Stoke City/Tamworth v Barnsley/Walsall Cheltenham Town/Chester City v Newcastle United Coventry v Nuneaton Borough/Middlesbrough West Brom/Reading v Torquay/Birmingham Portsmouth v Liverpool Leicester v Southampton Bolton v Arsenal Aston Villa v Port Vale Brentford v Sunderland Manchester City v Wigan/Leeds Millwall/Everton v Chelsea Preston v Crystal Palace West Ham v Blackburn Colchester v Derby Charlton v Leyton Orient Wolves v Burton/Manchester United

I don't think the fans stay away from these games because rovers are likely to walk over these sides. More likely the romance of the cup has gone for good. Gone are the days when a team from ANY division could make real inroads and possibly even WIN the cup. Everyone knows that if and when the big boys take it seriously, no-one else can get anywhere near winning it. To 95% of clubs, the competition is dead. That's sad. My first experience of Ewood was in a FA cup third round game where I was dazzled by a packed Ewood Park, bathed in blue and white scarves, rattles and balloons. Fabulous, but the powers that be have allowed the degeneration of a GREAT competition.

Thanks Bob. I've copied you in, on the other thread.

Thanks for the preview Ozz. BTW - there is nothing lined up for the Man United CC game at Ewood. If someone wants to put a quick preview forward, then let us know on here. First come, first served.

Nor have I read as much garbage about conspiracy theories and sub plots. For God's sake, the club said they're looking into why the heating system failed to work as it should have done. Don't soddin' judge 'em 'til they've found the cause and reported back. Mind you, some of you wont accept any credible reason.

If you read the article on the official site, the heating was turned on, on Christmas day.

Yep - they do!

Anyone know if Wigan have undersoil heating?

You wanna know the technicalities of the undersoil heating control system. Why -you an expert AESF?

Mike, they have said the undersoil heating didn't work efficiently enough. Look at my link above.

It's been above freezing in sub tropical Leyland as well. But it would be, wouldn't it!

Reason being that the undersoil heating isn't working to it's full potential. It wouldn't show until the temperature dropped to below freezing. It was probably working efficiently enough to keep the pitch playable during the daytime temperatures. Why would anyone doubt the word of the club, unless they have evidence to the contrary?

Philip, not if you read my post above.

Tom Finn offers apology and says the undersoil heating was switched on after training on Christmas day. A full inspection of the undersoil heating will take place to ensure this doesn't happen again.

Newcastle game off. Started snowing again.

Rovers game against Sunderland this evening has been postponed due to a frozen pitch. Referee Phil Dowd made a pitch inspection at 1800 GMT and immediately deemed the pitch unplayable. Dowd said: "You just can't run on it - not flat out certainly. It's just not safe for the players to play on." He also defended the decision not to call the game off any earlier, adding, "the weather's dipped pretty drastically in the last few hours".

Tugays' suspended for this one, isn't he?

Apologies for the loss of the normal preview, but because of unseen circumstances, this can't be done this time. Surely we can beat the Mackems - they have one win and two draws from their entire programme, to date. This rovers team don't submit to the weaker teams quite as easily as they used to. Hopefully we wont witness a Sunderland side inspired to a 3-0 win at Ewood a couple of years ago.

I mentioned above that rovers might have no choice in the matter. If the Carling cup is worth ten quid in the early rounds, then it's worth ten quid in the other rounds. Just trying to point out that a change in the mindset of all clubs, would be for the better. Away from maximum income, to maximum gates. Otherwise we're all DOOMED!

I reckon Ewood will be half empty for the Man Utd game. OK, the club will raise more funds, but at the same time, it could very well lose more fans - never to return. There's far more value for the club long term in filling the ground, than short term price rises in a competition where a tenner is enough.

No, £25 isn't cheap. I just wonder if clubs like rovers, should look at setting prices - i.e; for the Carling Cup semi final, at a price most likely to fill Ewood - rather than a price that brings in maximum funds. Now that may sound [or might realistically be] daft. If continually setting prices to the maximum, means driving fans away from the game, then that seems to be a short term measure. Surely, clubs must be doing everything possible in a semi final against Man Utd, to set prices that fill the ground? That's just a general point about the strategy of ticket pricing. Of course, in this instance, rovers might have no option.

Dangermen include former Boro reject Morten Gamst Pedersen (oops!) but the giant Norwegian looks likely to spare our blushes by being missing injured. Boro - rovers preview.

Brad in goal was amazing. My MOTM was Eddie Nolan, thought he was excellent. Disappointed in Garner. Not the best game ever seen at youth level, but Walsh's goal gave a glimpse of what he might do.

Seems like the knives are out for Todd - for some reason. Todd wasn't at fault for the first goal, the free kick should never have been allowed to travel that far without a rovers player getting a head on it. Jeez, it was about 18 inches off the ground, having travelled 30 yards, when he scored. Blame the players in front of him.

Problems at both ends again. We're giving away soft goals on the average of two a game - that can be sorted though. At the other end we have one premiership quality striker in the club. Kuqi, Dickov and Gally are all championship strikers. Rovers simply must sort this out if we are to move forward.