I can't understand some who are calling for Neill's head over his refusal to sign a new contract. Is it the sheer novelty of a player showing enough loyalty to a club to see out his full (and fairly lengthy) contract without once spitting the dummy and demanding a transfer? He has never refused to play any role asked of him, right across the backline, and has a positive influence on the pitch much more often than not. As for those who would doubt his love of the club for his insulting the supporters. Well, i think it fairly obvious to anyone who cares to think for themselves that his gesture was aimed at a minority of fans who have taken it upon themselves to take the moral 'high-ground' by suggesting that Lucas is obligated to re-sign for the club when his current contract runs out, instead of either taking a better offer should one arise. I know you love the club, but it's ludicrous to suggest that one who has served the club so long and well should be singled out for derision for not staying for their full playing career. Lucas probably realises that he is now approaching the peak of his abilities and to further improve, or to be challenging for honours on a regular basis he needs to move soon. It's not as if he has been disloyal to the club, or even been talking to other clubs as many if not most players of the modern game would have done long ago. No, he is fulfilling his obligation to the club in full. And for that he is castigated by his own fans. It's a shame that fulfilling the obligation agreed between himself and the club is not enough for some. But when someone sulks and demands a transfer that is seen as a normal situation.

Yeah I agree. I can think of a few times when the commentary has said that they 'played for the foul', when all they did was continue their run, or stand their ground, while the other player steamrollered them. If you can see that both players are aware of the other, the one who was there first, or has the ball has more 'rights'. Is that correct? That's not a rhetorical - i really want to know how it works. I know how I *think* it works, from watching and playing, but that can be different to what's stated in the rules. Also, i agree with what was said earlier - it's quite easy to be bundled over, and then be accused of diving. It's happened to me quite a bit when I'm playing since I don't have a lot of bulk, and having broken a couple of bones before i'm much more likely to jump all over the place in an effort not to get smacked into the ground. I think if I then rolled around on the ground, or appealed the ref I could be fairly accused of cheating, but I get sometimes accused of it even when i don't. Of course, that's while the ref's looking. As soon as he's not it's handshakes all round! So now the tricky part - is it cheating to appeal to the ref to get someone carded for diving, even when you know you've fouled them? I reckon that happens a fair bit too.

Cheating being missing the ball and taking the man mid-air both feet, right?

Oh how i've longed to read those words in a match report! Didn't think it'd happen this season.

I'm the only one who voted for a left back? Yet everyone wants a new right-back? We all know Neill can be quality, and he seems to be getting better with each game lately. Witness great tackling on Defoe in the Tottenham game, and for once SURELY he can't be blamed for the other team scoring As for the left. Nils was poor, McEverley hasn't had much of a look in after his display against Liverpool where he was repeatedly exposed for pace until he broke someone's leg! Gray has become the missing man - is he injured? Perhaps I'm missing something obvious here, please tell me. But to all those calling for Neill to have competition for his place.. what about a half-decent left back instead? Apart from the left-back position I'd want a good defensive mid to protect the back four. Once we stop letting goals in it'll free up our attacking players and the goals will come - we have enough quality for it to happen, as long as we're not contantly picking the ball out of our own net, i think.

eh? Didn't Gallagher get his chance in the first XI because one striker was injured and another suspended? Special... lucky, call it what you will. Pedersen will get his chance eventually. Have some faith in Hughes's intelligence - he's hardly had time at the club to have a Souness style "dressing-room bust-up" so there must be some reason that Morten's not on the pitch, right?

Hear, hear! especially now that daylight savings has kicked in its getting harder and harder to see Rovers live on the tv.

I wouldn't mind seeing Hughesy with that team Whoops! I missed that bit - seems he's coach of the week, too.

For what it's worth, Soccernet.com put Jansen in their team of the week for his goal. There's a little spiel about his goal, too. Very nice of them.

Let's put it simply then, instead of in 'obscure biochemistry' language. I'm no biochemist, but I understood from cuidado's comment that MGP can do more running than anyone in the top Norwegian league. How's that? Pretty good, I say. Now, onto the shooting, passing bit...

Skybet currently: M Hughes 2/1 Advocaat 6/1 Newell 7/1 Houllier 10/1 and a bunch sitting on 12/1, including Mssrs Curbishley, Houllier, Hoddle, Parkes and Venables. I don't remember Newell being there before? And yeah, odds for Hughes plummeting (well, as much as you can plummet from such a low height that they were before!)

YES WE DO......MONEY GREED AND AS FOR SAYING YOU LOVE OUR CLUB ....IT DOESNT WASH ANYMORE. Got to agree with that, I think Souness is an extremely money driven man, more so than most people involved in football! I wonder how many of our deals involved Souey receiving back handers??? Get a grip, man. Football is business. Business is all about money. There aren't many in the game today whose heads wouldn't be turned by a big money deal, coupled with possibly more chance of a trophy. I can think of... umm... let's see... none. Souness had a good run with Blackburn, but since the sale of Duff and Dunn things went pear shaped. It's possible the start of this season is the turning of the corner, though. So, though it would've been great if he'd gone in the pre-season instead of now the timing of the move is really down to the sacking of Sir Bobby, which couldn't be planned on (by Rovers or Souness). He's gone, and I for one am sure we'll do ok this season

True, true. Can barely move without knocking a few over. Available without compensation, too!

I'm as shocked as anyone, i have to say. Others have said that with his recent signings there seemed to be a long-term commitment, and that did probably exist. But noone could have predicted Sir Bobby Robson's sudden departure, and philipl was right in his post in the Robson thread - Souness was the logical candidate when it came down to it. I'm not one of the Souness out brigade, but so long and thanks, GS. It'll be an exciting few days on this board i guess, as successor's names are plucked as if out of thin air! If anyone's in need of a bit of cheering up I suggest you go and check out nufc.com. The geordie reaction to the Souness appointment is electric!!

MGP! - not 'GMP'. I know we have trouble with spelling, but surely we can get people's initials right if we try, can't we?

The game wasn't televised here, so i haven't seen it. But having read several match reports the ManU goal sounds like an obvious hand ball - all the major outlets are calling it exactly that, yet none seem to be particularly outraged at the refereeing. Can someone fill me in? Was it obvious only on the replay? Or was it just blatant and the referee can't have possibly missed it? ESPN Soccernet: ...but he (Briedal) was finally beaten after Louis Saha appeared to palm the ball into the path of Smith. But with just 30 seconds remaining of the four minutes of injury time, United finally grabbed the equaliser when Smith lashed an unstoppable shot past Friedel into the roof of the net from 12 yards after the ball came back to him off Saha's hand. BBC Sport: (includes photo of Saha and Smith cheering themselves on, with at least Saha well aware of the handball, surely!) United launched one last attack on the Blackburn goal with Louis Saha using his hand to turn the ball into the path of Smith, who rifled home. But the Rovers keeper was finally beaten with only seconds to go when Smith struck his equaliser after being handed the ball by Saha. I'm sure there's more. But what really puzzles me is that there's no negative opinion voiced about the goal. The strongest it gets is someone (Soccernet, i believe) calls it a 'controversial' equaliser. Sure, but if you can report it as "clear handball" isn't it a bit more than "controversial"? More like, "illegal"? Otherwise i'd expect them all to be qualifying their statements with phrases like "possible hand ball", and "Saha appeared to handle the ball"... it's pretty worrying when it's obvious to people that the rules have been broken, they say as much, and yet go no further with it.

But business isn't about paying what you can afford! It's about paying what he's worth. If our scouts & couch don't think he's worth 2.5 million we shouldn't ever pay it.

Send Yorke but tell them it's Andy Cole, just have Dwight not smile so much, get caught offside a lot and I'll bet it would be the end of the Norwegian season before they suss out they've been had. Or we could threaten to send them Yorke on a free, if the deal starts bogging down. Blackmail!

Against the war. Reinstate Saddam, I say! What a guy. His people love him. Warning: Sarcasm.