I reckon the letters are simply to generate a bit of interest before the real thing arrives.

Nowt wrong wi that.

Giraffen, that's really interesting, thanks. Keep us all informed.

Never heard of Chris Gorman though. To be fair, if he's a press officer, I wouldn't have expected to.

Jan 1999: Jean-Michel Ferri from Istanbulspor £1.5m

Jan 1999: Frode Kippe from Lillestrom £700,000

Jan 1999: Rigobert Song from Salernitana £2.7m

Feb 1999: Djimi Traore from Laval £550,000

May 1999: Sami Hyypia from Willem II £2.6m

Jun 1999: Titi Camara from Marseille £2.8m

Jun 1999: Stephane Henchoz from Blackburn £3.5m

Jun 1999: Sander Westerveld from Vitesse Arnhem £4m

Jul 1999: Dietmar Hamann from Newcastle £8m Jul 1999: Vladimir Smicer from Lens £4m

Mar 2000: Emile Heskey from Leicester £11m

Jun 2000: Bernard Diomede from Auxerre £3m

Jul 2000: Nick Barmby from Everton £6m

Aug 2000: Christian Ziege from Middlesbrough £5.5m

Sep 2000: Gregory Vignal from Montpellier £500,000

Nov 2000: Daniel Sjolund from West Ham £1m

Dec 2000: Igor Biscan from Dynamo Zagreb £5.5m

Jun 2001: John Arne Riise from Monaco £4m

Aug 2001: Milan Baros from Banik Ostrava £3.4m

Aug 2001: Jerzy Dudek from Feyenoord £4.85m

Aug 2001: Chris Kirkland from Coventry £6m

Sep 2001: Anthony Le Tallec and Florent Sinama Pongolle from Le Havre £6m

Jan 2002: Abel Xavier from Everton £800,000

Jun 2002: El-Hadji Diouf from Lens £10m

Jul 2002: Bruno Cheyrou from Lille £3.7m

Aug 2002: Salif Diao from Sedan £5m

Jul 2003: Steve Finnan from Fulham £3.5m

Jul 2003: Harry Kewell from Leeds £5m

A total of £115.1m spent in 54 months.

An average of £2.13m spent per month

29 players signed at an average cost of £3.96m

Incredible figures

and they still complain that we bought the title.

Look at both players’ seasons.

Tugay- Nobody can say that he has had the best of seasons. He’s a terrific player, I’m not disputing that but the majority of the games that he’s played in he’s been well of the pace of the game. Caught out when in possession and really only since the away game at Fulham since started to play consistently well.

Long term – Age isn’t on his side, isn’t going to get any quicker, a year left at the top level, so why keep him.

Douglas – Has come into the side and has done well. He’s got stuck in, worked hard and fully deserved his chance to play, but being played out of position.

He’s young and can only get better.

Getting stuck in and working hard doesn't make anyone a premiership footballer, though.

Young? he's 22. Look at Ronaldo, Fletcher and O'Shea, they're all younger than him. They are real prospects. I don't expect Douglas to improve a lot, because he hasn't got the quality to work on. He can't work any harder or get stuck in any more than he does. Where is he going to improve?

You've just got to wonder if the club really do want Toogs to stay. If they do, they're not doing too well at it, and if they don't want him to stay then say so.

Looks like they're faffing around, to me.

In my previous post I said: “he’s been played on the left wing and hasn’t done any worse than other players who have been picked in that particular position.”

Not central midfield.

So you did.

You did say that Tugay has been poor this season. Sorry, I can't see how you compare Douglas as having been better than Tugay, and if he hasn't been, why the push for Douglas to be played regularly?

I just hope these rumours about Dickov, Breen and Tugay are wide of the mark.

If they're not, first division here we come. Buy first division players - we'll get first division football.

Roversismylife, you see something in Douglas that I certainly don't. To say he's no worse than the others who have failed to cover central midfield, is no ringing endorsement, is it?

That's a horrible thing to do SteB.

At least she died with a smile on her face

Just to expand - JW was replying to Andy Cole's recent comments about him wanting to stay next season. He said he was pleased to hear that because he [AC] was a big part of rovers plans for next season.

Sounds pretty clear, but of course things can change.

So now we can put this thing to bed.

JW has just said on radio lancs that Andy Cole is a big part in rovers plans for next season.

Amen.

OOhh touchy. As for the worst blues performance - what about the 0-4 earlier in the season?

that tall bloke with the glasses (who was that!?)

Might that have been my young lad Baz?

Karaoke? Where was that at? Shame we had to leave to get to a wedding reception, it was nice to meet people I thought only existed on a keyboard.

I'll try and stay the distance next time, however saying that, by the sounds of it, i probably couldn't.

John Wardle noticed it in This article

Incidentally, so did I.

Also our manager knows a bit about being a good centre midfielder, so I doubt he would have persisted for so long in him if he that bad!

Not only Souness, but every manager that Flitty has played for, have had him as a regular.

If he was that bad, surely one of them would have left him out to dry.

SAD.

Well in all fairness, had say Jaskelainen (however you spell it) had made 2 errors to gift you the win in both Derbies i am sure you would be exactly the same. Even though the rivalry is nothing compared to us and the V*lla.

Deny it if you want but personally i think i am right

I certainly wouldn't do exactly the same, speak for yourself. I never have, and never will, set off to a game with the sole intention of giving abuse to an opposition player.

I'd rather support rovers with any energy I had. Still, whatever amuses you.

Can't understand why you will get so much enjoyment, out of giving someone personal abuse?

All seems a bit sad to me. Shame you can't think of a better way to spend saturday. Like saving your energy for your own side.

I think we'll wait 'til the end of the season, discuss Souness's position then and then maybe hold a poll.

At the beginning of last season we had 14000. On top of that there would be half season tickets, sold at christmas.

Last season saw a 10% drop from the previous season.

You're crackers. you lot.

You've got to remember that rovers don't know what division they will be in next year.

They can't do anything until that's sorted. Having said that, I don't think Souey would have gone for him anyway. Lots of prem clubs have had the chance in the last 12 months - no takers.

He's been hoiked around European clubs for the last 12 months. No takers, yet.

Can't help thinking there's a reason for that.

Anyone remember him playing for Oxford United, when they knocked a superb rovers team, including Clayton and Douglas, out of the F.A. cup?

Someone's bound to ask you "who"? philipl.