Personally I was very impressed by the standard of passing and the patient nature of the England in general. It is beginning to show that we can compete on an international level in terms of technique, vision and skill. That allied with our more recognised talents of fight, power and pace and we have ot be one of the favourites now. While contraversial I would say the our main 'world class' players are Campbell, G Neville, A Cole, Gerrard, Rooney and possibly Lampard Hasnt played enough, but is showing real promise). I have never felt comfortable with Owen up front- great finisher, good movement but limited when on the ball out of the box. Still made a great pass for Rooney's third though, but perhaps the exception rather than the rule. Beckham is great at passing and the dead ball but in open play he must be ultra fit or he is buggered. He lacks the pace or the skill to beat players so he must have the energy to find space before he recieves the ball. That is still lacking. Obviously in the lack of decent competition he deserves a place (as well as being the captain!) but you have to say if we had a player who can beat a full back, even with a lesser quality of passing, he would give our Dave a run for his money. Gerrard is awesome. Fair enough he was not outstanding to day, but he can do everything. He will be twice the player Beckham wil ever be. Rooney already is! Neville was excellent and shows that dependability is under rated- I hate his little rat face but sheer class defensively and had the engine to get up and down consistently. Any side in europe would put him in their team. A cole is a bit more of a risk, but I would say he is just the converse of G Neville- outstanding going forward, average defensively. Again, most national teams would have him in their side. I hope we play like that again, we can be an attractive team to watch! Just imagine if we had a left winger........

Excellent news! Fair enough he is the wrong side of thirty but then there is no transfer fee. We can go back in for MGP or whoever later. I suspect if Matteo signs for a minimal fee as well it would clear the way for Butt to come in. Good dealing Souness

In a bizarre sort of way Abrohimovich is really helping those teams just outside the top five and smaller prem clubs in london. They are able to attract the cast offs on loan or in transfers for next to nothing. There could be as many as ten or twelve ex blues knocking about, all of decent quality. Birimngham and Villa look like they are going t have substantially improved teams thanks to the dodgy russian which is not good news for us. Glen Johnson? Yes please....

You can say what you like but big sam has been good at Bolton. In terms of money invested they should of been down a long time ago. To be fair you have to wonder what he would of achieved with a decent transfer budget.

Whats happening with the 'presteige friendly'? I would like to see a top quality side at Ewood to kickstart the season. Any of the top four teams from around the major european leagues. Inter Milan would get my vote at the moment.

Surprise, Surprise, theres an Irish Bar and an English Theme Pub. I went to Turin a while back and the only places which were at all lively past ten o'clock were two Irish pubs. It was quite disappointing..... ended up getting wasted, having a kebab, fighting some armenians and being sick. Made me wonder why I had bothered travelling all the way across europe from London to be honest. Not a particularly pretty town either. Also some of the others I went with ended up in a club and the entire place was just rammed with blokes (it wasnt gay either). Seems the Italians do really lock up their daughters.

Despite detesting Bates I am hoping he gets a wad of cash to invest in Wednesday (my dad's club and my second team). Also Chelsea do not have a better squad than Arsenal- more strength in depth, but in all the vital areas they lack players of the Gunner's quality and consistency. Duff, Cudicini, Terry/Gallas and Lampard (and even then he would have to displace Gilberto Silva) are the only players that Wenger would put in his first eleven IMHO.

bet you wish you didnt say that now, eh flopsy!

a young lad with tugs ability lets see???10-15 m at least. Yeah it probably would cost that amount for a player on the market now. For me I’d like to see Douglas given a bigger role in the team next season, if Douglas was given the opportunity to play alongside a player like Barry then I’m sure it would be good for him and as a partnership for years to come. People have given Douglas a bit of stick, but remember for most of the games he’s played in 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. A young player on the market, £10m easily. Douglas has come through the ranks and has cost nothing and has potential to be a good midfielder. Providing he signs the contract. It is impossible to compare Douglas with Tugay, there is light years in difference in their talent. A player of Douglas' ability is worth maybe two or three million and that is allowing for his development! If Toogs does go (not something I am veheminatly against) then it will change the way we play, not perhaps for the worst either. A consistent partnership in the middle is in my eyes more important than Keeping the Turk. Ferguson can play a decent ball, even if he lacks Tugay's vision and flair, and it will be him that Souness will look to build the team around. If we can find a decent partner for him in the long term Rovers will benefit more than depending on an in form Tugay to turn up every week. Which ever way you look at it Tugay will be no more than a squad player next season due to his defensive frailties and his age. To lose him would be a blow but hopefully will act as a catalyst for developing a new style of play and allow us to move on.

On the contrary, it seems that the club and the fans have stayed pretty loyal to Matt over the past couple of years. and smith has been loyal to leeds for the last couple of years. Its more a question of what happens when the chips are down, as in this summer.

Have to say though that there is another side to your scenario. Somebody would actually want to pay 1.5 million for him and match, or at least come close to matching, his 50k wages. I cant see that happening.

exactly the point pussycat....since steadys arrival at ewood coley has be-reborn. and good on them both aswell. Just watched the goal he scored last saturay again on Rovers world. He really looks a lot more enthused about football than he has for a while, he seems really happy. If I was him I would be intrigued about what I couls achieve with Stead and Gally at Rovers. Both are excellent players, and with Jon he has already struck up a really good partnership- something he has not had since Jansen's injury. Cole will have a great crack at breaking the 15 goal barrier next season if he stays, and for the first time since Shearer left I have real confidence in the ability of our strikers to make a full contribution in terms of goals.

Would you really stay at Rovers if you were a top class mid twenty year old player if they were plummeting into relegation? The whole squad is being ripped apart to cover debts, the fans are miserable, the management is on a never ending carousel of changes and pay offs. It is his career as well you know, loyalty is a fine thing but he wants to make the most of it. The clubs have as little loyalty to the players as the other way round- the right bid comes in and they would look to sell him, even force him out if at all possible. A bad run of games and all the fans would hate him, jump on his back, call for him to be dropped, insult him in the media. Where would he be then? A dried up journeyman with the sole consolation of knowing he stuck by his clubs side.... is that enough? To turn the tables where is our loyalty for Matt Jansen, eh? Most of us are hardly calling for him to be reintroduced because we do not feel he would be good enough. Sentiment is a very small part of it, we want results. We are only as loyal to him as far as he is useful to the cause, if you see what I mean- we have Stead now. He is the new golden boy, so if Matty was harbouring a deep burning passion for Rovers he might well find his heart broke. The club may well just leave him behind. Natural arrogance and self serving nature is not in any way linked with being a footballer. The reason that most footballers act in their own interests is because that is the way the game works- 99% of the people on this planet would act the same way- there is nothing to suggest they would not. It is a sad state of affairs, that I admit, but it is pointless getting on a high horse about it when we are little different. It would be nice if it was a little more romantic, but that would come at the expense of the competition and quality that makes football what it is. If Rovers were made up of only players who cared passionately about the teams they played for then we would be effectively playing the fans. Would they of beat Man Utd on the first of May?

Stop it with that talk !. Stop it now. I'll personally rip out Souness' heart and eat it if a swap happens, and we fail to get a left winger. I actually would not mind seeing Robbie at Ewood PROVIDED Cole stays and he is payed reasonable wages (for somone in his form I would say an absolute maximum of 20k a week). On the other hand Fowler commands at least 40k at Man City so I cant see him moving to us, especially as he would certainly (if sanity prevails) be behind Stead and Cole. Cole should not leave unless we are getting PROVEN quality. Fowler is certainly not that.

I would imagine Yorke, Andresen, Babbel and Todd will all leave. Jansen, Gresko, Douglas and Cole could all go too. To be fair out of all of those Cole is the only really significant one, he must stay. Douglas could be a decent defensive midfielder I suppose, and maybe jansen could find his old form... not holding my breath though.

Nice to see he still has a sense of humour! You have to say it is quite worrying that he dislikes Souness to that degree, it is a real rarity for a manager to rile so many of his players. On the other hand Souness has done a lot more for the club. On the top of my summer wishlist is for Graeme to acquire some humility (and some kind of tactical long term plan!), im sure the likes of Wenger or Strachan would of been able to (or at least striven to) nurture Dunn's talent rather than alienate it. Losing David has not been a huge blow, but in terms of what he could have been it was deeply sad. ps. what pedant has put in this "like you could have paid more attention in school" nonsense? Is it neccessary?

Taylor has been shocking at rightback, but then I can hardly see Douglas turning him inside out

I realize that Brum have had a good season, but does anyone else think that Robbie Keane and Geremi might be a little bit out of their league? I just have a feeling that Tiny will play and will be solid at the back in a 2-0 Blues victory. Sure hope I'm wrong, but at least Rovers don't need a result from this one to avoid relegation. Im not sure about that. Bruce is ambitious and has a long term plan. If Spurs were willing to sell I think Keane could be convinced. You have to take your hat off to the Brum staff. Personally we are not playing for much more than prize money (important as it is) so I think Souness should make some tweaks for creativity's sake: Cole Stead Tugay Gresko Emerton Flitcroft Gray Short Nissa Reid Enckleman Wont happen though, fully expect the team that started at Spurs to line up again.

that is quite simply insane. We might see duff back in the Blue and White halves one day yet. Alienation doesnt seem to be something Roman cares about...

You mean I am going to have to leave all my knives, bombs and darts at home? Its a bloody nanny state I tell you....

Further problems surface. Lunatic wage structure riles Chelsea's best player- Frank Lampard. I want more cash I think Ambrahimovic (however you spell it) might throw him out for that. By his own reasoning he is going to get David Beckham, why do you need Lampard? I pity what ever manager takes over at the Bridge.

I dont believe phillipl suggested either of the above alegations. Those are your interpretations and I presume are hypathetical queries. okay, i withdraw the comments. I dont know whether the lad's cash is dodgy or not, it is just questions have been raised in the press and I was wondering if (if it is the case that he has funny money, which i dont know) Putin would have the power to pull him up and out of the UK. Purely hypothetical, innit? And I wasnt insinuating anything either. Is that enough disclaimers?

fair enough, I see your point. It makes sense if the money laundering/profile seeking element is a higher priority than actually winning trophies. If he was trying to win the Premiership on the other hand messing the squad around so much probably isnt a great idea. Eventually players wont want to come to the club and the manager will have a complete nightmare trying to settle the side down. Just out of interest what would happen if Putin prosecuted Roman for misappropriated funds or something like that? Could he be extradicted and the money be withdrawn from the club? Could he be challenged to account for the source of his cash by the UK government? Is he paying UK income tax (that would pay for a few schools on its own!)?

Just thought it might be worth pointing out because when these stories emerge they usually happen in regards Chelsea. If these sort of transfers happen over the summer then there are going to be a lot of available players knocking about on the relative cheap. Any fringe player at Stamford Bridge seems to be finished so Gronkjaer, Zenden, Melchiot and even Cole and Hasslebaink could well become available. Duff, Crespo, Lampard et al might just be thinking that Roman is actually taking the ###### now too despite being established first teamers. The managers on the way out before he gets to finish a great run in the Champion league and go for second, and no one knows where they stand. Im beginning to smell trouble at the bridge.... link

I think Blackburn Rovers are at the pinicle of their current potential. To say that Souness has taken them as far as he can means that he has to be replaced, and someone else come in! This would be almost impossible! If you look at the type of side that we are, it is impossible to argue that we deserve to be in a better position than we are. As is acknowledged by all managers in the premiership at some point, any team can beat anyone on their day. The difference between the clubs from 6th to 17th is very little, and this only goes to prove the point. Last season it was us and Everton who were at the top of the mid table sides, this season it is Villa, Charlton, and Fulham. What Souness has done for us is ensure that we have Premiership football for another season. He has weathered the storm I believe, and will go into next season having learned from the last. To say that this season has been a failure is over the top. Priority number one is all but achieved. Cups will be played for again next season, but dropping down a league is the only thing in my book that would constitute a season of failure for Rovers. That isnt going to happen, so we have avoided disaster. What the club really needs at this point is continuity; a change in manager would disrupt what is an evolving team. If you look at the events of last summer with Duff and Dunn leaving, a period of transition was almost inevitable. Souness may have cut it fine, but he and the team have succeeded in keeping this club in a position where it has the potetial to grow. In my eyes we are still a season or two off stepping it up a level. Yes we were in Europe last season, but we are clearly not a club that can compete at that level yet. Souness recognises that all that is important for Rovers is to be in the Premiership. That is all Blackburn can and should aim for at the moment. A change of manager therefore would be harmful. Souness is keeping us at the top of our current potential and fulfilling the goal that is required of him. Consistency and a long term plan is what is required. We saw the problems created by short term goals after we won the league. Business guru and allround wise one Jack Walker saw the fact that Rovers won the title a year too early. Establishing ourselves as a Premiership club is goal number one. Aiming too high has huge implications, as we have seen from Rovers disgruntled home support this season, having a negative effect on home form. Souness is the man to keep this club moving up. His resignation would be a disaster for Rovers. What an excellent post, one which I sort of both agree and disagree with. I agree with the principle that Rovers need to develop- we have class players in every position bar the left of midfield (one which will hopefully be addressed in the summer), indeed in terms of pesonnel we are superior to a large amount of teams above us. We have been unlucky with injuries and underperformance in vital areas- Emerton stands out particularly being our main midfield attacking threat. On the other hand it is hard to say Souness is committed to a long term strategy of development, and the aim to compete regularly in the top six- going for the grail of Champions League qualification. He said it himself, if you stand still you fall behind. Fair enough, injuries and so forth have made a nonsense of a consistent team, yet he dosnt give off the air of man who knows where we will be in two years. Frankly we need a core squad of 14-16 players who are committed to the club and sufficently talented to consistently secure a top eight finish. People will cry this is ridiculous optimism but I will point to the players at our disposal. We have to have confidence in our own ability and the question is whether Souness does. Does Souness think himself calpable of taking us that far, and if he does how does he expect to achieve it? There are a lot of teams on a similar footing to us (Villa, Charlton, Fulham etc.) but the one who is going to make the step up to join Newcastle and Liverpool is going to be the one who wants it most, and is the most prepared to do it. Top Eight class Players: Friedel, Niell, Amoruso, Short (getting on a bit), Nissa, Gray, Thompson, Ferguson, Emerton (if he pulls his bloody finger out!), Tugay (getting on a bit), Stead, Cole, Gallagher. A decent left winger and we hit the fourteen player target. Hopefully younger players such as Reid, Donnelly (dreaming?) and Douglas can make more of an impact next season to take the reigns of the older ones. Top Eight Class manager: Souness?