Finally got my ticket this morning - was starting to panic, though ! I'm not on any of the cup/away games ticket schemes, because it's not always possible to change my work commitments, so it's been plenty of waiting on the phone for me recently, but I knew before the start of the seaon, I'd have to queue up for any big cup games. We all did. After Bournemouth at home, I didn't think I'd be having problems this season..... Waited on the phone queue from 08:50 this morning and was still 30th in line. It only took 12 mins to get to an operator though, they were very fast this morning in clearing the back log. Have to agree with roversismylife, there was a definite improvement in the response speeds. I'd previously spent Mon & Tues ringing every hour or so only to find 40 - 50+ queues which I couldn't join whilst still being at work (my manger's still not had his bill for last week's 45min wait yet !). Hope everyone can get their hands on the tickets they need - looking forward to seeing Ewood packed to the rafters! It's a shame that some are using personal disappointment in this rare case as a reason to slate a ticket office which is by and large very helpful and efficient.

I agree, both of his books are hilarious reads. The lurching from bizarre episode to the next was probably embellished, yet it's damn funny. Have to agree with colin and Rovermatt, McCarthy's books were well written, very funny and helped pass some long whilst hours stuck on planes and trains on my travels. Shame to hear he's passed away... Started reading some Bill Bryson books, who writes very much in the same style, but perhaps isn't as funny. Recently finished 'Down Under', a journal of his adventures around the lesser known areas of Austrailia, and currently getting stuck into 'The Lost Continent', where he tries to find the 'perfect' old style Amercian town. Bryson seems to get quite alot of local history into his work, so it's quite intersting. Might check out Friarsnig's recommendation above. I book I can highly advise people to stay away from is the Mick Quinn biography 'Who Ate All The Pies?' Bought this on a whim in Manchester Airport and left it in a hotel bin in Osaka a week or so later. Absolute drivel of the highest order. I deserved every minute of it, though, what was I thinking of???

My thoughts exactly. I honestly don't believe that linesman couldn't see that, the whole ground knew it had gone in but he didn't have the bottle/guts to give it. Didn't see the match and haven't seen the highlights yet, but judging from that picture it looks like an absolute sham of a decision. And a farce. And maybe a sham as well. My Dad did make the following point about the Sky coverage, though. He said the commentators were unsure about what the decision should be themselves until they saw the replay clip - then worked up into a nice frenzy about the failure of the officials to spot it! As things stand, officials don't have this benefit and we have to rely on them being in the right place/being able to see/being competent/not being scared of RFW, etc. Recently there has been a series of controversial decsions such as Tiago's (sp?) handball against Liverpool, Carragher's repeat against Norwich (the irony!), Ashley Cole's handball against Newcastle and the almost sending off of Andy Johnson for his 50-50 with Bernard. In all cases, the officials have edged on caution and neglected to make a importnant decision in favour of taking a easier option (even though in both the Tiago/Johnson cases, the ref's body language/initial reaction suggested a decision had been made and then was changed). Is this a common theme? I really hope a strict punishment guideline is enforced to prevent officials who fail to make such important decisions from making them again. It's hard enough to do well against the bigger clubs in the league without them getting the benefit of decisions and choosing their own injury time, etc . A couple of games demotion to the RolaCola Championship isn't enough in my opinion, but then I can't suggest many better ideas myself (that are legal, anyway). Even then, we'd probably need RFW's permission. Agree with T4E though, it does make football interesting and gives us plenty to talk about. Imagine if every decision was given perfectly and we had state of the art equipment everywhere to monitor the game and give the officials exactly what they need? Where would the controversy come from? Chelski using a hacked or more enhanced version of "MSWorks Offside Decision Maker 2006 (including Ruud Van Nistelrooy sub-rules)" than Charlton? Not quite the same is it? [i won't be saying the same next week when Nissa's perfectly legal 40 yard thunderbolt is ruled out against Portsmouth because the officials were too busy polishing their Alex Fergsuson pin badges to notice it cross the line. Makes me sick.]

Have to agree, Andy Todd has been brilliant since his return to the 1st team of late, he put in some brilliant tackles in yesterday's match against Charlton and played a massive part in shutting the Addicks out. I admit I was one of the few who thought he shouldn't have been given the chance to put a blue and white shirt on again after last season's walk-out before Leeds, so I've been eating alot of humble pie recently! That isn't to say I wasn't a fan of his before the incident, I just felt disappointed about the way he nearly let us down when we needed him. On saying that, I think he has made the most of his chances this season and must be one of the 1st names on the team sheet. His performances so far this season have gone a long way to put last season's fall with Souness behind him and a 2nd player of the season award doesn't look beyond his reach. His performances under Hughes have been exactly what we've needed, considering the position we've been in and a new contract offer is well deserved. After a fully fit Short, I think Todd is probably our most consistent defender and there's not alot more you can ask from your centre halves. I was worried about how we'd replace Short if he retired at the end of this season (I don't see him getting another contract), but now it's obvious that Todd's capable of filling the void and I don't know if Short would get back into the team as easily as he has done on recovery from injury in the past. Todd and Nissa have put in some great displays as a defensive partnership. (On saying that, I thought Lucas still deserved his MOTM award, because he defended solidly, supported the attacking play well and showed signs of getting back to his best form, which made him one of the better right backs in the premiership)

I got a feeling im gonna get fleeced - everyone telling me to bring change!!! May well happen as Rach will be there I didn't want any of that change anyway, you were both doing me a favour !.......... I'll beat you one day, Jordan ! Hope you have a great day out, sounds like I'm gonna miss a good 'un! I'll catch up on the next away trip when rovers have finished hammering Cardiff.

Got one Sigur Ros album,and although the style is my cup o' tea, I think the content is weak. BTW I saw Doves at Blackpool on Friday - awsome as ever, a great live band. They are touring in March, I can highly recommend a visit! I was at Doves on Fri too, TDI, have to agree with you, I thought they were superb. I was also very impressed by the supporting I Am Kloot and I'm already looking forward to hearing new albums by both bands soon and catching them live in '05. The new Doves material, in particular, sounded very promising.

Defensive midfielder would be my 1st priority. We need an energetic central midfielder who can protect the back 4 and free-up the likes of Tugay, Thompson and Ferguson to get forward and create chances. In possession, I think we've got a decent midfield, who can usually use the ball well, but without it I think we're lacking physical presence to break down opposition play in the middle of the park. With a bit more protection, I think our current back 4 is good enough to get us through until the end of the season (injuries and suspensions permitting), but we need the midfield to do their bit and make it difficult for oppenents to create chances. Although Tugay did a great job against Fulham, I can't see him being able to produce that kind of display week in, week out, whilst Douglas and Flitcroft don't seem to be getting a chance. Ferguson and Thompson don't strike me as players who will be able to fill the role effectively. Getting a pacy, decent centre half would be nice, but I think a decent defensive midfielder would benefit the current team more than a decent centre half would.

Great News, cheers, Ste B I'm off to the Box Office in Manchester tomorrow, so I'll be grabbing a ticket for this one! Whales & Dolphins indeed!

but Lars Bohinen isn't on the list.....

Maybe the slower response is down to the feeling that this particular vote is pretty much a one horse race (even though there have been several good posts to promote candidates other than Clayton) and some are just waiting for the inevitable, before moving onto the next poll. It's when people start demanding re-counts that the boredom'll set in

Just got back from Manchester Roadhouse where a band called Floatation Toy Warning (never heard of them before....) were supporting The Radio Dept. If anyone likes Sparklehorse / Grandaddy / early Flaming Lips material then I think you'd like this band too!

Just bought: 'Lesser Matters' by The Radio Dept & 'Universal Audio' by The Delgados and both seem pretty good so far. Also got a ticket for The Doves at Blackpool Empress Ballroom on Fri Dec 17th. Has anyone been to the see a band at the Ballroom before (and if so, what's it like?) ?

Not got Interpol's yet but the Kasabian one is excellent. Got the Kasabian, Modest Mouse and Interpol albums recently, they're all superb. Was the Interpol 1st album any good, Scotty? Bought 'SMiLE' by Brian Wilson tonight, can't wait to listen to it....! I know you werent asking me but Interpol's first album was superb would defo recommend that you get it! Have ordered the new one just waiting for it to arrive along with Ian Browns latest. Love Kasabian's album, and the Music's new one. Cheers Damo Gally , I've already got a ticket to see Interpol in Manchester in December - looks like a copy of the 1st album is on the cards as well.... Anyone heard the latest albums by The Radio Dept, The Black Keys, Micah P Hinson, Oceansize or Ed Hardcourt yet? I'm off to Vinyl Exchange on Saturday and these are all on my list so far....

Not got Interpol's yet but the Kasabian one is excellent. Got the Kasabian, Modest Mouse and Interpol albums recently, they're all superb. Was the Interpol 1st album any good, Scotty? Bought 'SMiLE' by Brian Wilson tonight, can't wait to listen to it....!

Give over. I was disappointed that MGP wasn't brought on as well, but he hasn't exactly had a flying start to his Rovers career has he? You can't blame Hughes from trying to give Jansen a chance to prove himself. I'm surprised that Hughes chose Jansen in the starting line-up over MGP (not De Pedro, though) and would have thought the least MGP would have added to the game late on wouild have been a fresh pair of legs and a threat from long throw-ins. To be honest, I don't think there were many players who would have made a difference to tonight's game - we were under par as a whole, struggled to threaten the Charlton goal and it would have taken alot more than what MGP's shown for us so far to make an impact. I've got high hopes for MGP, but just because he was a star in the your home league doesn't mean he's gonna have the same impact here straight away. We've already got one player suffering from a lack of confidence (and quality service) in Jon Stead - it'd be a shame to see MGP suffer the same set back so soon after he's joined. I think you're a bit over-dramatic - Hughes needs 100% support from everyone at the moment - he's trying to get the best out of a squad of someone else's players. We can't go throwing our rattles out of the pram everytime one of our favourite players doesn't get a game. Gally's put in some decent showings for so far us in his short career at Ewood and he's no closer to getting into the team either. If MGP's as good as everyone says he will get his chance.

His massive forehead also makes him look like a distant relative of the Mekon... The Mekon (AKA Lee Hendrie) Edit - nearly forgot - I think we'll beat Bournemouth convincingly, scoring 4 without reply. 2 goals for Bothroyd, 1 Pedersen and 1 Stead.

Have to agree with your post, samtheozzy, let's hope that the enthusiasm that the signing of Hughes has brought to the club has a positive effect on the results. There has been alot of positive backing for Hughes from just about everyone involved with the club, from staff to players to fans, so it's vital he gets 100% support from the everyone. The players have got the new manager that it seems they were hoping for, so they need to start doing their bit on the pitch now - no excuses. The fans have got someone they can relate to, having seen Sparky play in blue and white halves, so we've no excuse either for not trying to raise the roof on Saturday (and hopefully drown out those flamin' cowbells ). I'm surprised that the deal's been wrapped up so quickly, the majority of the negotiaions must have been done prior to Blackburn contacting the FAW for official permission it seems. I can't say Hughes was my 1st choice (like bob f I didn't really have 1 particular candidate in mind), I just hoped it'd be someone with some potential and we've certainly got that. For every Kidd flashback, let's try and stay positive and think of the impact Coleman's had at Fulham, with even less managerial experience than Sparky (great point, blue/white ). A big 'Yes' for me. I hope his arrival has the desired impact for the Pompey game (even if he doesn't get much time with the players), I'm feeling alot more confident about the result, and like others have mentioned, this is the most I've looked forward to going to Ewood for a fair while. I'd like to think Portsmouth will be now be wary of their trip to Ewood this Saturday, even though last week's performance against the Geordies was poor. It's a fresh start for Blackburn this Saturday - there's a fair bit of work to be done to get some points on the board and lift this team up the table - the fans can help by getting behind the manager and his team by getting bums on seats and singing like loons. Good luck, Sparky !

Don't forget Steve Harkness, Seb Pelzer and even Handbags' stint at left back ! Is Jay worth a nomination for dumping Beckham into the advertising boards?

Kluivert doesn't by the looks of it !

Sorry, T4E/Bryan, don't wanna spoil the game but couldn't resist posting a link to this : - Houllier's Signing's There are a fair few corkers I'd forgotten about (as well as the rest of the professional football world, I'd imagine). Rigobert Song !?!

Fair enough, but I don't think we have the time to give a manager to come in, get settled and establish himself as a premiership manager and then build on his reputation; especially considering our position. We're at an important part of the club's future, we could easily go either way from this point, so I'd be less willing to gamble on picking a manager who isn't fully experienced enough for the job. We've got the potential to do well and I think we'd struggle to get to this stage again given our financial standing, smaller gates and the increase of spending throughout the premiership, even by the 'smaller' clubs, if we were to get things wrong with this next appointment. We have an almost full strength squad, which has good cover in the shape of at least 2 decent players vying for each position and the bonus of having a handful of decent players in the reserves who may be able to make the step up into 1st team, premiership football (not to mention the superb foundations we have at the academy). We need to be getting the best out of these players ASAP, not in a year or so's time. If we're going to improve the quality of the squad with future signings and try and convince the better players to stay with us, we need to show them that we're capable of competing right away and show that last season was a one-off and isn't likely to be the norm from now on. This is why a Strachan would be a better bet for me, rather than say a Jewell or Sturrock. They may be decent managers who could do a good job for us, but can we afford to take that gamble, knowing that if it doesn't work we risk not being able to get as talented a sqaud back together again? A proven premiership-experienced manager should be able to get the best out of the likes of Emerton and Neill and build on the potential of the likes of Stead, MGP and Gally. Someone with proven experience and a decent reputation will give us a cutting edge in current/potential player negotiations, that perhaps a lesser-experienced manager would take time to develop. Although I agree that people need to be given a chance at some point and risks do need to be taken, I strongly doubt whether we'd be able to remain an attractive club to potential future transfer prospects like Emerton and Ferguson if we were to spend the the rest of this season floundering around the bottom of the league (or God forbid get relegated). I think the current potential at Ewood is massive, IF someone can get it right. We have players who are more than capable of holding their own at this level - we need to reach that potential sooner rather than later...

I agree 100% with that. What kind of point is that? Are you saying the manager has to be bigger than the club? Players, generally, don't go to clubs simply due to the attraction of the manager. It's the club, playing in the Premiership and whether the club in question appears to be ambitious that persuades them to sign. Cole and Ferguson would have joined Blackburn regardless of the manager imo. I don't think Souness was that big a draw. In fact, by the end, I wouldn't be surprised if some players were turning us down because of Souness' uncompromising reputation. Clubs have tried high-profile before - Gullit for example. Perhaps, there were players craving to join Gullit because of his profile, shame he couldn't manage the football club. Have to disagree with you there, Rover6, I think there's been quite a few players who have been persuaded to sign for Rovers thanks to Souey's standing in the game as a player. I'm pretty sure both Dickov and Matteo have said as much soon after they signed their respective deals; don't forget there were allegedly 9 clubs in for Dickov at the time of his transfer speculation, so Souness must have played a part in there somewhere. I'm pretty sure having Souness as our manager was a serious consideration for Ferguson, when we were trying to sign him from Rangers. I really don't know if Barry would have been prepared to make a move to the premiership without knowing that his new manager would be someone who had played a pivotal role in getting his career started and would be giving him plenty of support. Friedel would also be another example of this I would imagine. Souness has a reputation of signing players/staff from former clubs, so it was no surprise to see him back in for the coaching staff today. The comfort/knowledge of having played/worked for him before will have been a factor for some of the players/staff he has signed for us. I'm not saying that players automatically sign for us, simply because Souness had a great career as a player, but surely he has a well-known reputation that would get us noticed in a transfer scramble. Maybe the lure of premiership alone is enough to convince the likes of Stead and MGP to sign for us, but I honestly think that in situations like the signing of Matteo and Dickov, Souness' presence does has an influence and gave us an edge over others. I think that Hughesy and Krislu are trying to say that at least a manager with a decent reputation in the game (even if it is for his playing career and not managing skills in Souness' case), would give us that little extra in transfer dealings. I honestly think that if a player was offered the chance to speak to, say Mark Hughes and Steve Wigley in transfer negotiations, Hughes' name would stand out quickest and would maybe seen as the more favourable option, thanks to his reputation as a successful player. It's not the most important factor by any means, I know, but it must play a part (IMO anyway) and help get a foot in the door. Would a Jewell or Sturrock have the same inital impact/influence on a player that a Souness or Keegan would? I don't think they would, personally.....

Crikey, you're not wrong, Hasta! The main admin guy feels so strongly about the situation he's considering stopping going to St James and closing down the website! Looks like he's not happy with the alleged involvement of some of the parties mentioned.........

Was thinking along the same lines, Gav. I can't see the Welsh FA letting Hughes go without a fight and given the current qualifying campaign is going to be their best chance to claim a place in a major tournament, I think it'd be a wrench for Hughes to leave Wales. It would be nice to see Hughes get the job at Ewood, because I think he's shown signs of being a decent manager. He commands respect from his players (without having to try and injure them in training!) and has shown recently that he's willing to look into different methods of getting the best preparation for his players beforegames. I also think he's a name that will be able to attract players to the club (something Souness' standing as a player helped us with greatly), when we're facing decent competition. The obvious downside is that he isn't experienced in premiership management, which may prove too big a gamble for Williams & Co., given our current position. Out of all the candidates being bandied around, I think Strachan is the best available, as long as we can veto his South American transfer wanderings! I don't think we'll be poaching any other prem club's manager (Moyes, Dowie or Megson) and the risk of appointing an Adams, Newell or Sturrock from the lower leagues may not be ambitious enough. I don't think Reid, El Tel, Graham, Bryan Robson, Gregory or Houllier are good enough to push the club forward. Sir Bobby would certainly bring optimism to the club, but he hardly represents long-term consideration, maybe a stop-gap measure for a season whilst we wait for other developments? I think with John Williams & Co. we're in good hands and the time is right for a new face to bring fresh ideas (and coaches) to the squad, which has the potential to do well under the right circumstances. Let's hope the challenge of playing for a 1st team spot will get the players fired up and help put some points on the board....

Voted 'Yes', because it's proabably the best move for both the club and Souness. Now the initial shock's passed, the only concerns I have are about the quality of his replacement and whether Souey will be back for some of our players in January. Souness has done a great job at Ewood Park during his time here, but I doubt he's the manager to turn the potential of Newcastle into a trophy-winning / title-challenging side. He's already managed to demonstrate some tactical failings this season and struggles to maintain half-decent manager/player relationships once he takes a dim view of a player - I'm sure they'll be plenty of fireworks at St James' given the reputations of some of the players there. I've plenty of admiration for the progress Souness has made when he took over as a manager when we were a mid-table 1st division side, but I don't know if he's got it in him to compete with the likes of Fergie, Wenger and Mourinho towards the top end of the table, especially as 'instant success' will be demanded in Newcastle. I think the 'honeymoon period' will go well for you, but I can't see it lasting the full 5 years he's alledgedly signing for. I'd be pretty disappointed if I were a Newcastle fan (especially considering the resources you have available), that Souness would get the nod, but perhaps the initial doubts will spur Souey on to prove himself further - he's certainly got the passion and determination to succeed. Sorry, Rikko - I think Freddy Shepherd may have sold you short on this one, considering some of the other names that were being linked with NUFC......