Our fall in attendances has coincided with their rise. You're right in that it doesn't significantly affect the gates but they may get a few converts. I've heard of a few ex-season ticket holders at Ewood who now go along to see Stanley instead solely because it is so much cheaper.

1. I know you are, I'm only putting the other side to your...er...other side. 2. Yes it is, so they should be looking the Academy to pay its way but it should be looked at over decades, it's only been in operation for a short time. Besides, the club still have enough to compete with. Grabbi alone must have taken up five years' worth of Academy funding. Cole even more than that. As for Davies... 3. Yes, it's an ongoing project. That is what the Academy is all about. However we should remember that the Academy isn't a truly new approach, just a souped-up version of the old system we had which did produce the likes of Duff, Dunn etc. It's obviously a big shame we haven't had the same quality coming through since but the Academy is just a bit more money than before being spent on youth with a more professional setup. It'll pay. As Bogey said. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but soon. And for the rest of our etc etc 4. Firstly, Damien Johnson is good enough for our team. I'd rather have them Aussie Bertie (one in six games) flattering to deceive for another season on the right. Johnson should never have been allowed to almost finish his contract before leaving for 150K. Poor decision by Souness and even worse in retrospect now that Johnson has established himself as a solid if unspectacular Premiership performer. As for the others...my point was that they all had great potential, especially Taylor. If they'd been handled differently at a very important time in their career then who knows?

We aren't a big club! We're just a small club that has won more trophies (both titles and FA Cups, same number of League cups) than your lot! City are a good laugh though. They remain forever capable of shooting themselves in the foot. An interesting fact that City are the only team to follow up winning the title by getting relegated the very next season! Having said all that, if I had to choose I'd take the Manchester club over the Salford Buccaneers anytime!

The thing I disagree with is how you arguing this - you are using just the figure of 2.5-3 million a year (I'm not even sure how accurate that figure is) but the Academy provides many things that can't be explained by figures on paper. It brings prestige and shows that Rovers are not just in this to compete in the here and now but also have longer-term plans. I'll be the first to agree that the Academy has not been a roaring success in the last couple of years as regards first team players but over time it may well be worth it's weight in gold. The club spends a fortune every month on wages, signing-on fees and (less so now) transfer fees for players like Lorenzo Amoruso, Vratislav Gresko, Dominic Matteo and Garry Flitcroft. Surely a few million a year to give kids the best chance the club can isn't so much. The manager needs to help as well. We seem to have a good bunch coming through with the likes of Garner, Barker and Andy Taylor. Souness was rather erratic when it came to bringing through youngsters. While the likes of Dunn and Duff blossomed under his tutelage it was in contrast to Martin Taylor, Jonathon Douglas, Damien Johnson and Jay McEveley who were given chances in the first team only to be traded back and forth to the reserves. As soon as they appeared to be embarking on some sustained first team experience they were speedily dropped again. Hopefully Hughes can bring through the youngsters and give them a proper chance, not just a game or two followed by months back in the reserves. As for the Academy...it's something that a Rovers fan should be proud of. If we are to scrap it, let's not do it just to line the pockets of underachieving millionaires even more than we already do now. It's a great idea and, given faith, could produce great results. :

Well...we could keep the Academy which provides an important function scouting local kids (although admittedly they are now also looking much further afield) and also the chance of regularly picking up the future Duff, Dunn, Damien Johnson, Garner, Beattie, Barker etc or we could use the investment to pay the yearly wages of someone like Amoruso or Grabbi. The Academy is good PR as much as anything else. It shows the club are not necessarily solely looking for the easy cash option which many Premiership clubs seem to do. If a club is not willing to invest in the future or in giving local lads the best chance to succeed then they cannot really complain if the locals are no longer willing to invest in the future of a club which puts short-termism above developing youngsters. Rovers are not a club like that, much to their credit. I'm hoping BRISA will be in favour of retaining the Academy. Enough fans have been complaining about not being able to relate to the players without withdrawing funding from a system which has the potential to bring through home-grown players. As for other clubs in the lower leagues benefitting...so what? It brings young lads through and gives them a chance as well as helping out lower league football in general. If they are good enough for Rovers then that is wonderful but setting those kids who don't quite make it at Ewood on the road to a hopefully fulfilling career is also an achievement to be proud of. PS - Good post from TommySeddon above.

Why should the fans be kept "in line"? Why, in a worst case scenario, should they not go into "boycotting matches"? The supporters want the best for the club, it is not always the case that people who work for the club or even own the club also always want the best. The way some posters talk on here you'd think Rovers was a charity organisation and that people should be ashamed for not going to matches. Others seem to think we should never say a negative word about anything associated with the club. It's ridiculous...Rovers is not a charity and if something is wrong with the club then the fans must speak out. If the way of speaking out means not spending their money on tickets then so be it. Not that I'm saying BRISA should go looking for arguments but the people who receive excellent wages from the club should not be immune from scrutiny. That includes the chairman and the board as well as the team manager.

As I replied to Joey Big Nose on another topic when he stated that Sven only picks Beckham because of favouritsm and because he is the captain , the form of Beckham this season means he must be one of the first names on the teamsheet. Beckham at his best can win games on his own, however he has not consistently played like that for England for a few years. Whether or not Beckham deserved his place in the past is water under the bridge now, we have nobody to challenge on the right for the moment. Hoping SWP can start to shine for Chelsea and give the competition he hinted about when he was at City.

Sam Allardyce, Gary Megson and Nigel Worhington have all been in charge of the Seasiders in the last decade before moving onto better things. It may not have been the greatest of starts but there is still hope yet for Big Col to to make a mark in management.

Good to see Mark Hughes talking sense about the gates...he wants more to come but acknowledges that the work needs to be helped along by Rovers in the form of improved performances, rather than just resting on their laurels and thinking that a couple of good home performances can wipe out the memory of a couple of years worth of sub-standard fare served up at Ewood. "I hope everyone has enjoyed the home performances up to this point and maybe we'll get a few more through the door," said Hughes. "It's important that we play well at Ewood then, hopefully, through word of mouth, people will want to come and see us play." Clubcall Blackburn - Hughes plea to fans LET　－　Hughes tells fans - see what you're missing Most importantly; "I think everyone who was there (on Saturday) really enjoyed themselves." That's how to get the fans back, entertain them and make them think they may well be missing out if they don't. Football is a major strain on the wallet and as cheap as the tickets are at Rovers compared to other Premiership sides they are still way too expensive for many people to pay without at least having a serious think about it first.

Anything that messes up your mind in such a way is likely to have repercussions if it is abused, whether they are soft drugs or worse. Apparently 25% cannabis users faces a tenfold higher risk of mental illness due to their genetic profile alone. That said, do the police have the resources to tackle all the cannabis users in the country? Personally I think they should target the more damaging drugs. Booze and pot can ruin lives sure but heroin or crack can really smash them into the ground. I'd presume part of the reason for the 'gateway' argument is that often people can get hard drugs from the very same people who also sell weed. If the cannabis user need not seek out or come into contact with these people they might not be tempted into trying a free hit of smack or whatever by unscrupulous dealers looking for another addicted customer.

With Bellamy and Savage performing well recently...are you still worried about the Boyo connection 92er? In other news, it appears that Rovers are aiming to increase their links with Belgian side Cercle Brugge. They want to extend the loan of Luke Jones to the end of the season and we will have a scout of their players. Not sure if they have any talented players or not but Mokoena has proved a good signing for relatively little outlay. Blackburn to strengthen European ties

This is rather strange... How to lose 2-0 to Blackburn The team tactics that Steve Bruce pinned on the wall of the away dressing room on the day of our 2-0 home win have somehow turned up on ebay. It even still "has the bits of boot tape on the sheets" for added authenticity. Maybe the Ewood mole (last seen around the time of the Tony Parkes saga) has struck again.

Is it actually against the law for the pubs to show these games from foreign channels? Seems to be somewhat of a grey area in law but no landlord has the cash or the patience to challenge Sky. Sky themselves have after all sold these games to the foreign channels.

It's a derogatory term for Italian people or those of Italian descent.

If you'd seen much of Real Madrid recently you might think differently about Beckham...he's been fantastic recently. Although I felt he should have been dropped previously to make way for SWP there is little doubt he is the best choice at the moment in the right for England. Quite right that Beckham shouldn't just be picked because he is captain but at the moment with the form he is in he should be one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Knowing Rovers down the years...yes!

The fans should be returning soon...our home form is way better than I can remember for a long time. The past three years saw many poor home performances. It's November now and there has only been one poor home performance, against Newcastle. If that doesn't bring the crowds back then I don't know what will. 4 goals today, 3 the last home game (v Leeds), the players are doing their bit at Ewood. Makes a nice change!!! 5 wins in a row at home and counting!

McEveley has scored his first goal for Ipswich, the opener in their game at home to Plymouth today.

Gresko has been recalled to the Slovakia side to play Spain. We should have an interest in a few of the playoff games with Gresko, Pedersen playing for Norway and Lucas/Bert lining up for Australia against Uruguay. Blackburn Rovers star gets international call

Steve Bruce is asking fans not to judge him yet...he's been there over three years, how long does he want? Bruce: Don't judge me yet

I looked and this was the closest I could get...Ron Atkinson (that's the football bit covered) telling a joke (that's the Chinese bit); "I can't understand why there is such a population problem in China as they have the best contraception going - Chinese women are the ugliest in the world." Not very good I know...sorry. Best I could do unfortunately...I checked Google and everything.

Define skill. Jansen was great at holding the ball up but that hardly makes him Ronaldinho now does it? Bellamy is assured on the ball, can not only control the ball but can move with it at pace and can also operate as the forward the opposition set out to target. Jansen was great...but Cole was the main striker during his best spell. If Bellamy reaches anywhere near his potential then he will easily be our best forward since Shearer. It's a real shame that Cole and Jansen didn't build on that six or so months of 2001/2002.. Neither have been the same since.

Wow - you've really dredged up some venom there EiT but I must admit most of what you say is correct except for the part I quoted above. Jansen did perform at the top level. For an admittedly very short space of time he was awesome and looked to be turning into a legend. Next news...Sven didn't take him (tord Grip wanted Matin Keown, who played 0 minutes, in Japan instead) and a moped ride too far meant the end of that. Dickov is surely better than Jansen now - why? Hughes picks him, Souness picked him; despite Souness raving about Jansen. They aren't going to cut off their noses to spite their own faces...Jansen just isnt up to being the Rovers striker anymore. Sad but true. Mind...Bellamy has more skill than Jansen ever had. As much as we loves Matt wasy back in 2002, it's time to move on. Being a Rovers fan comes before being a Matt Jansen fan.

Broomes was unlucky, just as he was breaking into the team he broke a leg (I think?) and could never then quite get back in the side or indeed seem to get back to full fitness.

Jemal Johnson scored his first goal for Preston on Tuesday during the 3-0 win over Hull City. From football365 - "Skipper Chris Lucketti played the ball over the Hull defence for Johnson, who turned inside his marker before firing high into the net at the near post." It seems he was quite a handful and also had some other chances. F365 - Preston v Hull Match Report The same website has the Stoke report (whoever wrote the report) claiming Gally's goal was "Brilliant" and "superb". "The young striker, who is on a season-long loan from Blackburn, was released by Bangoura before curling a 20-yard shot past a motionless Marton Fulop and into the top corner." F365 Coventry v Stoke Match Report This link from Sky Sports suggests that young goalkeeper Steve Drench may be leaving for Bury as he is currently on trial there. Doesn't mention if it will be a permanent deal or a loan arrangement. Gary Harkin and John Fitzgerald went on loan there last season, with Fitzgerald making his move permanent. Shakers trial young Rover EDIT - Just noticed this has been mentioned on the Johnson topic as well!