speeeeeeedie

Sven has given out his squad numbers 1-23. Looks like it's Terry and Ferdinand at the back with Joe Cole on the left.

Read this article for more ammo regarding attendances. I reads like it's written by an American but the points he makes are pretty valid. Before anyone asks I'm not having a go at Yanks by making that point.

Saying that is like saying don't play Bellamy because his hamstrings act up. When he's fit he's playing. Don't play Ashley Cole, a genuine world class player, because he is injury prone? He is now fit and ready to go, he'll have bags of energy as he hasn't just gone through the rigours of a full season. The same with Owen. Look at history. At France 98 Davor Suker was top scorer becsue he subbed all season at Real Madrid. 2002 Ronaldo scored loads after playing about 3 games that year. 2006 Owen.....

I know this is the going thread but a look in the LET pulled up this article: Give us yer passports! East Lancs has the highest concentration of banned travellers. Staggering if you ask me.

I've took the liberty of starting this topic instead of having it lodged in the Wayne Ronney hysteria section. The Rooney diaster could be a blessing as now I believe that Sven could play a 4-5-1 with both Lampard and Gerrard further forward. Robinson G. Neville Terry Campbell A. Cole Carrick Beckham J. Cole Lampard Gerrard Owen What would happen if Rooney is fit?

I think McClaren will do a decent job; he's been in the set up for a while, can coach, and has great players at his disposal. England fans would moan whoever was given the job. If he wins games all will be forgotten. Sven has never impressed me. We play hit them on the break football, try to get one and hold out. Our last two tournament exits have been down to the same managerial tactical cluelessness. Brazil in 2002; if we'd have gone in at half time 1-0 up we would have won as his plan would have worked, but it was 1-1. Sven wanted to hold on and bully the flamboyant Samba stars into submission; it did not work, because we had no other plan to get at them. Euro 2004; Rooney went off injured, the only player capable of doing something, so he brings on Vassell, the exact same style player as Owen. We then spend the next 70 munutes humping the ball up to two strikers who don't hold the ball up well and it comes straight back. England has a very talented group of players right now. Our "spine" of Robinson, Terry, Gerrard, and Rooney all have at least one more WC to play in in their 20's (Owen still has another one, he'll be 30 in 2010). Add a few more and you have the makings of a decent squad.

The FA has been a farce since its inception. The good old boy network, lining their own pockets, and gross incompetence are some of the valid criticisms toward the rulers of our national game. The most recent gaffes of the Wembley fiasco, to use a tabloid term, and the Big Phil pandering are just more examples of their idiocy. My memory and experience can only remember the 80's onward but we were, and still are, miles behind other footballing nations in our National team infastructure. The youth structure is a joke; the U-15 coaches find the biggest kids in England who can play a bit, arrange games against Brazil, beat them through kicking lumps out of them, then proclaim that we have a bright future. The U-17's, U-18's, and U-21's exist for nothing. I watched quite a bit of the U-17 world championship last summer and saw some great players (Messi and Obi Mikel being the pick of the bunch) who are being groomed for years to come. Where were the England players? Recording themselves 5hagging birds in Ibiza probably. Portugal's Euro 2004 team was, accroding to many, the culmination of a youth policy set up years ago. Figo and the like had been playing together since their youth with a view to winning something. They never did, but came close. Even the US has a decent system. They play plenty of games with a pool of players. They only bring back the ones in Europe for big games, the rest are played with the same 30 or so who go to each training camp Poor old McClaren, I feel for him. He interviews for a job, but the people who invited him made it abundantly clear that they wanted Scolari. McClaren was given the job as Sven's assistant with a view to taking over when the mercenary was finished. Sven goes and he gets pushed back a bit. Another aspect that the manager debacle throws up is the apparent lack of respect for the FA coaching badges. Roeder is getting more special dispensation to complete the necessay qualifications, Stuart Pearce still has one to go but is held with acclaim with many, but McClaren has everything, gone through the system, learned the ropes and gets shunned. Whay have it? McClaren should do decent job, he knows all the players, the core of which will have another World Cup in them, and he will bring in a left winger who he knows well. Just one thought; What does Sven do this World Cup? McClaren is taking over, does Sven let him do everything as a "training exercise" whilst he sits there counting his cash at halftime.

Bone healing depends on blood flow. There isn't that much in the foot so it could take a while. The femur (thigh bone) actually heals pretty quickly as there is muscle all aorund it. 6 weeks is the industry standard for bone breaks some are longer some are shorter. I've no doubt that Rooney will be drinking his milk, popping osteoporosis pills and sleeping in oxygen tents to get him ready for Sweden. I agree with the boot theory. Blades are dangerous not only for their knife like qualities but for having a knack of not letting you turn quickly. I got my first pair at the begining of the season and am glad that they are now ripping as I'm not getting any more. The sole of these new boots offers no protection. When you put on a pair of shoes the sole covers the foot, the lightweight boots don't have this thick protection and the foot is basically balancing on top of the blades, so when you turn your ankle the foot bends too much and; crack!

How many did we concede before the floodgates closed after Hughes took charge? He lost his first 2 by 4 goals, after that we conceded a lot less than this year. So I would vote for Bellamy, he is a class above. Nelsen is good, but the defence hasn't played up to last year's stinginess. I do remember Batty winning the player of the year one time ahead of Shearer so it's not always about goalscoring.

I voted for Tugay but forgot about MGP's volley. I'd have that every time.

Just refreshed after the weekend's fixtures and I too am in wonderment at where Newcastle have come from. As Tucker says though we have 3 more points, a game in hand and better goal difference than them. One more win should see them off but we need at least two to be certain. Brum should be a fantastic game; them fighting for their lives, us trying to get to Europe. What happens if Arsenal win the Champs League? Do Spurs get bu66ered?

Why doesn't BRFC or Sky have a "Pub Patrol" or have a wall of shame each Friday in the LET. Every home game they have a van with a couple of heavies driving around in it finding places with dodgy TV being on. They could do their research during the week. It would be easy; come on here and ask where they can watch the game. They'd get 10 answers and would be able to pay the landlords a visit. They can be independent contractors paid in cash through a middleman with no connection to the club or Sky. I think the dodgy TV watching is appealing just on the fact that it is illegal. I know people who could care less about watching football but as soon as their local or nearby boozer gets a satellite they are down there every week to 'watch the match'. The social aspect appeals to many. Landlords should bear the brunt of this, but they are apathetic to anything that involves them being responsible; they run a business that encourages drunkeness. I still believe that all games should be on TV for access. Sky can sell them domestic only and have different packages for foreign TV. The growth of the game is happening abroad as I said earlier. The consistent ticket price/game saturation arguments are testament to that. I feel that the biggest growth markets are China with its billion people and the USA with its $ billions. Only this week Beckham was trumping himself by saying that he would love to play in America, probably to watch his bank balance skyrocket. He never harps on about playing back in England does he? Dan, I apologise for getting your age wrong. Your posts did appear to be from a schoolie though.

Dan's responses are typical of today's younger fan. Going to the game isn't enough entertainment, a skin full before and a skin full after is also needed. To alot of young fans a game without a p!ss up is like fish without chips. Arguing over semantics of pricing is hardly convincing when the actual game figure is dwarfed by drinking spends. I don't think any of us would disagree with the fact that the game needs changing and Rovers don't want to get shafted as a result. We cry into our pints over a few hundred (maybe) lost to foregin football. Imagine United? They can't build stands quickly enough to fit them in. How many black market fans watch their games?

If Sky took over the TV rather than having Norway TV do it, what Modes98 says is right. The club's Sky revenue should increase as they get more game revenue. One solution for this is to have equal revenue sharing of TV money. That way every Prem team gets the same amount from the pot. More games being shown means a greater exposure elsewhere (cue Peter Kenyon and David Gill). Den, the gates in this country are going down due to numerous factors. The Premier League's biggest growth market is abroad; TV satisfies that need. Increased TV revenue plus a level revenue sharing plan would help our club more than most as you can never rely on the local public to bail Blackburn out. There aren't many Jack Walkier's waiting in the wings for us. Jan, are fans only fans when they go to watch games in the stadium? Do they owe the club or the game a living?

I reckon we'd sell roughly the same. The people who want to go will go and have been going for years. The disaffected lager swilling youth would rather go to the pub and complain than pay to get cold.

Yes Lee they are. I've only seen it a couple of times "live" as I don't live in an area with a pro sports team. What happens is that if the crowd is a certain size the game is shown, if the crowd doesn't meet the limit you get a black screen on your TV if you live in that city. But I think there are exceptions. American might know more.

I'm leaning toward those who support the ruling. People who want to go to games will do so, the casual fan who would prefer to spend their money in the boozer instead of the ground would probably not go anyway. Football is now more social for some; they can feel proud to watch a game in the pub on dodgy TV as it gives them some kudos. I have reason to believe that showing all games live at 3pm would help matters. Sky could still get their Sunday game as midweek European nights have a lag or they could be allowed 1 promotional fixture a week to be billed as such. As usual on TV matters I'll defer to the NFL; Sky's model for making as much cash as possible. American Football clubs make oodles from TV who show all games at the same time (there's two times actually to account for time zones - not a UK problem). Depending on where you live determines the game you see. There is one game late on Sunday for TV and one on Monday night; that's it. Stadiums are full up every week too. Why don't Sky show 9 games on Saturday at 3pm, one per Sky channel set aside for it, then they build up the Sunday game. There are enough cup competitions/midweek/ football league games to keep Sky ticking over before the weekend starts again. I also like the idea that home game is blacked out within home areas but that could cause problems. If BRFC are at home anyone within a, say, 20 mile radius of the ground has their Sky box shut off for the channel showing the game. When they are away the box will show the game. What would happen in cities with more than 1 prem team though (eg. Manchester)? Also, would the Football League kick up a fuss? Could they get a bit extra from the Sky money to keep them happy? Something has just struck me. The Premier League started in 1992. Since then Sky has bombarded us with football match after football match. People who are 18-22 (the new drinkers/fans who can go on their own) grew up with live football all the time on TV. I'm not much older than them but can remember the days where there was only the odd game on a Sunday. It started to change when Elton Welsby fronted "The Match" on ITV. The new fans that clubs are trying to attract have had a far greater access to TV football their whole lives. Anyone 30 and over grew up with not as much football and as such went to stadiums to see a game. This is not the norm nor is it thought about by the up and comers. In order to keep the game alive TV needs to take over, evetually fans will start going back if it is promoted well enough and priced properly.

This day was probably one of the greatest I've had so far. Played football and won in the morning. Saw an absolutely fantastic game in the afternoon, and was still drinking at 5am the next morning. Great. The buzz around the ground was fantastic. I remember no Nuttall Street stand and all the Rovers subs standing there gettig cold. I was in the BB upper right behind the goal.

I'm having a boring Friday and am reminiscing about this board over the previous two campaigns. Relegation worries, panic stations and the sheer relief of that 4-3 Fulham win have been replaced with Champs Leauge optimism. It is an amazing turnaround, and looks to be here to stay for a while. But crowds are gonig down.

Ozzie, good article. Not for the correctness of it but for showing the stupidity of the woman. I agree that Shearer made a ba!!s up when he went home to play. But at the time Newcastle were on the up, with Keegan signing anybody and everybody. But as we all know it went pear shaped for him trophy wise. He should have joined Man U, he would have played less, scored more and may have still had another year in him. Although I'm not a Man U fan, I enjoy watching them play, especially when they were winning everything in the late 90's. Shearer scored bundles with Ripley and Wilcox providing the ammo, I shudder to think what Beckham would have done for him week in week out. If this would have happened though he would not be remembered by us as the legend that he is but as a traitor who left us for the red scum. Going to Newcastle and winning bugger all helped cement his status with our fans, snubbing Man U helps him with the Geordies. Shearer did have an ability to batter defenders and get free kicks, and I do wonder what the FA was thinking when they let him off for booting that Leicester player in the head, but overall the man was absolutely fantastic and I had the pleasure of watching him in his prime regardless of what the Geordies think.

Joe

Not the best Rovers performance, certainly nowhere near the game at the JJB. I can see why Wigan are good away from home, they are very compact and organized, and wasted as much time as they could. De Zeeuw played very well. We never looked like scoring, the got an equalliser and could have won it. Neill had a dodgy game, Dickov was non-existent, Kuqi isn't up to it but does a good job as a battering ram in the air. If we never pass to his feet he will be a world beater. The attempted cross from the left was his funniest moment.

Ray-Von and Exiled; I don't quite understand why "tossers at club level" mean that you can't cheer for your country. The Rovers interest is also a bit strange too. It is your country you should stick up for them whoever plays. I'll wager that 2 short years ago Craig Bellamy and Robbie Savage were two of the league's biggest "tossers" in your eyes. Maybe because I live abroad I have an enhanced sense of patriotism toward my country but your views confuse me.

If you are not English I understand it, if you are English WTF?

Just had a quick look at the remaining fixtures for us, Arsenal, Spurs, and Bolton. We have by far the easiest run-in with Bolton having the hardest. Our unfortunates are two away days at relegation battling Pompey and Brum. Spurs have to play Arsenal and Bolton so points dropped there for someone. It could be very good for us. I hope WBA can keep it up.