Is it only me that thinks me again Blackburn are being portraid as the villians by the pro-southern press ? Yes, Savage over reacted to the Reyes attempt at a punch. But he didn't roll-around as has been described in many portions of the press. I have also seen matches where players have raised their arms - and not been defended by the media - with the common comment "you can't raise your hands and hope to get away with it". What really gets to me - is that over the last few years Arsenal themselves have been well known to feign injury in an attempt to get players sent off. It reminds me of the out cry against Todd last season. Yet again the whiter than white Arsenal fans and their devoted media machine lambasted Todd for an incident that nobody could prove whether was deliberate or not. And yet only a few seasons previous a blatantly deliberate elbow by Begkamp on Nissa gets barely a mention in the press.

I have never forgiven City for us playing them off the pitch - but still getting beaten at Ewood the year they went up. Or watching Rovers play some enterprising football at Maine Road - only to see them have 6 attacks and score six goals. Then they had the cheek to keep us locked in. Still, let bygones be bygones - I hope we stuff them I have a certain amount of respect for Pearce, and also the loyality of their support. Though has been pointed out - with only one football team actually in Manchester they should get good gates Lets hope for another good game - yet another opportunity for Rovers to show that the myth started by Chelsea and Arsenal is just a load of soutern hot air.

For the poster complaining that kids should be allowed in for a nominal amount - £5 isn't that much to pay. Even £10 to watch us play United, Arsenal or Chelsea represents good value for money. The gate issue isn't just a Rovers problem - it is a general disenchantment with Premiership football. It would also be interesting to see when the decline started - as I feel Football First on Sky has a lot to answer for. Many people that swelled the gates in the Jack Walker era started watching Rovers as we had a genuine chance of winning things. In the old 1st Div we still maintained gates as we were going for promotion. Fans need to feel that there is something to fight for - and that the players reflect that passion. More and more fans are complaining about lack of passion from players in the premiership - which is largely due to the lack of competition. Thankfully Hughes has given the team back the passion, we also now seem to be playing with a certain amount of flair. Time for the crowds to come flooding back - we can only hope.

This is a really tough match - but their excellent away record has to end somewhere - so why not at Ewood Park. The first goal will be the key - if they score first, they will be able to keep hitting us on the break. If we score first - they will have to change their game plan. Personally (though a fan of Reids) if Savage is out - I would sit the Axe just in front of the back four - and give Neil and Gray the ability to push further up the field. Given the way Charlton like to play - I wouldn't be surpised to see Bentley back on right hand side (even when playing well Emerton requires a certain amount of room) or even a surprise recall for Thompson. I am going for a Rovers 3 - 1 win - come on the blues

I am a little surprised how Chelsea seem to be a little rattled by what has only been two draws. They also seem to bear some grudges from last seasons match. Amazing to hear the thug Terry (who should have been sent off for his disgraceful un-necessary challange on the Charlton goal keeper) complaining about opposition rough tactics. In the unlikely event that we get a decent referee - I can actually see Chelsea having a player sent off. More likely though - that we end up with a "home" referee - we get kicked all over the place - retaliate once and have a player sent off.

I can't believe the Chelsea fans on their forum. They hold Essien as their hero - the player that put in one of the most disgraceful tackles seen this season. No matter what is said about our approach last season - at no time was it over the top (as the media would have us believe). They gave as good as they got. What they don't like are players like Savage - who just keep running. You get past him, and he is back at you. The same could be said of most of the team - they are running on Duracell It is time somebody put Chelsea in their place - they are almost as arrogant as their manager. Whether it will be us is debateable - but it would make my weekend if we went to Stamford Bridge and got a result. It would be even better if we could match them for football (as we did at United) - but in reality if we defend for 89 minutes and then win with a break-away goal in the 90th minute I will still be happy. I just hope that none of our players get sent off - as it will just add even more fuel to the media witch hunt that seems to follow Rovers

I can't understand the debate on here - it has to be Reid in the centre. The problem with him early season was that he and Savage are too similar - both being members of the headless chicken brigade. However, pairing him with Tugay is ideal as he has the althetisim to make up for Tugay's ageing legs, and Tugay has the class to make up for Reids (at times) limited passing. Though it may seem harsh - I would drop Dickov for Kuqi. I think WBA will be play defensive which won't give Bellamy the room to exploit his pace (unless we score early). In this situation a bit of height may help to ruffle a few feathers and leave Bellamy with a few knock-downs to feed off. Also - realistically - Kuqi is no worse a finisher than Dickov.

Maybe Souness has been on the phone to him

Injuries permitting - it has to be the same team - but with Reid replacing the suspended Lilly. This has got to be one of the key matches of the season. The additional publicity gained by beating United - favourable for once - should add a little to the attendance. It is for Rovers to put in a decent performance to convince the fans that the poor home results of the last two years are finally coming to an end. Also, if we are going to finish anywhere above mid-table we have to beat teams like WBA or beating United counts for nothing.

A good match - that we should have won by more (not taking anything away from Huddersfield who gave a good acount of themselves). A few worrying signs for me though :- Brad - should I come or should I go - his hesitancy off his line considering his experience was strange Neill - Ok Nelsen - Ok, struggled at times with height of their attack Zurab - See Nelsen, though this guy does look as though he could replace Todd given a few more games. Gray - Ok - but against Ronaldo, I think not Emerton - actually felt sorry for the guy, obviously struggling for form (been 2 years now) - and he is playd largely on the left Tugay - down to him we actually controlled the football, but can't shake off his invisible friend - which against Utd would be costly Bentley - class player, like Tugay likes to get ball down and make us play. Faded in and out of the game badly Bellamy - a reason to be optimistic Dickov - Kuqi without height or pace Savage - I thought he was a good buy, but when you see him next to Tugay you can see how limited a player he is - always gives 100% though MGP - Looked better than he has for a while Kuqi - Hustled and bustled well - too little time really Axe - Ok For me MOM was close between Tugay and Bellamy - Tugay mainly for making us play football rather than constantly giving the ball away (see Savage) On to the next match - Bellamy with Bentley just behind him has to be worth another try.

I'll be there - I just hope that he tries Kuqi and Bellamy up front. Maybe give Taylor a go at left back. We have to pair Reid and Savage - just to see if they can actually build any sort of understanding. I previously had high hopes for this pairing - not the most skillful - but both have high energy levels to play a high pressure pressing game. The one thing that is missing is a little bit of intelligence - as we need one to sit back as the other goes forward - the problem is both are inclined to run around like headless chickens at times. Oh for Tugay being 5 years younger.

Unlike many on here - I do believe that there is goals in our current squad of players. The worst thing that happened was our capitulation against West Ham on the opening day - it made Hughes doubt the ability of players at his disposal to play a 4-4-2 formation. What interests me - was the dropping of Kuqi to the bench. I am not going to pre-judge this - as he could have been carrying a slight knock after internationl duty - but in the days of the SAS we defended from the front. Kuqi offers us this - and with Bellamy will be enough of a handful for any defence. Better times could be just around the corner - but I fear that the crowds won't return even then.

Interesting that nobody has noticed the alarming drop in away support. Newcastle have in previous seasons taken the vast majority of the away end. This year huge gaps - believe me this isn't just a Rovers problem. As someone on the forum has already mentioned - a sides drop in away support is a good barometer for future home support. Watch their crowds start to fall away. Slowly at first - Cup competitions etc, the people will start to realise they can pick and choose matches and it will gather pace. Owen's first match away from home - and they can't take up their allocation - for a City 10*'s the size of Blackburn that is disgraceful

A little bit of over-reaction on here if you ask me - Newcastle had three shots on target - for me that says it all. For the vast majority of the match we were the better team The initial goal - somebody says it was defo a free kick - then why 10 minutes later when Boumsong did exactly the same to Bellamy didn't we get a free kick ? 4-5-1 for me the jury is out - if we had taken our chances, and had a little more luck we would have won with something to spare - and the discussion wouldn't even be raised. However - Bellamy and Kuqi (for me) would be an ideal front two. Yes Kuqi will never be a true premiership finisher - but he is quick for a big man and will deflect a lot of attention away from Bellamy to gain him additional space. Unlike a lot of people on here - and I am still fairly optimistic. Bellamy isn't fully fit - but still showed flashes of the pace that will make a huge difference to the team. Nelsen looked unbeatable for large parts of the match, Friedal has signed a new contract. Yes, we got beat - but by the better team - hardly. Results like this can sap moral - it is down to Hughes to raise moral again. It is imperative that we put Huddersfield to the sword - as United away doesn't hold much hope beyond a battling draw.

I said some time ago that Rovers were once again trail blazing in terms of our lowering attendances. This season my prediction seems to be bearing fruit with most existing premiership clubs seemingly suffering from similar problems. Sorry - though all the reasons mentioned on this thread do have a bearing on attendances - for me the single reason for the Premiership's decline is what made it in the first place - SKY. For me it is simple - why bother paying £30+ to watch a match, when you can enjoy it on television ? Forget loyality etc - for the average supporter what real benefit is there on actually going to the match ? For me there was more atmosphere at Rovers when we were getting crowds of 7k to 10k back in the old second division - so what do you actually gain by going to a match besides a hole in your bank account and cold feet ? The Premier League should never have agreed to the Football First edited highlights on Sky - even though general coverage was slowly killing the game, the coverage wasn't 100%. Now it is - you can see the best bits of every match without the cost etc etc. and the decline in attendances is accelerating.

Don't want to make a prediction on this one. Personally my team would be :- Friedal Neil, Nelsen, Zurab, Matteo Emerton, Savage, Reid, MGP Bentley Bellamy (if fit, otherwise Jansen)

It's gotta be Matteo at centre-back with Nelsen - but I doubt it will be. A difficult one to call - but with Emerton having been on international duty, and not playing particulalry well - I wouldn't be surprised to see Bentley make his debut - in this formation :- Friedal Neil Nelsen Matteo Gresko Reid Mokuena Savage Pedersen Bentley Kuqi (Bellamy if fit)

I think there is one thing that is missing from the list - much of our increase in fan base was during the "glory years" with Uncle Jack bankrolling multi-million pound transfers every season. We were linked with all the best players - and even managed to buy some of them. Contrast that with the current Rovers set up - where we are paupers in comparison to Wigan ! I think this is one of the reasons why our attendances are falling quicker than average - but I feel we are just leading a trend which will eventually effect most of the Premiership. The prices are too high, there is saturation TV coverage (football first being largely to blame) and we have a league where nobody outside the top three has a realistic chance of winning anything.

Has nobody considered the relative attractiveness of our two opening fixtures - only a matter of days apart. For those that can't afford over £50 a week for two matches - the Tottenham one has to be the most attractive. Combine this with our new star striker being injured - two years of home defeats - and a poor opening day result (and performance). I think it is self explanatory why the gate was so low.

USA - could be a marketing ploy - brain wash the public by repeating our name so it slowly sinks in I have no doubt that he is using Rovers as a spring board to greater things - but as been said previously he will need to make us a relative success to do this. We have long been a springboard for managers to move onto greater things - but strangely since we have had the backing of Jack - only Souness springs to mind as a manager that has been poached to another club (I am wary of saying moved onto greater things). We need managers with ambition - unfortunately that ambition will always mean that if a bigger club (i.e. Man U, Chelsea Arsenal etc) come knock they will move on.

Has to be the return of the 5 man midfield from last season - but with Emerton and Pedersen pushed further forward. A lot rests with Kuqi - we never had a target man last season who could hold the ball up so the midfield players could get forward to join the attack - a performance similar to what he gave against Espanyol would be ideal.

MGP was never anything more than average last season. What sets him apart from other midfield players at the club is his ability to put the ball in the back of the net, and his ability from dead-ball situations. Other than that - he can't dribble, isn't slow (but has no great pace), passing is at best average (though he does show signs of imagination about his passing that we generally lack). His goal scoring exploits were what gained him recognition last year - and not his general play. But I believe that he can get 10 - 15 goals from midfield - which makes him worth his place in the team for that reason alone. I also wouldn't be surprised if he scores direct from a corner this year - and even with all his faults is probably one of our most saleable assets (name me another left footed goal scoring midfield player not already in one of the top 4 sides - there aren't many)

Woe, woe, woe is me. Lets put all this in perspective. If we were playing this game in the FA Cup last season (when West Ham were still 1st Division) - would anyone have seen this as an easy win. I wouldn't - and yet many people on here seem to think that we should win easily at these places. West Ham will probably be relegated - but along the way they will beat better teams than Rovers. It is disappointing - but only one game. As they saying goes - goals change matches - we had opportunites to go 2-0 up, and also 2-1 up - which would have made it a different match. They didn't go in - but next week who knows ? The team has weaknesses - but so does every team in the premiership.

I will reserve judgement - let's not forget that we were missing Nelsen, Savage is still gaining match fitness, Bellamy is clearly not match fit, Reid is still coming to terms with the additional demands of playing centre in a four man midfield, and Kuqi has never played at this level before.