When on form the prose of Irvine Welsh can touch the levels of genius. It is also very easy to get used to once you get going. It can become almost lyrical when you get into it. 'Glue' isn't his best work but I seem to remember thinking that would be an easy book to start on. Filth might be best left until later as it far less straight forward and the talking intestinal worm might be a bit off-putting to the Welsh newbie.

I liked all of LOTR as it happens...ignore people who say to skip anything. Read it and make up your own mind. You wouldn't be the first or last to either love or hate all of it.

I've just finished Richard #########' The God Delusion.

That's amusing...someone's surname is now an obscenity on this forum!

Ossie Ardiles was sacked by Beitar Jerusalem and is now without a club.

Marc Richards has joined Port Vale this summer.

Didn't Graham Coughlan join Burnley?

However as you said you weren't convinced about the stories about training and the fact that it was the same story with the rest of the clubs. In fairness a lot of clubs would have had to train on parks with money not available, but I would find it hard to believe that they would have limited the team to just two training sessions a week.

Hmm...this is a difficult one. There is no way in discussing Dougan on a Rovers board that his career at Rovers can be overlooked and therefore the transfer request will always be remembered. Even if the man has unfortunately passed away. Whatever the reasons or side of the story the question still has to be did that justify putting in a transfer request on the morning of an FA Cup Final? The answer has to be no.

Usually I've plenty of sympathy for players during those days (pre-1961 maximum wage players who were treated closer to chattel than free workers) but to hand in a transfer request on the morning of the club's most important game for over three decades...it was just wrong. Dougan himself expressed some regret I believe in later years. All he had to do was wait one day...I don't see how that act can be defended. In the end he stayed for an extra year at Rovers anyway and didn't move on until 1961. If I remember correctly I believe Dougan also challenged all things in football...he was a fighter...I remember reading about him challenging doctors and physicians. For this he got a reputation as a difficult player. Ultimately though he was the one proved right as he suffered many ailments after retiring. Rather a pyrrhic victory that one.

Doesn't mean you are insulting the man however just by stating that the timing of the act was all wrong. Otherwise DD was a great player for the club. The record of 26 goals in 59 appearances (from Mike Jackman although according to the club website it was 34 in 76...I'll go with Jackman!) is a superb goal return and isn't far off a goal every two games. It's true that he scored three goals on the way to the final but to suggest Rovers were only there because of him does a disservice to the rest of the team such as Bryan Douglas (architect of the comeback and subsequent win over Burnley) and Dobing who scored five goals in the cup run. It was a good team all round. However it doesn't make living around that time sound so great when you have polio outbreaks!!!

The cup final itself was just one massive disaster...Dougan played a part in it but it certainly wasn't all down to him. Whelan breaking his leg didn't help.

As for the club/board/players/etc who made cash by selling on tickets at the expense of Rovers fans...there was a drop in attendance at Ewood the next season and we have never again reached the attendance levels of 1959/60. That was how much so many fans felt betrayed by the club.

RIP to Derek Dougan...in death, as in life, he doesn't half split opinion!

None of them are right-backs. Bridge will be playing on the left and Carragher in the centre. Neville is rubbish and Shorey is a left back who didn't do particularly well on Friday.

I think McClaren is thinking back to a Luxembourg match at Wembley when Dyer excelled at right-back. That seems a LONG time ago though! This could actually be a good tactic by McClaren if it means a far more attacking spirit from our full-backs. We will need to get them forward if we are ever likely to stretch Estonia. I'm not a big fan of Dyer though I must admit.

Having seen Neville and Brown on Friday I think I'd rather have Terry Venables filling in at right-back than either of those. We really are up poo creek for RBs when Gary Neville is injured!

Agree with Eddie. MLS doesn't take international breaks, so if he were gone for a friendly during the season they wouldn't be happy. (I.E. had this happened when he was playing for them.)

On the other hand having a current England international for them would be something to crow about. Certainly a turnaround from the calls of "has-been" when they signed him. Besides...it would only be 5 games over 3 periods. By then he might be playing rubbish again anyway so won't be wanted!

Personally I think all this obsession with Beckham and Owen is the best thing for Bentley. Can keep his head down and let his feet do the talking when he, hopefully, gets a chance against Brazil.

Daily Express reckoned that the travelling to games would be too much for him to do it on a regular basis.

What travelling? Getting on a plane and flying over a couple of times? What are they on about?

Many of those Brazilians and Argentines seem to manage...

He's scared of not qualifying but how much worse will it look if he's brought back and we still don't qualify?

If we don't qualify then it doesn't really matter does it? He will be out of a job. It won't be one iota worse no matter who he plays or not in that case. It's in his interest to play those players available to him who have been playing well.

It's pretty obvious he didn't expect to ever call up Beckham but, such has been his recent form, that he would have looked petty not doing so and shown it wasn't for football reasons. Added to Lennon picking up a knock and it makes sense.

If the team had been playing well in the qualifiers then he needn't have bothered. Desperate times call for desperate measures...

Surely though, he can't go play in that league and play for England at the same time. So why bring him back now?

If he is playing well then of course he can. Why on earth couldn't he if he was in form?

Besides the qualifiers end as early as around about October and all that is important is qualifying. This 'building a team' guff of an excuse is a load of rubbish. Build it for what? We only have a major tournament every two years! Once we have qualified (which is dubious as we are behind both Russia and Croatia having played a game more) then we can start looking at 'building a team' etc for the tournament itself.

We need to qualify and if that means playing those in from then fine. We can look at bringing players through in the friendlies.

I don't understand him bringing Beckham back, FLB. Doesn't make any sense to me at all. If he really rates Beckham, why leave him out in the first place. Then to bring him back just as he's about to join a team of conference standard, WHY?

Shouldn't have been dumped anyway. Drop him from the team sure but there is no way he isn't good enough to be in a 22-man squad. As for bringing him back now...well, we are obviously desperate. Anyone who has seen England "perform" over the last two years will know that. As for "WHY?" I already answered that in my post...because McClaren made a mistake. Besides Beckham has been playing very well in the last four months. It's daft not to pick your best players no matter the opposition.

As for those saying if we can't beat Estonia then we are in trouble...we already are in trouble! What were you doing when we played Macedonia, Croatia and Estonia and created about as much excitement as the release of a "Kevin Davies: My Greatest Rovers Moments" DVD?

There's no reason why Beckham should automatically be excluded from the England squad for the next year. If he is in shape and can still cross like usual then he and his dead ball skills will be an asset. Particularly as a substitute when Plan A isn't working. Some of the previous games were crying out for a player with the skill to create chances. Also...what evidence are you basing the MLS as being "conference standard"? Presumably you have seen some games? I have and it certainly wasn't anywhere like that. Not Premiership standard but not too bad.

Who'd have though it...for once I'm impressed by Steve McClaren.

Doing a U-turn over Beckham can't have been easy but he has also rewarded those who have played well in Under-21/England 'B' settings in the form of David Bentley and Nicky Shorey. Neither of whom are from the 'Big Four'.

Not that I am expecting great things or anything but it does suggest McClaren is willing to admit mistakes and try to learn from them.

He was also arguably not their first choice striker as they had just bought Heskey, and also have Camara on the books.

True about him not being happy with the deal Wigan offered however Roberts signed for Rovers before Wigan had bid for Heskey.

When was the last time we signed one of the top players of another Prem club which had not been relegated or come to the end of their career where they were? That would be Robbie Savage who only came because he loves Hughes.

Probably would be Jason Roberts.

I would be suprised if Mourinho or whoever hasn't been speaking to McCarthy.

How dare they!

One man speaking to another...what is the world coming to?

Not only are the supposed laws against "tapping up" utterly pathetic but it would be thrown out of court if anyone could be bothered to take it so far.

Another club speaks to a player...big deal.

Purely speculation I know..But IF "swinging the lead" benni does go to Chelski..could there be a case of "tapping up?". Chelsea points deducted..(suspended from Cashley Cole affair?).Bringing down the whole Russian oligarchy!

I don't think Benni telling the world and his dog that he would walk to Chelsea if he had to really counts as them "tapping up"!

May also manages to get near Beckham as he knows he will definitely be in the photos...

Just when it appeared that May could not possibly make a bigger fool of himself he decided to join Burnley...

As Richard Littlejohn would say...you couldn't make it up!

Berg and May didn't do too badly either.

David May of course is most famous for making a complete fool of himself by shoving himself into the centre of the celebrations of the 1999 Champions League victory despite barely having featured that year. May, an unused sub in the final, threw off his tracksuit at the final whistle and acted as if he had scored a hat-trick.

Talk about blagging it!

This is all splitting hairs though...

...once they bugger off and leave us then usually we can't stand them.

Rovers have the right to talk about Benni being more valuable than another player (Berbatov) widely valued at £30m (Hughes has already said it)

Why would Benni be worth more than a better player in Berbatov?

We are in a strong position due to Benni's goals but, unlike Berbatov, I can't see all the top clubs wanting him. A bidding war is that is needed to wring out more cash for him.

People need to stop blaming The Sun or any paper.

If he didn't say these things they wouldn't be able to cherry-pick anything! These are direct quotes for crying out loud!

Benni is pimping himself and we can't blame a journo for doing their job reporting it.

And by the way: FLB, you've broken Scotty's stranglehold on the prediction game. Now that that monster of table prediction has been slayed, everyone has a chance!

Cheers Philly. Either this means that:

1. I know what I'm talking about or

2. I just got lucky.

As I certainly don't have a clue then it's not the first so I think I might have a try on the lottery while I'm on a roll

Benni is like acting like a tart on a street corner twirling round her handbag and asking any passing BIG cars if they want any business.

Yes we know he'd like to play for a Champions League club but does he have to be so desperate?

Well...I know it is on at Blackburn. Haven't seen it though.

The sun story was cherry picked from an article in a Portugese newspaper.

True but then again to cherry pick in the first place there has to be some cherries!

Benni would be off if a Champs League team came in for him. We just have to make sure that if that does happen then we have good ideas regarding some replacements.

Last summer we seemed to put too much store in recruiting Mido. This time around I hope there are a few options so nobody can string us along for six weeks of negotiations which they have no intention of allowing to reach a conclusion. We have been somewhat fortunate that other teams looked at Benni but none took the bait.

I can't really see any of the English teams in the Champs League wanting him though. Especially as without a clause we needn't have to give our star striker away on the cheap this summer. The likes of Bent and Berbatov are also proven in the top flight and are younger. Chelsea are linked with bigger fish such as David Villa and the rumours continue to persist regarding Torres to Man U and Tevez to Liverpool.