QUOTE (Ste B @ Jul 12 2004, 16:37 ) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You may have noticed we were without the messageboard this afternoon. As indeed we were last night at about 10.45pm. QUOTE (Ste B @ Jul 12 2004, 23:09 ) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> our bandwidth and hit count is so high, that unless we get some serious sponsorship in the future, i'm not confident of providing the same level of service. Is this the crux of the matter? Perhaps Scotty, for example, now blames Nicko for being too popular and increasing the hit count too much. Are the random Amazon links that we had on here recently - where typing a particular word generated links to items on Amazon - the type of overt advertising and the least desireable option that you had in mind Paul? Fortunately the rather irritating random pop-up Amazon adverts are no longer with us. We've had one or two stormy seas of late though.... QUOTE (Ste B @ Jul 12 2004, 23:09 ) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The pressure is for us to upgrade to a managed server at £120 a month.. which just isnt going to happen. Has there been any change of mind on this score? As Harold Macmillan once said: "Events, dear boy, events."

I would imagine that if you had a hard object rammed up your bottom Flopsy, you might well quiver too.... I assure you that I've never had any direct experience of this type of thing.

Four players arrested over shocking gay sex attack in the showers It's been reported that four players at a Coca-Cola League One club have been arrested after a depraved sex gang attack on a youth team player in the showers. Initial horseplay in the showers apparently turned sinister when the players allegedly pinned the 17-year-old lad against a shower wall and forcibly inserted an object into the quivering lad's anus. The youth team player was treated in hospital for his anal injuries on Tuesday afternoon and is reported to be highly distressed by the shocking and outrageous sex attack. The League One club - which cannot be named for legal reasons - have said in a statement: "We are aware there has been an alleged incident. We will assist and communicate with the relevant authorities." Three of the four arrested players have been released on police bail until next month. Link: Shocking sex attack in the showers

Rooney admits: "I'm a diver" Charming scouser Wayne Mark Rooney has admitted this week what I (and a few others) have known for quite some time - namely that he's prone to diving and cheating. During Man United's goalless draw against Villarreal on Tuesday, Rooney twice resorted to theatrical antics. After a Ronaldo shot was spilled by the Villarreal goalkeeper, there was a disgraceful attempt from Rooney to con and cheat the referee into giving United a penalty. Last season during Rovers' 1-1 draw at home to United at Ewood last April there were a couple of dives from Rooney in an attempt to con the referee. I also clearly recall an incident in a game at Old Trafford in the 2004/05 season when Arsenal's 49-match unbeaten run came to an end. Rooney blatantly dived for a penalty. The TV replays clearly showed that there was no contact at all from Sol Campbell in the box, but Rooney successfully conned the ref Mike Riley into giving United a penalty in a game they won 2-0. I presume that even some of the Rooney lovers on here who seem to think that the sun shines out of Wayne's large backside, wouldn't wish to condone blatant diving and cheating. Apparently though, this bull-necked lout is a "role-model" for our kids.

Barton calls black player "big lips" Disgraced scouse yob Joey Barton courted controversy again on Monday night during Newcastle's 2-0 win over Aston Villa at St James' Park. Barton has upset the PC brigade by allegedly calling Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor "big lips". Reports today allege that during a confrontation involving Barton and Agbonlahor in the first-half of Monday night's match, Barton made the politically incorrect comment about the size of Agbonlahor's lips. Barton first flicked the Aston Villa player's lips and pushed his nose. Barton then reportedly moved his finger round his mouth appearing to say: "F____k your big lips". When he was released from prison Joey Barton promised to be a "role model" and said that he would become "a shining beacon for kids" like David Beckham. Whilst I'm not a member of the PC brigade, I do think that Barton's alleged choice of words were not particularly wise. Calling a black man "big lips" isn't something that should be encouraged. It seems that trouble and controversy go hand in hand with Mr Barton. Curiously enough, several gentlemen on this messageboard who are far more politically correct than I am, seem to have a more favourable view of Joey Barton than I do. My own view is that Barton is a disgusting vile yob who I wouldn't want within ten miles of Ewood Park. He has a history of violence, thuggery and completely unacceptable behaviour - such as thrusting a lighted cigar into a young lad's eye and punching his team-mate several times in the face on the training ground. Other gentlemen - more PC than I am - don't actually seem to have a particular aversion towards Barton. They seem to feel that despite his character, he would be a good addition to the Rovers squad.

Vile Rooney hell-bent on becoming a pariah in Merseyside... What a sickening provocative gesture it was. On his former ground of Goodison Park last week Wayne Rooney showed his absolute contempt not only for Everton fans but also for people throughout Merseyside as a whole. To me the disgusting inflammatory gesture seems to sum up this shaven-headed lout. He knew that kissing the United badge whilst on Merseyside was the one gesture guaranteed to be like a red rag to a bull for the scousers. Both Liverpool and Everton fans understandably despise United. Everton supporters remember the incident in 2005 when the disgusting Gary Neville was sent off at Goodison Park and went on to wind a young schoolboy in the chest by stupidly belting the ball into the crowd. "Once a blue, always a blue," said Rooney when he was younger. How false that statement turned out to be. Rooney has shown that he treats his fellow scousers with complete contempt. Indeed a couple of years ago it was reported that Rooney joined in with Man United fans at a pub singing an infamous anti-scouser song: "Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the scousers on the top, put the city in the middle and burn the f_____g lot". That's what Rooney seems to think of his fellow scousers. He thinks it's funny to put them on a bonfire and kill them. His repulsive provocative gesture last week has certainly lit the flames of anger on Merseyside and I fully understand the disgust and acrimony that scousers now feel at the way in which Rooney has betrayed the city of Liverpool. Could you imagine the Red Manc Gary Neville joining Liverpool and then kissing the Liverpool badge at Old Trafford ? That is the equivalent of what Wayne Rooney has done and he should be utterly ashamed of himself. Rooney previously angered and upset the city of Liverpool by giving an exclusive interview to The Sun newspaper - a paper reviled on Merseyside for their coverage of the Hillsborough disaster. Rooney doesn't seem to understand or appreciate the distress and anger that his selfish actions have on people. It's been reported today that Rooney has been cautioned by police for spitting at a photographer as he left a restaurant. Rooney received a caution for common assault for the incident in Oxford Street, London in July. This is a man who along with his chavette wife Colleen, was happy to sell pictures of their wedding to 'OK' magazine for £2.5million in the summer and they are also reported to have signed an additional deal, worth another £2.5million, for the first pictures of their first child. They haven't yet had a baby but already both of them are looking to cash in by getting a lucrative deal in place to sell pictures of their first baby. And yet despite being perfectly happy to flog his wedding pictures and forthcoming baby pictures for millions of pounds, the disgusting Wayne thinks that he can go round spitting on photographers in the street. That to me shows the type of character Rooney is. He's a loathsome individual who is now rightly despised throughout Merseyside.

Berbatov's father jailed for gang rape It's been revealed that Ivan Berbatov, the father of Man United striker Dimitar, was convicted and jailed for his part in a sickening gang rape where a Norwegian woman was "roasted". In 1983 Ivan Berbatov, a striker who played in the Bulgarian league, was one of six footballers jailed for the brutal rape. Dimitar Berbatov said recently: "My father was the best. He taught me everything." Let's hope that Dimitar was referring only to football on the pitch and not referring to sickening behaviour off the pitch.... Link: Berbatov's gang rape secret

No action taken over muslim heroin claims I think that this is some rare common sense from the police and Crown Prosecution Service to take no action here. While some on the liberal left may get their knickers in a twist over the leaflets, it is technically accurate to say that around 95% of heroin in Britain originally comes from Afghanistan, where about 99% of the population are muslim. That's not to say of course that drug abuse is all the fault of muslims. There are clearly many white British non-muslim folk who sadly deal in drugs. But the leaflets do point out where the vast majority of heroin in Britain originally comes from. The vast majority of it originally comes from Afghanistan, from evil farmers who cultivate the poppies. Drug traffickers and drug dealers then spread it around across Britain and the rest of the world. According to a United Nations survey, Afghanistan cultivated 193,000 hectares of opium in 2007 and supplies 93% of the world's opiates. The illegal trade is worth around £1.3bn a year to Afghanistan - one-third of the country's gross domestic product. The link from a Daily Telegraph article HERE makes a similar point that 95% of Britain's heroin and 80% of Europe's heroin comes from Afghanistan. The Telegraph article says: "The dealers include Taliban leaders and commanders, as well as Afghan, Iranian and Pakistani traders and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which fights for the Taliban in northern Afghanistan." I haven't seen the actual leaflets, which have been distributed in parts of Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cumbria. The leaflets apparently feature a tragic photograph of 21-year-old Rachel Whitear, seen below when she was found crouched on the floor of her flat with a syringe in her hand. She died from what was apparently a heroin overdose. The picture on the right is of Rachel before she got into drugs. The photographs may be distasteful and shocking to some, but when they were used for an anti-drugs campaign for children in schools the photographs were indeed intended to shock and to act as a wake-up call to any youngsters who may be tempted to indulge in drugs. I don't personally see anything wrong with leaflets which point out the horrors of heroin and which inform the public as to where the vast majority of the evil dangerous drug originally comes from.

Disgusting. I feel that a £1,500 fine is not enough for a serious infestation of cockroaches - especially considering that there was a history of pest problems at the Bastwell Curry Centre. So it's not as if this was a one-off. Vermin on the floor and frankly the owners are vermin too... Last year, Papa Luigi's - formerly Tiggi's - in King William Street, Blackburn, was fined £3,000 after dead mice, a cockroach and rodent droppings were found in the restaurant. Fridges and a microwave oven were found to be contaminated with old food and grease. I'd like, if I may, to name and shame 67 restaurants and takeaways across Blackburn and Darwen, who were all warned last year to take food hygiene more seriously. Please avoid the following premises in Blackburn and Darwen - which have all been rated as "bad" for food hygiene. Blackburn Buffet City, Exchange Street; Flames, New Bank Road; The Chippery, Johnston Street; Chesters Chicken and Pizza, Copy Nook; Marhaba Sweet Centre, Victoria Street; Hot and Tender, Accrington Road; Trishna Indian Takeaway, Bolton Road; Godfather, Blakey Moor; Sweet Palace, Audley Range; Oasis Fast Food, Borough Road; Tasty Corner Tandoori, Whalley New Road; Fareed Takeaway, Audley Range; Chili Corner Grill, Whalley Banks; Eastern Delight, Mincing Lane; Godfather Pizza House, Duckworth Street; Mellors Catering @Microtech Solutions, Philips Road; Muffins, Town Hall Street; Simi's Takeaway, Whalley Old Road; Lynwood Takeaway, Blackburn Road; Punch Hotel, Chapels; Chetham Arms, High Street, Turton; Ranken Arms, Hoddlesden; Royal Arms, Tockholes Road; Azeems Restaurant, St Peter Street, Haweli Restaurant, Higher Eanam; Waterlily Inn, Eccleshill; Cookin Crew, Blackburn Road; Barm Pots, New Chapel Street; Carol's Butty Box, Blackburn Road; Butz Sandwich Bar, Whalley New Road; Tasty Spot, Darwen Street; Bilash Balti, Blackburn Road; Oasis Fast Food Northwest, Darwen Street; May Flower, Markham Road; New Moon Chinese Takeaway, New Chapel Street; Davidsons, Blackburn Road; D and Leavers Bakers, Bolton Road; D Whitehead, Blackburn Road; Alexander's, Blackburn Road; Spar, Rothesay Road; Mohammed & Sons, Pringle Street; Firdos Cash & Carry, Altom Street; Almadina Halal Meat & Grocers, Whalley Street; Pepenico, Watford Street; Anwar Halal Meat, London Road, Corner Shop, Warrington Street; Yau Hing Chinese, Blackburn Road; China Wok, Bolton Road; Cherry Tree Chippy, Preston Old Road; Mill Hill Curry Centre, New Welllington Street; Zand's, New Chapel Street, Naafiah, Audley Range, Khans Spice Takeaway, Johnston Street, Shandar Tandoori, Victoria Street, Imran Tandoori, Wensley Road, Goodfellas Part 2, Randal Street; Kebabish Original, Whalley New Road; Eastern Spice, Whalley Banks; Masala Mix, Accrington Road; New Star, Blackburn Road; Zen Zen, Redlam; Wok King Express, Whalley New Road, Local News and Mini Mart, Whalley New Road. Link: Blackburn premises named and shamed by environmental health inspectors

My previous post wasn't meant to be insensitive, but apologies if it came across that way. With hindsight my post could have been better put and the tone of it may not have come across well. However I was just trying to put forward my particular loathing for the constant thumping of drums at matches. It's an issue which divides opinion and there are strong views on either side, but I believe the majority of supporters - as indicated by the present opinion poll results on here - are against the drummers. At the time of posting this, the opinion poll result on here suggests that a clear majority of fans dislike the drumming. I believe that John Williams and Tom Finn misguidedly seemed to think that the drummers were universally popular and that was the point I was trying to get across in my previous post. Blue Phil articulated better than I did my thoughts on this....

Whilst I don't wish ill health on anybody, I'm delighted that Bill Toland is retiring from drumming. I remember a couple of years ago at an away game I tried to engage Mr Toland in a polite conversation to let him know that many supporters found his drumming quite infuriating, but he just gave me a blank stare. I rather hope that his severe arthritis and his admission that his joints are completely worn out through the constant thumping of drums, may serve to act as a warning to other unscrupulous individuals who might be tempted to indulge in the mindless pursuit of drumming. John Williams and Tom Finn seem to be living in cloud cuckoo land if they think that the constant thudding of drums is hugely popular with supporters. On the contrary, many fans found the drumming completely vexatious. I'd be interested if anybody could confirm the rumour that Bill Toland benefited from free football tickets as a drummer. If that rumour is true, I find it quite disgusting that somebody so deeply unpopular could get free tickets - somebody who has ended up with arthritis as a result of it. Anybody thinking about taking over the drumstick from Mr Toland, please do NOT engage in this activity, which will eventually play havoc with your joints. You have been warned....

I was extremely disappointed with the way that Mark Hughes jumped into bed head first with the disgraced former dictator Thaksin Shinawatra - a quite abhorrent man who is currently on trial for alleged corruption. Last month three of Thaksin's lawyers were jailed over an apparent attempt to bribe judges with a lunchbox stuffed with cash. (See the link here) That episode demonstrates the type of character that Shinawatra seems to be - a man who thinks he is above the law and that he can do what he likes. I had hoped that Mark Hughes might have had a bit more integrity than to join hands with a loathsome creature like Thaksin. I feel that Hughes has put money ahead of any type of principles and frankly I'm quite disgusted with the way he left Rovers this summer. I would dearly like to see Man City fail miserably this season. If that's a case of 'Schadenfreude' then so be it. I hope that our Maltese friend PhilipL is right when he said a couple of days ago: Hopefully throughout the coming season Mark Hughes will regret his impetuous and ill advised decision to jump ship to Man City. I hope that Hughes is able to reflect on the fact that he was too hasty to go to Eastlands and it would have been better for his long-term career if he had stayed with Rovers. Paul Sturrock has revealed that he is suffering from Parkinson's Disease and has had a mild version of the condition for the past eight years - see the link here Sturrock says that he doesn't want people's sympathy - so I won't offer words of sympathy to him, other than to say that for those who have a more severe form of the progressive neurological disease, it's obviously not a nice thing to have. Muhammad Ali, for example, looks as if he is suffering badly, judging from the last time I saw him on television.

Keegan gives Barton yet another chance Keegan talks about Barton "deserving a second chance" - but the scouse lout has had numerous second chances and he continually fails to change and improve his thuggish behaviour. Keegan says of Barton: "He's had his problems" - but they are "problems" entirely of this selfish thug's own making. Nobody else is to blame except himself. Do we say that the Yorkshire Ripper had "problems", that Ian Huntley had "problems"? They are criminals and Joey Barton is a criminal too. He's not a murderer, but he's a drunken thug and after his disgraceful street violence, he doesn't deserve my sympathy for his so-called "problems". Keegan says that Barton is "a much-changed character" - but that's been the rhetoric of other managers too in recent years. Stuart Pearce claimed that Barton was "a changed character" after the appalling incident when he thrust a lighted cigar into the eye of a youth team player. Sam Allardyce claimed that Barton was "a changed character" when he signed him for Newcastle last summer. But each time, Barton lets down his manager and lets down his club and his team-mates. I'm frankly sick of the number of "second chances" that this vile scumbag gets and the number of occasions that this so-called "changed character" proves himself time and again to be a selfish thug who doesn't change and learn lessons. If Newcastle FC had sacked Barton it would have sent out a clear message that thuggery and violence is not acceptable in the community. But by continually giving this selfish lout chance after chance, the message Newcastle FC are sending out is that they don't give a damn about morality and decent standards of behaviour - clearly they care more about money than about the victims of drunken street violence. Shame on you Kevin Keegan and Mike Ashley.

"A cynical scheme to get other footballers off their motoring fines" The chap above is the former West Ham and Charlton midfielder Shaun Newton, who has been given a 28-week suspended prison sentence, 180 hours of community service and a 12-month driving ban for his part in what a judge called "a cynical scheme to bypass the speeding ticket procedure". The court heard that Newton offered to get rid of speeding tickets given to Teddy Sheringham and Bobby Zamora. Sheringham paid Newton £250 and Zamora paid Newton £300 to avoid punishment for speeding. A friend of Newton then dealt with Sheringham and Zamora's motoring tickets by claiming fictitious drivers were at the wheel when the fines were issued, and providing his stepfather's address in Wembley, preventing the real driver from being traced. Newton has been found guilty of nine charges connected with the scam. The judge told Newton: "The aggravating feature is I find as a fact that you charged them for it. I don't believe for a moment your protestations to the contrary." Is this another example of wealthy footballers thinking they are above the law and that they can do what they like? A link to this story is below: Newton guilty of speeding ticket scam

Wright's son in court over theft.... Bradley Wright-Phillips - the biological son of Ian Wright and the half-brother of Chelsea's Shaun Wright-Phillips - appeared at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court today, charged with a non-dwelling burglary at a nightclub in Southsea. The court heard that cash totalling £145, two mobile phones, a driving licence, two bank cards and other personal items were allegedly stolen. Wright-Phillips's Southampton team-mate Nathan Dyer also appeared in court. The investigation by Hampshire police was launched after the pair were allegedly filmed on CCTV entering the staff room at the nightclub, in the image below. Indeed it was a repugnant article from Ian Wright, Nicko. It was a complete distortion of the facts from Wright. The Premier League bent over backwards to accommodate Paul Ince as a manager without his coaching badges, but Wright had to make a desperate attempt to claim that it was disgraceful and racist that Ince needs a UEFA Pro Licence within two years of his contract as Rovers manager. The Premier League and the League Managers Association gave their full backing to Ince as Rovers manager. I suspect they would have been terrified to do otherwise. It was a revolting article from Wright. Why doesn't he sort out the apparent mess in his own family, with his son in court, rather than poking his nose into Blackburn's business and making desperate smear attempts? On a different note, relating to a BBC commentator rather than a disgraced pundit, Jonathan Pearce has so far - at the time of this post - raised £8,331 out of a target of £13,000 for funding research into Mitochondrial Disease which sadly took the life of his 8 month old niece Lily. I'm sure that any donation, even if it's just two or three quid, would be of help. A link to Pearce's fundraising page is here

Man City fans know what a two-faced creep this Thai man is... A man happy to pose with his own personal Man United shirt. Maybe he wanted the votes of the United fans in Thailand when he was the Prime Minister there. A couple of years later and Thaksin Shinawatra suddenly claimed to be a lifelong Liverpool fan when he wanted to buy the club in 2004. Now he says he's a Man City fan. Can we believe a word this man says? What I do know is that he was banned from political office for five years by the constitutional court in Thailand when it was discovered that his political party had violated electoral laws. Thaksin's assets were seized and he is currently now on trial in Thailand on corruption charges. Amnesty International has condemned Shinawatra. As well as allegations of corruption, there have been apparent human rights abuses and the killing of innocent civilians together with allegations of tax evasion and the muzzling of the free press. Shinawatra's critics (and there are many) say that his great wealth came by bending the rules. They say that he's a dictator who lined his own pockets. And when bird flu struck in Thailand there was initially a cover-up that cost people their lives. Pradit Chareonthaitawee (I haven't made the name up) is a prominent member of the national human rights commission. He told the Guardian four years ago about one typical case during the period when Shinawatra ran Thailand, when an old man's three sons were killed in broad daylight in the middle of a village in Thailand. "The police just blocked the road and killed these three sons. One of the sons was stabbed in the mouth, the second electrically burned on the left side of the body and the third shot in the back." Is Mark Hughes proud to work for such a man? Kavi Chongkittavorn (I wouldn't like to pronounce that surname after a few vodkas but the name is genuine) is a senior newspaper editor in Thailand and has likened Shinawatra's thuggery to that of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe. (A link to quotes from Mr Chongkittavorn and Mr Chareonthaitawee is between the 18th and 20th paragraphs of the article here) . I wonder, in the light of the very serious allegations against Thaksin Shinawatra, whether you still believe that Mark Hughes is a man of principle? I personally lost respect for Hughes the moment that he joined Man City. For me he put money above principles Paul and Alan. Values like loyalty and integrity went out of the window when Hughes cosied up to Shinawatra. "Stabbed in the mouth, electrically burned on the left side of the body and shot in the back". Is this the type of thing that Mark Hughes is happy to be associated with by wanting to work for this disgraced former dictator?

Vile scumbag Joey Barton has been spared a second spell in prison today when he was given a four-month suspended sentence for attacking his former Man City team-mate Ousmane Dabo. Barton at first claimed he acted in self-defence in punching Dabo, but changed his plea to guilty yesterday. He admitted to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. It's the third time that Barton has been in court during 2008. The court heard that Barton punched Dabo up to five times, leaving him unconscious and in blood on the ground. Dabo missed several matches for City after he was treated in hospital for the effects of head trauma, an inflamed eye and bruised eyelids. According to Radio 5 Live football reporter Juliette Ferrington, Newcastle FC have denied newspaper reports that Barton has been sacked from the club. "One thing Joey Barton does have is the support of his manager Kevin Keegan," said Ferrington. Shame on you Kevin Keegan. Barton is a man currently serving time after he drank 10 pints of lager and five bottles of lager before carrying out a "violent and cowardly attack" outside McDonald's. The crazed Scouse nutter was given a six-month prison sentence for assault, but may be released shortly in the coming days. "You drank to excess and behaved in an aggressive, disgraceful manner," said the judge in that case. Does Keegan believe that doctors, teachers, nurses, traffic wardens, postmen etc should be allowed to keep their jobs if they are found guilty twice of serious assault? If not, then why does Keegan apparently seem to believe that it's okay for footballers? Does Keegan think that drinking to excess and behaving "in an aggressive, disgraceful manner" is compatible with being a professional footballer? How many second chances does this odious creature deserve? After the notorious 'cigar case', when Barton pushed a lighted cigar into the eye of a Man City youth player, a snivelling Barton promised that he had learned lessons and would change his behaviour. That went out of the window afterwards, and I'm sickened at the number of second chances this loathsome man seems to get. If Newcastle FC allow Barton to continue to play for them at St James' Park, then for me it's a sad indictment of the football industry in this country. I hope that Mr Keegan is able to see the CCTV footage that Greater Manchester Police have just released of Barton outside McDonald's in Liverpool punching his victim off his feet and then continuing to hit him. We've got major problems in this country with drunken street violence in our inner cities and the disgusting Joey Barton embodies that. To see the CCTV footage of Barton's attack in Liverpool, click on the link below from The Times and press play. CCTV footage here

He's pointing at me now. He's saying "Hey Smiffy, come over 'ere if you think you're hard enough!" I've now posted my thoughts on Ince in the "Next Rovers Manager" thread. I've got concerns at the moment over both Big Sam and Paul Ince. Good grief. At first I thought that video link was some kind of joke and then I realised it was genuine. No wonder some senior Newcastle players apparently slagged off Big Sam behind his back and criticised his training methods. He sounds like Mike Bassett.

When it comes to football, I like to see beauty not the beast.... It appears that I'm not alone in becoming increasingly concerned at the moment at the prospect of Big Sam managing our beloved football club. (I also have separate concerns about Paul Ince, but that's for a later post, perhaps tomorrow.) With regard to Big Sam I loathed his brutal ugly style of play at Bolton - long balls whacked upfield to Kevin Davies with his elbows flying. Big Sam, a so-called modern thinker, favours a prehistoric brand of long-ball football, which although can at times be effective against teams in the Premiership, will certainly never succeed at European level where you have to keep possession and control of the ball. As Brian Clough famously said about the long-ball tactics favoured by teams like Wimbledon in the 1980s: "If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he'd have put grass up there." I like to see players who are comfortable at putting their foot on the ball and able to pass it on the ground with accuracy and creativity, intelligent players with the ability to thread a defence-splitting pass, players like Tugay at his peak five or six years ago and Eyal Berkovic in our promotion season of 2000/01. Those are the sort of creative imaginative players that people pay good money to watch, not the likes of Dirty Diouf and Kevin Davies. I disagree with Sam when he said during his spell as Bolton manager: "We are in the business of results. How you get results doesn't matter." No Sam, style does matter to a lot of people. Results and entertainment are important to supporters. They like to see a team that gets results, but preferably with an attractive style of play. I was disgusted at the way Big Sam defended the diving, cheating and spitting antics of the repulsive El-Hadj Diouf. I'm very wary of a manager who defends such a vile disgusting character like Dirty Diouf. In our promotion season we had some good attendances at Ewood Park, like 29,000 against Huddersfield and 26,000 against Sheffield United - a reflection of the fact that not only were we going for promotion, we were also playing some good football back then, a pass-and-move style which utilised the pace of Duff and Jansen in attack, before things went severely pear-shaped during the last 18 months of Graeme Souness's reign. I fear that attendances could drop under Allardyce, with a significant section of Rovers fans becoming disenchanted with Big Sam's style of play. The increase in attendances we had last season could be put at risk with a man like Allardyce in charge. For football purists like myself who believe that the game should be played in an attractive free-flowing pass-and-move style, Big Sam is frankly a nightmare. As for his time at St James' Park, I thought the editor of the Newcastle United fanzine "The Mag" got it right when he said of Sam's time in charge of the club: "He was guilty of ugly, functional, soulless non-football, bewildering selections, negative tactics, baffling substitutions and the unshakable belief that the way to face the likes of Fulham, Derby and Wigan is to stop them playing. Even the most patient of fans were livid that Allardyce went to Sunderland looking for, and very lucky to get, a draw." In any case, Sam left Bolton after saying that he was frustrated at working for a smaller club with a limited transfer budget. How long would it be before he got frustrated at Blackburn, not able to spend the millions that he would like? I also have concerns about the character of Allardyce, his stubborn arrogance in the face of legitimate criticism from supporters, and the way he spat his dummy out of the pram by refusing to speak to the BBC. He first claimed that he was going to sue the BBC, but never did. Why didn't Sam put his money where his mouth was and actually go ahead with suing the BBC? The final report of the Stevens inquiry, published in June 2007, expressed concerns about the involvement of Craig Allardyce in a number of transactions. "The inquiry remains concerned at the conflict of interest that it believes existed between Craig Allardyce, his father Sam Allardyce - the then manager at Bolton - and the club itself." This came after two agents, Peter Harrison and Teni Yerima, were secretly filmed, each claiming that they had paid Allardyce through his son. Sam was sacked by Newcastle and Blackpool. He could end up making it a hat-trick by being sacked at Rovers, but hopefully he won't get his foot in the door at our club. I don't want to see Wimbledon FC reincarnated at Ewood Park. Big Sam says that he's keen on modern sports science methods, with a large backroom staff - but the reality is Damien Duff said that the fitness levels of the Newcastle players under Allardyce were not good enough. Kevin Keegan said that he inherited a Newcastle squad which was chronically short of confidence as well as match-fitness. Duff says that the training greatly improved under Keegan and the Newcastle players became fitter. So much for Big Sam being a modern fitness expert then. As for Sam being a tactical genius, well his Bolton side were outplayed by Steve McClaren's Middlesbrough team in the 2004 Carling Cup final. A few other results worth noting during Sam's time in charge at Bolton include being beaten 6-0 by Glenn Hoddle's Spurs in the 2001/02 season. In the 2003/04 season Bolton were beaten 6-2 by Man City. In Big Sam's last year at Bolton, in the 2006/07 season, they were beaten 5-1 by Middlesbrough. Sam's ugly percentage football - long balls, long throw-ins and corners can sometimes come a cropper. It certainly doesn't always work well. Allardyce's favoured style of football reflects his career as a player at clubs like Coventry, Sunderland and Millwall, when as a defender he used to whack the ball, or the striker - whichever came first - as far up the field as possible. He was an ugly beast of a man as a moustachioed player. Likewise as a manager his style of play is ugly too. Mr Williams, please take note of the fans' concerns. Many supporters don't want to see this beast of a man at our football club.

Cowering like a coward, with no hint of an apology for his alleged drink driving.... A court heard yesterday that Plymouth keeper Luke McCormick was swerving across the motorway and more than twice the legal alcohol limit when he crashed into a car which killed two boys on the M6. Fenton magistrates yesterday sent the case to the crown court, with McCormick released on conditional bail to appear next on June 16th at Stoke-on-Trent crown court. He's been charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, driving with excess alcohol and having no insurance. Nick Price, prosecuting, told Fenton magistrates: "There were two cars involved. The collision had devastating consequences. The defendant's car was seen to be swerving several times on the motorway. The defendant was more than twice the legal limit, with an alcohol reading of 74 against a limit of 35." The Toyota car belonging to the boys father plunged down an embankment and into trees after McCormick's Range Rover collided with it. "No parent should have to go through the nightmare we've gone through," said the boys mother Amanda. But Luke McCormick's main concern yesterday seemed to be trying to cover his face with a hooded top to avoid being photographed. The Plymouth keeper, who earns a reported £4,000 a week or £208,000 a year for the Championship side in Devon, offered no apology for the crash on Saturday. For legal reasons I should point out that at the moment he has not yet been proven guilty - but if McCormick is found guilty at crown court I hope he will have the decency to meet the boys parents face-to-face and apologise for the reckless selfish actions which have killed two boys. McCormick can't cower under a hooded top forever. Sooner or later he needs to face up to the consequences of his alleged drink driving and dangerous driving when he was allegedly swerving on the M6. I hope he is suitably ashamed of himself. It sickens me that Lee Hughes only served 3 years of his six-year prison sentence. When an innocent life is deemed to be worth only two or three years in prison, it's a sad indictment of our criminal justice system. Tougher sentences would at least act as a deterrent and might protect other innocent lives from being lost to dangerous reckless drink drivers on the roads. But our prisons are overcrowded and the Man of Straw - Blackburn MP Jack - is busy releasing criminals early in his role as Justice Secretary. A very sad state of affairs. What about justice for the victims of crime, Mr Straw?

A terrible tragedy on Saturday involving two kids being killed, with another footballer charged with causing death by dangerous driving. Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Luke McCormick has been charged with driving with excess alcohol and driving without insurance, as well as two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, Two young brothers aged 8 and 10 were killed in the tragedy in Staffordshire on Saturday morning. The boys father is in hospital with broken ribs, fractures to his neck and back, bruising and swelling to his lungs. It's difficult to imagine the agony that the boys mother and father must be going through. With respect, you make it sound as if it's just a little mistake that can be easily smoothed over, like saying: "People park on yellow lines, people don't pay for their car parking tickets." I'd suggest that innocent people dying on the roads because of the alleged dangerous driving of footballers is a serious matter which shouldn't be glossed over as being something we should just shrug our shoulders about and say "Oh well, people kill other people." A statement read out today on behalf of the boys mother Amanda Peak said: "No parent should ever have to go through the nightmare that we have gone through." The statement said that "Arron loved life, especially football, at which he excelled, and Ben was a happy, loving son and brother". The tragedy "has devastated our lives" said the statement. Given the devastating impact that such tragedies have on families, I don't feel the appropriate response is to shrug our shoulders and say: "People make mistakes, people kill other people." I'm aware that it's not only footballers involved in alleged dangerous driving - people in other walks of life are guilty of behaving recklessly on the roads too - but if Luke McCormick is found guilty in court of the offences he has been charged with, then I will hold him in the same contempt that I hold Lee Hughes, who I feel should never have been welcomed back to football with open arms by Oldham FC. Just last month the PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor said in an interview at the link here that footballers are "role models". Taylor says that he's pleased more players "are accepting their social responsibility" and talked about the success of the 'Show Racism The Red Card' campaign. Perhaps Gordon Taylor should introduce for his PFA players a campaign to 'Show Dangerous Driving The Red Card', which might actually save more lives than the current focus on so-called 'racism'. And if Mr Taylor really does believe that footballers are "role-models" perhaps he could explain why Oldham FC are happy to pay thousands of pounds in wages to a former prison inmate who caused death by dangerous driving, selfishly running away from the scene and in the words of the judge showing "a callous disregard" for the people in the car he crashed into. Does Mr Taylor think that Lee Hughes is a "role model"? Link: Plymouth keeper Luke McCormick charged over crash

How could he possibly shake this man's hand ? A man who is reviled across the world, with allegations of dictatorship, corruption and abuse of power. A wealthy individual with a terrible worldwide reputation as somebody who tried to destroy democracy. He wanted to suppress the media and grind his opponents into the dirt. How could Thaksin Shinawatra possibly shake the hand of a disgraced man like Tony Blair ? Thaksin should be ashamed of himself. With regard to our former manager Mark Hughes, I'm extremely disappointed that he has welcomed with open arms the prospect of working for this despised Thai dictator, who has had his assets frozen following allegations of corruption and abuse of power. But he's prepared to work for a Thai who has been condemned by Amnesty International for serious human rights abuses and has had his assets frozen following corruption allegations. I'd be interested to know if you two gentlemen, Paul and Alan, still believe that Hughes is a man of principle - because sadly I don't. I feel that Hughes has handled this episode extremely badly and let down a lot of people. I have the strong suspicion that he was in secret talks with Man City before Sven was officially sacked. The statement from Blackburn Rovers on Monday morning: "Mark has made it clear to the board he would like the opportunity to talk to Manchester City," indicated an indecent haste on the part of Hughes, who seemingly didn't even want to wait five minutes until after Sven had officially been sacked. I feel that going to Man City will do nothing to enhance Hughes's reputation. Certainly in terms of his reputation for loyalty, sincerity, commitment and honourable values, Hughes's reputation has taken a nosedive as far as I'm concerned. After all, on January 14th, 2008, following a question as to whether he was interested in a move to Newcastle, Hughes told Sky Sports: "I have the support from the chairman (John Williams) and the board. That is something you do not give up lightly. The fact is I have continuity here and a good situation. Things are in place and I am very conscious of that." "I am Blackburn manager and have a job to do here. In football you need time and I have been given that. I am proud to be manager of this club." (A link to these quotes from Hughes are HERE) He claimed to be proud to have been the Blackburn Rovers manager in January this year - telling Rovers fans "I have a job to do here" - but that job lasted just a few more months before he wanted to bugger off to a club which has finished lower than Rovers in the Premiership in each of the last three seasons. A club which has not won a trophy for 32 years since the 1976 League Cup. In the 2005/06 and the 2006/07 season Man City finished in the bottom half of the table. In the 2007/08 season City did better under Sven and finished 9th, but he was still sacked. What if Hughes finishes only 9th or lower next season, will he be sacked too? Shinawatra seems to think that 9th isn't good enough. When Hughes looked so downbeat in his TV interview after the 4-1 loss to Birmingham on the final day, I wonder whether he was also concerned after hearing that Man City had lost 8-1 to Middlesbrough. Perhaps back in May, with Sven looking likely to go, Hughes had already cast his eyes on the City job. Perhaps before the final game of the season back in May there had already been contact between City and Hughes. Who knows? But what I do know is that given Hughes's desperation to get into bed (metaphorically) with a man like Dr Shinawatra and earn himself a significant salary increase in the process, Hughes's reputation has been badly damaged in my eyes. I feel that Hughes has put money before principle. For me he's now the Welsh Lucas Neill. Extremely disappointed with the man.

Rooney's rage 'threatens team-mates' warns Capello Told at the half-time interval by Capello to calm down after a reckless challenge in the first-half, the warning went unheeded. Rooney was fortunate not to have been sent off against the USA on Wednesday night, as indeed he was fortunate not to have been sent off against Northern Ireland at Windsor Park in a World Cup qualifier in September 2005. Rooney was also lucky not to have been sent off against Spain in a friendly at the Bernabeu stadium in November 2004, when Rooney's wild moments of madness included pushing the Spanish goalkeeper Casillas over the stands. Rooney had to be substituted by Eriksson before half-time on 42 minutes that evening to save him from what seemed to be an inevitable forthcoming red card. When being substituted, Rooney compounded his petulance by tearing off the black armband worn in memory of Emlyn Hughes who had died prior to the match. As the Spanish winger Joaquin noted after that game: "It was like Rooney was on another planet. I asked him, 'What are you doing?' I looked into his eyes and there was nothing there. It was as if he didn't know where he was." Perhaps he thought he was still in the backstreets of the Croxteth housing estate where he grew up, when he could get away with behaving like a wild animal. But when he's representing my country and pulling on the white shirt of England he ought to learn to behave himself. Fabio Capello said after the match on Wednesday: "I have to speak with Rooney and explain to him that he mustn't do these tackles." Indeed, but Rooney has been warned before, and he continually chooses to ignore such warnings. Eriksson said that he was going to speak to him after his shameful performance in the Bernabeu stadium in 2004, but Rooney hasn't heeded the advice. Isn't it about time he grew up? He'll be 23 soon, so he's not a little kid anymore. I get sick of some pundits in the media making excuses for him and saying that he's still only young. He's an adult now and he's old enough to know better. I also get irritated with people saying that in Alex Ferguson he's got the right manager to look after him and curb his temperament. Last season Rooney was shown a yellow card 14 times while playing for Man United and England, so the myth that Ferguson is the right man to turn him into some kind of angel simply doesn't stand up when you look at Rooney's disciplinary record.

Following the curious deletion of a second post of mine on this topic yesterday evening, I'm going to post on this thread purely about Graeme Souness. I'm not going to discuss anybody else on this thread apart from the former manager of Rangers, Liverpool, Galatasaray, Southampton, Torino, Benfica, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, Mr Souness. Indeed. I suspect that Rovers were in danger of crashing into oblivion had Freddy Shepherd not decided to sack Bobby Robson and choose Graeme Souness to replace him. For the purposes of this thread I'm going to discuss Souness's last particular job at Newcastle and give my thoughts as to whether or not it was a success. In March this year Souness launched a scathing attack on Newcastle United fans saying: "The last job well and truly sickened me. The Newcastle one was a bad experience. They are a club that gets 52,000 people paying to watch them every other week and they have 22,000 supporters and 30,000 customers. They are extremely critical. They've done nothing since 1969, so where does this opinion come from that they are a big club?" A link to Souness's comments about Newcastle fans is HERE I tend to agree with Souness about the overblown expectations of the Newcastle fans, considering they haven't won a major trophy since 1969. However in my own view Souness's time at St James' Park was a failure because Newcastle went from being a top 5 club under Bobby Robson - finishing 4th in 2002, 3rd in 2003 and 5th in 2004 under Robson - to instead finishing in 14th place under Souness in 2005. (Graeme took over in September 2004.) 14th place was the lowest position that Newcastle had finished since being promoted to the Premiership in 1993. So it's quite a significant drop to go from being a top 5 club in three successive seasons under Robson to finishing in lowly 14th. By February 2006 in the following season, when Newcastle were again in the bottom half of the table, Souness was relieved of his duties, with I daresay not many Newcastle fans sorry to see him go. Souness is quick to blame the Newcastle fans for his sacking, but he should also have acknowledged that he made some big mistakes when he was at St James' Park, with £50m being spent on players like Boumsong and Albert Luque who were expensive disappointments on the pitch.

In the light of what Judge Henry Globe QC said of Joey Barton, that he was guilty of "a violent and cowardly attack" - telling the Newcastle midfielder: "You drank to excess and behaved in an aggressive, disgraceful manner", I wondered whether any of the chaps on this M/B who were praising Barton's qualities as a footballer last summer and indicating that they would like to see Mark Hughes sign Barton for Rovers, might now have actually changed their minds? Barton is an odious creature who could have dragged the name of Blackburn Rovers into the gutter if he had signed for us. A man who drank 10 pints of lager and five bottles of lager before carrying out a "violent and cowardly attack" outside McDonald's. "You were restrained by others but ignored them and acted in an extremely violent and aggressive manner," said the judge. Hardly the actions of a dedicated professional is it? For a start he shouldn't be drinking so heavily. Secondly to act in such a violent manner which has now led to him being jailed, means that he is not fulfilling his responsibilities as a pro footballer. The court heard that Barton had knocked a man to the ground, then straddled him and punched him four or five times as his cousin threw food at the victim. Barton then punched the man up to 15 times more before then attacking a 16-year-old, punching him and leaving him with broken teeth. In the light of the "extremely violent and aggressive" attack from Barton, I'd be interested to know if any of the gentlemen below would still like to see Rovers buy Joey Barton ?