I would take four wins and two losses out of those. I think it is unlikely that we will win all four at home, we will slip up here or there. 30 points going into the new year (and one game over halfway) would be excellent. 60 points as a target for the season, equalling our 2002-2003 season, is something to persue. 50 Points would be acceptable. Anything less would be disappointing in light of the quality in the side compared to last year or the year before.

Personally I cannot understand all the people who are doom and gloom about this. In every department we matched Arsenal today apart from finishing. We defended well, passed well, created chances, held on to the ball. The difference was that Arsenal has one of the top 5 players in the world (and one of the best of all time) playing at the very peak of his ability, and a squad rammed full of attacking talent which we can only dream of. We are not expecting to win the premiership. These are games we will lose if the opposition is playing at the top of their ability. If we play this well against teams in our bracket we will beat them. Those are the important games. Today we did our best and played very well but were undone by some sublime finishing. Lets kick on. That said two changes need to happen- Zurab for Todd and perhaps give Thompson a start next time (although he did look like he was carrying a bit of weight). I was very impressed at how he responded to the challenge. I thought his career at Rovers was over. If we can scrape the cash together for another top striker (someone with height and technique would be ideal, although Kuqi was not too bad today) and a creative midfielder (come on petrov!) we will turn into a very very good team. I do recognise that funds are limited though. Looking forward to the next game. ps. personally I think he looked very happy today despite the drubbing. If we can finish in the top ten, keep hold of Hughes (this is crucial!) and look like we are steadily improving then I think we stand a real chance of holding on to him. If we don't I would expect us to make a decent profit.

It is interesting that they say he is worth £2-4 million! Personally I think Hughes would find £1 mill tempting. Nonetheless in an ideal world I want him to sort his game out and turn into a real top class player.

Especially when you consider that without Viera Arsenal could well give him a lot of room. If he doesnt make it the coice would be between Reid and the Axe. Neither of them inspire much confidence in actually creating something. Get well Tugs!!

He played wide but suffered from a lack of pace and dribbling ability. Also he alway wanted to drift inside. His crossing was good though! If Gally is going to make it as a player it will be in the mold of Sheringham. All his strengths mirror big teds- good short passing, good movement, good finishing. THe problem for Gally is that to convince a manager to play you in that role you need to be bloody good at it, and I am not sure he really is. Two things will infinately increase his chances- putting on some muscle, and putting in a 100% every match. Whether he wants to do that is the big question. Nonetheless I cant see him making a career on the wing.

The team seems to pick itself if Nelsen and Gray are fit: Reid performed excellently in the last game, Bentley has been shocking for the last few so- even if it is on the right- Reid should get the spot. An interesting point is that with Nelsen and Todd playing who will get the armband? Really it should be Nelsen. 1-1, but we resoundingly outplay Citeh. ps. nust realised Thompson is in the squad. Shock inclusion on the right? I would think he would be lucky to make the bench but you never know...

I would say it would be impossibe but for the fact that he has sucha strong connection with Hughes. You can imagine that they miight get along quite well. I am not, however, convinced that Keane would really add much to our team. On the form of the last couple of seasons Svage has been as decent as he is at the moment. Plus I could see Bellamy and Davage finding it hard to get along with Keane. Bellamy in particular could feel Keano's wrath.

Wow! Is it really as high as that? If it is that does put a perspective on it, especially in the increasingly depressed transfer market. For that amount of money invested we should really be hoping for another top class player who can make a serious impact at Premiership level to come through. Out of interest when Dunn was coming through did he look like a top class player at 17, or did it take a while for his talents to be recognised?

Can we work out all the money we have recouped for home grown players since Jan 2000? I will put out the more obvious ones because, frankly, my memory is awful Dunn (5.5m) Duff (17m) Taylor (1m?) Johnson (?) Plus Gallagher and McEveley must be worth around half a million each. Thats not too bad.

This suggests that Donnelly superior ability should shine through over time and he will play at a higher level than Douglass. This is not the case at the moment. He has currently played 9 games for Blackpool this season scoring two goals.

Who does wverbody think is the best team not to make it into the world cup? I am not particularly well informed on this but I would probably plump for Turkey.

TND is completely accurate here. If we do not raise the money to buy players through decent crowds then we are screwed. The entertainment on offer at Rovers is improving but the fact of the matter is that other teams can play awfully and still get in 25k+. If people are going to stay away for whatever reason, and that is perfectly their right, then we can expect, inevitably, to expire as a premiership force. Once the Walker money runs out it is all over. One bad manager and a relegation and that will be that as not only will we have tiny crowds but also vastly cheaper tickets than the other sides we are competing against. It is absolutely a personal choice, but it is a personal choice that will end the club as a top flight team. Lets just hope Hughes, his succesors and the board can put it off for as long as possible, or, somehow miraculously, BRISA can get 5k-7k extra fans in every week even if we play shocking football.

Ive never come across that but I have heard of people spooning out a bit. Still nothing compared to alcohol anyways. So to clarify normally people love each other, or at least are happier and have a larger desire to plese.

Well, okay, it's not weak. But its not outstanding either, certianly not in the same way that their attack is at present. Anybody else readily recall an attacking five as talented as Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Adriano and Robinho?

The result against argentina shows really that there is a two level system at international level. England, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic all operate on one. Brazil are on another entirely. Just thank the lord their defence is average otherwise no one would stand a chance.

Maybe I am just being spiteful, and I do recognise that Beckham has been playing well, I still think we would be a more dangerous side with a midfield four of Cole-Lampard-Carrick/Parker-Gerrard. Beckham works like a trojan and is arguably the best crosser in the world, dead or moving ball. But in terms of really hurting opposing full backs he does not have the range of talents of the likes of Cole, SWP and Gerrard. Still, if he plays like he has been doing then it is hard to complain. If only the fecker could beat a man and had a bit of pace, eh.

Just to add something else to the debat- ecstacy has already been pointed out to be alot less dangerous, at least in the short term (the results for the long term have not come in yet as widespread use only started in the eighties), than alcohol. Another benefit is that it makes people be extrodinarily nice to one another, I mean unimaginably nice. If Blue Phil and Colin had one each within an hour they would be hugging each other and saying things like "without you man, Im not sure I would have thought so much about all these amazing issues! You bring out the best in me, dude" and discussing the brilliance of house music. That kind of thing. It does not make people who take it violent or abusive or inflate their egos. It is not addictive. Indeed of all the drugs it is the most benign in terms of effects, although weed hardly creates psychopaths in the way alcohol does either. Indeed the single largest problem is that lots of people being that nice to each other, all the time, becomes kind of obnoxious and boring. And also, obviously, it is not genuine.

AESF, I think you may of ballsed up a bit here. The game was staged in Geneva at Argentina's request, they are the home side. Blue/white posted some excellent reasons for this: Also I would be suprised if the FA made any more money from hosting the game in Geneva that holding it in the UK. Can I implore you to write a page long piece on something you like about someone, or something. Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens or Brown paper packages tied up with string, that sort of thing. Or if you are looking at something more 'gritty' maybe the many positive impacts of the tabloid press on British society, or how the queen embodies all that is valued in this beautiful country of ours. Make us FEEL your passion, not drown in the acid bile of your hate.

Goddammit this has to be the most circular debate in history. There has been no new infomation injected into the discussion to stimulate new opinions, just endless repetitions of the same arguments that have been used for the last two years.

Billy's picture looks like Big Bird's very very evil twin. Jesus.

In the current 442 system the does not seem to be anywhere we can fit him in. If he was to play up front I think Hughes would be looking to pair him with Kuqi, but obviously as long as Criags fit that is not going to happen. Having both Bentley and Craig in the team would mean we would lack height and physical presence- both qualities that Hughes demands. He lacks the running and the defensive side of his game to pay in a four man midfield. He cant beat a man when he is wide and he looks about as porus as it gets when the opposition have the ball. Indeed many of his disadvantages seem remarkably similar to Gallagher's. ps. I am sure that you have had your Username all the way back to around 2003. If that's accurate that is some remarkable foresight- player and shirt number!

Population has a huge amount to do with sporting performance. The pool of talent is larger with a larger population. Consider Scotland and England. The fascilities, funding and interest in the sport is near enough identicle across the boarder but they suffer from having less kids coming through to pick and choose from. Other smaller countries that do well in sports, such as yourselves and Holland, do so through excellent coaching and getting a higher proportion of kids off their fat backsides and out on the field. Indeed if Australia did not spread itself so thinly between five major team sports- cricket, rugby union, rugby league, aussie rules and football- I think you would have an excellent side.

Just as an aside, did anybody realise that Argentina is four and a half times smaller, in terms of population, than Brazil? I found this a bit shocking. Indeed around about 40 million live there, actually meaning they are a smaller country than England. I always had the impression that it was significantly larger, if not as economically powerful. ps. All you aussies out there- Uruguay is tiny! About 4 million people which is even more itsy bitsy than Scotland. You have to do them now or you are all a bunch of wusses.

There is absolutely no chance that Savage will be dropped if he is fit. He is Hughes talisman. A bit harsh on Reid but this is how these things go, although I am sure he will get a run out as a sub or will start on the right if Emerton is knackered from all the flying.

I would suggest that your friends stop smoking crack. I know quite a few people who started and around 80% of them became addicted within three or four months. Now two of them are in jail, and none of them are worth knowing anymore. It is a cancer, and it is no fun having your stuff nicked by someone you used to like in order to feed a habit. Honestly it is about the worst thing you can do to yourself.