Well, it is a shame. Really Liverpool should be looking to move on. Other tragedies of immense proportions are not held onto in this fashion. Pay your respects by all means but don't get caught in the past. As far as the game itself ges it is abslutely vital, as they all are at the moment. The disruption arund the club can only work in our favor. If we win the next four games, theoretical to say the least, this would be the one to catapault us into fourth and the driving seat. If we have dropped points at Pompey and at one of the home games, as is far more likely, then we wil need some kind of a result to keep us in the hunt for a UEFA spot. Tighter than a jockstrap, up there at the moment...

Fairplay!

He should get another chance at some point. Nobody is perfect first time around and Villa played a great pressing game. The beauty of he system is Bentley and Reid can be switched around depending on the nature of the game at that point. I would be suprised if Hughes does not give it another sho for half an hour or so at the end of a game.

I missed the start of the game but I have to say I am with Exiled Rover on this. DIckov looked a much better option when he came on. The wee man holds up the ball and passed it well. Pongolle seemed to be hell bent on giving it away. Apart from the flick on that led to the second goal, which was more down to Ped's persistence than Pongo's contribution, our Dreadlocked striker offered little. Dickov in next week.

Well he didn't give a penalty that I think everybody on here would have been spitting if the roles were reversed. And he failed to spot Reid's handball in the build up to the first. So in the context of being a Rovers supporter I thought he had a decent game But from a neutral postion you have to say Villa were hard done by in terms of decsions going against them, at least in the 60 mins of the game I saw.

SO you don't rate or see the point of the board, and quite a few of us don't really see the point or rate the opinion of you. The logical extension of that is that you will cease posting, as it can only be a waste of time from your perspective.

I missed the first half hour but from then until when he came off he looked like the one player who could put his foot on the ball. His passing was okay if not spectacular, and I was particularly impressed with how comfortable he was when using his left. I had more a problem with him cutting inside (a la EMerton) from the right when he was playing wide. Without Tugay we really struggle if we get closed down quickly.

We were very average today, we looked like we desperately missed Tugay to settle us down on the ball. Villa played the much better football and, although it would be a stretch to say they should of won, perhaps a draw would of been a fairer result. Still, I'm not complaining! Just a couple of points: 1. Why didn't Bentley get more of a shot in the middle with Reid out wide? He looked composed on the ball and able to spread it around. I know Villa were pressing hard but he could have tidied things up for us. edit- I realise now after reading other peoples posts that Bentley started in the middle and was pretty awful there, hence the move out wide. I missed the first half hour as I overslept. 2. Pongolle still seems to just let the ball bounce of him. I was actually very impressed with Dickov's technique. We need to play better next game all round. Savage was excellent!

I don't think he is Reidy's biggest fan. Seems to me that is a bit silly as with Tugay out we would be screwed today if we didn't have him.

Isn't the point of this messageboard to be inclusive for everybody who can treat each other amicably? Even fans from other clubs are allowed to post on it. If you wanted a 'local Rovers supporters only' board it would be easy to set it up. You could enforce a post code check or meet up in the pub to make sure you were all season ticket holders. Then you wouldn't have to put up with annoying foreign fans.

Can we just ban him? He offers absolutely nothing to the board, merely on here to abuse people and then throws his toys out of the pram when anyone gives him anything back. Unlike Vinjay he does not even seem to have a point, instead trying to find the right buttons to provoke people. And while the abuse flows reasonably freely on the Asylum thread and others it is in the heat of argument. It strikes me that he is either a different board member having a bit of a giggle dressing himself up in order to have a few sly digs. Or, in what would be a rather sadder development if it is actually true, a middle aged man with a Masters, a family and some wealth who gets his kicks out of throwing his weight around for the sake of it on a message board. Not really an eviable perspective on life is it? I'm all for free speech and so on, but I don't think there has ever been a clearer case of someone consistently violating the abuse rules on this board. Anybody disagree?

Don't be silly Phillipl. He means that either Foresell or Lua Lua would play in place of Pongo, and Pennant would play on the right and Arca at left back. All seem accurate suggestions to me apart from Forsell who is very poor at the moment. Saying that though I think Hughes would have taken Forsell over Pogo if he had been available on loan. Lots of good players have been relegated Phil.

We had arguably our best all round performance of the season, 4-1 win at home to Charlton, with Savage and Reid in the middle. We beat Portsmouth at home without the Turk too. Apart from that we struggled when he wasn't available.

While thinking about it the idea of Lua Lua has grown on me. I am increasingly of the opinion that he would be a better signing than Benni, and cheaper to if Portsmouth go down.

It looks like Tugay might not be fit. If not I think the side could well be: Subs: Enckleman, Zurab, Mokoena/Kuqi, Peter, Dickov There is quite a lot of flexibility in there. As at Tottenham Reid and Bentley can switch around depending upon whether we desire combat or skill in the middle of the park. Bellers will run the channels, we will see if Pongo can make his flicks start to come off. I am looking forward to this!

Our own Michael Gray as well. And Alan Smith. Viduka too?

He was in the papers after a fight a club recently. The best three players in the relgation fight with a few years left in them are clearly Dunn, Pennant and Arca. We need a creative midfielder, a right winger and a left back in the summer... We also need a striker but I can't see any of the relegation candidates providing one of a good enough standard. Kanu or Sutton would be ideal but they are getting on a bit. Lua Lua? Sounds good to me! As for Pennant's discipline problems and questions against Dunn's commiment to training, I would back Hughes to sort them out. It is a question of whether we can beat other clubs to the punch. With Dunnie we have a clear advantage, the others would be a bit of a scrap.

Eh? If you mean Reid I think he has done excellently but if we want to get the points that midfield four offers the most. If Tugay isn't fit the bald headed London Irish dynamo should get a crack on the wing/in the centre.

And why has it got something very close to the England badge on it? Did we wear badges at all in the fifties?

I just worked out some stuff on paper, which I think is roughly accurate: Champions league: Seven wins out of ten or six wind and three draws. Uefa Cup (Presuming 7th is not good enough): Five wins and two draws, or four wins and five draws, or six wins Pretty much that simple, although it is possible that one of the other teams goes on an incredible run. I can's see us winning all but three games. Five wins and a couple of draws is do-able so hopefully sixth will happen.

What a brilliant post from Rovers! Yesh! ps. I still wouldn't play Emerton though next game. Bentley and Pedersen on the wings please, with Tugs and Savage in the middle.

Lets be fair here, Boumsong was rated as one of the finest defensive prospects in Europe. The more suprising thing was he went to Rangers in the first place. Souness' record was bizarre- in terms of getting high quality players on the cheap few can hold a candle to him: Dickov, Tugay, Pedersen, Thompson, Friedel, Niell and Stead were all excellent purchases for relatively low fees. Similarly at Newcastle Emre, Solano and Parker all seem to have been excellent value for money buys. But then he makes some extrodinary blunders with the high transfer fees. Of the Rovers and Newcastle big buys I would only say Owen and Cole look like they could justify the cost, and he managed to force out Cole in the end too essentially wasting some of that money.

He still looks more like he can do the creative midfield role than anybody I have seen at the club in the last three or four years bar Ferguson and Toogs himself. Dunn played too far up the pitch, Thompson kept his head down, Reid and Savage lack the required nous, passing range and technique. The next step is starting him in that role, which I think Hughes will do the next time Tugay is unavailable. He might well not live up to the job in the long run, but we have to give it a shot. Personally I back him to follow the Turks footsteps.

If we win five out of five I am Donald Duck. Three out of five and a draw would be excellent.