I don't have any problem with Lampard as such, he is a decent player. But he cannot play on the left and we need a holding player in the centre. And as Gerrard is a better player the only place for Franky to go is on the bench. I like the idea of Johnson up front, but I just feel Gerrard is wasted out right- especially when we have quality young wide players available like Lennon, Dyer and SWP who will use the touchline. Gerrard there makes us very narrow.

What I would say all of them lack the confidence to create a gameplan and stick to it. The good managers in the Premiership- Wenger, Mourinho, Ferguson, Allerdyce, our own Hughes all come into the clubs with a defined way they want to play with the resources they have and make the players fit that model. They stick with it. Sure club managers have the advantag eof being able to buy players in but you have to say that the England team does have a large selection of quality at it's disposal. Gerrard, Lampard, Hargreaves, Rooney, Ferdinand, Terry, Neville, A Cole, J Cole are all world class individuals. The likes of Robinson, Downing and Crouch while not brillaint are hardly poor players. And then, especially in the centre and wide right, we have a plethora of playes who can come in and work for England. Hoddle out of that four you have mentioned (and like Venables before him) was the one manager who looked like he was confident he knew the best way for the team to play (and with generally poorer players than we have now) and we reaped the benefit. McClaren needs to come up with a solution and an ethic and apply it come hell or high water and be willing to take it on the chin if it doesn't work out. His own nervousness and chopping and changing is undermining the confidence of the team. The one thing that unites the other candidates like Allerdyce, Hiddink, O'neill who I feel woul have been much better choices for the job is that they have that bit of arrogance to impose their own style. McClaren needs to develop it because unless things radically change he is going to have the reputation as one of the worst England managers ever.

The decision to play Lampard on the left yesterday was absolutely ludicrous. I'm not one to think that I know better than the manager usually but in this case everybody in the ground could see the enormous swathes of pitch dwon our left hand side. I'm not sure why SWP has got such a cussing, he was our best attacking option by a mile even if he sometimes messed things up. McClaren is going to lose his job in record time unless he sorts things out, and if I was him I would do something a little radical and see if it works. Far more important than just putting the best players in the land out is constructing a team. THis is going to mean dropping the likes of Lampard to the bench despite his club excellence and including lesser player like Downing just so we have balance. The only alternative is to play 5 in midfield or Gerrard up front (which I think might actually work, albeit sort of wasting arguably our best player). My first team would be, if everyone was fit: -------------Crouch----Rooney-------- Downing--Hargreaves--Gerrard---J Cole --A Cole------Terry---Ferdinand---G Neville -----------------Robinson Subs: James, Richards, Bridge, Carragher, Lennon, Lampard, Defoe Those are good players, the team has balance, it would work if not be absolutely ideal, but of all our options I would say it is the best. And just stick to it, and make it absolutely clear to the players that if they do not put the work rate in they will be dropped. For every position bar left midfield and striker we have considerable strength in depth (we have about at least 6 high quality players at each of cm, cd, rm, 2 good left backs, 2 good rightbacks). Beat the players with that stick! Even the likes of Lampard.

Interesting team that McClaren has put out tonight. looks like it could be: ------------------Crouch -----Dyer----------------------------SWP ------------Gerrard-----Lampard -------------------Carrick P Neville--Woodgate---Ferdinand--G Neville ----------------------Foster The only selection I really disagree with is Phil at left back, surely Barry should have got a shot even if he has been playing midfield this season? And I would have preferred Parker to Carrick to give us a bit of bite, but Carrick isn't too bad, and Dyer on the left is a bit daft, if that is what happens. But you have to remember it is a friendly so we need to try new things; reading the 606 boards though you would think that the world has ended! Personally I think we should perform decently mainly as a result of Lampard and Gerrard being free to dominate midfield. In a free world I would have gone for: -------------Crouch-----Gerrard -Downing----Parker----Lampard----Dyer ---Barry---Woodgate--Ferdinand--Neville --------------------Foster And it still isn't that good a team. It shows what McClaren has to conted with.

Can't see it really. He would cost 15 odd million and United are certainly looking well covered in the midfield department. Next season they are going to have Hargreaves, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs, Ronaldo, Evre and Park to contend with. Liverpool are, in my mind, the main threat as they actually might need a player like Bentley depite their profusion of midfield options.

Im confused too, he is a decent player but I'm not sure where he fits in in the scheme of things? Nelsen is clearly first choice but then it is hard to say who is going to be picked out of Samba, Henchoz, Todd and Zurab to partner him. I guess when we are away from home we might be playing Zurab at right back instead of Emerton, but I am still not convinced Todd is going to get a look in. We shall see.

Theres still a long way to go till May but I can't see Nonda at Ewood next season tbh. I would imagine the new TV money will be ploughed into a partner for Benni, and with Roberts and Derbyshire it is hard to see where Shabani would fit in. Curtians for Jeffer too imo.

Dunn played reasonably well today when he came on, not really at his best but won the free kick which produced the winner. What impressed me most was his physicallity, he god stuck in and pressurised the opposition. Hughes has decided to use him in the Savage role, closing down players quickly and forcing errors. Obviously not as good at it as Robbie but could do a makeshift job there. I would imagine, providing they are both fit, that Dunn and Tugay will be the first choice partnership. As a side point, on the entertainment stakes the sheer technical ability in the midfield is breathtaking at the moment. Dunn, Tugay, Bentley and Pedersen all have an outstanding level of ball control. Bentley in particular was an absolute pleasure to watch today. Has their ever been as skllful a central combination at Rovers?

I'm not sure I agree with that, they are very different sorts of player. If I had to pick one I would go for Pennant but it would be a close run thing. I wouldn't rate Bentley's chances too highly at the moment as McClaren seems to want wingers and if anything Bentley is in the Beckham mold, a deep crosser, albeit with a lot more skill on the ball. I still think he is going to end up a central midfielder however, he really does have all the tools to become a Tugay sort of deeplying playmaker if he can get his head round it. Big pat on the back to Derbs and David!

He's had a few different ones hasn't he though! Doesn't really seem like he is that bothered about his number to be honest. Definately shoul dbe some kind of memorial though.

Seconded. Have a bit of class people.

We are in an odd situation as all the fit regular starters don't seem to be captain material: MGP, McCarthy, Bentley, Emerton, Warnock, Henchoz. Personally it has to be Tugay or Freidel. The only players who will carry authority.

To be fair to him you have to say that he would more than likely have been paid better at Chelsea. WHat made him stay more than anything else imo was the CL win.

Correct. 2003 was Tugay and Flitcroft, Dunn was a substitute most of the time, or rightwing.

While I still say that Neill has every right to plya for whoever he likes, that there is a load of, as Colin would say, tummy rubbish. Whichever way you look at it, despite WH being a seemingly decent side with backing and so on, there is no way you can cast the move as a jump forward. At best it is a step down in football terms at present. In the longer time only time will tell.

--> QUOTE(Ste B @ Jan 21 2007, 17:43 ) 481886[/snapback] Against Bolton. I can see Big Fat Sam being spiteful enough to get a young player to knobble him, so potentially not a good move. I can't agree with that at all. I have never seen anything to suggest BFS is sort of manager to do that, which is a pretty nasty accusation. Nor are any of the managers I think of in the Premiership. Well, except maybe for Warnock...

Cmpletely agree with that. I think Niell has every right to move on if he likes to where he likes, but the relegation release clause just shows a lack of commitment and a lack of belief in the club. If it's accurate it is absolutely astonishing that West Ham have written it in. Surely the kind of players they are looking for are ones who are absolutely behind the cause. It just occured to me that the reason WH might have offered such massive wages is in the expectation that Rovers would take a reduced fee once they are resigned to losing him. We could effectively be engaged in a game of chicken until the window closes wating to see who crumbles first. This would be bad for us, but makes a lot of sense from a West Ham perspective. If thats the position then it is going to be very hard to get the money in for Warnock or whoever else.

Incidentally something that hasn't been mentioned: Surely Dunn's arrival means the end of Gallagher's career at Rovers? Gally plays right wing and striker. We now have have Dunn, Reid, Bentley, Emerton and Pedersen who can feature out wide. The striker list is even longer. I would suggest that McCarthy, Nonda, Roberts, Derbyshire, Dunn and Jeffers would all be favored over Gallagher up top. Maybe even Bentley. I know he scored the last game he played, but does he really have any chance of climbing back into the sixteen? And if we are as brassic as we seem mabe we will shift him out the door?

The only logic I can see in playing Niell is to show West Ham that we are willing to keep him if they don't provide the cash. Sensible move if we really are in the position where we simply cannot afford a replacement without adequate funds. If he got injured we would be in trougble though.

Thats actually very funny! However, it does only go to show that the support at Bolton is hurt by his decision. He is a quality player and the guy who wrote that article must have appreciated that. Can't wait to see him make a cameo on saturday, but I have to say I will wathc every challenge he goes into with trepidation.

I just don't understand that attitude. What in God's name does he owe us? He signed a contract, he honored that contract, we have made a bit of money. It's a free country, he has not done anything wrong. I was annoyed with Bellamy because he actually lied to the support, but Lucas has been the model of professionalism. He is not Rover's property, just in the same way your employer does not own you.

Virtually never as far as I can remember. Dunn played for them mostly on the wings or as second striker.

Fantastic news. We might now be able to get Nesmanchyi in with a bit of cash to spare. If we do that then in all honesty I would say the only player we would need is another tough tackling midfielder. Sidewell? There has been talk of strikers but I would say we are well set at the moment - McCarthy, Nonda, Derbyshire and Roberts all have something to offer - and especially if you consider Dunn can be very effective up front. Him and Benni would actually make quite an interesting partnership, defenders would find it difficult to work out how to handle them as they drop off so much.

It's Dunn for Christsake Drog! No e! To be honest I'm with you in that I think Dunn is far more likely to play on the wings and as a second striker than as a central midifielder. Of course he will get a chance there from time to time but you have to say that it is unlikely that if other more defensively stable midfielders are available he will play there. If he wants to make central midfield his own he is going to need to not just be fit but ultra fit, as savage and Reid are. Tugay has the luxery of beinga bona fide genius to allow him to play without real pace and power.

Not neccessarily true, he couldbe going for a change of scenary and a new challenge. Money will play a part too of course. It's his life, all the best to him. I wonder if a certain Ukrainian international could be at Ewood by the weekend?