Call me ignorant but I never realised that Bellamy has a kid. That alone should give him a reason to find some real perspective. He obviously recognises that he needs to change his temprement, he said as much when he joined, and i think Mark will try to help him in that area. If he is as single minded as the article suggests he must realise that to be taken seriously he needs to stop making headlines for the wrong reasons and start banging in the goals.

Just thinking about it I reckon Hughes might sign a couple more players. I doubt Bellamy would of come unless he felt we had a real chance of climbing up the table. A Cole-Bellamy strike force could be handy, although not a lot going on in the air with it. One decent defender for cover and, crucially, a talented attacking midfielder and we could be looking at a transformation from a slitghtly tepid squad a week ago to a decent top eight challenging side. At any rate it would still not be bad if we just sign Cole: Fairly classy. And adaptable too for the better opposition:

With forcing bellers out of the club it looks like Souness has given back a fraction of what he wasted on Grabbi, maybe he felt a pang of guilt. NB. Some caution is in order to, both bellamy and savage are here because Hughes is in charge much like Ferguson and Souness, if he is poached off us then we could well lose these players. All in all though, as much as I dislike Craig, he is a cracking player and the in terms of talent the best striker we have had since Shearer (Cole and Sutton not quite at the same level in my opinion).

Get a life. You got it wrong. You must lead a pretty immaculate life Smithy because you throw more stones than I have ever seen thrown by anybody. Bilious, bitter and sad seem the most accurate words for you.

I think Hughes will cross that bridge when he comes to it. The plan seems to be get Cole and McCarthy. He will consider youth buys next season depending on how things turn out, it is hard to say whether Jansen or any of the young strikers will bloom over the next twelve months. Signing a fourth striker would be a waste, the next target would surely be a central midfielder. Sparky has said as much. ps. If Benni is unable to join I would guess that MH might settle for Cole and Kuqi and look for an attacking central midfielder for circa 3 million. This would probably force us to play 451 but hopefully with a bit of skill on board (Dunn anyone?) it might be quite entertaining. This is not ideal but hardly terrifying for next season.... pps. Just read a couple of pages back and have now found out Dunn is injured until October, ho hum. Substitute any likely looking name for that player.

I have to say I am suprised by all of the negativity towards Liverpool. They are an outsider, and whatsmore an English outsider, to win a major tournament. This is good because it means the Champions League is not becoming as dull as everybody thought. Furthermore it means clubs like Everton, PSV etc can go into next years competition with a bit of hope. For that alone I welcome a Liverpool win, it makes things more open. Also Liverpool played with a bit of heart and it was an incredible game, Steven Gerrard seems about as 'real' a footballer as you can get in the modern game and it was brilliant to see him lift the trophy. I have no soft spot for liverpool but they are certainly closer to my heart than the corporate bully clubs of Chelsea, Man Utd and AC Milan. So what if they have only two English players. I would like to see more in the game but you can hardly blame them. Virtually every club in the league is like that, including ourselves. So much bitterness for very little point in my view. Good on them.

Bugger, Blake of all people

These players have to be expendable: Amo one out of Nissa and Matteo, possibly both could stay if we do not sign a left sided defender. Flitcroft (I think he is poor and he is going to find it incredibly difficult to get a place with Savage, Reid, Moko, Tugay and hopefully a new player in) Douglas One out of Thompson or emerton Thompson or Emerton are the only ones we could hope to get cash for and it would be certainly worth selling if the money would fund a quality player who could play wide or in the centre. Short, Gray and Bothroyd will all go. Jansen will stay if he accepts massively reduced wages. The squad will be a bit smaller next season but hopefully will possess a bit more talent. We are probably looking up against it to find a decent left back as cash needs to be spent in other areas. I just hope Gresko looks decent when he is fit.

Our players are are going to be knackered, 4 games in 10 days! In light of this I hope Tugay gets a start over half fit Savage. 1-1 draw.

If you allow for the transitional period under hughes and the start of the revolution after the two back to back 4-0 defeats it is even more impressive. You dont want to jump the gun but Hughes is a gem. I would be amazed if we do not continue to build into next season.

At last someone OTHER than me recognises that people have been taken in by a load of smoke and mirrors. "Todd wouldn't wear the shirt". "David Dunn was too big for his boots". Both utter tosh, but put round by someone you all believed in wholeheartedly like good little Stepford wives. He'd been off the rails since the Celtic away match and no-one but me (and a couple of select others) seemed to recognise it. Thanks, DanLad for restoring my faith in sanity returning. I wouldnt say that, I think Flitcroft has been past it for two years now, and I dont think it is only me. I reckon Hughes is of very much the same opinion. He is in the side at the moment because Tugay and Thompson offer little security and are/were well out of form and he is a safe option. If Savage was fit Flitcroft would not play. I do not think Flitcroft will feature in Hughes' plans for next season as anything other than a bit part player, if that. If we switch to a 442 then he will be fourth in the que for a starting spot (behind Moko, Reid and Sav) and that is before we bring an extra central midfielder which looks likely. Flitcroft's strongest side of his game is his defence and engine, but even in these departments he is comprahensively outclassed by Reid, Sav and Moko. Add to that his complete non existence as an attacking force and I cannot see the point in even contemplating him as a first team player. If we had an offer of say 500k, even maybe 250k, I would think Hughes would let him go. I admit I was wrong to try and defend Souness for selling Dunn (though due to DD's injury problems it was actually quite a good deal) and the Cole thing was utterly ridiculous, but my opinion of Flitcroft has never been influenced by the big Scot.

If that website is accurate then they are left with maybe four players- Give, Faye, Shearer and Boumsong- who are considered 'good enough' by the fans. That seems ludicrous to me. What I would say is that I do not really think Newcastle have a dearth of talent. What they have is an unruly dressing room and a man who is completely hopeless at weilding his authority without alienating people. Its a time bomb. What odd's Souness will not be manager come next August? They will be quite long but worth a shot....

I have not watched the reserves so perhaps it is not fair for me to judge but is there really any youngsters who are going to add to a team which is doing extremely well? The places most open to competition are at left back, creative midfield, possibly wide right and striker. I do not really see a creative player amongst the youth ranks, Donally would appear to be the closest but opinion seems divided with the majority of the weight coming doen in the 'not good enough' camp. A right midfielder would be up against it with Thompson and Emerton knocking about. Striker is difficult as Stead and Dickov are currently battling for one berth. Left back is where I could see someone coming through- McEveley and Taylor probably have a shout but would Hughes want to upset a solid defence? From what I have heard the only stickon talents in the academy seem to be Garner and Derbyshire who are both about a year away from first team football due to their extreme youth. There is no point sticking kids in for the hell of it you have to be sure of a decent chance that it will add to the team in either the short or long term.

After last nights performance we have to be hoping for a win at home although a draw would be a more than decent result. How I would line it up: Sav needs time to get fit and cool off a bit. Dickov just needs the get fit part (and Stead played so well he deserves a chance to carry on his form).

What an absolutely fantastic result! We are climbing particularly as those around us fail. We have a game in hand and sit five points off city who are themselves only two points off 8th. While it is far too optimistic to say we will finish higher than we are now given that gap we should certainly expecting to be able to hold our position. It is also extremely gratifying, if a little petty, that we are currently above both Brum and the Barcodes. Who is getting genuinely excited about next season? I know I am.

Excellent preview, very well written. If we play as well as we did today we should get at least a draw. If we win it will put all relegation fears down, allow us to possibly leapfrog Brum with a game in hand and give us a look at a possible mid table finish. Team I would go for: It is possible that Hughes will stick with Dickov and Thompson but I think a couple of changes would do us good.

I thought we were very decent today and put in a good performance. Rovers were defensively sound, they only had about four oppertunites up until the 86th minute, and we havd two spells of good football and real pressure. There are areas that need improving in the side, notably left back and a bit of creativity in midfield, but the essential problem lay up front where we lacked a quality striker. A bit of pace, technique and finishing could have gone a long way and made all the difference. Dickov cannot provide these qualities and I doubt Stead ever will to the standard required. The team should not be dishartened, the scoreline was flattering to Arsenal and we were hardly played off the park. Our defence was strong and our midfield industrious. No reason to doubt we will continue on our upward curve.

Sporting index gave these odds on SSN. I went to their website but could only found spread bets. Paddy Power has us down at 6-1 on their website but I am holding out to find a 7-1. Anybody got a list of UK bookie sites?

We are 7-1 to win. Seven to bloody one- it is a two horse race cup tie at a neutral ground, we are the third best team in the league according to the form table and playing an Arsenal side missing Henry and Campbell. I think that is worth a tenner. Stick five quid on Pedersen to score first too 12-1

For the first time us actually finishing higher than Newcastle seems a possiblity. The barcodes seem all over the place- dressingroom untrest, poor organisation, suspensions and injuries. This could be a very poor month for them. If we could be above both Newcastle and Birmingham city come the end of the season I would be a happy man. It would show how far we have improved and have the bonus of giving the bird to those who denigrated us. While Hughes has been a revelation for Rovers, I doubt Tyneside views Graeme in a similar light.

What occoured to me is that Amo could do what Moko is doing for us if the axe got injured. Extremely similar types of player- massive, strong, decent technique and passing, good in the air. They even both share dodgy positioning sense (see Moko's games at centre back) although the South African has the Italian beat twice over for pace. Me and another member of the board (cant remember who it was) advocating him for the role around October. Not saying he would be able to reach Moko's incredible standards but in the event of injury/suspension I think he would be far more effective than Flitcroft or Savage as the holding midfielder in a 451.

Can someone sort out the clock on the site. It is doing my head in...................

I would be absolutely delighted to go but the problem for me is not the cost or the location, although being in Edinburgh as a student means it would be a major drain on funds. Put simply I do not possess any friends who are Rovers supporters. I love Blackburn and would go to every game I could afford but I cannot stomach traveling for games on my own. I did it quite a few times at away games when I lived in London and that was okay, I could meet mates in the pub afterwards, but going 200 miles to Ewood or 500 to Cardiff and having to stay in a hotel on my own just does not appeal. Football is a group experience and that option is just not available to me. Anybody in Edinburgh in the same position?

It will be very interesting to see what happens if we go to a 442 next season. The two outstanding midfielders of recent weeks, Reid and Moko, seem to be ill fitted to play in the more traditional formation. The most obvious set up is: This however may have limitations as Moko plays so deep, Reid would be relegated to the flank and we would lack a real creative player. The alternative would be to drop Moko, which would be harsh as he has been excellent, move Reid inside and stick Emerton on the right. Theoretically we might also be in the market for a midfielder in the summer too, someone like Parker would be nice if improbable, and it would create a real selection headache. Anyway these are nice problems to have. I would not be suprised at all if we line up 451 next season. May well be a case of if it aint broke..... What I would like to see if we do stick with 451 is a really talented creative midfielder who can pass, shoot and run at defenders sitting alongside Savage. And do you know the one who immediately springs to mind.... Dunn. He seems crocked however, unfortuntaely, so that would preclude a move. I would be thoroughly satisfied if we lined up like this next season, not neccesarily these players but players of this sort of quality. We do need a decent left back, someone who can overlap and defend well. If Gresko can find his form thats great but we may need to buy in.

Hey, I'm not defending the manner Ferguson's departure here, or his character for that matter, but this attitude of "he was always crap anyway, we're better off without him" is clearly nonsense. I am actually not very that we are missing him. If anybdy has taken his place as such it would be Mokoena and he is doing a stirling job. If we had any decent forwards for Ferguson to pass to we might miss him, but in the current defensive climate breaking on the ball I would say Savage and Reid are more suited going forward. For the money we got I am sure Hughes can make signings far more appropriate to the side.