This may of already of been said on another topic, but last weeks MOTD gave us last place AGAIN against Brum, eventhough we had 3 goals in our game, including one from Emile Heskey! But Newcastle and Crystal Palace who played out a 0-0 draw go before us!!!

Unbelievable, eventhough this isnt the first time its happened.

To be fair the Palace game was more significant to the neutral as it was a key battle in the relegation dogfight whereas for the neutral this was a game between two mid table teams with nothing to play for. Having said that considering the bad blood between the two sides in recent months I was suprised it wasn't on earlier.

TBH they're not good enough. I'd doubt that any of our reserves except Jemal would actually look that good in the first division/championship/whatever it is these days. Maybe the problem is to do with the fact that reserve team football isn't actually reserve team football but glorified youth and player's coming back from injury football. IMO I'm not sure reserve football is the next level for developing talent to aspire to. Which makes the fact that none of them look that inspiring all the more depressing.

Blimey a game in which both Hesky and Stead score - who would have thought it possible?

I'm pretty disappointed with Rovers last couple of games, but I reckon a lot of it is due to tiredness. We have a very small squad of players that we can rely on - and IMO I reckon that is what is costing us, especially with the high energy and work rate of our game. This if anything shows we need to freshen things up in the summer - and add as well as improve the squad.

Also think Nissa being subbed is a good indication that he might not have a future at the club. Pity, I don't think we'll get anyone as good at his age on the cheap.

My team next season would be:

Brad

Neill Nelsen Todd Gresko

Emerton Savage Reid MGP

Striker 1 Striker 2

subs Enks, Nissa/Matteo, Mokeana, attacking mid, Dickov

squad players: Stead, Tugay, right back cover, left back cover, Tommo, Jansen (pay as you play).

To be honest that to me is all we need, although the squad size is a little thin we'd have back up and options for every postion. More importantly most positions would have players who are just as good/deserve to be first teams coming in in terms of the creative mid, mokeana, matteo/nissa.

Ok there is a question mark about whether Gresko can still do it but if Hughes can work the same magic he has with the rest of the defence then there's a good chance that we'll see the best of Vratti again.

Dickov as a substitute to come on for twenty minutes to harass the defence thus creating more opportunites for our team is an asset. To lead the line he is a liability.

Other than the strike positions I reckon the rest of the team is doing well enough to warrent its place. The only position I'm torn between is Matteo and Nissa, as both seem to be better at cb but can also cover lb. Matteo has impressed me more in recent weeks, but Nissa represents better value for money in terms of wages and longetivity.

We already have a compact defence, a hardworking midfield which can be quite offensive (in terms of attacking), and in Brad we have one of the best keepers around. One striker IMO wouldn't be enough as that would still leave us with not enough options up front.

Of the players needed only the strikers and possibly the creative midfielder need to be of top class. If we can get one striker on a free then that's 2 players to spend the majority of our budget on.

Another possibility would be sell on tommo and get another wide player in (Routledge on the cheap) as Tommo might be one of our more saleable assets. Cover for right back is imperative as Nelsen is wasted there, and quite possibly a lb too so Nissa/Matteo can cover the centre backs along with Moko.

Hmmm sadly I can't see Souness lasting long enough to well and truely mess up Newcastle. I give him to christmas at the latest.

All this negative media about Bellamy is beginning to worry me. I've no problem with 'problem players' with a reputation live Savage and Todd, but the amount of problems Bellamy seems to be causing suggests that there is little chance that it can be harnessed in the right direction.

Was it just me or did anyone else think the players looked tired towards the end v Palace? As it should be the same team as last time (pending Savage's fitness) the players must be pretty knackered by now. Can see that going against us. Sadly City are also on the up.

Reckon it'll be a draw 1-1 though is most definately winnable.

The only complaint Rovers fans can have is (to borrow a phrase from an ex-manager) lady luck wasn't with us. How we only scored one is beyond me. The centre backs were excellent again. In fact so were the full backs. Routledge had to swap wings he was getting so little out of Matteo. Neill again looked class both defensively and going forward. Emerton showed what he can do when he runs, and along with MGP gives us two wide players who are capable of creating chances, yet at the same time contribute to the fantastic work ethic of the team. Stead looked very promising, a bit more confidence and he would be deadly. Savage looked unfit, and hence IMO the reason for so many stupid tackles. Towards the end I thought we looked tired after Saturday's exploits but all credit to the lads they somehow managed to keep going. Palace are certs to be relegated - they offered nothing.

All this slating of Flitty is hacking me off. it seems like the band wagon can't slate Neill or Matteo or Amo much at the mo so Flitty's up for a slating. I have to admit he is not as good as he once was, that age is catching up with him, and in Moko Sav and Reid we have a heck of a good engine 'room.' But then this position requires a lot of energy and as players get older they loose some of their stamina so its understandable.

However that does not mean that Flitty hasn't and still doesn't contribute. At this level you CANNOT CARRY PLAYERS. Most seasons Flitty has been with us he has played a stunningly important part. Indeed under Souness in promotion to 6th place Flitty was vital in disrupting the opposition's midfield and allowing Tugs, Dunny and Duff to do their stuff; not very glamerous but neccessary. And last season when we somehow stayed up - correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Flitty part of the settled team that kept us up. I can assure you in a team as shocking as last season we couldn't have carried any players.

This season again he's not been a regular choice but when he's played he has done a job. Ok he is slowing down and not as effective as he once was, but he's still doing a good job and contributed greatly to the defensive solidity that we have in the team. And Flitty does make runs into the box; he always has and still does. I can remember several times in recent games when he did so. Mostly however he doesn't get passed to with these runs and thus they often go unnoticed and unappreciated.

IMO Matteo seems to be getting the hang of the lb slot so shouldn't loose his place, especially to Taylor who isn't good enough. In fact none of the reserves are quite ready for Premiership, except perhaps Jemal, but I wouldn't play him as a lone striker.

True and criticism must also be given where due which sadly Amo at times has warrented.

However don't agree with Jan's utter slating. He isn't good enough but the guy always tries which many who have had the ability (Yorke) and those who haven't (Boothroyd) have not. I know which I prefer at rovers. Whatever anyone says about him - and my word there have been some shockers - you cannot fault his commitment or his brilliant attitude with the fans. How anyone can take delight in someone like Amo failing is beyond me.

The same with Neill who gets far too much criticism and every mistake or possible mistake made over analysed.

Heh Heh, when was the last time a Burnleh team could be considered entertaining.

It was entertaining when we beat them 5-0.

Found the dingle fans and players reaction brillian when MGP scored the winner this time too. Celebrating that we only beat them 2-1!

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.

I do believe that he did push him away with the forearm/elbow and some intent may have been there, but more of the "get out of the way we're losing" type not a malicious one.

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.

anyway does anyone know what the gooner fans are predicting. besides being over confiedent.

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