I hope you weren't one of those who had the temerity to mock Paul Sturrock's Premiership record because he managed 5 wins in 13. We can avoid the drop. Imo the quality of players is there - even more so if we bring in a few good additions in January. 0-0 with Palace isn't a clever result but at least it isn't the complete confidence drain that a defeat would have been.

Because Hughes is the manager. And it stands to reason that the manager makes those sort of decisions.

I think it's Hughes who decides whether to let fringe players play for the reserves. Hodges just picks from those available to him.

I am registering no excitement. Maybe it just me.

Defensive midfielder, without doubt. I can understand people wanting a new centre half but a striker? Imo Stead will come back to form. Bothroyd, Dickov and Gallagher are adequate support for him. And then we have Jansen too.

Tommo in for Toogs and we stand chance.

Lucas O'Neill???? Martin Jol strikes me as Holland's answer to John Gregory - all mouth and no talent.

Which reminds me...

THANK YOU... WHY THE ###### SHOULD WE PLAY MGP WHEN WE ARE FIVE GAMES UNBEATEN W/ ONE OF THE BEST MIDFIELDS ABOUT?! MATT JANSEN WAS PLAYING LIKE A SACK OF SPUDS FOR THE RESERVES BUT HAS STILL MANAGED TO GET MORE APPEARANCES THAN MGP UNDER HUGHES. STEVEN REID PLAYED ONE AVERAGE RESERVE MATCH AND WENT STRAIGHT INTO THE TEAM. JAY MCEVELEY HAS BEEN ERROR-PRONE FOR THE RESERVES AND STILL CAME INTO THE TEAM. Why the denial? How can anyone suggest that MGP's treatment has not been unusual. Fine - scoff at the appearance fee 'theory' - but surely you must accept to treat a new signing as Hughes has treated MGP is not the norm. Can you name another situation where a big money signing's come in and not been given a chance at all? - bar a sub appearance in the Carling Cup and a start in the first game and by all accounts Tony Parkes picked that team. No one's suggesting that he should start. But at least the lad deserves a few minutes near the end of games - if he's on the bench.

As was Steven Reid. As was Brett Emerton, most times, excluding the Wolves mauling. We are now reaping the rewards of being patient with these two guys and giving them TIME on the PITCH to adapt.

My self-imposed ban is on talking about 'MGP-gate'. Not on the matter of whether or not Bobby G has been enlightened - which I am still permitted to talk about, I hope.

After today, can you argue De Pedro should be near the pitch?!? No one was arguing that point anyway, as far as I know. De Pedro was a spent force when we bought him and now he is performing the 'Egil Ostenstad' role of being laughed at by opposition fans at reserve team games.

Thank You. Someone else has seen sense and turned their back on 'head in the sand' attitude.

THANK YOU PAUL DICKOV.

I don't trust our defence to hold out, what we need is another goal...

12 months? Phew - good thing that Shabby de Pedro's agent isn't as forceful as Jon Douglas'.

Does anyone know how long his contract is?

Your point is undermined by a quick consideration of England's central midfield in Euro 2004. Lampard and Gerrard are superb midfielders but neither did as well as they could have done because for their clubs they usually play alongside a holding midfielder - and then they had to play a different type of game.

Didn't he play central midfield for Liverpool?

We've paid £1.5 million and there is a further payment of £1 million depending on appearances and various other conditions. There is a subtle difference between bringing a player through gradually by giving him sub appearances here and there and what is happening with Pedersen not getting any time on the pitch since the Bournemouth game. I hereby declare that I shall not comment further on the matter* in fear of being the sole cause for an exponential rise in suicide attempts amongst Blackburn Rovers fans. *(Until MGP plays or gets sold or disappears to work on a Siberian salt-mine where he will get a decent chance of proving himself with the pick-axe).

"Morten hasn't been playing for us recently because....uhhhhhh.....well, I don't think he's good enough." That would achieve what? Since when have we expected our managers to go to the press and justify his team selections? If he's not good enough - why is he on the bench? If Hughes thinks that he's such a liability that even when we were losing 4-0 he brought on Nissa instead - why on earth waste a space on the bench? He might as well put someone he actually has faith in rather than using up one of the 5 spots. It doesn't make sense if you look at it in simple football terms. Because the general doctrine is that new players are given time on the pitch to settle into the club - unless they're George Weah's fake cousin and is blatantly not up to the standard or some 17 year old bought for the future. MGP hasn't been given the chance by Hughes and it's damn unfair. I suspect if this was an English youngster who was performing well for the England U21s side - people would be up in arms. Instead, I sense a bit of arrogance with people disregarding him because he's 'only' a Norwegian international and been playing well in some tin pot league. My opinion, as you probably know, is that Hughes doesn't want to bring him on, because if he does reasonably well, he'll be under pressure to pick him again - and eventually trigger the appearance fee owed to Tromso after a certain amount of games. And this would scupper his plans to bring in Gabbidon/Savage or whoever he has lined up.

And the fans thought that Steven Reid was a waste of space who should be transferred at the earliest opportunity - until recently. MGP will not be able to prove himself unless he gets a run in the team like Reid has had.

I don't think Blackburn fans have anything to prove - our fans aren't racist. The Yorke thing was an isolated incident that obviously emanated from the Spain game, bringing the idea of making monkey chants to the forefront of some uni-brain-celled characters. However, I agree with Jim, that although we know that Rovers fans aren't racist, the sensationalist media will be trying to put an alternative spin, so applauding Cole would nip that in the bud and make some hacks look stupid. As for whether Cole deserves applause - Worthy Cup and helping to avoid relegation and acted in a dignified manner on falling out with Souness - deserves brief recognition, I believe.

Steven Reid looks all set for another suspension so maybe MGP's luck is about to change. Although something tells me that if Hughes is prepared to bring Nissa when we're 4-0 down, rather than MGP, then his chances aren't too good. It's about time Hughes came out in the press and explain the situation.

We all leapt onto our high horses after the Spain game so let's be consistent when our fans are culpable. It seems to have been a tiny minority but the rest of the fans should make it clear that it won't be tolerated - as should the club.