Just got back to lovely Huddersfield. I went with a non-Rovers supporting mate and he enjoyed himself and he commented that the crowd was good, just a pity it couldn't have been another 1500 more.

Great to see the old guard back for what is almost certainly a last hoorah for many of them. Nice the way the current team evolved over 90 mins to Rovers Future.

Excellent reception for Shearer - hopefully it'll be mirrored when he makes his final appearance proper next season, or at least until the whistle is blown.

Tony seemed genuinely moved by the experience, although his comment of "I'll be back next year" did make me think Hughesy will be sacked....

Finally, farewell to Craig Short. A more fitting finale than the Fulham match.

This is an astonishing lineup so far.

I just hope it's not just hype. But speaking of which, hopefully the match will get hyped to the rafters in the next two weeks.

I've persuaded a non-Rovers supporter to go, just got to work on my parents now...

Hmm, not sure on this as either a likely transfer or someone I'd like at Rovers.

I've a mate who's a Citeh fan and he reckons that Flitty is liable to go missing for big chunks of games, but when he is 'present' the opposition certainly knows it. He reckons he's a red card waiting to happen at times!

Can't see him fitting in with King Kenny's setup somehow.

It's pretty damned tight in the race for the 2nd promotion slot in Div 1.

I guess realistically it is on one from Notlob/Reading/Wolves and Tranmere, but even Barnsley could sneak a place in the play offs. Can you imagine Barnsley in the Premiership???

My money's on Wolves to get to the top flight.

Couple of games a season!!!! My kids have had season tickets since the afternoon before the night we went out, came home and got a bit carried away with things. Straight down to Ewood after the first ante-natal clinic to book the new ST^. Don't talk to me about couple a games a season. I've done my time in Nuttal Street you know.

*&&*%&$&*^(*^*Y part-timers

You talk about getting season tickets before they were born, then doing your time in Nuttall Street.... hardly the most romantic places, is it? Hope you didn't name your first born after the place of conception!

Having lived away for a few years, not got a s/t at the mo, so am missing out on the Liverpool match. Gutted, but just as well. Don't think my stomach would hold out.

I really think we're going to throw the title away and everything the team's achieved so far this year - in fact everything since Jack's been with us - will have been wasted.

It's unusual for me to feel so depressed but the West Ham result has done me in.

Perhaps some of the older members such as jim mk2 who were around when we last challenged for the title properly can tell us what the stress is like?

Looks like a fake to me. Why would there be a picture in someone's house, surely it'd be a knock-up in a design studio or something ?

Anyhow, I've heard the rumours about nike as well, which would be very nice.

If Tony's team is a Rovers Past, will Revidge be sat with fingers crossed from now until kick-off that Flitty is in that team?

Watched the Jimmy Hill programme on Sky and unsurprisingly our tactics were slated. To be fair to Jimmy, he did defend Todd saying that was accidental.

However, what amused/dismayed me was one of the guests manipulating reality to back up his point. He said the Arsenal fans gasped at the Todd incident. They didn't, they gasped about 2 mins later when there was a replay on the big screen. He also said that Nigel Worthington criticised our style of play but conveniently forgot to mention that was before the match and we played the off the park.

I predicted 3-0 elsewhere (have I won Udders?) and started to get worried that I was underestimating Rovers. For parts of the second half we were awesome, and Harry was gracious to admit that not only were his team not as good as the have been, but Rovers played extremely well.

Nelsen was magnificent yet again - the airkick he did to deliberately fool the Soton striker to let the ball run out of play was almost as funny as Andy Todds headlong tackle a few weeks back.

Todd is inspirational.

Neill had his best match for 2 seasons.

Emerton beat players!

Mokonea had obviously been replaced by an Auton replica. This one can pass and what passing!

The lead meant Toogs had the freedom to do what Toogs can do.

Reid might have finally convinced me that he is a Premiership player; shame about Matteo confirming the opposite.

MGP is an enigma. Scores the hardest of his chances and fluffs the easy ones. But when he gets the ball, I get excited. Thats what we need.

Happy bunny tonight.

Block N2 row 8.

I think.

They can't have live football on when other fixtures are on at 3pm Saturday. Hence the 12.45 and 5.15 kick offs come from.

I thought the restriction applied only to Premiership matches?

We'll almost certainly be playing on the 17th. The BBC get first pick of the semi's and I can't see them picking us whoever we draw - and the BBC's game will be on Saturday night.

We'll be on Sky (4pm) on the Sunday I think.

Exactly what I said after the match. The only slim chance for the Saturday is if we draw ManUre.

I have a feeling that, if Gresko can regain his fitness, he could be the answer to the left back spot. After all, Hughes had turned around the defensive side of our team before the signing of Nelsen or Mokoena.

Defendings all about discipline and concentration.

And his best performances were with a genuine left footed midfielder in front of him.

Out of interest Lee, other than the riverside where are the restricted view seats in the three 'new' stands?

Front few rows of the Riverside 10 minutes before the end as everyone walks past.

Digging out the teamlist for Sunday 17th December 2000...

Friedel

Curtis Berg Taylor Bjornebye

McAteer Dunn Flitcroft Duff

Hughes Bent

Subs: Filan Dailly Mahon Hignett Jansen

Possible line-up for 19th February 2005...

Friedel

Neill Todd Mokonea Matteo

Emerton Thompson Savage Pedersen

Dickov Gallagher

Subs: Enckleman Nelsen Tugay Flitcroft Stead

Which would side would you trust more to get the job done?

Remember that Bothroyd appeared from nowhere late on the closure of the last window. Perhaps another equally stunning deal is in offing?

Left wing, shouldn't be a problem even though I'm getting on a bit

I don't fancy your chances of winning anything in the air.

BTT... seriously gutted that I'll be in Los Angeles at the time. When I booked the holiday, I worked out that it would be FA Cup 5th round weekend and that would be the only match I'd miss, if we were still in the cup.

Hopefully it will be on tv and one of our friendly American friends will explain how I can find a bar in the early morning that shows footie.

If a deal does not happen, Hughes should first make a statement and publicly strip him of the captaincy. He should not be wearing the armband when whining to get out of here.

Interesting you raise this point. In a recent programme, Flitty was asked his proudest moment as a footballer and his worst experience. The latter answer was "being stripped of the club captaincy for non-footballing reasons". Somehow I doubt if Bazza would be so upset if it happened to him.

I'm still not confident - even if we do raise the 6million needed, can we really stump up the 40k wages reported? I guess this will show just how big a factor money plays for Bellamy.

I would be absolutely ecstatic if we got Bellamy - he and Stead upfront would be a perfect combination and Bellamy has the strength, pace and ability to score goals that we have been lacking all season. He isn't the sort of player to lack confidence and from what I've heard so far this season, he has played very well up front.

Make it happen Rovers, if Hughes and the board pull this off, they will certainly see more bums on seats.

Think of what our striker wage bill included until the start of the season...

Cole around £45k

Yorke around £30k

Dickov won't be on anywhere near those types of figures, neither will Bothroyd (who is unlikely to join if we get Bellamy). Stead & Gally remain constant in the equation. Jansen's reported £25k will probably drop off at the end of the season.

Therefore, if we look to a 5 man strike force of Bellamy + Dickov + Stead + Gally + J.Johnson; this is probably in the region of £30k a week less than the quintet of Cole + Yorke + Jansen + Gally + Stead.

As I'll be over 5,000 miles away that weekend, I'd prefer it to be a match that we've a decent chance of winning, so it's got to be Hartlepool/Brentford at Ewood.

Failing that, any of the lower league teams at Ewood, except Burnley as I'd not want to miss that.

I can not believe that the good people of this here board are actually replying to this pratt and stooping to his level.

Pack it in....let him go and riot in Broad street or something.

Couple of funny things with his/her/it's post...

1. it was edited and still is the work of an illiterate baboon

2. it seems to think mindless violence is a good thing

Oh to live in the "2nd city"....

I'll always remember Lee Carsley warming up on the touchline at Ewood Park when he was a Rover - it was looking increasingly likely that we would miss out on promotion and he revealed in the press that he wanted to play in the Premier League amid Everton's interest. When Carsley rose from the bench to warm up ready to come on, the Blackburn End started a rendition of 'Fck off Carsley, fck off Carsley'!!! I was sat in the Jack Walker Stand that day and even those old fuddy duddys around me started joining in!! Needless to say, Souness signalled to Lee to retain his seat on the bench and that, as they say, was that. He transferred to Goodison a few days later.

Just wonder if Barry will get the same sort of reception on Monday against the Wankies?

Was this in a parallel dimension?

Carsley left us for Coventry, and this was mainly due to the fact Flitty was coming back from his long term injury.

I see Andrew Todd Esq was captain today, and judging from the phone call I received after the final whistle was MoM material.

Who'd have thought it a few months ago?

He has been offerd £47,000 a week to play at Rovers and the only possible danger now is that should Everton come on for him he would prefer to go there .

What???!!!

That would surely make him the highest paid player to sign in Rovers' history? Even Cole was meant to be on *only* £45,000 pw when he signed (probably more by the time he left with annual rises).