The Rugby League already has a salary cap for all it's players, so it cant be illegal.

One of the few eminently sensible proposals to come out of FIFA in the last year or so was the one that clubs should be compelled to use a pecentage (can't remember what % off hand) of locally produced talent in their squads. Unfortunately this has been rejected out of hand by the money grubbers that call the shots in the Premiership.

In my day that was way below the the minimum requirement even to become a professional footballer!

Thanks for the reminder. It was indeed Marcus Babbel, and I now see what the previous poster was getting at: Marcus B, by which he correctly meant Marcus Babbel and not as I mistook him to mean, Marcus Bent, who was no longer a Rover at that time of course. Ah well; I guess it is time to join Jim in the Nursing Home. My prediction(as ever optimistic) 1-2 Bellamy Crouch Kuqui and Dickov to miss a penalty in the first half and get subbed by Kuqui.

I am sure it was the player we had on loan from Liverpool at that time whose name escapes me just now that broke Baros's foot.

Absolutely right O.R.and as a further thought I think that it is time the law was changed to give courts the powers necessary to punish very severely all those who are found to have brought either frivolous or malicious charges against individuals. Obviously there must be clear proof in such cases.

I have a dream! In it Kuqui is running in from deep at the BBE, and at exactly the right moment he catches one of Emerton's wayward crosses from the right, and really wraps his boot round it and follows through shoulder high. The ball flies in to the top corner of the net at about 2000 mph and smashes right through the net and continues on up to the back of the lower tier where it smashes through the glass of the corporate suite and knocks one of the honoured guests right off his tall stool. Well I did say it was a dream.

Absolutely great to see Kuqui get off the mark; both goals well taken and several other chances as well. Incidentally, having seen the man in action enough to form an opinion, I think that in spite of his obvious limitations he will turn out to be a very useful acquisition for Rovers. IMO he is a better footballer than Tommy Briggs ever was and look what he did for Rovers. Like Briggs he is a goal poacher but with the added ability to move into good positions and make things happen. If he only scores once or twice in every match I for one will not complain! Also it would be interesting to hear the opinions of other older Rovers supporters who can remember seeing the late great Tommy Briggs in action for Rovers what they think about Kuqui.

Which gap is that then?

Wow! Should be goals galore at both ends with this one. Predict 7-4 for Rovers!

Well said Martin, everything you said applies also to me except that in my case the round trip is approx 450 miles, usually by train plus an overnight stay. I aim to see about 10 games a year (all I can afford).

Well said Theno. Reading the majority of the posts above inevitably makes you think that today's generation are "f***ing good kids at dishing it out when all the odds are in their favour, but you wont see them for dust if there is even the remotest threat to them." Transpose this into a football scenario as you and I have both witnessed over the yeas at Ewood and you will get the gist.

Do I qualify as a supporter since 1946-47? Sounds like a very good idea, as we old timers will certainly have a huge fund of memories (good and bad) to chew over. P.S. And we will be able to write in readable English as well!!

My memory is getting bad these days, but could it have been Bill Shankly?

Just asking purely out of interest, but has some kind person dug-up the whole of Burnley and transplanted it into Yorkshire, or does the above only apply to Turf Moor?

Rovers will need to be on their guard on Sunday because these kind of "backs to the wall" situations that now exist at Newcastle very often inspire the players to make a superhuman effort on the managers behalf, and Rovers could cop for it bigtime.

Very fair point EIT

WOW!! What a marvelous well balanced asessment of the team. Waggy, of course you are entiled to your opinions, however unbelievable they may be to the rest of us, but if I may just offer a word or two of advice - Stick to watching cricket, you might just know a bit about that.

I have seen him playing for Dundee against Dunfermline on four occasions and have to say that I have no outstanding impressions of the player. Dunfermline won 3 and drew 1 of the games, so Zurab was under pressure as a defender in the Dundee side every time, but I still dont remember much about him. At least I think we can say that he does not crack under pressure and get himself booked or sent off, which at present could be quite a bonus for Rovers.

My sentiments exactly! OK so we had a stinker; it is not the end of the world ( or even the season). Give yourselves a shake and remember the pre-season form, and ffs have a bit of faith in Sparky and his players. There is no doubt at all in my mind that the WHam situation WILL BE ADDRESSED in the coming week. What is needed now is for the players , the manager and the club to see that the suuporters are just that; SUPPORTERS! Get behind your team at the next two home games against Fulham and Spuds. I WILL BE THERE AND SOD THE EXPENSE! C'MON THE ROVERS!!!

I will never lose faith in the Rovers come what may. The thing I have lost faith in is the general state of the football world and the stop at nothing attitudes of clubs, players, and supporters; plus the sickening sycophantic media.

Whilst I agree that Sparky has done a great job so far in turning the Rovers into a very hard to beat side, and saving us from certain relegation, the fact remains that the media and the armchair football fans now see Rovers as a dirty stop at nothing team. This is so obviously untrue to all of us that really know the Rovers, but sadly we are well in the minority thanks to the bias of the media and the gullibillity of the football supporting public. The thing that really hurts to me is the fact that in 59 years as a Rovers supporter I have never experienced this kind of hate campaign before and Rovers reputation as a nice friendly little club has been totally destroyed. There should be something that Rovers can do to seek satisfaction for this terrible situation but with the media and the likes of Morinho and Wenger pumping out the poison what chance do we stand?

Ijust hope and pray that no-one on this board is going to suggest that Rovers should go for him!!

Judging by all the players salary figures being confidently touted around on this board I can only assume that Rovers routinely disclose players salary info to the general public. Please correct me if I am wrong!