He's been about as effective for Rovers as Francis Jeffers was for Charlton.

Something must be done about the competitive deficit in the Premiership. As long as fans from smaller clubs accept the status quo, the more Rovers and the rest will become feeder clubs for the big.

Punch-up with Dean Kiely at Charlton Bust-up with Souey Kicked Dugarry's behind 'Challenge' on Van Persie Anymore? I'm sure there are. I must say, as much as the battery of Dugarry was mildly amusing, it must surely rank alongside Garry Flitcroft's two-footed challenge on a Trond Soltvedt which ended any hope of him playing in the Worthy Finals.

As much as I loathe making any reference to the epitome of greed - the 'Mr Career so Far (Episode I/X)' autobiography (biography really), I must applaud Steven Gerrard or should I say - I must applaud Steven Gerrard's ghost writer. "We are not as good as we think we are. England were guilty of over-confidence. Me and the other players constantly claimed we could win the World Cup - it was stupid." That's the way, Lampard. Show a bit of humility before laying into other people. (That's not to suggest that Sven should not be criticised - he should be hammered (metaphorically, of course).

philip, if that figure is accurate, it sounds worrying. However, I don't think the quality of individuals in doubt. The problem is the style of football that is played in the Premiership and therefore the English players are accustomed to. At the World Cup, those players were trying to play continental football - letting the ball do the work. Yet, in the Premiership ball retention is not the be all. In the average Premiership game the ball pings around from team to team (obviously to a lesser extent when the top teams play). Before England can seriously consider becoming a genuine force in the world, they need to take a long look at their youth teams. Due to their incapicity to keep the ball, our over-hyped youth teams rarely do anything in U17/18/19/21 tournaments. And then we expect them to progress and win things with the seniors.

Did McCarthy take penalties for Porto?

They have Jemal Johnson down as being 6 foot tall.

Distance yourself from Sven, said Max Clifford. McClaren's got the message.

Lacking pace and flair in midfield at the moment - even when the first team take the field. Sergio Peter displayed some of those coveted attributes last season but it sounds like he's not exactly threatening MGP's place with his uninspiring pre-season form.

No need to hit panic buttons just yet but the fringe players aren't looking too good at the moment. Apart from Brown who's had a great game, seemingly. Most interested to hear how Acuna got along.

Injury

3-1 ROvers. It's working for the reserves - so why not the first team...?

I'm not convinced by Huth. He seems to have undergone the Darren Fletcher rise to fame. International recognition and occasional appearances for a big club suddenly mean that he is a star. Never mind the fact that they haven't actually been THAT impressive for their clubs. But leaving that aside, selling Nelsen sends the wrong impression to the current players and players we want to entice to the club. Rovers will always sell to survive BUT we need to maintain some kind of continuity in the team.

He shouldn't do. I don't believe this stuff about Souness being desperate to get rid of Duff. Souey might've been blinkered in some of his decision-making but he, of all people, would've known how important Duff was to the team. Duff almost single-handedly propelled us into the UEFA cup, when he return for the last segment of the season to score crucial goals, under Souey.

Re-reading the posts on this thread, I fear that some of us are falling into the trap of double-standards (I include myself) when it comes to judging players for the sake of not inflicting the slightest criticism on Hughes. I note that not that many people are interested enough to put forward an opinion - but on the issue of Emerton getting a new deal.... Putting diplomacy to one side, what has Mokoena done at the club to prove he is worthy of being kept? He played the holding midfield role, in the team that defended all the way to survival. My opinion, is that despite his fairly good performances, that does not prove that he is a Prem standard holding midfielder. Just like Jon Stead's goal-getting cameo didn't prove anything - or Dominic Matteo's Herculean showings in central midfield for the Leeds team that eventually suffered the drop (didn't he get Leeds player of the season and their undying respect for those showings?). Holding midfield, in a defensive-minded team, is imo one of the easiest roles to play. However, Hughes has not trusted the Axe in a 4-4-2, the now preferred configuration, and the fact that Jorge Acuna is being trialled suggests that Hughes doesn't see that stance changing. Moreover, Rovers interest in Ooijer and Matt Taylor's comfortable passage past Mokoena suggest that right back isn't really the role for him either. Mokoena's dire showings in central defence, particularly the Norwich game when he was reduced to a wreck by Ashton and Huckerby, to the extent that Hughes had to sub him at half-time, clearly show that he's not really up to it at centre half. Bearing all that in mind - and accepting that his wages are not likely to be big and he is a willing lad who will give it his all - should Hughes really be offering him a new deal? If you want a utility man on the bench - surely you want someone who is half-decent in a number of roles? McEveley, Emerton, Douglas etc. are freely rubbished but Mokoena is strangely immune. Is it because Hughes signed him? And if so, shouldn't we be more objective in our judgements?

I'm sure loyalty has played a part but I wonder whether the terms of the contract - perhaps like Emerton's offer - reflect Mokoena's less than integral role in the team. At the moment we reckon he can play defensive midfield but right back, centre back, central midfield in 4-4-2? Not sure about any of the latter three, so he's hardly the ideal utility man.

1. Chelsea 2. Arsenal 3. Liverpool 4. Spurs 5. Man U 6. Newcastle 7. Villa 8. Charlton 9. Blackburn 10. Everton 11. Man City 12. West Ham 13. Fulham 14. Watford 15. Portsmouth 16. Bolton 17. Boro 18. Sheff Utd 19. Reading 20. Wigan

I'm always wary about a manager getting lionised for winning the League Cup - and not because we won it with Graeme Souness - but because it is quite easy for an average team to get a soft run to the finals because the best teams usually play reserve teams. That said, O'Neill is one of the best British managers around imo. Do you reckon that he'll implement 3-5-2 at Villa (in which case they'll be in a minority of one)? Also, is there not some credibility in the claim that he plays 'ugly' football with a preponderence of giants at either end of the park. Why did Henri Camara, a decent Prem player, not cut it up North?

Eloped with Agathe?

Just noted, Ian Black, former Rovers player, scored for Inverness today. As for Yordi, I think he got released by Mallorca this year.

Flopsy, do you realise how close you came to becoming a Villa legend?

The new contract may reflect the 'lesser' role Hughes has in mind for Emerton. In which case, he is almost certainly going to reject it. I agree that on the current lucrative wage Emerton is inevitably on, he should not be getting an extension.

With Emo - Hughes might want to keep him as a squad player and certainly doesn't want to see him disappear on a free. As for McEveley and Douglas, Hughes promised to have a good look at them in pre-season and that is what he's doing. I really don't see what either could contribute to the first team but we may be surprised.

Hughes has intimated that he'll go on loan. Luton and Preston have been linked.

Rob Kelly - Leicester City manager (former Rovers U18 team boss) and that's the bottom of the barrel I can hear.