£1.5 million for Dunn is without doubt Hughes's worst signing pound for pound. Fat boy would have been free next month - had he really wanted to move to Rovers for football reasons he could have signed a pre-contract in January and got himself into shape to be able to tackle a Hughes pre-season. As it is he's used the Bolton situation to force Rovers to pay good money for him, signed a contract on his terms, and now he's living where he wants to live, drinking where he wants to drink, and there is no chance he will ever be match fit or match capable at the top level ever again. I strongly suspect Hughes didn't really want this signing - he doesn't risk money on lazy idiots. It looks like a publicity stunt which has gone badly wrong - today it cost us points as well as money.

What the hell happened to the player we sold to Birmingham?? 2 months of conditioning under the Hughes regime, and he still looks totally out of place at this level. Once Savage and Reid are fit again, Dunn won't even make the squad of 16. Who would have ever thought that Mokoena would be missed once Dunn got the chance to step into his shoes?

Just that the gobby idiot is too good to come back to a small club like ours, and McCarthy isn't Welsh ...

Bellamy's biggest flaw is that as soon as Liverpool came in with a better offer, he was off on his travels again. Just like he was to Newcastle from Coventry (even Cov from Norwich) and when he'd wrecked that lot, to Celtic. Add in the night clubs and golf clubs, and suddenly his talent - or rather his pace - seems less important. Hughes was canny enough to set Rovers up to play to Bellamy's strengths last season. Liverpool have too many good players to do that, and Bellamy has been left exposed. Meanwhile Rovers now play a much better all round game, with much better all round prospects. We can now lose key players and not worry about the consequences. Last season, when Bellamy was out Rovers were a different team. Our squad is now far more balanced. Wherever he goes, Bellamy has to be the key player, and the biggest idiot. We are well rid.

We saw a brief glimpse of the "Roberts (anywhere) Roberts" on Valentines day in Germany with that awesome miss - the ball was very much in front of him, pretty early too. Which means we're all sat at home tonight rather than being teargassed in Lens. Nonda on the other hand has scored a handful of useful goals that none of our other strikers would have scored - or even dared to try and score. He does the unexpected and he does it well. I would concur that he could sometimes do better at being ordinary (his debut goal up at the Riverside proves he can do the basics) but a team at our level is very lucky to have that element of the extraordinary and the unexpected. Nonda has to stay for me. He wants to, and finding an equivalent would be very tough. I'm quite sure Roberts will stay as well, and he too is welcome. A club like ours needs back up, and we're not likely to improve on Roberts as a 4th choice option (maybe 5th if Gally ever shows some form).

(edit) oops

Goals per minute?! Wasn't aware any of em were that good!

Awesome stuff from Priestley tonight to remain top, in front of 5,000 Yorkshire folk in Sheffield. Taylor v Barney still to come - but they'll only be playing for 2nd place in the league!! (edit) - how random!! Robbie Savage is in the practice room with Taylor and Barney!

Hahaha Says the person who goes running for help more than any other poster on the board!!! And if the reply isn't quick enough - this happens: Moderators - what are they for? By jim mk2 June 2006

Tat indeed. Surely if he was anywhere close he'd have been involved today. After all, Hughes included a Liverpool reserve who last started a PL game on September 17th - and a Hertha Berlin bench warmer who's been lucky to grab 20 mins here and there this season. If Dunny was "anywhere close" he'd have been on for 20 mins to get even closer. The fact he didn't even make the bench in the absence of Tugay, Savage and Reid speaks volumes.

indeed!! You are the one with the indefensible position. As countless others have pointed out Rovers were made well aware of Neill's intentions long before he entered the final 12 months of his contract. To say "Neill ran his contract down for his own benefit" is a statement without a grain of truth in it.

What?? What are "normal circumstances"?? Why aren't you slating David Dunn for not signing up his extra two year option with Birmingham so they could have got his "market value under normal circumstances"? Rovers have MADE A PROFIT on Neill, and sometimes I think you're on a completely different planet once you've decided you don't like certain players!

Another lie - pure and simple. He was signed for £600,000. So Rovers have had 5 1/2 years of service AND more than doubled their money.

What - just after he'd scored the goal to ensure Rovers topped the group - hence avoiding a very tricky tie against Shakhtar Donetsk next month? My pride and passion is just fine thanks - and I don't need to boo players playing for my own team to prove it. Fair enough - and whatever he may do in the future I won't defend him - he's history. But at this moment in time people are making 2+2=5 and accusing him of saying / doing things which can't be backed up - and it's quite pathetic.

One word: sad. Neill told Rovers and Rovers fans back in June that he wouldn't be signing a new contract and that he'd leave the club. Where he's moved to and for what salary is completely irrelevant. During his time wearing a blue and white shirt - with or without the armband - he neither shirked his responsibilities on the field nor broke his contract off it. He hasn't berated the fans, or thrown the captaincy back at Hughes, or told Rovers they didn't want him enough. Why invent things to taint someone who's been a good player and has now gone? Onwards and upwards for Rovers if not for Neill - but now he's gone who gives a **** if he's made a crap career choice - that's his problem not ours.

Anything over £7.50 is too much!!

Interesting set of responses on this thread since Tuesday. Depending on which side of the Lucas Neill debate people have landed on, his performance during the match ranges from "worst player on the pitch" to "crap" to "bad body language" to "ok" to "far from crap" to "good solid performance as always". Rovers fans just have to accept Mark Hughes' judgement on this one. Interviewed after the game he made it totally clear - if Rovers don't land someone as good or better this window, Lucas Neill "IS GOING NOWHERE" - a comment which drew a round of applause in Blues Bar. Which means Hughes would play him in every game until the end of the season, because he's the most versatile defender at the club - if not the best defender at the club. The choice of many fans to take the armband - Savage - has endorsed Neill as captain. There is clearly no unrest in the dressing room, so there is no reason to suspect that Savage is misleading anyone with his recent comments. Fans who jump on Neill's every mistake - and those who boo him - are simply undermining the team. Maybe he's played his last game for us, maybe he hasn't. Either way he's been bloody good along the way and will leave without breaking a contract. That for me is more than enough.

I think the gate for the Liverpool proves two things - 1) The club has got pricing for top category games absolutely right. The Darwen End has to be milked whenever it can be, and will have brought in over a quarter of a million quid on Tuesday in seat sales alone. 2) If the occasion is right, there is still interest out there in Blackburn. Approx 3000 more home fans than against Man Utd 6 weeks back - both televised games. OK it's Boxing Day so there's a tradition - but surely those who came down and paid £36 to watch the Rovers because it's Boxing Day will pop back when we play Leverkusen?!?? If it's special on Boxing Day then surely it's pretty damn special when we're in the last 32 of European Competition! And it's pretty special this Saturday - the same lads battling for 3 points against Boro - for a £21 discount over what was payable earlier in the week. Again - we have to hope that the public responds and the team benefits.

deleted - it's Christmas

All the main Channel ports were closed due to the high winds if I remember correctly. I don't think you have a leg to stand on, which is probably why only you and one other person have bothered to complain. What do you expect Rovers / the coach drivers / the ferry company to do when it's too dangerous to sail a boat out of the harbour?

This is a waste of time if people don't actually read what's been posted. I would be delighted if Dunn arrives on a free and does well. But not for any cash. What since October? Not at all. It's based on his inability to play for more than 30% of any season. Of prime age but never in prime condition during the last 4 years. A million!! You're throwing our money away. Massive risk. Don't put words into my mouth as I made no comment at the time. However, there was NO FEE. Bentley has looked OK in centre mid, and Hughes has offered Mokoena a new deal. You may not like that, but it's a fact. And Reid is not far away. We can't afford passengers like Dunn. If you think an injured David Dunn is going to make the crucial difference to our season, you've totally lost the plot. There should be no fee. End of story. Free - YES. Waste cash - NO.

In response to my post (on the gate debate thread) about Boro tickets being 15 quid all round next Saturday, there was a barrage of responses saying it was a crap pricing ruse for a crap game. It's almost uniform that 36 quid for Liverpool in the BBE is far too much. But £500,000 is virtually nothing?? Well it's Ewood well over capacity at £15 a seat - we'd need to sell 33,000 adult seats. It's 14,000 paying fans at £36 - more than we can draw for European games where ST holders pay less than a tenner. £500,000 is massive money for a club with our turnover competing against other Premier League clubs. This Dunn thing is so simple it's not true. He will be free in the summer - not "virtually nothing" - totally free. He is currently injured - and hasn't been match fit for years. And we don't need a midfield player this January. Tugay, Savage, Bentley, MGP, Mokoena, Peter, Emerton and Gallagher have all played in midfield this season, and when Reid comes back that's 9 for 4 places. Why spend ANY cash on bringing in an injured player to make that a 10 into 4 problem??? Especially when that same player is free in 5 months?

His market level wage right now IS zero. He is injured and will be free in 5 months time. No well run club at any level will pay a fee and a wage just now. If Brum decide to cut their losses and waive the fee this Jan then Bolton might offer him a grand a week. Maybe Leeds or Stoke at a stretch. If Brum do that, I'd actually hope he'd choose to come back to us on our terms, not in an auction. That hardly amounts to "a number" of clubs who would be interested - please list them - and name your sources - if you know different.

He's free in the summer, so why pay any fee now for an injured player? And why offer any wage when other players in similar situations who have ambition to prove themselves at the top level accept deals which rewards them only for appearance and performance? If he wants to come back to Rovers then he would accept those terms - he's a fan after all. Scotty - you need to adjust the settings on your TV. He did not look trim in the slightest.

... but true true true