I think the man likes to talk, not really sure if he cares what he says as long as someone listens.

Maybe he posts on here. Would explain a lot.

Absolutely amazing - well actually it isn't - that Rovers fans when faced with two totally contradictory interviews in the space of a week decide that the negative one must be the real one.

Why don't we just club together and buy him a ticket to go to whichever club is going to sign-him.

As I've said time and time again, don't forget Tugay's not even played for Rovers for the last 5 years. He's been at Newcastle ever since he gave that infamous interview were he had the audacity to say the barcodes were a great club and he wouldn't have a problem palying for them.

The press will spin whatever they want. Players say things in all innocence. Rovers fans believe the worst.

ManUn aren't crazy enough to buy a near 30-year old striker, no matter how many goals he scores.

How old was Larsson (36ish) and he'd never scored in the Premiership but was signed for MU.

Still, don't think Benny will be anywhere other than Ewood next year.

I don't like Phil Thompson but I think he summed it up on Gilette Soccer Saturday.

He said "Neill claimed it wasn't about money it was about playing regularly. If that's the case, why didn't he stay at Blackburn?"

Yes, Neill said he wanted a new challenge, but then says all he wants is to play regular football. He signs a deal that gets him out of a club if it's relegated.

So what he really meant was he wanted twice as much money as he was on, he didn't care who paid it, doesn't fancy the challenge of earning a place in a start up line (even for the team he 'supported') and is happy to bugger off from his new paymasters if things get really tough.

Still, don't really care. He's a Hammer now and hopefully will be a free agent at the end of the season as they get relegated. Will be funny if he tries to go to Liverpool ona free...

At least Paul has a hero.

Welcome back Dunny, you've been missed.

They aren't required to accept the offer unless he has a clause, which he doesn't have.

Do we know he's not got a clause?

Anyhow, just as Birmingham don't need to accept an offer, Dunn doesn't have to move to Bolton if he doesn't want to. He knows Rovers are after him, and he can quite simply say to Brum that he's not going anywhere other than Rovers and if they don't accept Rovers offer, he'll stay at St Andrews taking a wage and move on a free whenever his contract is up.

Do Birmingham cut their losses and sell to Rovers at a lower price than they were hoping, or do they hope Dunn will decide he quite likes the Reebok afterall?

He feels like he's been poorly treated by the board and the differences are ireconcilable

At last! We have a solution to the mystery that's plagued us for the last few years!

Lucas Neill is Vinjay!

I think he's done pretty well over the past few games. He isn't a great player, but he does the job he's asked to do and doesn't make too many mistakes. He's not a Tugay, but then neither is Dunn. I just don't see the point in signing a player who will simply not be able to hold down a place in the first team. He isn't good enough to play out wide for us and I can't see him knocking either Tugay or Savage out of the side, especially when you consider the number of injuries he picks up.

And isn't that exacly what we did with the Axe?

Dunn might not feature in every match, but to be honest, for one reason or another of all the midfielders we have (when fit) I think the same goes for Toogs, Axe, Reid, or Bentley. Only two who are seemingly untouchable are MGP and Savage.

The truth about Lucas, as i told you all about in summer, is that he was looking for 45k per week basic and rovers wernt prepared to pay him that. Following from that he got the huff and dug his heels in.

So for me, the sooner he goes, the better!

And where, oh fountain of insider knowledge, did you get this "fact" from?

I wager it's the same location you got the 'Ole Gunnar Solskjaer coming to Rovers it's definitely happening this week' or the rest of the nonsense you periodically post.

Laugh all you like pal, laugh your way to a half empty stadium every week as well.

As much as you might like to deny it, declining attendances isnt just a Rovers problem, its an issue for 90% of clubs, its just that the size of our club means it hits us earlier and harder than the rest.

My point was that ticket prices cant be reduced much further so there must be some other way of attracting fans to the ground on matchdays...

Fans still have to buy tickets, the club merely facilitates their decision to do so using this idea. I would rather have 30,000 of what you call "freeloaders" filling Ewood every week, spending their cash on tickets and the rest, than sticking with the just over half capacity we currently have, all of which have paid full whack, and hopefully none of which will go in the club shop to buy reduced or sale items in the fear that they too may be accused of being freeloaders.

You cant just make people come to Ewood if they dont already, there needs to be a hook. Its isnt prices, it isnt finishing 6th so what is it?

What do you suggest...hypnosis?

If I use public transport from where Ilive it's 2 buses and a train each way and costs around £15. (That's Huddersfield). For Martin it's three trains from Scunthorpe and over £30. We're season ticket holders.

Would we get the travel free in which case my s/t is halved in price; and Martin would be paid to attend!

Alternatively do you discriminate against those who travel?

Its official.

Im not going.

Me neither, unless Waikiki United somehow slip into the draw.

Hmmm...................... nothing of course to do with the fact that the BBC has lost all the popular sports like football cricket and motor racing to the commercial concerns of course.

The programme should be renamed "Sports Personality out of the sports that are still shown exclusively on the BBC award."

Well no, actually.

By the time the first football winner was named - Bobby Moore in 1966 - there'd already been 4 atheltics winners, 2 swimmers and a show jumper!

Other football winners: Gazza in 1990, Michael Owen in 1998, and then finally Beckham in 2001. Two out of 36 pre-Sky, and two out of 16 post-Sky.

Cricket winners: 1956 (Jim Laker), 1975 (David Steele), 1981 (Ian Botham) and 2005 (Freddie Flintoff). Not exactly dominating the event even when the BBC had the rights.

Interesting breakdown of sports of winners:

Athletics 17

Motor Racing 6

Cricket 4

Football 4

Boxing 4

Tennis 3

Ice skating 3

Equestrianism 3

Golf 2

Swimming 1

Cycling 1

Snooker 1

Rowing 1

Rugby Union 1

What a joke, is this just the BBC trying to curry favour with the Royals?

Yep, the Beeb made 200,000 phone calls to do exactly that.

Personally I like 5.15pm KOs, leave the whole day free for other things. Terrible for the away support I know, but I like the 5.15pm home games.

It's terrible for anyone who lives outside of the immediate area.

For example, I live approx 50 miles away and here is a typical 1715 ko:

Can't do anything in the morning in case it overruns and creates problems travelling to Chorley/Ewood. Afternoon wasted as travel time +/or waiting to go to the match. Evenings a wash out due to not getting home until well past 2100, and still have to eat.

Unless I'm mistaken, we stay in 16th due to both teams having the same goal difference, but Rovers having scored more?

Enjoyed the trip, here's some pluses and minuses -

Pluses :

Amsterdam - a wonderful city and I don't mean for the laddish elements

Torture museum - a fascinating experience

Public transport - amazing trains and so plush I had to check I was in 2nd class

The Dutch -very friendly & helpful people

Food - the Mexican meal on Wednesday evening was excellent

The drink - decent prices and good bars

The company - travelling with Glenn & smurf into Amsterdam, with Martin throughout and meeting friends in Rotterdam

The result - more than I could hope for and qualification for the next round!

Minuses :

Stadium facilities - I'd be ashamed to offer that level of facility on a park on a sunday morning. Absolutely apppalling.

Loutish Rovers fans - people can enjoy themselves however they like but when stoned out pillocks start sticking spliffs into the face of 70 year old ladies and not give a fig about it, or stand on seats in front of kids when there's noone in their line of sight for three rows then somethings wrong.

Stewarding prt 1- and people moan about English stewards? Jeez, these guys wouldn't know how to herd cattle let alone manage people. How can any sensible organisation not let you go into a top tier as it's 'full' but don't bother opening the bottom area?

Stewarding prt 2 - and they wonder why people get frustrated if they are kept in metal pens with no communication.

Stewarding prt 3 - recovering a ball which Toogs kicked into the crowd, clearly to keep themselves, from Martin on way out of ground.

I'm so looking forward to getting in and out of the stadium.

Maybe recommending that we all wear suits of armour and have an SAS (and I don't mean *our* SAS) guard with us should be included in the advice?

I think that's the flight me and the smurf are on.

And me and Martin

EDIT - Lesson 1... read down the thread before replying.

Lesson 2 - I got back from Spain this afternoon with a stinking cold. Unless it clears by Wednesday, and knowing ventilation systems on planes, I'm going to be very popular with Rovers fans.

its near train station

cant miss it

That is very true, although the map on Lee's link makes it impossible not too.

I've had an email back confirming 4 tickets allocated and they should be with me any day now. Unfortunately, I've got to stay the night of the match in Rotterdam due to a hastily arranged business meeting ("Modi - you're off to watch Rovers vs Feyernoord. Go and see a supplier in Rotterdam when you're there.") but heh-ho, the will's been updated just in case.

Does the map of Amsterdam provided in the Rough Guide highlight the red light district so it is easier to avoid or easier to find?

Other top scientists who aren't trying to make a career for themselves say we are only guessing. The fact is there is no evidence whatsoever. Lets be honest here we ain't got any records of meaning or any clue to how our world works.

These "top scientists" have nothing to say and are saying it too loud. " summers will get hotter and winters colder" they say, well that sounds like a good balance too me.

Come on then lets list a few facts then? Not predictions stone cold facts please!

It's a fact that the earth has been 'cold' rather than 'warm' for most of it's existence.

It's a fact that most lifeforms can adapt upto a mean temperature of around +/- 5 degrees of the norms over an extended timescale.

It's a fact that where changes in temperatures of more than +/- 5 degrees has happened 'rapidly' (ie decades or even centuries, not millenia) then mass extinctions take place.

It's a fact that the planet is currently experiencing 'fairly rapid' warming.

It's a fact a similar fairly rapid, but slightly slower and less sustained, warming happened about 500 years ago and that didn't lead to mass extinctions as the warming slowed and then reversed.

What is questionable is if the current fairly rapid warming will be continued (or accelerated) or will be reversed. If it continues, then there is trouble ahead. If it is reversed, it's basically just another Tudor warming period but slightly quicker.

I think what the current debate is really meaning to look at is if humanity's actions are contributing to the acceleration or stopping the natural reversal from happening. That's what the whole world needs to consider. Unfortunately, even if the UK is wonderfully well behaved, we won't have a British Isles shaped exclusion zone from the effects global warming.

I spoke to the lady at the ticket office today. Basically she said that they were all going to be processed in date order (with those who have been to Salzburg and Krakow being done first), and that if you've already given your form in you'll get a ticket.

I'm interested to know how they will process an application for four tickets, two of which were from people who went to both matches, and two of which were for people who bought for only one.

Will they do the processing bang on midnight between the two days?

Way back in 1991, I was covering at the Sunderland office and found myself processing a mortgage application for someone who worked at Newcastle FC. There was no mention of who to contact in the personnel department to check the employment records.

I mentioned this and someone said just ring the club the club and ask for Ozzy.

Totally didn't twig and duly rang the club... only to find the mortgage supervisor dive across the desk and snatch the phone off me as I started to speak.

Could have been very funny or very embarrassing.

I've had a nice weekend visiting a friend in London.

Yesterday, met total strangers in Yates on Leicester Square who were Rovers fans, closely followed by another group in Garfunkles (hello to all of you if you're reading). Went to Spamalot in the evening. And then went to watch the match today - oh dear.

Not bad, just bland. Just hope that things get better on Thursday.

We're also starting to look like a squad that is paper thin.