Yo American. Home and Away friendlies against me? I'll play my second XI in the first match (have playoffs) and my first XI in the second.

You @#/? American! That's your second ###### excellent YP!

As for changing are you sure you can actually change divisions? I thought that change was just to regions. For example my region is ACT (where i live) but my division is VI.94. I could change my region but i doubt i'd be allowed to move my team to another division.

Ok I'm going to take a contreversial stance on tonights result: I couldn't care less. I wasn't upset when we were knocked out of the league cup early last season and i'm not upset know. Frankly i am relieved that we have one less competition to worry about and can focus on staying (and performing) in the premiership.

Yes I realise that the league cup is our best hope for silverware each season and it certainly holds many happy recent memories for Roversesupporters but let's face facts; we can play in the league cup no matter what division we're in but if we get knocked out of the premiership we're in serious trouble. Our long run in the league cup two seasons back led to a dramatic downturn in form in the premiership and we simply cannot allow that to happen at the moment due to our precarious position near the relegation zone.

It would have been nice to go further but it's better to get knocked out early rather than later.

Do you feel like starting from scratch american? Because Hattrick will not (usually) let you move a team. I've considered the same thing as i wanted to start over without all the rookie mistakes but i couldn't stand going back to disasterous youth squad, crappy trainees, small stadium etc.

I'll finish 1st this season (barring a loss against the 3rd last (bot) team) but i will face a play-off against a *good* team from div V who also trains scores, except his scorers are all getting at least 4 stars . Bizarrely i should be able to pip this guy in the midfield, especially if two of my mids go up in form on Friday. It should be one hell of a contest.

I see Alan. Well i've edited my previous post so as not to appear a total @#/?. Never heard that about Harry...

Still Emerton looked pretty nifty in the second half. MGP looked really nervous. Not unskilled, not useless, just nervous. Once he settles in he should be the goods.

Not just that but all his team mates who knew what he had been through were so esctatic for him. Just a beautiful moment.

Oh my god! How did Friedel not give away a penalty, that was a shocking challenge! Still no worse than Andy Griffins sh*house tackle at the start of the 2nd half i suppose. That Stefanovic is a right w*nker as well. His hands were in the air so often it's like he was a victim of armed robbery. Jansen actually looked a little frustrated and tightly-wound before his goal. I think it will come as no small relief to the lad and should go a long to convincing himself that he can still play at this level. Bothroyd looked excellent as well, finally rovers have some menacing pace.

(yes i know i said i only had radio coverage in an earlier post but my download of the match finally finished this afternoon )

hahahaha.....Man did i overthink that last game. Pumped the bottom team 6-0. They didn't even get a shot away. Only downside is that my starting centreback is out for 4 weeks.

Could someone comment on how Bothroyd played today. i don't have pay-tv so i can only go on what was said on the radio broadcast. By all accounts he did pretty well but in the euphoria surrounding Jansen's strike it seems Bothroyds cameo today has gone unnoticed.

Splash out on midfield cookie, not strikers. Hattrick rewards a good midfield far more than other positions.

YES! I don't wish to harp on the obvious shortcomings of our play today (plenty of corners, occasional unpunished defensive lapses, non-threatening starting forwards). Phrase of the day was "win at all costs" and we damn well did it!

Matt jansen scored as well, what a comeback.

Finally bought a decent 3rd midfielder so i will PIC the next match as i should still end up with a wretched (high) midfield.

American: Sure. But i may have a qualifier in the first week.

EDIT: Actually the hell with that...I just remembered that TS resets at the end of the season so I should be able to MoTS the play-off (if i make it) quite safely. And BigA i should be good enough for div V. I get ~30 stars a game and with my TS up and a new midfielder my team is pretty sweet.

Well it's a moot point now. I had two of my starting midfielders drop in form (Solid->Passable for my crap midfielder and Passable->Inadequate for my good midfielder). Even with a raise in TS to composed i simply don't have enough juice in the midfield to PIC. I'll try to pick up a 2.5-3 star midfielder in the next couple of days. I'll try to get a Solid PM/Passable passing (this time with decent stamina and in decent form) or a Solid PM/Inad Passing or a Passable PM/Passable passing. It's all go at Supine Rovers.

A little Dr Seuss-y don't you reckon?

No ones going to feel smug or celebrate that they're right if it means Blackburn get relegated (you hear me Bryan? i remember your pre-season rants about lack of quality and the imminence of relegation ) or that Hughes fails beacause we would all rather see Rovers do well. I'm pretty sure USABlue would rather be wrong, he just doesn't think he is.

And what a courageous and inspirational first signing - Ronny Johnsen

Disapppointing to read all this negative reaction to the appointment of Mark Hughes.

I agree but it's only a vocal opinionated minority that are against Huges' appointment. USABlue seems to be coming in for a bit of unfair criticism as he has hardly been unreasonable in stating his reasons for opposing Hughes as manager of Blackburn. At least he has the courage of his convictions.

That said i think he's wrong (face it ) and i am in the vast majority. 85% are happy with Hughes as manager, a formidable approval rating wherever you're from. Only a miniscule 2.5% actively oppose the appointment yet it seems like most of the discussion on this thread is aimed at abusing/addressing the opinions of that 2.5%. That's completely normal of course, after all conflict is far more interesting than harmony ever was. Just get over it. Hughes has the backing of the overwhelming majority of fans, the board, and the players which is all he could really ask for when starting out. You can be damn sure that Souness has no such support at Newcastle...

You contradict yourself a bit there mr ozzy.  You start out asking if I prefer the fans had no voice and end up saying you doubt the fans had anything to do with it.

I am simply saying, for the last time I hope, that based on QUALIFICATIONS Hughes is one of the least qualified, it is a feel good appointment.

Ir's not a contradiction to say that it's better that the fans have some say in the choice of manager but they probably didn't in this case. It's simply a statement of a possible situation followed by a statement of the actual situation.

As for qualifications we're well into the season and the only possibilities for replacement managers are experienced losers (let's face it, otherwise they would have a job), experienced winners (who would never condescend to managing Blackburn anyway), and unproven "youngsters".

Even with the Bryan Kidd debacle i would still prefer an unproven manager to an established failure like Hoddle or Reid. Let's face it Hodgson did a fair bit of damage to the team (understatement of the year), leaving them last in the premiership before Bryan Kidd came along and haplessly tried to avoid relegation and then gain promotion. Hodgson was not without your lauded experience before coming to Blackburn Rovers either, even if it was continental experience with one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

PG. What do reckon about this. His two wingbacks (defensive) are his best players getting three stars a piece. I could play 3 IMs and My winger towards middle. THis way I won't give away too much in the midfield by PICing and my attacks will be all on his crappy central defence. Do you reckon it will work and if so do you reckon it will work better if i attack in the middle as well?

I can't really CA as only one of my defenders has inadequate passing. The rest are poor or lower.

Before you ask I'm number 3.  I have stated my reasons.  This is nothing more than a cop out by the Board, it was a popularity contest rather than scouring the length and breadth of the football World to find the right man.

It reeks of a self preservation type appointment by John Williams and show him to be less of a forward moving CEO than I thought of him being.

Our club should not be the one to see if Hughes can cut it at this level.  I fear relegation, and I fear the man has no savvy to rebuild this club from the grass roots level.  Then again what do I know.

Good luck Mark Hughes, welcome and please save my Football Team.  If you should happen to be a success, how long will you stay?

USABlue. Would you prefer a situation in which the fans had no voice ? Would you prefer a situation like Tottenham when David Pleat was appointed? Or a Southampton limbo situatiuon where they have no manager? Our board has acted swiftly and competently. They have appointed a manager that they knew posessed great managerial potential from his time playing here. Hughes was also the players favourite choice for next manager, in addition to being the boards first choice, and certainly a top 3 favourite amongst the fans.

We could have been like every other club that replaces a manager mid-season and gone with the usual suspects that may have seen us safe for this season (if we were extremely lucky) but would have had us struggling the next season forcing us to repeat the same managerial merry-go-round then. Reid, Hoddle, Houllier, Gregory, just think how much worse it could have been!

I doubt that the fans had anything to do with this appointment but if they did it was certainly not a detriment to the process.

While the appointment is not likely to set the world on fire the alternatives could've been disasterous. Names like Hoddle, Houllier, Gregory, Reid etc were raised as potential replacements so i think Hughes is a fine choice and i will give him my full support.

Chesh if you're digging on Gomez you might want to check out Augie March, especially Sunset Studies and Strange Bird. They are currently supporting Gomez as they tour.

Keeping you up-to-date while you're asleep:

Hughes seeks permission from FAW to speak to blackburn

Paul Abbandonato, The Western Mail

  

MARK HUGHES has asked his FA of Wales bosses for official permission to speak to Blackburn about becoming their new manager.

Sources in Blackburn say the Premiership club yesterday formally approached FAW chiefs to seek their approval to interview Hughes about the vacant Ewood Park post.

The move comes after Hughes confirmed to Blackburn he was keen to become Graeme Souness' successor at Ewood Park.

The move totally contradicts misinformed speculation in the media yesterday, which emanated from quotes Hughes made last week, stating that Hughes didn't want the Blackburn post and wasn't prepared to turn his back on Wales.

And from the BBC Gossip column

Hughes will take over at Ewood Park after Gordon Strachan turned down the post and Crystal Palace boss Iain Dowie was overlooked. But Strachan is said to be waiting in the wings to take over at Manchester City. (Daily Mail)

And that's because City boss Kevin Keegan has had a training ground row with Danny Mills, increasing the chances of the former England boss leaving the club. (Daily Mail)

Let's not forget that Souness was considered a success until last season Tchock.

Looks like the Welsh FA could do us a favour here. I would prefer Hughes to focus solely on Rovers.

I think the immediate effect Hughes will have in the change rooms will be remarkable. He is held in very high esteem by the senior players in the Rovers squad and that will in turn affect the younger players, hopefully just in time for the Portsmouth match.

EDIT: 14 minutes old from the Telegraph

Hughes hints at Rovers ambition

By John Ley and Christopher Davies (Filed: 15/09/2004)

The Football Association of Wales are bracing themselves for an approach from Blackburn Rovers for the services of Mark Hughes after the Welsh manager's agent admitted that the former Rovers player would be interested in beginning his club management at Ewood Park.