For all his talent, I cannot be dealing with his unreliability. I can just imagine us involved in a relegation scrap next season, playing a vital six-pointer at the foot of the table and Joey Barton getting sent off for a two-footed lunge on one of the opposition's players after 4 minutes of the game.

IT'S JUST NOT WORTH THE HASSLE!

I would understand if Barton joined, but why is your respect for Allardyce already waning, T4E? He's done a magnificent job since taking over. There was that little episode where inexplicably had a go at Rafa, but I cannot think of any other reasons.

If I remember correctly, powers that were at NU said no to Sam signing Barton until Sam put his reputation on the line with a trust me I can handle him pledge based on a promise from the player.

Barton's subsequent behaviour were a huge factor in putting the skids under Sam's tenure up there.

The likelihood of Sam signing Barton again is surely zero.

Agreed.

Joey Barton is one of the biggest wastes of talent in recent years. A few years ago, I considered him good enough to play alongside Gerrard in the England first team and genuinely thought that he'd at least break into the 18 man squad on a regular basis. But he'd rather spend stubbing cigars out in teenagers eyes, beat up his fellow players and assault kids outside MacDonalds. Such a waste.

Bringing up a thread from THREE years ago to voice your blinkered, unquestioning support of a manager who was sacked after only three wins in seventeen matches is a bit pathetic. Your stance is getting very tired.

What a ######.

Anybody else think that maybe Neill's decision to join West Ham might have had something to do with fear of being beaten stupid?

God I wish we had sold him in the summer we bought Santa Cruz. He clearlywants to leave and doesn't give a crap anymore.

The Dark Knight has to be one of the best films that I have ever seen. Heath Ledger was spectacular as well.

Hahahahaha

AESF's sentiments reflect a very large proportion of this board. I agree with pretty much everything he said.

If Allardyce were to join the club, I can forsee horrible football, the club's profile going downhill, controversy surrounding events at Ewood Park and attendances plummeting. He will probably bring stability, but I don't want us to sell our soul in the process.

With such a long time having passed since the last Indy film, you'd think they'd had time to come up with a great plot. Why oh why make this film about aliens?! The last 20 minutes in particular were dreadful.

I still really enjoyed it though!

I'm surprised that the supposed short list includes Sparky, but neither Frank Rijkaard nor Roberto Mancini.

As always, I get worried when Hughes is linked with another job, but I cannot see Chelsea going for somebody with such limited managerial experience.

The badge kissing thing has become so cliché now that it barely means a thing.

Rather than concentrating on that one incident, done in the heat of the moment, I'd rather remember the letter he wrote to the fans saying how he'd loved his time here. He didn't have to go to the effort to do that, very few players would, and for that reason I'd gladly welcome him back. On the playing side, he's obviously not what he was, but he can't have lost all of his talent, he was just too good for that. Maybe familiar surroundings, less pressure and a manager with a proven record of getting the best from injury-ridden players could be enough to get him back on track.

I didn't actually know about that letter, LeChuck. You make a good point.

What he did really was a slap in the face though and it left a bad taste in the mouth. I really hate how little respect some players show for their former clubs. The fans love their best players, the kids idolize them, but the majority just don't give a crap.

How on earth did Duff not burn his bridges with the Rovers fans when he disgustingly kissed the Chelsea badge in front of our travelling support at Stamford Bridge, before proceeding to rub in Chelsea's victory and winning of the Premier League? It was as if he was trying to say how glad he was to be shot of us.

I don't want him back. I think it's a real shame that a player of his quality has gone so far downhill, but I don't have any sympathy for him. We should show him the same respect he showed us - absolutely none whatsoever.

I'd love to see Souness take over at Fulham and bring them back up to the Premier League. I'm still really fond of Souness and I have a bit of a soft spot for Fulham because it's my favourite away day of the season.

Come on Al Fayed, make it happen!

He isn't good enough to be getting £20k a week. For Gods sake, sell him and let's do all we can to get McFadden in.

I actually liked Ian Wright being part of the BBC punditry, I just find the guy a bit querky and a bit of a laugh. Some of his comments in the last world cup were ace. When you have a competition showing that many games, it's ncie to have something a bit more light hearted.

That said, I find it somewhat contradicting that Wright complains that he has been made a jester by the BBC (although he seems to do this very much on his own accord) and then complains that there is nobody for kids to relate to. He seems to be advocating somebody like himself, yet criticizes the BBC for putting him in that role...

As for MOTD, you need the analysis. With Sky Sports and Setanta dominating live football and the highlights programmes, MOTD isn't really anything more than a glorified recap of the goals. They might as well go for having the best pundits and performing some good analysis because, more often than not, controversy over a goal becomes more important than the highlights themselves.

I've always liked Souey. He was a great character and I feel the Premier Legaue misses his presence.

But, whatever people's personal opinions of the man, he is a very good pundit - the best around, in my eyes. He talks a lot of sense and his wealth of knowledge on football from both a playing and managerial side make him a perfect footballing pundit.

Souness and Andy Gray for me.

Do you actually know anything about the guy? I'd say to get where he's got to has taken a remarkable personality.

Interesting reading on Avram Grant -

Avram Grant's family haunted by Holocaust

Chelsea Manager Avram Grant's proud father

It was a passing presumption, I don't really know anything about the guy, but with a number of players publically voicing their discontent and after the stories in the paper, you could be forgiven for presuming that maybe he doesn't have the full confidence of the dressing room, certainly not in the way that Mourinho did. My last comment was somewhat toungue-in-cheek.

If they are looking to bring in a new manager, he will have to be something of a strong character. I could see this situation occuring when Grant was named manager - he doesn't see to have any personality, let alone a strong one.

Every player has his day, even a poor one. I think that yesterday night was MGP's.

I don't believe he is reinvigorated, that the team changed its approach or any of that.

Don't get me wrong, I don't believe that MGP is finished as a top level player or that he will never regain his past form, but it will take far more than one performance to believe that he is turning things around.

For Pedersen to indicate that his team-mates "need to do better" is a bit like Harold Shipman telling other doctors that they need to improve patient care.

I was about to ask whether that was a bit of an extreme comparison but, on reflection, I'm not sure it was. Perhaps I should be saying that this, maybe, is in bad taste but, then again, I did laugh out loud when I read it...

Amazing this. 2 short years ago he was roundly slated, me included, for ball$ing up England. He's proving why he's a good manager now, he has a certain charisma that players like which will get you places. Maybe it wasn't all his fault after all.

I didn't think that Eriksson was doing anywhere near a good enough job as England manager for a long time, but I didn't dislike him personally. I'm saying that, since he took over at Manchester City, he is beginning to show us in England what a good club manager he is and that, in his honesty, graciousness in defeat and the respect he exhibits in victory, he is endearing himself once again to the English.

I think Wenger is possibly the world's best football manager. His team play such brilliant football and he takes players from relative obscurity and develops them into some of the world's finest.

But every time his team dive, slow the game down with cynical tactics such as feigning injury or going to ground and then has the audacity to claim how his side were manhandled by a bunch of "thugs" makes me want him and Arsenal to fail spectacularly.

Ferguson irates me at times as well in his seeming belief that his word is gospel.

Other than that, I don't like Bruce and I hate Allardyce's face.

Otherwise, I don't particularly mind the rest of the managers in the Premier League. Eriksson has become very endearing since moving to City and rarely glosses over things. Likewise, I respect Curbishly for always telling it how it is and O'Neill because he comes off as such a nice guy and rarely complains when his side lose.

Plenty of criticism for Hughes and calls to get rid of x y and z. But can any of our armchair managers inform us all of exactly how to motivate the players when most of whom will prob have had their agents on the blower during the last month or two saying that if they can get out of their Blackburn contract in Jan they can do a Lucas and earn far more at other more desperate Prem clubs? I've said it before and imo financial unrest will be at the root of it all.

On the basis of that argument, more than half the teams in the Premiership would be hugely underperforming and would be showing cracks in the dressing room! By your logic, every Christmas period for however many years, Rovers players would become disatisfied and performances would decline, but seemingly forget the money as soon as the window closed? Last season we had a good run of results toward the end of the season that enabled us to finish in 10th, which reflected more a determined squad than one suffering from financial unrest, so what I write must be correct?

Players aren't quite as stupid and as easily manipulated as you suggest and don't suddenly become disillusioned on the basis of the January transfer window opening. I'd suggest that the vast, vast majority are happy at Rovers, while many of the better players have recently signed extended contracts on higher wages.

Joey, what you say makes sense, except that I don't think Huddlestone is anywhere near good enough.