den

At the moment, you could give tickets and no-one would want them. For many people, not all, price is and always has been an excuse. It's all down to entertainment on the pitch.

Ryan Nelsen has declared himself fit for this game, according to the official site.

Bellamy needs scan on thigh

and what about thommo. Last I heard he was seeing a specialist about his knee injury.

Out till the day after tomorrow?

Which particular lie was that?

They never did tolerate being lied to Phil. Once all the facts are out, they'll make their mind up. Not yet.

I think you might be making assumptions without knowing the facts. Would rovers stewards be authorised to look after school outings? Edit: although I do agree with the principle of getting school kids down there. I'm not sure about the practical side though.

I believe that to do this, the kids need to be supervised by the school teachers. Understandably, many of them are unwilling to give up their own time to take this on.

As soon as possible.

Ponting is looking for players who can stick with him. Gillespie "looked" like the man for that.

264/7

C'mon!!!!!! 6 down.

Got back at 10 O'Clock last night after a great day. Prices were a bit heavy though, £3 for a pint and £3:50 for a burger. It all adds up to an expensive day out. Saw another piece of history to tell my grandkids about. 600 test wickets for a fantastic bowler. He got a great reception from the fans - just shows that for all the cameraderie, we English know when we see something extra special. As for the game, I thought at the start that 450 minimum was required to give England a good chance. Still think the same, - BUT, a change in the conditions might have the Aussies struggling to match a lower total.

Ryan Nelsen: "I went into a tackle and came out second best," Nelsen said. "It got a bit of a bone bruise and jarring in my knee. But it's not serious. I just had to keep off it for a couple of weeks." He rates his chances of playing in this one, as 50/50. Stuff.co.nz

I don't know if they still do this, but be aware of the bars closing for a couple of hours. They used to do that if [when] the crowd got over exuberant. The museum is interesting as well. It used to be free.

I'm there Thursday. tips: if you see the leather cushions for hire - get one. Those plastic seats are real uncomfortable. Don't think you're allowed to take alchohol or cans into the ground. Get there early. Could be queues owing to extra security/bag searches. Sun tan lotion. There's no shade, you're exposed to the sun [hopefully] all day. But you know all that, don't you!

There is a suggested time for the official launch of BRISA and as far as I know, there has been no direct contact between BRISA and the official site. If you are interested in knowing more, then contact admin@roversisa.co.uk. The setting up of regional groups is on the agenda and any input is welcome.

I was watching Matty's interview on rovers world, after he had taken that knock during the Espanyol game. Matty was still very shaken - that was very apparent. Now the tackle was a bad one, but to me, and this is only a personal opinion, it showed where Matty's problems are. When someone has gone through a traumatic injury or illness, their self confidence very frequently disappears. They become very unsure of themselves and it can take some years to recover mentally. I'm sure the Matty of old would have shrugged that tackle off, brushed himself down and got on with it. The good side of this, is that it's up to Matty to get on with his career. There doesn't seem to be any physical reason why he can't regain his old form and hopefully that tackle might just make him see the problem. Well that's Dr Den's prognosis. Let the attacks begin.

The only way forward long term is via a sugar daddy. I'm pretty certain that if one steps forward, with the right intentions and enough cash, then Rovers board would accept that offer. The best time to attract a sugar daddy is now, while we are still a premiership club. [that last bit is my opinion].

The three North East clubs all have good time fans. As said on here many times, Newcastle supporters don't turn up in the bad times. Not too long ago there was a large waiting list for season tickets at Middlesbrough, soon to be followed by a half empty ground as their form slumped for a couple of seasons. Sunderland had gates of 48000 when last in the prem. Relegation saw them down to 20000 just a season later. All those three "massive clubs" can lose up to 25000 fans overnight. Compare that with Man City who attracted 30000 in the old third division. No comparison.

Englands' view of the Old Trafford pitch, from the Lancashire website

It's not the pricing Bob, it's the opposition. If we had played Burnley how many would have turned up? In fact, maybe that's what we should do next year. If they don't turn up for Burnley, they wont turn up for anyone. Either that or play Celtic.

The groundsman at Old Trafford says the pitch is an absolute belter. The reports of it turning square on the first day are laughable. He reckons it should stay flat and even for the first three days and maybe take a little spin on the fourth day. From that it doesn't make sense to go with two spinners.

I'll go for the same scoreline as the last time I went there. 3 - 3