I'd disagree. Its made the reserve league a lot weaker with far more young players in it. Granted this gives more youngsters a chance at this level but it was not the level it was. IMO the step up from reserve level to premiership level is far greater these days which may be one of the reasons that contribute to why less players are breaking into the first team, the jump in quality is much higher they are far less prepared. Serious attitude problems! What a cupid stunt eh? Yep and I think that could be seen when for the reserves. Can't remember which game it was but he was captaining the reserves and was getting a hard time from the opposing centre forward. Rather than role up his sleves like the Admiral or Todd would do he proceeded to have a paddy on the floor. You can also see it when he made runs which weren't singled out, many again resulted in him having a winge. If he could sort out his attitude problems I think he could make it. IMO his success came far too soon. His speed needs to improve most of all, but that's the duller aspect of training, and I'd be worried that he wouldn't sort his attitude out to deal with it.

If you can get that for Bruce's "tactics" it makes you wonder what some of the other manager's alleged tactics would be worth. Doesn't look good for Rovers professionalism if it turns out to be true.

Agree. You just have to look at the ins and outs over the summer to see how little ambition the board has. At the start of the season there was 11 players out only 2 in, one of whom was from non league. Not suprising that they're in trouble. Hendry hasn't had chance to build a team, although from watching & reading reviews about Blackpool he's come across as a bit naive.

I'm firmly of the oppinion that despite the odd good game and the fact he tried hard, which goes far in my book, he deserved the flack for some shocking errors defensively. I'll never dislike him, the person though, as he tried but wasn't genuinely good enough. As a player though he made far too many mistakes and I was never comfortable with him at the back. Still, it shows football is a funny old game. Amo is first choice at a successful* rangers team wins player of the season and turns out to be a dud. Kish- Zurab can't get in a pants rangers team and turns out to be the find of the season. * successful in this case means winning a 2 team league with vastly superior players and finances, the odd cup and getting nowhere in europe despite regular attempts.

If only all friendlies were as exciting as this. A top class game from both sides, excellent end to end stuff, great goals, great saves, a dramatic finish, there wasn't much more you could have asked for. At 2-1 down I thought England had lost it and thought in the last twenty minutes or so the game was slipping away from us, what with the argies trying every trick, legit and not-so legit, to slow the game down. However the fact that we still managed to grind out the win despite this is really encouraging. In the past England would have let such a game slip away from them and been satisfied with a good performance, maybe the recent kick up the backside against northern ireland has done its job. On a couple of players who have had a lot of publicity; I thought Lampard's shooting was woeful for someone of his class and crouch wasn't so bad, although as already stated it was his presence rather than anything he did. I still feel that if asked to contribute more than an uncomfortable presence, which in a world cup is likely, that he'd come up short. Beattie would be a better bet as the target man from the bench role imo based on recent form. The formation 4-1-3-2 seems the best bet, and gives us a bit more solidity in midfield. I'd like to see us play this in the world cup. When King went off I thought we lacked someone to break up the play and win us back possession which in part contributed to England's lack of possession in the last 20 minutes. It also allows for the attacking option of switching back to 4-4-2 should we need a more attacking formation later on. On another note, the substitutions seemed to work, although I'd have been tempted to take a full back off earlier when Cole came on and leave 3 at the back. Whilst on about substitutions I don't think the argies makling that many subs was helpful, even if it was a friendly, and the resulting loss of cohesiveness played a part in our victory. Despite it being an excellent performance there were one or two problems which hopefully won't be overlooked. Why on earth was Bridge played having had only 60 minutes top class football? This was another shocking decision by Sven and could have been more costly. Also the excellent defending was let down by shocking marking for Argentina's second goal and highlights that 100% concentration for the whole game is needed against top class teams. Overall though a very encouraging step before the world cup and excellent entertainment.

He can't go on forever. Mind you he's still having a massive impact at the club. I reckon a new 1 yr rolling deal might not be a bad idea as he's still showing how important he is to the club. Ok he'll be taking a more and more reduced roll as time goes on (although not at the moment) but like Bellamy when you have top quality you have to keep it and use it for all it's worth.

Really difficult to predict. Charlton and City are no better than us but no worse. I think both their sets of fans as well as ourselves think that they should win these matches. As for Arsenal they've been dodgy this year, and it depends which Arsenal team turns up. If WBA can beat them we certainly should have a chance. Think Chelsea's a write off though. In short we could, quite possibly, come away with anything from 9 to 0 points from these games. It's a big test on Sparkey and the lads but the squad finally seems to have options and we're playing some decent stuff so hopefully we'll keep adding to the points tally.

I was glad we didn't miss a beat when Todd replaced the injured Nelsen - I was worried the reason Zura has been looking so good recently is because he's playing next to t'Admiral. Obviously this is not the case and we should sign him up sharpish! Agreed. For all those complaining about Kuqi, as stated he was free and I'm led to believe he's on club friendly wages. Admittedly he can't hit a barn door with a banjo (not sure why he'd be trying to mind, or what it has to do with his shooting ability ), but he closes down their back four, wins most flick ons, holds up the ball and generally lets their defence know they've been in a game. Dickov never did this, he just fell over and protested when the ref told him to get up for the umpteenth time. Bellamy will thrive on those Kuqi flick ons, assuming he can stay healthy enough . I wonder how much a version of Kuqi who could shoot would be worth? Agree again. As strikers go Kuqi's not been a bad piece of business. Admittedly not great but our strike force as a whole looks so much better with the additions of both Bellamy and Kuqi. The other version of Kuqi costs around £5 million, or at least that's what Celtic will be asking for Heartson. Great win. Brum in real trouble. What more could we want?

One thing we haven't seen much of is Matteo in a 4-4-2 formation at lb. In the 4-5-1 where the team is reliant on the other 9 outfield players to help attack and support the striker, Matteo's lack of offensive capabilities is certainly very pronounced. Whether this would be as apparent in a 4-4-2 is questionable. Savage is a similar case, in as much as his defensive qualities have looked better, and his weak offensive capablities have looked less pronounced, when in a 4-4-2. Ultimately though I don't believe Matteo is the answer to the lb problem though may be the best at the moment. However due to player availability and budget it could be some time before we see a new lb in place.

Absolutely fantastic. To be fair the papers I've read have given Rovers some credit, although it is dwarfed by what's wrong with manure (answer a rampent rovers side hit harder then they did). A few thoughts: Bellamy is class and on this performance is going to get some decent service. Savage, when the onus on him to attack and be crative is diminished, looks far more acomplished and a much better player. Additionally with Mokeana we have two very good defensive midfielders based on this performance. Maybe a 4-5-1 with these two and Tugs to do his stuff might be the best balanced 4-5-1. If only Tugay were 5 years younger. Finding a successor for Tugs is arguably one of the most important tasks that Hughes has, especially with Bellamy in the team. What a difference having attacking full backs makes. Although not their primary function IMO it gave us the extra edge that can be all important and get you points, especially in games like this. If only we could merge the better qualities of Matteo and Gray. Perhaps Hughes should not be so quick to give up on Gray? Emerton played well - having some consistent non-injury-prone competition could be just what is needed to get the best out of Emerton. Pederson - on his way to cementing his place in rovers folklore. To be honest I thought Hughes had made a big mistake going for 4-4-2, and though at times we were fortunate that United were wasteful in front of goal, there was no denying we deserved something from the game. Ferguson was out thought and manure out fought. Here's to climbing up the table.

Let's not forget that under Souness, bar the Man Utd 1-1 draw last season, we had looked very unconvincing for some time. Now I'm not saying that we look all too convincing at the moment, but it's a hell of a lot better than when Hughes came in. Last season we'd have taken survival by goal difference on the last day of the season. As it was, the team avoided relegation in a fairly comfortable manner. In some ways this has gone against hughes as people's expectations have become much higher. Had we survived by the manner discribed above fans may be less critical and look on this season's performances in a more optimistic light and focusing more on the positives. A team takes time to build, just as it takes time to destroy. Hughes hasn't been given too much to work with. Very few managers can turn things round in a season, especially with the resources at Hughes' disposal. Even the mighty Benitez had a league form that was less than impressive last year. So far Hughes has taken some signifcant steps forward. We've finally got a class striker on the books again, and old veterans like Short and Flitty, hugely influential players in their day, have been replaced for peanuts. A very leaky defence has been tightened up, and Rovers are beginning to look like a team as oppose to a collection of players again. In such a short space of time such progress is pleasing. It's by no means a finished job but it's a good start. The other thing with Rovers is the boring football lable, which again is somewhat harsh that it has fallen on Rovers, and largely due to the fact we upset Chelsea. Bolton play #### football but win, and thier fans aren't complaining. Nor are Chelsea fans despite the club being criticised for it's long ball style. Hughes has to try blocking this out and provide winning, rather than entertaining football. Sometimes this will come through trying to play football, other times it will come through scrapping. The big test for Hughes in this regard is not to bow to pressure and alter winning game plans, and know when to apply each of the two. In the Newcastle game, the cautious approach was foolhardy, but hey which manager doesn't get it wrong occassionally? Hopefully Hughes will learn from this, and realise when to scrap and when to play entertaining football. Chelsea are great because they can play breathtaking stuff but also grind out the points - we're halfway there. My biggest worry is that we're still lacking offensively, Dickov's aging, there's question marks over Kuqi and Jansen, and the midfield isn't getting up to support the front man/men enough. However frustrating this is, we're still in a better position to rectify this then when Hughes took over. Reid, MGP, Bentley, Jansen, Emerton, Bellamy, Dickov and Kuqi are all theoretically capable of helping bellamy lift our offensive problems. Perhaps it's because we've more potential there it's more frustrating then last season, but with time I'm sure that Hughes can get this lot with a few more inspired signings to be offensively capable as we are defensively sound. Progress is often best done slowly and steadily so let's not panic yet. We're not far off a good team and with a bit more time in which the potential can be sorted into the haves and have nots Rovers under Hughes could be a force to reckon with again.

All kids should be free, full stop. They can start paying round about age 12-14 (or rather be paid for). I'd imagine after a few years of free tickets, the child is rather decided on whether or not the life in the blue and white cloth is for him.

0-0 will do me. Nothing pretty or fancy, 4-1-4-1 stop them playing and fingers crossed. Friedel Neill, Todd, Nelsen, Gresko Mokoena Emerton, Savage, Reid, Pederson Bellamy subs, Enks, Zurab, Bentley, Jansen, Flitty

Like most Rovers performances, looking on last night's game things can seem either really good or really bad depending upon how you look on them. There were a fair few positives, but also a fair few negatives. The negatives first: Savage, runs about a lot, and breaks up the play, but his distribution was again poor, and he fluffed it several times when involved in attacking moves. Granted he breaks up the play which is an all important role (and one for which Flitty was much maligned even in his better years) but for £3 million I'm still hoping for a bit more. Mokeana seems a no frills more reliable version at present. Neill was terrible. One of the more improved players this season, this game however saw him give the ball away with sloppy passing in some dangerous places, as well as the odd dubious tackle. Dickov, ineffectual at best. What really annoyed me was his pass from the left wing backwards in the second half when he had a relitavely unmarked Savage in the box. Such mistakes cannot be put down to coming back from injury. Everyone else in the ground could see it was the wrong pass, and does little to suggest that he will be providing Bellamy with the through balls he needs. Hearing that he was only in because of an injury to Gresko, i.e. we had no one else to play in that position in Hughes interview on the big screen can't have done much for Gray's moral. That's one explaination for a poor performance, where he didn't even provide the attacking verve that we've seen from him in the past. The linesman. The positives: Bentley, if we could only get the guy in the game for the full 90 minutes he'd be a star. When he was in the game he provided some good attacking runs, a few good crosses, especially for the corner that resulted in Zurab's goal and a bit of verve to the side. Sadly there were periods when I forgot he was playing, but with the right coaching and age on his side, hopefully the drifting in and out of the game will soon be minimised. Bellamy looked awesome, and a genuine threat with his pace. Rovers can rest assured that this season we have at least one quality forward. Nelsen and Zurab were suprisingly given a fairly difficult time against the Huddersfield forwards. Maybe I'm used to seeing Nelsen playing flawlessly and thus an ordinary performance seemed so much worse from him. Zurab seemingly was equally uncomfortable, but coped with the physical stuff better then his reputation suggested he would. He also showed that we can have a threat from a corner without being a defensive liability. I'm a tad worried where the service is going to come from for Bellamy. Dickov didn't really show any signs that there's a potential partnership there (although it is early days) whilst in the midfield only Tugay would be classed as an intelligent passer. My hopes would be on Bentley, or perhaps Emerton who provided the pass for the first goal. If he can produce these killer passes regularly then he can cut in all the time as far as I'm concerned. Another worry was that there were several times when the ball was whipped into the penalty area and no one was there to get on the end of it. We realy need more killer instinct, especially from the midfield. Recent games I've seen in the Premiership (both with and without Rovers) show the importance of taking chances, and Rovers seem to lack the ability to really seize upon half chances and punish opponents. Arguably Rovers should have got more than 3, especially when 2-0 up, we should have punished them on the break. Overall though a good night's work. We're through, which as City showed is the most important thing. We got three goals, and Bellamy looks like he's the real deal. Our two new deadline day signings also show signs of being valuable additions to the club. There's still a lot of work to be done though if we've to climb the Premiership table.

Added to which last season we did play some attractive football in the 4-5-1 against Palace, Norwich and Southampton. Wasn't the Fulham win also 4-5-1 or am I mistaken. I don't think the formation is always the problem, especially with Tugs playing, but more of the attitude Rovers come out with. Quite rightly the 4-5-1 against the top teams comes with the attitude to scrap and stifle the opposition, whereas in the matches mentioned above the team attitude/instructions was to try playing more attacking football.

Granted he did more than Matty, I don't think would argue with that, and as stated I wouldn't have started with Jansen. As for criticsing Kuqi, it's hardly over the top. In fact as stated before IF we can get his touch better we will have a very good player on our hands, at the moment it seems to be holding his game back. In some ways it's a bit like Emerton who has great potential/ability but is held back/irritates fans because he doesn't use it properly or doesn't know how to. The positives with Kuqi is that he seems willing to learn, and it is a definate area/skill which can be specifically targeted/worked on.

Have always loved this match, and it always seems to have added signifcance, usually with Rovers coming out on top. Winning the Prem, getting into Europe, Shearer's first return since his move to Newcastle - all were cracking occassions with Rovers taking home the spoils. All were settled by some pretty cracking goals as well - from Shearer Gally and Sutton. Added to which we've had a few exciting draws as well in recent years so expectations of a good game are definately high. Interestingly both teams have grudges to settle, most of the Rovers team over Souness, who I suspect isn't going to get a good reception, whilst Souey & Shearer will want to get one back on a certain new signing of ours. It's a pity that Todd isn't able to play and that Neill won't get a chance to pay back Robert for a nasty wack a few years back to crank it up an extra few notches. Nevertheless I still think that it's going to be a pretty intense occasion. Rovers should feel optimistic. Anyone who watched match of the day last weekend saw Newcastle put in one of the most shambolic defensive displays ever against Fulham, who must be wondering how they didn't win. Even Rovers and our lack of goals must be thinking this is the way to finish off our scoring problems. Rovers have every chance of outfighting Newcastle especially with Emre and Parker absent, and Jenas no longer there. Hence a 4-4-2 and our combatative nature should be enough to out fight the barcodes, the 4-5-1 would be an overkill in this situation, and wouldn't really take advantage of the rabbit-in-the headlights defending that Newcastle seem so fond of producing. My team therefore would be: Friedel - automatic Neill - been performing very well Matteo - Souness seems not to believe in wingers, and as Carr played right mid last week I don't see Matteo having too much trouble with regards to pace, unless Owen uses the channels. Added to which his utter lack of offensive capabilities will not be as important a factor in a 4-4-2 formation. Nelsen - immense and instructed to mark Owen Mokoena/Zurab - I'd be tempted to go for Moko, as he seems a bit more physical and better in the air, which will be needed against Shearer. With Nelsen to partner him maybe he'll be less impetuous and more disciplined. Zurab seemed to have a hard time against Davies. Reid - combatative, can get stuck in and dominate the Newcs midfield, as well as being able to get forward and terrorise the barcodes defence. Savage - ditto Emerton - played well in the 2nd half, added to which Emerton is more defense minded than Bentley which could be all important in a 4 man midfield. MGP - if he whips those crosses into the Newcastle box there'll be havoc. Bellamy - point to prove and will pounce on any defensive lapses. Jansen - whilst not a sphysically robust as he once was, all Jansen's goals last season seemed instinctive and opportunistic. The barcodes are more then likely to help jog Matty's predatory instincts and the lad is far more likely to snap up any mistakes and chances then Kuqi with his touch of a fairy elephant. subs; Enks, Tugs, Zurab, Bentley, Kuqi. The biggest worry for me is Owen but I reckon the best way to stop him is to deny him service. With our combatative approach hopefully this'll limit the service to Owen and dominate the midfield. Having said that I wouldn't be suprised if Hughes stuck with the 4-5-1 returning Tugay to the starting line up. Souness' last game with the barcodes - quite possibly.

With Dickov getting on and Kuqi's performance being variable, Jansen could well still have an important role to play. Personally I don't think that he'll get anywhere near where he was before the accident. However I do believe that he can still do a job for us. The question we need to ask ourselves is; is the new Matt Jansen at his new performance level able to contribute something to Rovers. IMO the answer is yes. Last season despite the injuries he got three goals, more than a certain Mr. Stead who there was such an uproar about going. The old Matty's not going to come back, but the new Matty could still have an important role to play. The indications are that Hughes, who is in a better position than all of us to judge, seems to think so too.

A pretty dissatisfying match in many ways but a point is a point, and against Bolton away from home that isn't a bad result. The first half was woeful, and Rovers need to improve on that, another performance like that and against a better team we'd get punished. Fortunately Bolton were equally poor, though Campo should have scored late on in the first half from a corner (which would have really left us in trouble.) Second half was more frustraiting then anything else, as Rovers hinted though never really got hold of the game as they promised to do. The substitutions were the catalyst, and I think Hughes erred in his team selection. I'm chuffed that matty is in the first team picture but playing him on his own up front against bolton was never likely to work. With Rovers hoofing it long all the time, the slim chance of him getting anything became nil. This game was crying out for Kuqi or Dickov to start, to ruffle a few feathers and to be fair the former did when he came on. Sadly that's all he did, as a lack of technique/that but of extra quality that was just missing, meant the difference between sometimes threatening and downright dangerous. One time which typified this was when the ball was played towards the Bolton left back area, Kuqi outmusled the defender in getting the ball, and then promptly lost it when he had a clear run down the wing through lack of control. If Hughes can improve his technique and touch we have the bargain of the season on our hands, if not we've got another Ashely Ward. IMO Dickov should have risen in the pecking order, after this. The chap has far better ball control then Kuqi, is equal in terms of harrying the opposition, although is going to win less headers. If Dickov was guarenteed not to spend so much time winging on his arse he'd be my number two guarenteed striker. Tactically I also thought Hughes had erred in taking off Pederson instead of the anonymous Emerton. This did have a negative effect on the team in terms of set pieces (more on this later) but Emerton then began to show his quality, and impressed in the latter stages of the game. One of the big positives is that the indications are that Emerton might provide adequate cover on the left should Morten get injured. Kish-thingy had a fairly quiet debute the jury's till out on this one IMO. His centre back partner Nelsen was awesome - we'll be lucky to keep hold of him, this chap is one of the top few centre backs in the country. On many a time he covered for one player or another, and I wonder to what extent this convered up for or overshaddowed Zurab's performance. Either way Nelsen is a legend in the making. Another gripe is Savage, another stupid booking - the daftest yet - and his free kicks and corners were shocking. Every single one went sailing over evveryone's heads. His passing in play wasn't exactly telling either, but it was the wasted set pieces which annoyed me most. If MGP's not on the pitch, Emerton should be dealing with them, I was very disappointed with our 'star' midfielder. The other two central midfielders had quiet games, although neither performance was poor. Bentley drifted in and out of the game, which was understandable considering he hasn't seen much 1st team football recently. But when he was in the game he made a heck of a difference. Maybe he's the attacking midfielder we've been after to solve our problems, and though it's too early to say the first signs are very promising. Overall a frustrating game, a dire first half with Rovers edging the second. Rovers cannot feel too agrieved about not winning though as despite having the edge never really took the game by the scruff of the neck and dominatea, as they hinted at and had opportunity to do.

i hope he gets a decent send off, because yes he may only EVER have won one medal, but..................... HE HAD TO WIN THE DAMN THING HIMSELF Another stirling insight from paddyk. Of course anyone with any sort of knowledge of football would know that it didn't quite happen like that. How many of our team got in the players team of the year? A fair few of our players also contributed a good number of goals, and as I recall our defence was pretty useful too. Granted we may have built a team around Shearer, but they all contributed. Incidentally building a team around your star players isn't a bad idea, you may want to mention the notion to Souness. All in all though i hope Shearer does get a good send off. Aside from being the best striker I've ever seen, and been pivitol in Rovers success, the chap showed the very rare quality of loyalty in todays modern game, sticking with his home town team despite them not really challenging for for honours. Added to which he turned down Manure, which if somewhat foolhardy was very gratifying. Clearly a talent such as Shearer should have won bucket loads of medals, and perhaps if he'd shown a bit less loyalty to Newcastle, or Newcastle had shown a bit more loyalty to a certain manager he would have won a medal with his beloved Newcastle.

Sven has flattered to decieve for a long time. On all the big occassions he has bottled it. Brazil were there for the beating with 10 men - we fluff it. But it is brazil and the heat was a problem etc. and all is forgiven. Portugal - granted loosing rooney was a blow and the ref as incompetent but his defensive minded substitutions and lack of motivational skills meant it never should have come to that. My third criticism is that he sticks with players long after they are clearly not good enough. James, Heskey, Johnson and that it takes a really big embarrassment before he finally sees sense. Where Sven has got it right is prior to the big occassion he's managed to amble through without too much of a hiccup. The worry is now that he's loosing it on the small occassions as well as the big ones. We seem to be regressing despite having the most talented squad he's ever had. I can almost understand why he put Beckham as a holding midfielder, to allow Gerrard and lampard to get forward and do what they do best. But no one, not even Souness, would have tried playing Rooney on the left. Nor should he have played Owen who clearly isn't suited to a loan striker role on his own. In trying to get the best out of Gerrard and Lampard Sven severely limited two of his other world class players. What makes it all the more galling is that J Cole seems to have made the best of a bad job on the left, and even scored at the weekend so why was he left out? As for Hargreves, maybe it's me but is plan B always to bring on a defensive minded midfield? It rarely ever works, but is guarented not to work when playing Mr 'I-play-on-the-continent-so-must-be good'. In Vasell, Mills, P. Neville and Butt they've all at least shown glimpses of why they were, mostly incorrectly, picked for England yet I'm still in the dark to why Hargreaves warrents a game. Finally, the motivation seems to be non-existent. Sven doesn't seem to be ableto control Rooney when the red mist descends, nor does he seem to be able to motivate the team in any way at all. I wouldn't have thought it too difficult to sting the players proffessional pride at half time to improbve on being 0-0 with Northern Ireland. The idea of placing Bobby Robson as coach is an excellent one, and despite the cost must be taken as this is England's best squad for some time, and should be our best chance of doing well. Sadly under Sven the same tired mistakes will keep holding us back.

Personally I reckon that its a combination of most of the factors, and most of which the club can do little about. Im sure the economics of the game mean that even with falling attendances that higher ticket prices are more profitable to the club overall, and thus are unlikely to change. In Blackburn's situation however I reckon that the most important factor is a poor standard of football. People will be more willing to pay the higher prices if they know they are getting a superior product i.e. attractive winning football. Hence the higher attendances in the first three seasons under souness. In fact this goes for all teams as far fewer fans would pay the prices of Chelsea/Arsenal/manure if they weren't winning. However these days winning needs money the situation is unlikely to change. On an optimistic note I can remember a German team failed to qualify for the champs league and the players through fan pressure had to give back a percentage of their wages. (apologies if already mentioned.) Im also fairly confident that you can get in to german league games for a decent price . If this is the case premier league clubs should be asking what the differences are that allow this to happen?

Nice idea. Only probs is the players mentioned won't be going out on loan deals - Saha reportedly on his way out but only on a perminant transfer. And would they come? The big problem is we're trying to replace/cover for our star striker and especially at this stage of the season there aren't that many available. There aren't even that many 'lesser'/squad strikers available. The only one I know of is Morrisson from Birmingham. Maybe he'd prefer us to Norwich? What happened to that Le Tallic chap? I think Liverpool released him? I thoughhe looked pretty promising.

Good post percy. The only problem with playing Reid on the right is that mostly he hasn't looked that impressive on the right. It's only whilst in the centre that his form has significantly improved. Having said that, after the West Ham game it seems Savage and reid though both good players may not be an ideal partnership(although is not a certainty as yet as they haven't played much together as a 2 man centre midfield.) With Moko behind them to cover defensively I believe that a three man central midfield would be our best bet of not only containing Fulham, but give us the best chance of Savage or Reid getting forward to contribute to the attack. And despite a poor performance last week Moko has shown that he can excel in the defensive mid position. Along with his excellent attitude we shouldn't write him off just yet. Emerton however seems to need a constant kick up the backside. Dropping him to the bench seems the best way of motivating and getting the best out of him. Sadly the competition on the right side of midfield is somewhat limited. With us reverting most likely to a 4-5-1 in midfield I'd be very tempted to give Gally a game on the right. This would give us more of an attacking threat and with a three man central midfield we should have enough cover defensively to make up for Gally being a bit of a lightweight defensively. Furthermore it gives Emerton the message to buck his ideas up. Alternatively Tugs could go in the centre and Reid out right. However with Bellamy out Tugs passing ability becomes less of a weapon, as well as being detrimental to Reid's overall game and performance, so I'd leave Tugs on the bench for now. And one bad performance from Todd and Moko does not mean that they should be written off, although I'd still steer clear of Moko at cb unless part of a 5 man defence or the alternative is Amoruso. Matteo could play a big part as third chocie cb this year. Assuming there are no suprises regarding fitness: Friedel Neill, Todd, Nelsen, Gresko Moko Gally, Reid, Sav, MGP Kuqi subs Enks, Matteo, Tugay, Emerton, Flitty

1. Chelsea 2. Man Utd 3. Arsenal 4. Liverpool 5. Boro 6. Spurs 7. Everton 8. Charlton 9. Aston Villa 10. Man City 11. Birmingham 12. Blackburn Rovers 13. Newcastle 14. Bolton 15. Portsmouth 16. Fulham 17. West Ham 18. West Brom 19. Wigan 20. Sunderland The Title Chelsea to win it. Drogba looks more settled, as well as having Crespo back to solve their striker "problem". SWP and that new left back make the squad so strong it's not funny. Arsenal showed how much they rely on key players when they missed Gilberto last season, and Viera leaves a big hole. United are more likely to be the main challengers providing Ferguson doesn't rotate his squad too much. If all the united players find their form again, Scholes, van Nistelrooy, etc. then they could look very scary indeed. Added to which if the transfer rumours are correct they're leading the race to sign Owen and that brazilian defender which would make the squad very strong again. Besides every time I get my hopes up that United are a spent force they prove me wrong. Liverpool are making the right moves, but the new players will take time to gell, the long champs League qualifier will take it's toll later on and Crouch isn't going to have the impact they hoped for, so I reckon they won't be challenging the big 3 yet although will come comfortable 4th. Relegation. Sunderland have a 1st devision squad end of story. Wigan haven't been able to get the players in that they need, and may be a bit thin on the ground in terms of numbers. The Ellington saga will psychologically put them at a disadvantage, and the loss of one of their key players could have a massive effect, including impacting on Roberts performance. As for the 3rd relegation place it really is difficult to say. To me any one of West Ham, Fulham or WBA could go down and there's very strong cases for each one. I've gone for WBA as I'm not entirely sure Robson is that good a manager, other than last season his record is not that impressive. There are still question marks over his ability. Added to which WBA didn't get very many points last time and improvement is needed if they are to stay up. Having said that I wouldn't be in the least bit suprised if Fulham or West Ham were to get relegated. The Others Newcastle managed to get 13th as there will be a new man in charge by the end of september who'll be able to rectify Soueys mistakes, and they do have some class players. However the transfer window will hinder any squad improvements and ensure that europe once again is out of reach. Boro are a team which really impress me. They've been making some uality signings and are getting better and better. Added to which they have a quality youth team producing some cracking prospects not just Downing. I've a feeling they'll do very well this year.