Unlikely unless a money bags club are in the mix.

Alex Ferguson is pretty myopic and he's done alright. Keane will do a good job imo. I wonder how long Jon Stead will last.

Wasn't that the game where Nils Eric Johnasson, playing at left back, crucially slipped near the end of the game and thus allowed the winger to run down the wing and cross for the goal?

And you will notice that he is 36 years old and in no state to be the heartbeat of any Premiership side. I have no doubts that the game Tugay returns for, he will be influential and the team will look irresistible with his subtle promptings from the centre. The big but (resist Matteo jibe...) is that he is not capable of playing consistently over a number of games. If you look back at his best performances in recent years they have come when he has had a spell on the sidelines to recuperate and rest those wearying legs. His worst performances have come when he's been playing regularly in midfield - think back to the Burnley cup tie where Tugay was sadly anonymous. I just think that by renewing Tugay's contract, Hughes has papered over a massive gap in midfield that needed dealing with. Souness tried with Barry Ferguson. Hughes is looking at Haestad, apparently, so he is aware of the need to bring in a holding midfielder (although Haestad is a very different type of holding midfielder to Tugay) but the urgency in bringing in such a player doesn't seem to be there.

What about own-goals? So it's officially 4,000 topflight conceded goals now?

Spurs are looking for a pacy left winger - so MGP isn't going there for sure. Today, with Chelsea hardly on inspiring form, the onus was on Rovers to not only defend well - but to counter-attack with intensity. To score goals on the counter, you either need pace on the flanks, or creativity in central midfield (preferably both) at the moment we have neither. We're a solid team but with MGP off-form and Tugay elsewhere, we have little guile to open up defences. Emerton's right back performances are a plus though. Enjoy the bench Lucas (or Michael Gray...). And I wouldn't be too harsh on Ooijer for obvious reasons.

Amazing what a bit of confidence does. Darlo fans were moaning that they'd rather have got Derbyshire on loan than Jemal Johnson, who finished his loan spell at Darlo as a winger. Now Johnson is starting to score goals in the Championship - although emphasis on 'starting'.

Marian Pahars came off the bench to score a goal against us in our relegation season under RoyHodgson/Brian Kidd. I can't remember if it was a winner or equaliser but it was a sickener either way and meant our chances of survival were really slipping away. Also, Chris Bart-Williams scored a daisy-cutter free kick goal for Nottingham Forest when they had been already relegated, if I remember rightly, to ensure that they went a long way to dragging us down with them. Didn't Laurent Robert score a spectacular 30+ yard free-kick against us? Must count amongst the better goals scored against us.

Austria have a right-wing, anti-immigrant, government, don't they?

1-3 to Chelsea. McCarthy takes Rovers into a surprise lead only for the class of Chelsea and Shevchenko, in particular, to tell.

Is that what you're implying?

Mokoena is on the subs bench because Hughes signed him - and no other reason. Awful centre back, poor right back, not trusted to play central midfield and supposedly a reasonable holding midfielder. We hear about the 'mediocre' foreigner who is checking the development of our youngsters, here is a case in point. Why have Mokoena on the bench when he is crap in just about all positions? Why not give Eddie Nolan or Andy Taylor a place on the bench as they can play in a few positions and are the most promising and experienced defenders in the reserve team? . If either of the two develop into Premiership players they will save us millions in the transfer market and we don't know how good they are until they get a chance in the big time. It appears that Hughes prefers experienced ineptitude ahead of inexperienced promise? Hence, Jay McEveley and Jon Douglas, who are by common consensus never going to be good enough, are in the squad. And Aaron Mokoena, a player who can't even play in the position he was signed to play, is on the bench.

A major problem is, despite Pedersen having an anonymous game, he stays on the pitch because there's no-one to replace him who can provide real width on the left (I know Gally can play on the left). In fact we have no-one who can provide real width on the flanks apart from Peter and the ineffective Emerton. (I hope Emo stays at right back now). I know Sergio Peter has been troubled by a ankle injury but even if he is fit, I don't think he'll get on the bench when all the others are fit too.

Worse than spitting, and that gets people worked up in a frenzy.

Well, Wolves aren't flushed with cash and it seems unlikely to me that they'd take a reserve player of no great repute or hype off our hands for 150K AND a sell-on clause. A lot of reserve players from Prem clubs are disappearing into the lower leagues for free because supply is high.

1-1 Everton to dominate, score first and create a number of chances. Rovers to hit a late and undeserved goal to salvage a point.

We do have a sell-on clause which makes my highly suspicious of this talk of a 150K fee.

I don't understand why Hughes keeps playing Mokoena at right back when he has been terrible in that position almost without fail. I'm not trying to start a witch hunt (or Axe hunt... ) but it is evident to all that the guy is a liability in defence - whether that be full back or cb. He's tried and failed so we should look at other players to fill the gap - Emerton, Taylor (played there in pre-season last year) or even Kane. (But not Jon Douglas! He was made to look like Darren Peacock with his boots the wrong way around by Julio Arca in a Worthy Cup game against Sunderland whilst playing right back).

He had a great game on the left wing against Liverpool and more specifically, Josemi. But that was more a flash in the pan. He's here to stay so let's just hope that he undergoes the kind of transformation that we saw in ... erm .... Keith Gillespie or Andy Todd????! I'm sure there's parallels there somewhere, although I can't see them.

I accept that as a squad player he is decent. But I have two concerns, when we signed him he was flavour of the month. Recently named Aussie Player of the Year, included in the UEFA team of the Year, put in some good showings as Feyenoord reached and won the UEFA cup final (although i think Emerton missed the final). Now if I am not mistaken, for Rovers to lure such a player - who was also being coveted by Newcastle and others, we would have had to offer him a big chunky first teamer, top of the range wage. Unless he took a pay-cut, which is highly unlikely, that means he is still on a big chunky integral first teamer kind of wage. No way should he be on that. Secondly, as Guus Hiddink said during the World Cup (whilst bigging up Emerton's atheticism, stamina, etcl) - he is not a "creative" player. So if we have MGP on the left, Reid and Savage in central midfield and Emerton on the wing (Tugay taking a rest on his zimmerframe) that makes ONE player with creative talents in our midfield (and that's the mercurial MGP). One creative player in midfield? It was enough last year with Bellamy probably making up the defecit. Maybe Emerton won't play regular (so why the wage?) and it'll be either Bentley or Gallagher on the right. Now both of those have a bit of creativity but whether they have the consistency or application to make use of their talents remains to be seen. Imagine if Brett Emerton, with his great work-rate, had Paul Gallagher's flair. Now there would be a player worth retaining.

Just doesn't have the self-belief to be a good footballer. Creativity - 0. Athleticism - 9. Sell - please.

Has Gresko still not found a club? I doubt he needs to work another day in his life but I would've thought that there'd be quite a few offers for Staticslav.

Wrong thread to make this point, I know, but as much as Douglas is definitely not the answer to our midfield problems - I think he could do a job as a stop-gap if only he would alter the style of his game. Too many midfielders in the British game think it is essential to be a box-to-box midfielder - despite the fact they are woeful going forward. On the continent, you get specialist defensive midfielders who accept their crucial role in protecting the back four and aren't seduced by the glory of scoring goals. Douglas' inadequate skill and technique and lack of shooting ability (yes that Fulham goal was good - but look at his goal record for Chesterfield, Gillingham and Leeds) mean that he shouldn't be wasting his or our time going forward. He's a big strong lad - why doesn't he play a genuine holding role and break-up the opposition play in an Aaron Mokoena type way? Imagine the Axe trying to gallop forward and score goals? Exactly - you can't. Douglas should play to his strengths.

Asking about obscure player time but does anyone know if a James Tarkowski (sp?) is still on the books at Rovers. I heard that Rovers spent quite a bit bringing him to Rovers academy from Oldham as a 13/14 year old and the deal was supposed to rise to five figures if he ever made a first team appearance.

I think JJ will be a good buy for Wolves. Imo he has the technique levels to succeed, and just needs a run of games to build his confidence. Reserve football is not scene for a player to develop his game and he's not going to get a chance with Rovers three new forwards. JJ and Bothroyd to fire Wolves into the Premiership? And then Wolves fans woke up. !