And Amoruso was part of the disaster defence at the start of this season and last. To be honest the bottom line is: 1) Amo isn't good enough to be a first choice defender at Premiership level. His speed positioning and tendency to switch off make him too risky despite the clear positives he has about his game. 2) He's on too much to be a squad player, and at the wrong side of thirty too so we're not going to see any significant improvement. Therefore we should release him come the end of the season. If Nissa and Matteo stay then he'd be fifth choice for cb, which surely cannot be justified on his wages.

Disagree. If you're running along and something hits you on the shoulder like that it's only natural to raise your arm to protect your face. The fact is he isn't looking at Van Persie, and suddenly he gets hit on the shoulder- it was a pure defensive reaction. Utterly agree with left winger - if anyone gets run into they're likely to try to push someone away. I fear the verdict has been made. Can't upset the media and Arsenal can they. In a way I was reassured to see how sad Todd was after the third goal went in, it shows how much the club and the game means to him. Hopefully the suspension won't be too long. If he gets three games when compaired to the punnishment of the Dyer-Bowyer incident which was deliberate, continous and far worse then a three game ban would be very harsh indeed.

The worst bit I heard was Radio Five interviewing Wenger after the game. They kept asking leading questions about how overly physical Blackburn were and asking how many red cards we should have had. To be fair Wenger tried to play this down but the interviewer kept on at it. Bunch of #### stirrers the lot of them. How much was mentioned about Arsenal's disciplinary record. I can't remember one paper saying Lauren should be charged for his two footed monster tackle against Boro. todd however should be hung drawn and quartered - and that's just for playing for Rovers. yes we're physical but we're not dirty, and as we've shown against the lesser teams we can play good football. I for one am delighted we've a team which is proud to wear the shirt and put in the commitment the blue and white halves deserve.

I think it's because of what Souness did for us in the first few years of his reign that makes fans so bitter about his tenature. He created an exciting top 6 side and then destroyed it. Hodgeson for example didn't do badly with us at first, but the decline wasn't as severe as it was under Souness. Very few managers can boast that they transformed a club from first division to sixth place in the prem and then to relegation candidates. The fact Souness had the ability to get us to sixth and then threw away all the hard work makes it all the more galling. He put his ego before the club, clearly a case cutting off your nose to spite the face, which has had huge reprecussions for the team. A player putting themselves first would be slated - why not a manager? Add in his lady luck excuses and the shameful way he left Rovers (although it was a blessing in disguise and we didn't know Hughes would be so good) is the reason many on the board overall don't have a high oppinion of Souness. "I feel Flitcroft is underrated by many on here." Totally agree. The man has been immense for us. Have a sneaky suspicion Hughes might go for Butt if the price is low, especially with the age of Tugs and Flitty.

This is one heck of a challenge for Hughes getting the players in the right mindset to face Palace. I honestly think from the reaction of the players and how disappointed they were that they'll still be down about it which will affect our performance. That said I reckon it'll be a draw, with Rovers the happier of the two. The good news is that Palace need a win. Whereas Rovers don't (though it'd be very nice). This means they'll have to come and attack us, which is Rovers type of game. With the five across the midfield and our defensive solidity I fully expect Rovers to stand firm. Palace have to take chances, they're not going to get many better opportunities for three points then a tired team having lost its semi-final just a few days before. This means that they'll have to take risks, which hopefully should leave space for Emo and MGP to do their stuff. The bad news is that Rovers must be tired mentally and physically after the outstanding effort at Cardiff. With Palcae bombarding us whether Rovers will have the energy to last the ninety minutes is a severe doubt. With this in mind I'd introduce the relatively rested Emerton and Savage into the team, two players who I believe will be well suited to this game - Emerton to catch them on the break, Savage to help shore up our weary central midfield. Question marks over whether Savage is fit enough to play though remain. Overall I reckon 1-1 Rovers to take the lead on the break, before conceeding a late equaliser. Hopefully the fans will be out in force and show them how much we appreciated their efforts. A substantial and noisy crowd could give Rovers the mental lift that could make all the difference.

Absolutely gutted by the score line. Fair enough Arsenal deserved their win but 3-0 was very harsh and doesn't reflect all the hard work and effort that Rovers put in. People in years to come will see the result and think it was a walkover, which was far from the case, and doesn't reflect the tremendous effort everyone connected with the club put in. Rovers fans were brilliant. Outsung Arsenal fans from start to finish. A couple of points: 1) Reid looked very dangerous when he ran from central positions and scared Arsenal. The fact they cynically chopped him down every time he did so wasn't picked up by the commentators, or sadly his fellow Rovers players. I'd have liked to see him given more of the ball. 2) Friedel - brilliant again. He's pretty effective at the MS. Did not deserve to let three in. 3) Didn't think Neill played badly, did v well against Pires. Matteo looked solid defensively too. However when we are chasing the game Matteo becomes a liability due to his complete inability to go forward. Another alternative is needed for lb for when we are chasing the game. 4) Emerton looked promising when he came on - reckon he deserves a start on Wednesday.

Asked an Arsenal mate Steve what he thought about the game: Q: Firstly how do you feel about the semis being at Cardiff? A: It would be better if they were somewhere else, makes the final less special to have the semis there as well Q: Last season you were 'unbeatable' in the league, this season your not, and are 11 points behind the leaders Chelsea. What went wrong? A: Injuries - especially to Gilberto who breaks up the opposition's play, protects the back four and allows Viera to get more involved in the attack. Q: Despite a good cup record under Wenger you've lost a few cup games in the last season or two, to Premiership teams Man United and Chelsea. Is the bottle going out of the team and are they likely to bottle another semi? A: Have only lost one semi final in the last four years, and made three finals, i think that arsenal will want to win the cup just as much as any other team out there and are more than capable of it Q: Most of the team are pretty useful but who in particular is in good form at the moment? A: Henry, two hatricks in recent weeks, a good performance from him could be the difference on the day Q: Which of Blackburn's players do you think will cause you the most problems? A: Pedersen is definatly one of the in form blackburn players at the moment Q: What's the probable line up? A: Lehmann, Cole, Toure, Campbell, Lauren, Ljunberg, Pires, Vieira, Gilberto, Reyes, Henry Q: What type of game do you think it will be? A: I think arsenal will try and play their usual style of attacking football, trying to pass and keep the ball as much as possible making blackburn work as much as possible. Q: If you were Rovers what would your game plan be? A: To try and win!!! Q: Predicted score and scorers? A: No idea Q: IF you get past us, who would you prefer in the final? A: Man Utd, without a doubt it would be the best cup final in years

Reids outstanding form has come when hes been playing CENTRE midfield so sending him back out to the wing, where for the most part he has been indifferent to poor, makes no sense. Streaky b hits the nail on the head, all his qualities indicate that he is best suited to centre mid. Also agree with Blueboy Downunder that Tommo or Emo is a better bet for right midfield, both have looked far better on the rith than Reid. Just because we have a problem on the right, which hopefully can be sorted out internally, we should not weaken the centre of the pitch trying to sort it. If needs be get in another right mid, but keep Reid in the centre. IMO we've three talented cm in Savage, Reid and Mokeana - depending on injuries and who we are playing I'd like to see these three and possibly another creative cm rotate for the two - possibly at times three - central midfield slots.

Davies. Even not taking into account the massive transfer fee, there has never been a more disinterested lazy #### who doesn't cae about the club though sadly, many have tried. Added to which he never once looked threatening and lacked all the basic abilties a striker should have. As I recall he was dopped after just two games (for Gally who scored the winner vs Leicester). Having said that the worst ever performance has to be from Jay Boothroyd against bolton this season. Never have I seen such ineptness. Ward, Dailly and Grabbi to me are all unfairly blamed because some numpty signed them for stupid money they clearly weren't worth. That wasn't their fault, and they all tried which goes a long way. I can tolerate players no matter how pants if they try and look as if they care, after all they weren't to blame for getting such lavish sums spent on them. Both Dahlin and Ward scored a few goals for us which got us some important (and not so important) points. In fact it was Dahlin who was fouled for Sutty rocket free kick that got us into Europe - worth the transfer fee on its own. Equally Dailly wasn't a bad defender, just average. Certainly not worth 5 million but then Roy wasn't brilliant with his cash. Im suprised Peacock didn't get more mentions - he truely was the worst defender ever - like Amruso with none of Amoruso's offensive capablity. Actually, when you consider it Amo isn't quite that dire, he looked too good for the reserves. Peacock was dreadful even at that level. Fettis was another player who I really though didn't know what he was doing, the worst at one on ones ever. And Ireland was pretty pants too. Im sure I saw him once in a SPL game and he looked bobbins there too.

The big question is whether we have enough offensively to bother Arsenal. For a couple of weeks I've been worried we won't have enough attacking capability to bother Arsenal and since it is a semi final a 0-0 won't suffice. Any gunner thinking it'll be a walkover is a muppet, and I've every confidence Rovers won't take a battering and let in a hatfull. Even so stoping Arsenal from scoring is a tall order - and besides a goal can come from an unstopable piece of brilliance or a flukey bit of luck - Rovers can't rely on not having to score and take it to penalties. We'll probably have to get at least one goal, possibly two if we're to win. The big question is do we have that in us? After Southampton I'm tempted to say yes. The odds are still against us, but after the display against Southampton the team has proved it has goals in it. Granted Arsenal aren't Southampton, but the longer it stays 0-0, and we know Rovers defence is capable of limiting Arsenal's chances, the more desperate they'll become and hopefully the gaps will open up for Rovers. In a way our defensive stability could be our biggest offensive asset. To me we have to stay with the tried and tested 4-5-1. Rumour has it Savage will be back, which in a straight swap for Flitty would normally be an improvement to the side though after so long out he may be below par. I'd have Emerton in for Tommo even if Tommo's not injured. Emo is better defensively IMO and has shown a couple of times recently that he can really hurt teams when he runs at them. The rest of the midfield picks itself. We cannot risk the inconsistency of Tugay. I reckon this is where the game will be won, as the best way to top Henry (and how we did it last time) is to stop him getting the ball. The midfield will have to be on top of their game to limit the service the strikers get. The defence picks itself, and for once I'm going to go with Matteo at left back, as I can't see our full backs getting much opportunity to attack. Bit worried what Arsenal's pace will do to him though. Up front it has to be Dickov, as Arsenal have looked a bit jittery at the back of late so hopefully Dickov can add to that and force them into a few errors. Overall I reckon the heart says a 1-0 win for Rovers in an epic, Emerton being the hero with a brilliant brek away goal (though it can come from anywhere as long as we win.) Great preview by sox. Have wquite a few Arsenal mates so hopefully will be able to get a few Q&As sorted before Saturday.

Fantastic result and an all round excellent performance. Rovers started off well and took full advantage of Southampton's suspect full backs. Delap normally plays midfield and it showed. Early on he left a huge gap behind him where the rb should be for Pederson. Thanks to an exceptional pass from Mokeana, Pederson was through one and one and took his goal well. I thought he might have knocked it a bit wide but MGP excels in these situations. Rovers continued to press on both flanks and had a blatent penalty turned down, when one of the Saint's handled the ball under pressure from Reid. Had that been given the form Rovers were in it could have been a really high scoring goal. As it was Rovers continued to dominate until the latter end of the first half, MGP should have had a hattrick, when they had their traditional sloppy spell, giving away the ball and allowing Southampton to play a bit. This coincided with Tommo's head injury. The guy was doing ok - though not great - until his head injury but after that really looked off the pace. In effect Rovers were playing with ten men, as he got everything wrong. No suprise that he was replaced by Emerton at half time, but perhaps a few question marks over why Hughes waited until half time to make the substitution. Southampton also made a substitution at half time bringing Phillips on thus changing to a 4-3-3. If anything this worked to Rovers advantage, Mokeana dropping a bit deeper to pick up the extra forward when needed. Which wasn't often as with only three in the middle Southampton struggled to win the ball, especially with the ferocity of Mokeana and Reid - the guy has limitless energy. More importantly, it was left mid Le Saux who came off, leave bernard, who had looked suspect till Tommo's injury with no protection. Rovers took full advantage of this and mercilessly got the ball out wide, and it was no suprise that Rovers second goal came from a wide position, Jakobsen accidently converting Reid's cross. Rovers got a third soon after from a corner - the corners looked good all game. Reid deservedly got his goal slotting home at the far post after a nice ball was played back from a mele at the near post. Rovers could have had more. Some powerful runs in particular could have ended in goals for Emerton and Mokeana. The second part of the second half saw Rovers pass the ball around comfortably, and try to catch Southampton on the break. Harry seemed to realise he'd made a tactical blunder and brought on an extra midfielder for Camara, and replaced the beleagured Banard, which helped, and Southampton managed a few token attacks, forcing a good save from Friedel. Overall it was Rovers day, and on another day they would have had a few more. Most importantly it showed that we can score even with the 4-5-1, and that we are defiantely a side of Premier League quality. We looked miles better than Southampton. Friedel - made the few saves he had to make well, pretty flawless though inactive for long periods of the game. Neil - brilliant, got his tackles in well, disrupted the Saint's play and was a real danger going forwards. Matteo - I'm not his biggest fan but he had a good game today. Defensively did his duty well, and though not brilliant his distribution and forward runs were much improved. Nelson and Todd - had the attack in their pocket they dealt with Crouch's high supurbly and were unphazed by Camara's trickery. Mokeana - just edges man of the match over Neill with an awesome diplay. Defensively the guy was immense and in the centre of midfield he won everything and disrupted any play Southampton tried to have. Most encouraging was his distribution. Probably completed more passes than any team mate, got forward well when neccessary and at times like the first goal showed excellent vision. Reid - ran his socks off all game and was a threat throughout - an all round midfielder. Stupidly booked. Savage will struggle to get ahead of these two. Flitty - another pain for Southampton, disrupting the midfield, though his contribution was curtailed by injury. Still looked to support the attack at times, an intelligent game from an old pair of legs. Tommo - slow start, was beginning to get into it with a few good runs. Then he got concussd and my word he was shocking thereafter. MGP - should have had a hat trick. His ball control was a tad suspect at times, but defensively worked his socks off, caused loads of problems and took his goal brilliantly. Dickov - worked hard, fairly quiet game though. No real chances. subs Emerton - looked threatening and unlucky not to score after a brilliant run. Some good passes though he always seems to cut inside. Tugay - his type of game. A tad overconfident but sprayed it around well. Stead -didnt quite work for the lad, a few times got in a decent position but didn't get the pass he wanted. A few half chances.

Lawro really annoys me. He does seem to have it in for us. I reckon we could play Boston United's ladies under 13 B's and he'd still predict a loss for Rovers. Then again the guy's very much a big club man - he always predicts that the 'bigger' club would win. Will be very interesting. The saints have three in form qualiy strikers who are hitting form. We've got one of the stingiest defences around. Will be very interesting to see who wins this battle. Can our defence keep them out? If we can keep out manure we can do it against Saints. Not too sure our strike force is up to much and with Saints being a real handful offensively and needing to win I don't think we'll create much - even for us. 0-0 quite possibly. Hopefully the law of averages will swing in our favour and the awful decisions that went against us in the match at St Marys will fall on our side. With Souness not haunting Ewood any longer Lady Luck can come back to Ewood, allowing us to scrape a 1-0 win through some good fortune.

Have to say his distribution is one of the things that most irritates me. Still it's not as bad as Tommo's currently. I'd not really considered the options to pass to, but it seems a logical argument. With a target man and a more intelligent footballer in front of him it would be interesting to see whether his distribution was like. I suspect it might still be poor but who knows. I reckon if we'd have said get rid of Grey and keep Neill at the start of the season people on the MB would have been dead against it. Interesting that that's now the case and we're very solid defensively. If Neill was that bad as people say he is the team would have suffered. This is the Premiership - you can't carry players. If it ain't broke don't fix it. We should have learnt that at least from Souness.

Maybe he was homesick? Motherwell's quite a distance from Glasgow

I'm suprised at how busy WBA have been in the transfer market. there's quite a few decent players in that list. They might not have cost 20 mill but there's still a fair bit of talent and a few good pieces of business amongst them. WBA might stay up after all. Maybe the sun isn't out after all

20 million on transfers? Its probably me but I can't think of 5million worth of transfers let alone 20. Ok there's Earnshaw, but other than him I can't remember them spending any big money.

Blimey this is one of the most exciting and closest relegation battles for some time. Southampton WBA and Crystal Palace are all picking up points whilst Portsmouth continue to play absymally. Any of these four could stay up or go down, I really wouldn't like to predict who at the moment. Rovers can't afford to be too complacent what with the strong form of the aformentioned teams. Relegation is still a possibility and what with the way the bottom 5 bar Norwich are playing the teams just above them should not be breathing too big a sigh of relief just yet. Having said that our own current form is impressive, and with only draws needed against the bottom teams to stay out of trouble we should do it. Not sure that these 'easy' fixtures will be as comfortable or as rewarding as previously hoped a month or so ago.

Brilliant result, it shows how far we've come under Hughes. We had a bit of luck in the first half but with the effort we put in we deserved a draw. United fans will next be suggesting tht teams should be penalised for trying to score versus manure. If they were so great they would have broken us down. Muppets. The bbc said it wasn't pretty from Rovers, which was true, but then I suppose they couldn't give the underdog credit could they. Brad spoke on the radio after and seemed quite pleased though not suprised that they got hte draw. It sounded as though the team has a real confidence about it again.

What a pillock Toshack is blaming Hughes. Personally I don't think Hughes' time can be classed as a brilliant success - Greece have shown what can be done and set the benchmark for lesser teams in terms of success. However, without a doubt Hughes has done a good job, and left Wales in a far better position than when he joined them. Wales don't have that many talented players, that Toshack left out one of the few decent players Wales have in Savage smacks of stupidity. Even Ireland went crawling back to Keane and they've a fair few more options than Wales for cm. Savage is thirty (i think) which means hes at least 2/3 more years left at international level, certainly for Wales. Ok so quite a few players retired when Hughes left. That to me shows how well thought of and respected our manager is; it seems as if the players were playing for Sparky rather than Wales. And that he managed to get Giggs to actually play for Wales is one of the most impressive feats of modern football. Toshack evidently doesn't have the respect or 'people skills' that Sparky has. To be fair Wales aren't the most talented of teams. Hartson and Bellamy are hardly international class; in fact save Giggs many of them wouldn't get in most international teams. That Hughes gained them credability is a massive achievement in itself. The early indications are that Toshack will undo this. Shame.

Another thought. Against Burbley we knew they'd defend and want a physical game hence the 4-5-1 for that game too. However we knew we needed to breakt them down hence Tugay played. Perhaps Hughes should have adopted a similar tactic and played Tugs instead of Flitty as Mokeana and Reid seemed to be able to handle the hard man role.

Really disappointed that we got Arsenal as: IMO they're the best team left in the competion. Oh and all their players including Gilberto will be back for that game. They'll have a fully fit squad to choose from. I'd much rather beat Manure or the barcodes as its more personal and we've more of a history to them. The prospect of Todd firing in a thunderbolt header against Newcastle to win the tie or a beautiful handball volley from Stead for Dickov to put away vs manure were much more appealing. Oh well I suppose that'll have to wait for the final. My housemate is an Arsenal fan - I'm not sure I could speak to him again if they beat us. btw does anyone know when tickets will go on sale?

If we play like we did against Everton then we've every chance of getting a point. Granted we played poorly against Leicester but it was an entirely different type of game. Will be very interested to see how Todd & Nelson cope with Morientes. My team would be: Brad Neill Todd Nelsen Nissa Mokeana Emerton, Reid, Tommo/Flitty, MGP Stead subs Dickov (if fit) Enks, Short, Flitty/Tommo. Tugay This 4th midfield slot is a bit tricky, Flitty's more defensive, but Tommo could cause Liverpool some problems if he doesn't go missing. Dickov may have scored the penalty but wasted two good chances and Stead deserves his chance. The only thing with this formation is that if we go a goal down it would be very hard to get back into the match. Im going for 1-1 Rovers taking the lead through a Todd corner before a late Liverpool equaliser - it has to be from Riise.

That wasn't a classic game and if anything really shows how we are the underdogs in these semis. Apart from MGP we lack players who can create that bit of magic. In tight games - and if we're to win the cup we have to make sure that they're tight games - that litle bit of magic is absolutely VITAL. However we're through and that is the most important thing. Having said that at least we can be confident that the right work ethic is in place to make sure these games are tight. We seem to have the best centre back pairing I've seen for a long time, and we've got the whole team working hard and closing the opposition down. Under Souness this current squad would have been murdered by the teams in the semis - and probably slipped up against either Leicester or Burnley. We've progressed a long way but Hughes is still undoing much of the bad work of the past season. I've a feeling that our formation and work ethic is the right way to go about the semis being the underdogs. It's just that bit of magic we need that will cause me to loose a bit of sleep. Against City who would obviously sit back and defend I felt Hughes should have gone for a more attacking formation as 4-5-1 isn't the best way to break a team down. In fairness all of the midfield or defence deserved their place following the everton game, but Stead should have started up front, and Hughes is paid to make harsh decisions. The positives from the game to me were that the whole defence was excellent. Granted they didn't have too much to do but they did it well and professionally. Emerton being on the bench seemed to have galvanized him and he showed he can cross and looked a threat the entire time he was on. With MGP we look a danger from set pieces again and the guy is the start of getting some flair back into the team. the negatives - Dickov the constant moaning instead of getting on with the game really annoys me. And his finishing is diabolical. Twice he got into good positions only to have a terrible finish. I'm not sure where these two premiership class strikers are - Stead will become one - but Dickov certainly isn't one. Today showed again how poor his finishing is. Flitty showed signs of age, to put it politly whilst Tommo again went missing. I still think Tommos better out wide but Hughes needs to get some consistency into the lad. As for Flitty he's sadly not got it any more. Im not too upset about that as the Axeman seems a more than adequate replacement. Rovers should be somewhat worried about the performance but not too downhearted. Despite a poor performance they still deserved to win and still should have won by another goal. Hopefully Stead will continue to improve before the semis. Mokeana might manage to injure the entire Arsenal team next week and besides WE'RE GOING TO CARDIFF!

To be honest what with the finances being limited I reckon there won't be too many changes to the squad. There's a few key areas to me which need strengthening - namely up front and a centre mid and then proper cover for the left mid and right back positions. Going through the team I'd say the gk situation is fine. Two very good keepers - can't complain. A young keeper might be nice though have hear good things about a keeper at the acadamy (Jones?). Anyhow there is no call for wasting our funds in this area. Defence: To me Amoruso must go - he's so far down the pecking order its untrue - and his wages aren't insignificant. Gray should also go by the same logic - he's at least third choice lb and a big earner. Short will probably go as age has caught up with him. If I had my way that useless lump Matteo would also be gone but Hughes likes him. Gresko should stay. Hughes has done a magnificent job with the defence and I'm sure that he can get the best out of Gresko. As already stated Gresko has played for some big clubs and the lad's been unfortunate in terms of injuries and who he's had in front of him. A fully fit Gresko back to form would be much better value than anything we could buy with our limited funds. Nissa should also stay as he's been impressive at both cb and lb, as well as having age on his side. Again could we buy any better with the funds we have available. If we keep both these players all that's lacking is another rb for competition for Neill. Midfield: The big worry here to me is that both Flitty and Tugs are past it and are on considerable wages; I'd get rid. However this does leave a gap in terms of centre mids though is not as dire as first appears. Firstly I reckon that Reid could do a job in cm in fact I think it's his best position, and has all the qualities of an all round centre mid. Also Mokeana can do the defensive battling just as well as Flitty can. The only hole in the squad is a creative cm but with Tugs and Flitty gone we should have the wages to attract someone decent. Unless Emo's up to playing on the left - another left sided midfielder as cover would be nice. As it is funds might dictate that Emo is too important to loose as he can play either wing. Strikers: Here in lies the problem. Our strike force is the worst in the Prem. Being honest Stead and Gally at the mo aren't good enough - although in both case I believe they can and will make it as Premiership strikers. However both should be learning there trade coming off the bench and not having the additional pressure of leading the line. Equally Dickov is a nice option to have but he is not a lead striker - he's not good enough. A good squad option I'll grant you (and sadly the best we have at the mo) but he does lack the quality and more importantly doesn't seem to help the development of Gally or Stead. We need at least one maybe two proven quality strikers to lead the line and bring on our youngsters. Two might prove difficult to get though. As for Matty and Boothroyd. Due to the difficulties of getting a couple of new strikers. I'd keep Matty due to the promise he's shown this season - though on a reduced rate - as otherwise we could be pretty short of experience up front. If I never see Boothroyd in a rovers shirt again I'd be rather happy. In short: Amo, Gray, Short, Tugs, Flitty and Boothroyd out freeing up enough wages for a creative midfielder and at least one quality striker. Hopefully depending on funds a second striker and a right back will be added a max of 6 out 4 in and a large surplus in wages for Rovers.

Fantastic performance by the lads. I'd not been to Goodison before and was suprised how poor the ground was. Also didn't think much to the Everton team who just seemed to hoof it forward at every opportunity. There were loads of positives today: Tommo proved that although he can't play centre mid he can certainly play on the right Reid showed that he can play a more central role and was my man of the match. Mokeana showed he can take over from Flitty as the hard man in midfield (although we've also got Savage). Ok his passing was limited but no more so than Flitty's and I lost count of how many attack he disrupted. There was that botch with Bent getting past him but Brad who had a great game made a crucial save, that would otherwise have seen a different game. Stead showed why we brought him. Couldn't fault his effort before the goal though he was rather ineffective until he scored. The goal was sheer class though. Much improved after scoring, and it was great to see the guy looking so happy. Nelsen and todd looked a really class partnership. The only gripes were Flitty showing his age (though still put in a decent performance) and us briefly sitting back when scoring. Fortunately this only lasted for about five minutes but if we could cut it out altogether it would be nice. Nissa also showed he can defend well but was poor going forward. Hopefully a rejuvinated Gresko will come into lb next season. In second half we more than matched Everton and a deserved three points to take us into a difficult period of fixtures.