Garner has moved to Forest, Steele to Man U, Marcus "more clubs than Jack Nicklaus" Bent is at Birmingham, Graham Coughlan has moved onto Shrewsbury and today

Bothroyd completes Cardiff move

OK, it's not going to be up there with "The Greatest Films Of All Time" but the daughter & I went to see "Hancock" yesterday.

A new look on the super-hero theme and very well worked too.

I could not agree less Colin.

Awful film...boring and unfunny. It was a great premise but poorly executed.

Souness was a damn sight more successful at Rovers than Hughes FLB and the silverware to show for it.....gave many some great memories.

Yes but he if he had stayed then we could well have gone down. That is why the club needed a kick up the bum and a new management style brought in.

Souness was a damn sight more successful at Rovers than Hughes FLB and the silverware to show for it.....gave many some great memories.

Yes but he if he had stayed then we could well have gone down. That is why the club needed a kick up the bum and a new management style brought in.

I am not sure I would class Souness as more succesful overall...Hughes managed a top-half finish in all three full seasons. Three cup semi-finals as well. Best of all...the money he spent will be made back and more.

Most importantly...he left the club in 7th place. Souness jumped ship when we going down...

Hughes was right to do so at Rovers. We were a club on our knees and heading toward relegation. Added to that our previous manager had downplayed expectations which, although pragmatic, does not inspire the fans. Many of our best players had been gradually sold off (Duff, Dunn, Cole, Berg, Jansen - not the fault of Souness but symptomatic of our lost way) and morale at the club seemed to be rock bottom.

At City though this approach seems daft. They just finished in the top half and are in Europe. OK they got their a funny way but they finished higher in the league than the last time Hughes got us into Europe. Added to this they have some excellent players in that squad...England internationals like Richards, Petrov on the wing, Elano, Stephen Ireland, Richard Dune etc...plus they have spent over 20 million on Jo and Ben Haim since his arrival. Not only that but the compensation for Hughes and his backroom team was very expensive compared to the usual payout for a manager.

To impress at Man City he will have to do something special. They are in a far healthier state than we were when he took over at Ewood and they have already spent probably almost as much cash since his arrival as he did in all his time at Ewood!

It is a very tough task for Hughes and with all the turmoil surrounding Thaksin it may be a poor decision. If he had stayed at Ewood and even not had a great season (lower half) he would have been excused and lack of investment blamed. Other opportunities would still have come his way.

Being City manager has always been a poisoned chalice and it looks right now like it will be no different for Hughes.

It is going to be very interesting to see how it plays out.

Three major losses for Rovers so far this summer...Hughes, Freidel and Bentley.

Go on...who would you most like to see fall on their backside? None, one or all?

Ex-PMs wife guilty of fraud

Thaksins missus and brother-in-law have been sent down. He looks odds-on to follow.

For us Hughes was a great choice.

For him City is looking like not such a great choice...

I dont want impartiality from my local paper. Within reason Rovers matters should be reported on from a Rovers supporters viewpoint, if I want to read how every body including tea lady and turnstyle operators want out I'll buy the tabloid rags.

Exactly. It has seemed that the LET tried to compete with the tabloids to uncover the stories first yet that is not necessarily what most readers want. Many want their local paper to be pro-Rovers (though not without criticism should the club deserve it) and not to try and compete with the nationals. The paper seems to have forgot this since the days of Peter White and the experiences of the members on here when they contributed seem to back it up.

Hancock, 1/10 Avoid.

Should have taken your advice. Poor film.

The Internet must have hit them hard.

More space devoted to Rovers by the paper would be a start.

This thread shows quality has increased...

It took about five posts back in 2004 and it was off and away with the fairies!

I miss those threads going off with the fairies! Too much quality can be a bad thing...dont let us lose all those crap posts/innuendos/cheap puns that we all used to know and love.

Personally I feel Rovers have been reported poorly in recent years by The LT which is a real joke as without the Rovers coverage they would immediately lose a big chunk of their sales as well as probably folding and it was obvious to a blind man on a galloping horse that he had no love for the club despite what he might have said in his defence. Memories of his time covering Rovers would be of him trying to break stories of our best players being sold. For decades the Telegraph was always the place to get the best Rovers coverage. I may be doing Mr Neild a disservice - and I respected his defence of himself on here - but ultimately I felt it was just a damage limitation exercise. The Rovers coverage in the local paper is far worse than it has ever been in its past.

To be honest though following on from Peter White who was blue and white through and though...he didn´t have much of a chance. It needed someone special to follow on from a legend such as him and I dont think anyone would describe the Rovers coverage of the last eight years as special. Negative, downbeat and uninspiring are more what comes to mind.

This time it might be an idea for the local rag to find a journalist who will actually write the news for Rovers fans rather than wishing to break a big story for their own standing. Us East Lancs folk need a bit of optimism to stop us wallowing our lives away on grumbling if you don't mind!

Andy Neild is local - he does have a tie to the area.

Yes but the other staff did not. Is he actually a Rovers fan? Certainly the others who contribute articles on the Rovers do not seem to be.

This is irrelevant though...as it appears Neild has actually just now quit as reporter for The Telegraph to take up a position in PR.

Neild quits Premiership and Lancashire Telegraph for PR.

Interestingly on the link there is a picture with the tagline below reading "The Guvner: revealed by Neild"

When I was at the LT Andy Neild's Burnley counterpart was a really nice guy called Matt Horne (the guy with the hat) and Stan Ternent was so impossible to work with, he was always banning him from the training ground for writing the most innocuous of things. To such an extent he had a hard job getting ANYONE from the club to give him a quote over the phone.

One of the times Matt had merely written about being interested in a transfer target and possibly releasing a couple of players.

I met Matt Horn while he was in China where he moved to be a University Lecturer in Journalism and he had plenty of good things to say about his time at the paper but he did mention that often the jornalist covering a team may have no ties to the club or the area. It is just a job to them...so maybe some of those covering Rovers do not have the club at heart or understand how supporters feel. Which may be the problem with some of the coverage we have received...especially stories continually linking our players with other sides and the playing down of the club which we saw a few seasons back especially.

Matt was a nice bloke and could put back more than his share of pints when it came down to it...but he did not have much nice to say about Ternent who did not sound like a nice person at all. Sounded like a bully and a bit of a thug. Burnley´s (less successful) version of Souness.

Cheers FLB - will add to the pile

Edit: just bought the pair of em. Barca for ~£2, Real for ~£4. Ain't the Internet wonderful?

By the way the best book I have ever read on Italian football is The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinniss Castel at Amazon

Other recommended football books...The Far Corner by Harry Pearson (about football in the north east), Brilliant Orange by David Winner (about Dutch football) and Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life by Alex Bellos.

I posted about some football books on the old thread here...First holiday reads thread.

Did you end up liking this, FLB? I read it a few years back when we were in Germany for the World Cup and there weren't a lot of English books to choose from. I enjoyed it - found it very easy to read. I picked up his latest effort the other day but haven't started it yet.

To be honest I thought it wasn´t bad but not especially good. Easy enough to read but not up there with High Fidelity or Fever Pitch. Hornby is usually the type of writer whose work you can speed through...a bit like John O´ Farrel. Both good writers with some genuinely funny moments.

Two books I have read recently that I would recommend are...

Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller which was recently made into a film. Interesting take on a middle aged female teacher having an affair with a student and then the media frenzy when it is found out. Very good narrator as well...a bit creepy and very voyeuristic.

The Second book would be Sunday at the pool in Kigali by Gil Courtemanche which is about a Canadian expat in Rwanda during the days leading up to the genocide in the nineties there. Eye-opening and brutal...it has plenty to say about Africa and the role of the white man there...as well as just how messed up colonialism has left some places even to this day.

Warhurst was at Northwich Victoria last season as player-manager in a caretaker role but he left when he wasn´t given the job permanently.

Don´t know about Sutton but his brother was playing for someone in the lower leagues who I can´t remember and his dad used to play so quite a footballing family.

Our Academy has alas been producing players for the lower leagues and non-league. Players we expected big things of such as Jemal Johnson (MK Dons) and ANdy Taylor (Tranmere) and outside the top two divisions.

More worrying still...the place of two former England schoolboy interntaionals...Ciaran Donnelly is now at Glenavon in Northern Ireland and Keith Barker is at Northwich Victoria.

Some interesting points...

1. For those of you interested in GrabbiWatch...he was last seen in Switzerland playing for Bellinzona in the Swiss second division. After six games our hero had managed zero goals in the league but apparently did score a winner in a cup game. So well done to him for that.

2. There are quite a large number of ex-Rovers as managers now. Giorgios Donis, Simon Grayson, Lee Richardson at Chesterfield, Chris Coleman, Roy Hodgson, Jeff Kenna (at Galway!), Phil Starbuck (was on loan for a few games at Ewood), Bjornebye, Berg, Alan Irvine, Keith Hill...could any of these do a job for Rovers? Probably not...Donis or Grayson would probably be the only ones worth considering at all although the likes of Irvine and Hill have impressed so far. Coleman seems to be going backwards in his career and Berg seems way too inexperienced so far.

3. Some of our players are some pretty big European clubs...Vratislav Gresko is with Bayer Leverkusen, Shabani Nonda and Hakan Sukur (for the moment) are at Galatasaray, Florent Sinama-Pongolle is with Recreative Hueva - a small team but in La Liga - and...er...Alan Mahon is at Burnley.

Here is some info about former Rovers not actually with a club at the moment. Thanks for info from many sources including rovergroo for these details...

Back at the club after playing:-

Kevin Gallagher (working as for Radio Rovers),

Deceased:- (Rest In Peace)

Ray Harford, Jack Walker

Released/Unattached:-

Mark Atkins, Ciaran Donnelly, John Filan, Craig Hignett, Matt Jansen (training with Carlisle United), Peter Murphy, Andy Morrison, Fred Murray, Mike Newell, Sebastian Pelzer, Adam Reed, Paul Warhurst, Jimmy Quinn (released as manager of Cambridge United June 2008), Eyal Berkovic (formerly manager of Maccabi Netanya), Andy Cole, Ian Pearce, Craig Barr (recently released by Gretna), Brian Kidd (left Sheff Utd along with Bryan Robson), Burton O'Brien (released after three years with Sheffield Wednesday), Ciarán Ryan, Derek Fazackerley (released by Man City)

Retired and now taking coaching license or working as football pundits or agents:-

Per Frandsen (football agent), Tony Gale (soccer pundit with Sky Sports), Matty Holmes (qualified soccer coach & owns soccer coaching club), Graeme Le Saux (football pundit & ambassador for ABN Amro Bank), Jason McAteer (undertaking coaching badge), Kevin Moran (football pundit for Irish TV), Alan Shearer (football pundit), Robbie Slater (football pundit in Australia), Hakan Ünsal (Football pundit in Turkey), Graeme Souness (football pundit), Frank Stapleton (football pundit), Javier De Pedro (undertaking traing course...dismissed from last club by coach due to ¨"lack of commitment!"), Alan Kelly (the goalkeeper coach for the Soccer-Academy camps, located in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania)

Retired and in another field:-

David Batty (appeared in 'The Match and is involved with advertising campaigns for Cancer Research), Nathan Blake (runs property management company), Martin Dahlin (partner in introducing a new line of Men's wear for Heab Clothing firm), Garry Flitcroft ((running a magazine based for professional footballers), David May (working in wine distribution), Alan Miller (retired and runs his own cruise company with his brother in Mallorca), Stuart Ripley (graduated with a degree in Law at University of Central Lancashire), Tim Sherwood (in partnership with Garry Flitcroft), Craig Short (co-owns a sailing club), Ashley Ward (runs a luxury development company in Cheshire), Michael Holt (Police Officer), Mark Atkins (working on a building site in Sheffield?)

Retired and never heard of since:-

Patrik Andersson, Youri Djorkaeff, Nicky Marker, Darren Peacock (retired and living in Portugal with his family), Per Pedersen, Sebastien Perez, Chris Sutton, Patrick Valéry, Terry Gennoe (retired as Newcastle goalkeeping coach due to a back injury), David Thompson, Gary Croft (just finished a one year contract with Lincoln...now to retire?)

A few years ago I started a topic (here - So just where are all the ex-Rovers? - which I have now closed as it was getting a bit unwieldy at almost 20 pages) about where all the ex-Rovers had got to since their days at Ewood. This led to a large list which was contributed to by many other members of this board. I´ve not bothered to update it for quite some time (though others stepped in to help with the updating a while back) so here is a new list. If you know the whereabouts of any other old Roverites especially if they are at another club then let me know...

Known current clubs of former Rovers players or staff:

Accrington Stanley - Leam Richardson.

AEK Athens - Giorgos Donis (Manager)

AIK Solna - Nils-Eric Johansson.

Altona Magic (Malta) - Ryan Baldacchino

Ankaragücü (Turkey) – Kaba Diawara

Aston Villa - Brad Friedel

Ayr United - Paul Weaver.

AZ Alkmaar - Toni Kolehmainen

Ballymena - Garth Scates.

Barnoldswick Town - Michael Holt.

Bayer Leverkusen - Vratislav Gresko.

AC Bellinzona (Switzerland) - Corrado Grabbi

Birmingham City - Damien Johnson, Martin Taylor, Lee Carsley, Marcus Bent

Blackpool - Ben Burgess, Marlon Broomes, Tony Parkes (Assistant Manager), Simon Grayson (Manager).

Blyth Spartans - Graham Fenton (player- assistant manager).

Bolton Wanderers - Kevin Davies.

Bournemouth - Gareth Stewart, Jimmy Quinn (manager)

Bradford City - Peter Thorne.

Brescia Calcio FC: Dario Marcolin (Coach and also occasional Italian TV commentator)

Burnley - Alan Mahon.

Cardiff City - Jay Bothroyd

Cercle Brugge - Dwight Willie.

Cheltenham Town - Alan Wright (non-contract terms)

Chesterfield - Lee Richardson (Manager), Scott Sellars (Assistant Manager)

Clitheroe FC - Joel Byrom, Clark Walsh.

Crystal Palace - Shefki Kuqi, Neil Danns.

Coventry City - David Mcnamee, Chris Coleman (manager)

Derby County - Jay McEveley, Andy Todd, Alan Fettis (Assistant goalkeeping coach), Robbie Savage.

Derry City - Eddie McCallion.

Doncaster Rovers - Gordon Greer.

Dynamo Dresden – Sebastian Pelzer

Elgin City FC - Kieron Renton, Adam Nelson.

Everton - Mick Rathbone.

Exeter City - Andy Marriott.

Fleetwood Town – Jerome Watt

Forest Green - Ryan Robinson.

Fulham - Billy McKinlay (Reserve Team Coach), Roy Hodgson (Manager)

Galatasaray -Hakan Sukur (rumoured to be leaving this summer), Shabani Nonda

Galway United - John Fitzgerald, Jeff Kenna (manager)

Glenavon – Ciaran Donnelly

Glentoran - Gary Hamilton.

Harrogate Town -Darren Dunning.

Hednesford Town – Mark Patterson (Assistant Manager), Phil Starbuck (manager)

Hamburger SV - Mamadi Keita

IK Start (Norway) - Stig Inge Bjornebye (Manager)

Inverness Calendonian Thistle - Ian Black.

Ipswich Town - Alex Bruce, Jon Walters, Jon Stead (on loan from Sheff U with view to permanent move)

Kidderminster Harriers - Luke Jones.

Kilmarnock - Alan Morgan

Lancaster City - Wayne Gill (physio).

Leeds United - Jonathon Douglas, Dominic Matteo

Lisburn Distillery - Peter McCann.

Livingston - Raffaele De Vita

Lyn FC (Oslo) - Henning Berg (Manager).

Malmo FF - Anders Andersson.

Manchester City - Mark Hughes (manager), Mark Bowen (assistant), Eddie Niedzwiecki (coach), Glyn Hodges (reserves

Manchester United - Eric Steele (Goalkeeping Coach)

Middlesbrough – Steve Agnew (reserve team coach)

MK Dons – Jemal Johnson

Montrose - Stuart Cumming, David Worrell.

Morecambe - Steve Drench.

Newcastle United - Damien Duff, Shay Given

Northwich Victoria - Keith Barker

Nottingham Forest - Andy Cole, Joe Garner

Östersunds FK – Lee Makel (player-coach)

Partick Thistle – Gary Harkins

Port Vale - Marc Richards.

Portadown – Jon Topley.

Preston North End - Callum Davidson, Brett Ormerod, Rob Kelly (Assistant Manager) Alan Irvine (manager). Also…John Curtis – unattached but having a trial with PNE.

QPR - Tim Flowers (Assistant Manager)

Rangers - Barry Ferguson, Christian Dailly.

Recreativo Huelva - Florent Sinama-Pongolle.

Rochdale - Keith Hill (Manager).

Sheffield Wednesday - Franny Jeffers.

Sheffield United - Keith Gillespie (signing new deal), James Beattie

Shrewsury - graham Coughlan

Sligo Town - Gavin Peers.

Sporting Fingol - Robbie Doyle

Stabæk - Lars Bohinen (Sporting Director)

Stuttgart VfB - Markus Babbel (Assistant Coach).

Sunderland - Dwight Yorke.

Tombolo (Italian 3rd division) - Dino Baggio

Toronto FC - Paul Dickov

Tottenham Hotspur - David Bentley

Tranmere Rovers - Andy Taylor.

Troon Juniors - Andy Reid.

TuS Koblenz (Germany) – David Yelldell

Valarenga (Norway) – Martin Andresen (player-head coach)

Viking - Egil Østenstad (Director of football).

Wales National Team - Dean Saunders (Assistant Manager).

Watford - Richard Lee.

West Ham United - Lucas Neill, Craig Bellamy.

Wolverhampton Wanderers- Jay Bothroyd, Micheal Gray, Bobby Mimms (Goalkeeping Coach).

Workington AFC - Gari Rowntree, Viv Busby (Assistant Manager).

Wrexham - Richard Hope, Tony Williams.

Xerez CD - Jorge Yordi.

Zurich FC – Oumar Konde

It seems that one of the problems with appointing Allardyce would be the fan reaction. Would that be a healthy situation for us as a football club? On what he achieved at Bolton he is bound to be one of the contenders but the strength of the opposition to his appointment (which I surprised at for being so vitriolic from many) has to come into whether or not he is a good choice. It would be a bit of an uphill battle for him to be accepted from the very start,