I know I'm biased but I feel that the U.S. group is also competing for that title. Group E Italy Ghana United States Czech Republic Three teams in the FIFA top 12 (though I know the rankings don't mean much), and three teams that legitimately should make the quarterfinals. Even the fourth team, Ghana, has a legitimate world class player in Michael Essien. I've said it before but I'll repeat it--I'm very upset with the way FIFA has done this, i.e. organizing the groups by region instead of by strength. The U.S. was widely considered the best team amongst their group, and whatever group they wound up in would certainly be a good candidate for the infamous title "Group of Death." If we're honest, the U.S. had as good of a case as Mexico for a top seed, and although Czech Republic haven't performed as well as they might in past World Cups it's blatantly obvious that they're one of the top eight sides in the world. Quite frankly I'm gutted, because I feel the World Cup for the U.S. is already over before it's began.

Probably doesn't deserve its own thread, but I know that more people will read this if I put it here, and it is an absolutely delicious article--especially for all the Birmingham haters out there. "Thou doth protest too much" The entire article is quite good, but the part with the most relevance to Rovers fans is the following: Let the Brum slagging begin... how I love every minute of it.

With classes and everything, I haven't posted on the board in quite a while... but there was no way I wouldn't be reading up on everything prior to this match. If Rovers manage to grab three points from this fixture, I'm not sure what would delight me more--Rovers being in the top half of hte table, or Brum staying in the drop zone. Hope Bellamy's fit, and perhaps Hughes will be brave enough to play Bentley in the Bergkamp role behind Bellers? It'd be great to see Bentley's passing pick apart the Big Club's defense, which has already leaked 13 goals so far this campaign. Up the Rovers on Saturday.

Four points from our first four matches... could be worse, though it could also be a lot better.

Very negative match report on the Sky Sports website. Maybe I'm looking too hard for an anti-Rovers bias, but listen to these quotes... "Blackburn and Tottenham played out a disappointing goalless draw at Ewood Park with both sides seemingly happy to settle for a point from the outset." "Rovers had a double penalty appeal turned down as first Kuqi and then Brett Emerton claimed fouls as they ran into the box, however Dermot Gallagher correctly adjudged that no infringement had taken place." "In truth neither side deserved anymore than a point from the game with creativity and chances at a premium." No mention whatsoever than Spuds managed one shot all game long. Give credit where credit is due for Godsakes... though maybe I'm just being overly sensitive.

I watched most of that match, and I have to say that Souness is tactically inept. Toon barely looked threatening... all of their attacks came straight down the center of the park, as they have no one capable of putting a decent cross in for Shearer. Ameobi was invisible on the left, Jenas showed nothing, and the Newcastle defense was nowhere to be found for two free headers in the box that accounted for Bolton's goals. Diouf ran rings around the Newcastle defense all day. Henrik Pedersen at left back for Bolton and you can't even challenge him? That's bad. On the other hand, credit to Bolton for a class performance. The last time I saw them live was the 4-0 drubbing they took from Chelsea probably three years ago, when Hendry was still in the side. In the second half they were knocking it around and absolutely toying with the Newcastle players.

Either Spurs are vastly overrated (by most people, that is) or the performance against Fulham might not have been a fluke. Sounds like we dominated play--only one shot on target for Spurs the entire match.

Brum certainly do seem to have a decent side on paper, but their problem is that with Bruce as manager they are considerably less than the sum of their parts. A 2-1 home loss to Man City, who on paper have a less talented side than Brum, is a testament to that. As for ex-Rovers players... I forgot to mention that I saw Dwight Yorke turn out for Trinidad and Tobago last week against the U.S. in a World Cup qualifier. I'll cut him a little slack since his team really isn't any good, but Dwight was pretty much invisible the entire game, bereft of the ball even when he dropped back into midfield to try to turn provider for the T&T attack. After the 1-0 loss, though, he was all smiles as usual.

Just watched a replay of most of the second half--and I saw the highlights last night--and I must say that both goals were absolutely top drawer. Well worth the wait from Saturday morning. I also wanted to echo those who praised Kuqi for his performance. No, his touch isn't always top class and he's not a pure finisher by any stretch of the imagination, but he posed problems for the Fulham defense (and Zat Knight is a good defender) and he ran his socks off all day. For a Bosman transfer we could have done a lot worse, and if we continue to play 4-5-1 then he was quite a good signing as he fits that role pretty well. Edit: also forgot to mention McBride. In retrospect I'm certainly glad we got Stead instead, but the McBride bashers at the time would be well-served to watch his performance not only in this match, but from the end of last season onwards. As the Sky commentators pointed out, that's 7 goals in 11 games for him (including 2 thus far this season), and with Sparky employing 4-5-1 a lot he would have been a big asset to the club. I'm still happy with what we've got though.

Cheers for that view of Spurs, leffe. If Spurs are serious about challenging for Europe this year, a prime time match against physical Rovers should prove a different test than either Pompey or Boro. It'll be interesting to see if Hughes sticks with Tugay, or whether he tries to tighten up the midfield a bit more. I'm looking forward to watching this one live.

Davids not only played for Spurs today but was named man of the match in one report I read. Even though it's at home, I have a feeling Sparky will stick with 4-5-1 this match to try to stifle their midfield and cut off the supply to the forwards, who are both (Defoe and Mido) in dazzling form right now from all accounts.

Come on Rovers!!!!! American, it's been quite the day in England so far for our compatriots. McBride with a goal, Convey's netted twice for Reading and Eddie Lewis has helped put Leeds 2-0 up on Wolves.

Maybe Sparky needs to change his half time team talks... they don't seem to be working for some reason.

Cue flood of pessimism on this thread.

But if it doesn't work against a newly promoted team with what barely qualifies as a Premiership roster, who will it work against? Agree that I'd love to see 4-4-2 work out, but if we need to be more defensive to prevent horrible results like this, I'm all for it.

Maybe we really are a one-trick pony... that one trick being 4-5-1. Hard to underestimate Nelsen's influence after that kind of a result.

Unleaded wrote a little bit about him here, in the preseason thread after he was introduced as a substitute against Grimsby. 16 years old still and sounds a very good prospect--profile here (thanks to den for that link). I'm also interested to hear if anyone has seen him play. He's only just about to turn 17, and his involvement with the first team in preseason and his good form (so far at least) for the reserves can only bode well for the future.

Are they really? Now Rovers have to win, so that when I get back from vacation next weekend I can sit back, relax, and watch a Blackburn victory replay.

Ahhh, but remember who finished fifth last term... Spanish footy fans would flock to see them. In all seriousness I see your point--that Espanyol aren't exactly a "sexy" side to play against--but let's be realistic here. I'd rather Rovers play Espanyol every year rather than pay a club like Inter to come in here and play their second stringers, even if that does increase attendances. It's only a friendly after all, and a near full-strength European-qualifying Spanish side is a better test for Rovers than a big club's reserve side.

Good preview, ozzie. No doubt the Hammers will be up for it--their first game back in the Premiership, where they oh so rightfully belong (but clubs like us do not). Their squad really isn't that great except for a couple of promising youngsters, but expect Sheringham's ageless displays to keep them up this year. I'm going for LeChuck's team and his scoreline as well, 1-1. Kuqi to continue his fine preseason form by netting his first in the blue and white halves.

Also-rans who finished fifth in La Liga last season, LeChuck? And there is no way Inter Milan--or any other major European side--would want to play Rovers in a preseason "friendly" right now given our current reputation.

And now to chip in with my predictions, and a little explanation for each. 1. Chelsea: Right now it looks as if no one can touch them. There's a chance that injuries could still derail Mourinho's well-oiled machine, and a focus on winning the Champions League could detract from their Premiership title defense, but in the end I think the following three are at least a year away from seriously challenging the Blues' dominance. 2. Manchester United: I personally think they're being a bit overlooked. The squad is aging in parts, but Rooney is only going to improve and they're not that far removed from the title two years ago. They'll not catch Chelsea, but give them the edge over Arsenal right now. 3. Arsenal: Vieira isn't as big a loss as some make it out to be, but Man U will just pip them to that second spot this campaign. Watch for them in the following years, as some of their youngsters (Fabregas, Owusu, Bentley) blossom into great talents. 4. Liverpool: Benitez's overhauling job is far from complete. Crouch is a "big" gamble, but I think it's not the strikeforce but the defense that will prevent them from challenging the top three this year. 5. Aston Villa: This year's surprise package. O'Leary is a good manager, and he's made some solid additions this offseason, but I'm putting Villa here less as a case of them earning it and more a case of others around them faltering. 6. Tottenham: As much as I hate to admit it, they're only getting better. Mark my words though: something is going to foil their ascendancy in the next few years. They're still Spuds after all. 7. Middlesbrough: I'm not all that enthralled with this team, but their strikeforce will win them some matches they haven't otherwise looked all that great in. 8. Newcastle: Either Souey will get them on track quickly or he'll be sacked. I'm hedging my bets on the latter, but either way this team has too much talent to flounder in lower mid-table for too long. Despite their squad imbalance (let's play 7 midfielders at once!), they'll drag themselves back up the table this year. 9. Everton: I thought about putting them even lower. Moyes' formula worked wonders last year, but they haven't a prayer of replicating that success this time around. The inability to attract quality players--despite being able to dangle the Champions League carrot--will come back to haunt the Toffees. 10. Bolton: Borgetti was a good signing, and he should help shoulder the scoring load at the Reebok. I can't understand how Rovers get criticized for their style of play when Bolton made it into Europe with a workmanlike squad and a rigid adherence to the 4-5-1. 11. Birmingham: Obviously a club this big should be challenging for the title. Losing last year's talisman in Savage hurts, but what kills this team is the fact that Steve Bruce isn't really a very good manager--he signs some good players, but the team is never more than the sum of its parts. 12. Rovers: Transition year for us. Bellamy won't be able to stay healthy all year, and it'll take another year of Sparky reshaping the squad before Rovers are ready to challenge for Europe. We're certainly on the up though. 13. Charlton Athletic: Not sure what the odds are for the sack race, but surely Alan Curbishley must be worth a punt--not that he deserves to go, but because the Charlton fans are apparently sick and tired of seeing their small club overachieve to finish midtable every year. If Curbs does go, I'd expect them to go down within a year or two. 14. Manchester City: Despite Pearce's hard work, I'm still not sure if their squad has recovered from Keegan's nursing home policy of recruiting players. Vassell was an astute pickup, but they'll be hard-pressed to replicate their success from last term, especially with no real replacement for their now-departed creative impetus. 15. Portsmouth: Made some good signings this close season, but their losses are heavier than most might imagine--not only Yakubu, but the service provided by Berger and the still productive Steve Stone. If their Toon captures prove to be failures, it could all go pear-shaped for Alan Perrin. 16. West Ham: I hate their arrogance, but they've got enough young talent and enough of an ability to attract decent players (e.g. Benayoun) to survive the drop. Sheringham, at 40 years young, must bring out the best in an unproven strikeforce if the Hammers are to avoid a swift return to the Coke league. 17. Fulham: Holding onto Malbranque and Boa Morte could prove to be the Cottagers' saving grace--provided they aren't tempted into selling them in January. I think they've got too much talent to go down this year, but if I were a Fulham fan I'd be worried about the long-term direction of my club. 18. Sunderland: I like McCarthy's philosophy in the transfer market--buying young players from the lower leagues--but there's simply not enough quality to keep them up. So long as they hang onto their players after relegation this time around, they'll be well-equipped the dominate the Championship again and bounce back for real the next time. Oh, and I hope Stead does well for them. 19. Wigan Athletic: No matter how hard I try, I just can't get around the fact that the core of this team was playing in the Second Division three years ago. Francis, Henchoz and Taylor were nice additions, but with a few exceptions this looks like nothing more than a top-end Championship side. 20. West Brom: No Bradford-esque escape this time around. With no Richardson and the big clubs bound to come sniffing around Gera if he replicates his form of last year, Bryan Robson will find it difficult if not impossible to stave off return to the Nationwide at the second time of asking. There you have it... I'll admit I gave the explanations because I was bored, but hopefully it'll give me a couple of things to look back and laugh about next May.

Interesting predictions from Soccernet, who had been so negative concerning Rovers last preseason. 1. Chelsea 2. Arsenal 3. Liverpool 4. Man United 5. Middlesbrough 6. Tottenham 7. Blackburn 8. Newcastle 9. Man City 10. Everton 11. Birmingham 12. Bolton 13. Aston Villa 14. Charlton 15. West Ham 16. West Brom 17. Portsmouth 18. Fulham 19. Sunderland 20. Wigan And what they say of Rovers' chances: That's by the far the most positive I've seen any media outlet discuss Rovers in quite some time. Here is Soccernet's in-depth preview of Rovers, with a few comments from our very own Alan.

I thought Yelldell was actually still on the squad, despite rumors to the contrary. I'm assuming the official site is correct, anyway.

I'm willing to do the same prediction game we ran last year... I'll calculate the scores at the end of the season for anyone who gets their table in before the start of the Everton-Man U match, 12:45 English time on August 13. The prediction thingy goes like this: at the end of the season, for every spot you are off for each team, you gain a point. For instance, if you have Rovers predicted to finish 19th and they finish 14th, you're given five points. Picking the correct champion subtracts ten from your total score, and you get three apiece for each relegated team you get right. Person with the lowest score wins. I'm still dithering on posting my table, I want to see the last minute transfer activity before I do.