in charge too!!!!!!!!!