My thoughts exactly. I've just gone away to school as this whole mess has blown up, so I haven't been able to pay as much attention to it as I would have liked. Still, I would have been happy with any from (in order) Dowie, Hughes, Strachan, and Moyes, and I'm thrilled to see that Sparky has been chosen. Let's hope this is a turning point for the club. Best of luck to Mark.

Precisely. Hughes, Strachan, Dowie, or Jewell would all excite me because they're young and up-and-coming managers who certainly seem to have what it takes to succeed at the Premiership level. A retread like Advocaat or Reid or Hoddle wouldn't, in my opinion, bring the same (relatively) youthful exuberance and passion to the table. Good shout MB.

But jim, going by your view of when a manager should be sacked, no one would keep their job for more than a year or two. You can't fire someone because of a bad stretch... sure Toon got off to a rough start this year, but Sir Bobby has yet to disappoint the Geordie public during his tenure there--so why the sudden decision that he will now? Either Fat Freddy has divine foresight, or he's had a vendetta against Robson from the beginning. Also, realize that with the parameters you've set for when to fire a manager, Alex Ferguson should also be out of a job after managing a measly five points from four matches, including draws with us and Everton.

Good preview, Roaming Rover... the Geordie fan seemed very complimentary of Rovers and he clearly knew his stuff. This is a tough game for us, but before Robson's sacking I didn't think a win was out of the question... now, I don't think a win is an impossibility, but of course the Geordies will be fired up to get their already foundering season back on track. Still, that being said, I'm going for my first optimistic prediction of the season, a 1-1 draw. Once again, much will depend upon Souness' team selection. Pedersen and Emerton on opposite flanks is a must; Stead and Dickov should stay up front; with Amo suspended, Nissa and either Short or Matteo should start in the center of defense; and Gray and Neill should round out the back four. The question, as I see it, is central midfield. Barry is a guaranteed starter, but Souey might do well to sit Tugay down for this one. We could get away with the lightweight Tugay and Ferguson against Man U because they played the solid but hardly awe-inspiring Kleberson and Djemba-Djemba partnership. Toon, however, will surely come out with Butt and one from Jenas, Dyer, or Bowyer, and that's a central midfield that Tugs and Bazza won't be able to cope with. It's certainly possible that Souness could hand Flitty a surprise start, but personally I'd like to see Douglas given a go before Gary "Did you like my impression of the invisible man against Southampton?" Flitcroft--but then again, Newcastle away might not be the best time to give Douglas his debut at center midfield. A conundrum indeed for Souey then. I also hope that Gally is healthy in time for Saturday's match, as I'd much prefer to see him on the bench than Yorke.

The fact that these players cost £17mil. (Duff), £12.25mil. (Ronaldo), £12mil. (Robben) makes them seem a luxury to me. Errr no. You've just proved that they are scarce but highly sought after by managers who know what they're doing. You raise a good point about the wingers, rover6, but I'd have to agree with Tango in this case. Souey's comments were always going to be interpreted differently by different people, but I think his point isn't that nobody wants dribbling wingers, but that such wingers are truly class players and as such are beyond the financial reaches of all but the upper-level clubs. Tango's list helped prove this point, and also think of this: how many pacy dribbling wingers that are relatively consistent in their performances aren't extremely expensive players? The best a club like us can hope for (excluding a Duff who comes through the youth academy) is a Gillespie-type who has talent but whose performances are certainly inconsistent. It's sad in a way that the dribbling winger is a dying breed, because personally it's my favorite type of footballer. In the end, I think Souness is merely being realistic and pointing out that none of those players are within our price range.

I hear tell that Duff isn't coming back on loan either.

He seemed so confident about that bet too... ahh 'tis a shame, Kenny, a shame.

I'm not going to vote in this because I've not seen anyone but Friedel play for the club... but I think Bid Brad proved once again today that he is truly a world-class keeper. I'm sure the others were excellent keepers as well, but after watching Friedel play for both Rovers and the U.S. national side for the past couple of years, I'd be shocked if Flowers even in his prime was as remarkable as Friedel.

The article from Sky Sports last week: "Souness challenges Jansen". I can only hope Matty responds to the challenge. All the nostalgia about his former days aside, he is one of only five frontline strikers at the club now, and I don't think I'm alone in saying that I'm becoming increasingly dissatisfied with Yorke's performances. With Gally currently injured, it's clear that Matt is as close to the first team now as he's been in the past year. We can only hope that he take the opportunity by the scruff of the neck and stakes a claim for at least a spot on the bench in one of the upcoming fixtures. He'll never again be the player he was, but if he can be an effective Premiership striker--which is something that I'm beginning to doubt Yorke can be anymore--then he'll certainly have a role to play for this team.

I don't think he was awful today, but he certainly was a bit invisible. You could see flashes of ability, though: his bicycle kick clearance, the fact that he got into position for the game-winning goal (even if he ballooned his shot over the top). Trooper brought up a good point with his comments about the defenders outletting to the players they knew a bit better. I don't think was a fair game to assess MGP on because we were hunkered down in our own half for the majority of the match, and Pedersen is certainly sounds more like a flying winger than a left middie who backtracks. The sooner he settles in, the better.

Well said Paul. Souness finally put out a team with a little bit of an attacking mentality, a team that was balanced and had everyone in their proper position. And lo and behold, the work rate and "battling qualities" were still there! Hopefully a lesson learned for Souness, so he'll continue to come up with a balanced side with a bit of attacking flair thrown in there. I feel exactly the same Paul. I was appalled by Ronaldo's blatant dives and constant whining to the referee. His theatrical tumble in the box after running into Amoruso was so bad it was actually funny--yet I can't believe he didn't go in the book for that. For a kid with so much skill, he clearly has a lot to learn about the game of football. Quick sidenote: a real shame about Thommo, and I hope he's alright. He didn't really have any time to make an impact, but it's just gut wrenching to see someone who has worked their butt off after an interminably long injury absence come back and immediately get injured again. It's definitely not fair to him, but hopefully it was a minor injury and he can shake it off and get back in the first team reckoning once again. Until then though, Emerton looked very good today and hopefully the proverbial kick up the backside (Souness going with Thommo instead), as mentioned by Pringle, will serve to spur the Aussie on to become the player we all know he can be. Flopsy, I don't know if we were watching the same game, but I thought MGP looked nearly invisible today. Not that I was expecting much out of the lad yet--although I'll admit that I was hoping for a bit more from his free kicks--and I harbor high hopes that he'll settle in and eventually become a very very good player for us. But as for today, I fear he was quite simply overawed by the experience. Exactly. A bit disappointing that we didn't scoop up all three points, but a solid game nonetheless and a much-needed point. Newcastle appear to be doing their best H.M.S. Titanic impression at the moment, and while they'll be under a ton of pressure to get a result next week, not many will expect Rovers to walk away with a good result. If we play the way we did today--the way this team is capable of playing--then not just a draw but a win is certainly not out of the questiuon. Carry the momentum on, boys.

Just trying to collect my thoughts here... thought I'd comment on what other people have said. That's certainly the way I felt. A draw was a fair result in the end, but the way that it happened was shocking. Rovers' hard work and dogged defending all afternoon was wiped out by a pass that was certainly clever, but ultimately fit for the basketball court and not the football field. Of course it never should have happened anyway... Exactly. Nothing more needs to be said about that. Couldn't have said it better myself. As Pringle said, he was only brought on for fifteen freaking minutes, so he should have run his ass off for that time. If someone will pay us something for him, I say do it... as bad as Pedersen looked today, I'd rather have him up front than the "Caribbean slug." While I'm on it, a sidenote about Pedersen. He clearly looked off the pace today, but I can't really blame him for that. However, the commentators did get one thing (and one thing only) right today: he should have come off before Dickov. Even if Dickov had to drop into midfield, he clearly offered more today then MGP did. Oh, and one more tangent off this thought. Although I questioned his substitutions a bit, it appears that Souness got the tactics mostly right today. Matteo acquited himself fairly well against the prowess of Ronaldo and Giggs; Dickov was brilliant again; Emerton finally provided real width on the right; and the side finally had a decent look about it. That eleven is a bit susceptible to the counter, but overall it looked nice and balanced. I thought Spector looked okay. Obviously left back isn't really his position, and Emerton managed to get by him a few times, but Emerton actually played well today and you can't fault Spector for his effort. He mishit a couple of passes, but overall he defended rather resolutely, drew a couple of fouls from Emerton and, while he looked a bit inexperienced, he certainly didn't look off the pace. Good news for the USMNT I hope... it'll be interesting to see how long it takes before Arena gives him a call-up. It's just a shame he plays for ManUre and not a team that's actually somewhat likeable. My dad watched the game with me and brought up an interesting point--he said that Man U didn't really "deserve" an equalizer as the commentators were going on about. You don't deserve a goal in soccer by virtue of possessing the ball, he said... you have to actually put the ball into the back of the net. It's a good point as regards Man U I think. Even after Saha's blatant handball, the commentators dismissed it somewhat because United had apparently worked hard all day and deserved at least a draw... like the blown call was okay because they had some kind of God-given right to an equalizer. It totally infuriated me to say the least. Personally, I thought the referee did a decent job for most of the match. True he was a bit card happy with respect to Rovers (Stead's yellow was wholly undeserved I think)... but Amoruso, as much as I hate to admit it, deserved a second yellow as he was clearly the last man back when he hauled down Saha. However, the decision for four minutes of extra time was absolutely criminal, and the blown call on Saha's clear and intentional handball cost us dear. I'll admit that it all happened quickly and it may have been a tough thing to spot, and the ref could get no help from the linesman who was on the far touchline. But he's paid to be a referee and he's paid to see those things, and when he costs Blackburn two points that could end up being vital as this season wears on, it well and truly is an absolute shame. And back to modes' comment: you're spot on. Friedel played an absolute blinder, and he certainly deserved better than to be screwed out of a clean sheet and a MoM performance in an enormous victory by an incompetent referee. That's three points down the drain to bad calls already this season, and we're only four games in! All in all though, a much more encouraging performance from Rovers, and it's not out of the question for them to get something next week at St. James'.

Spot on - my team exactly. Not a single person in midfield who can tackle. Oh come now, Scotty... you haven't even seen Pedersen yet and you're slagging him off already! Seriously though, I'll admit it's a bit of an attack-minded midfield, but given the choice between Emerton, Fergie, Tugay, MGP or Flitty, Fergie, Gresko, Matteo I know which one I'd choose. And it's not out of the question for Souness to deploy that second group either.

It looks to me as if Spector slotted into his natural center half position against Dinamo Bucharest on Wednesday whilst either O'Shea or Silvestre slid over to the left, so I'd expect that to happen again tomorrow. Keep an eye on Spector, though, as he's certainly an exciting prospect. He was Man U's youth player of the year last year; by all accounts he's a composed defender, and once he breaks into the American national side he'll be anchoring our defense for years to come. Great news about Pedersen... it'd be a dream come true if he could pull a Stead and mark his debut with a match-winning strike. Hopefully Dickov and Amo are healthy in time for the match as well. I don't need to repeat what everyone else has said: Souness simply can't come out with a horribly negative team selection and then expect his side to get anything but an ass-kicking. Matteo cannot play on the left, and Thommo must at least make the bench. Personally I'd go with... Friedel Neill Amoruso Short Gray Emerton Ferguson Tugay Pedersen Dickov Stead ...with Enckelman, Nissa, de Pedro, Thompson, and Gally as subs. Gally to play if Dickov can't go, likewise Nissa for Amo if the Italian's not fit. As woeful as he's been, I'm leaving Emerton on because he naturally hangs back more than Thommo... and with Pedersen hopefully getting forward a lot, we don't want to get burned by Giggs and Ronaldo on the counter. Unfortunately, I fear that Souey will continue to dig his hole even deeper with a ridiculous team selection that will cost us dearly. As such, I'm going 3-1 to Man U, as they get back on track and we continue to slide down an increasingly slippery slope.

Although you know what I just thought about, rover6? Jody Morris will be playing the UEFA Cup this season. Scary, isn't it? That being said I'm inclined to agree with you, albeit reservedly with respect to Moore. Anyway, best to get this MGP thing tied up quickly I think.

Black indeed. Oh and Eddie, you're not Scottish either, so forget about it! I guess that qualifies as a decent source, Jan ( ). Anyway Strachan certainly sounds a top bloke and it's certainly encouraging that he had nice things to say about Rovers. I'd only question whether he would see Rovers as the "right opportunity" he's waiting for.

Unconfirmed speculation, or is there a decent source for that? And you'd better watch out, Samuel... if Deschamps inexplicably decides to turn us down, we could be in for your very own brilliant Cotterill.

Tonight's team selection was quite good...but anyone, and I literally mean anyone, in the Premiership and probably Division One would have picked better starting line-ups than the ones we played for the first few games. I like the way Nigel Worthington has Norwich playing, they have played Man Utd and Newcastle in the last two games and they played good football with attacking wide men...not necessarily wingers, but attacking nonetheless. They drew with Newcastle tonight and were unlucky not to get a point from Man Utd as well. Peter Taylor is another that I would be happy with, he has a very good record apart from one dodgy season with Leicester, he likes his teams to have good balance though and he gets them playing a good style of football. He took Hull up from Division Three last season and would surely jump at the chance to come back to the Premiership. Iain Dowie would also be another very good choice, I like what he's doing at Palace and I'm always very impressed with the way he talks about the game, he could be the right sort of man for us. If the weird team selections and negative tactics continue though I would take anyone instead of Souey... Worthington and Dowie probably won't be possibilities at all--they certainly won't leave at this point, and I get the sense that even if their clubs go down at the end of the year, each manager will stick with them and try to help them back into the Premier League. That's a shame, too, because I think Dowie's a hell of a manger and would do a great job for any club (Blackburn included). With Peter Taylor you're once again dealing with a distinct step-up in class (as Sturrock faced), and that can certainly cause trouble for managers. Strachan would, of course, be ideal, but I can think of no reason why he'd leave his early retirement in sunny Southampton for a job with a struggling Northwest team. Anyway, just thought I'd comment on the names brought up because I think it's important to note that hiring a new manager is essentially starting over... in most cases, the new manager will need quite some time to get in his players and have the team playing his style. If Souness was going to be sacked, the best time to have done it would have been the offseason, when a new manager would have had time to mould his squad... as for now, he must be given time to sort things out. Perhaps if he did everything but actually pick the team for matches? Still, I'm sticking by what I said earlier: I'll give him 10 games before I reassess.

That's a bit ambiguous and mysterious... A couple of points: 1.) For those of you upset that we lost to a "weak" Arsenal side, get over it. Fabregas may be 17 but by all accounts he's been as composed as a 30 year old so far this year; Cygan can't be forced into mistakes if we're not applying pressure; and Pennant is certainly a better attacking midfielder than anyone we have (with the possible exceptions of Ferguson and Thommo). If those are the weak links in your side (and you still have Henry, Pires, Reyes and company) then you'd have to be insane to call your side weak. 2.) I'm going to give Souness the benefit of the doubt with his team selection this game. Matteo, from all accounts, should never play midfield again... but other than that, what else can you hope to do against Arsenal except pack the midfield and defense and hope to throw enough bodies in their passing lanes? Souness should be criticized if these crazy-ass formations continue against Newcastle, Pompey, Charlton, etc. (i.e. games that are actually winnable). 3.) Cheer up everyone. Maybe we played well tonight, maybe we didn't. All I know is that no one in England seems to be able to play with Arsenal at the moment, so it's no use crying over points that were never ours for the taking anyway. Man U and Newcastle, whilst still high-quality sides, aren't in the same class as Arsenal right now (especially Newcastle with their poor play of late), and thus the matches against them present an opportunity to grab some surprise points.

F U, Philly, thats bullshit !

Precisely. I wouldn't get too down about this result... realistically, anyone who thought we could anything from the game (other then a point if God was in the miracle-granting mood today) is insane. On the bright side, Man U (even if Saha returns for Saturday) still don't look 100%, and Newcastle looked very vulnerable in a second-half collapse at home to Norwich. So there's a distinct possibility that we could pick up some points from our next two matches.

This just in: Fulham have contacted Tromsø with a bid of £2.5 million, and are now in talks with Pedersen.

bob fleming

I'd have to disagree there, LeChuck. Take Flitty out because he should be on the move somewhere (as he clearly has no role on Souness' team anymore), and remember that Reid (as much as you hate him) is thought of as more of a utility player than simply as a right mid. Douglas is a bit of a utilityman too, as it seems he can play on the left hand side of midfield and right back as well as his natural position of center-mid. So in other words, take Flitty out and leave Douglas and Reid in there to fill in as third choice at those positions. Disclaimer: the above positional descriptions are those as thought of by Graeme Souness; I don't necessarily think Douglas should play left mid, for instance, but Souness does, which at this point is what matters as far as team selection goes

If by some miracle Rovers manage to come out of this match with some kind of result, I think it's fairly obvious who our best players will be. Cygan and Lehmann.