Well, this is all very interesting. I watched the game on TV so I can not be accurate but the crowd was coming through quite clearly. Lot's of booing but I did not hear monkey noises. None of the commentators made any mention of it either so if it was there surely it was only a small number. Nothing wrong with the booing given the link between Dwight and our club. Hopefully there was no racist stuff but I don't know for sure, if there was it's too bad. I would have booed him too had I been there given his poor showing for us during his time here. My biggest worry actually was with all that booing I thought for sure the lazy SOB is going to rub it in our face and get the winning goal. Yet again jim shines through, he has hold of something negative toward the club and it must be true, even though there are mixed reports of what actually happened. Good on you jim, jim could you like, just go support Stanley or something?.

Hey! What the hell do I know. Good, no great comeback. One thing I don't understand is how Cunningham was allowed to hold Dickov all afternoon. Thought the ref let the game go quite well. It was one of the more physical games I have seen for a while, he let a lot of contact go. Good game. The only time I think I have seen Dickov NOT follow the shot in was the one time the keeper spilled it. Very happy for Reid, he's taken a lot of stick from this board but he left it all out on the pitch today.

This is horrible, I hate when we score early, we always seem to take our foot of the pedal when we do. We are in serious trouble, chance of turning this game are very very slim, our chances of going down are almost certain.

lets say we got 7.5 mill for him. which classy midfielder would we replace him with? who do you think would come to blackburn now, given the state of the team, club and finances. Certainly no one has good as barry fergusson - that's for sure. The team should be built around him. Sorry don't agree... Everton paid £2 million for Tim Cahill who is playing just as well as Barry Ferguson, if we could get someone of similar quality to Cahill for that price and still have £5 million or so to play around with then we should do it. Even players like Carrick are going for around £4 million. The more I think about it, the more I think I would snap their hands off for £7.5 million. I must admit I have not seen as much of Cahill as you have LeChuck but from what I have seen I can't say he is playing just as well as Fergie. Sure he's knocked in a couple of goals but overall? I defer to your judgement due to the fact you have seen more of him than I but I just doubt it. However, if we are comparisom shopping how about Dafoe at 7 Mill, there's one I might have rather had. I wish there was a way to pick out the old posts cos it seems to me when Cahill was brought up on here just about everyone poo pooed the idea. First Div player, already got reid and Neill, what is Souness getting kick backs, some of the comments I recall. When we were in for Bazza all I remember, with the exception of a few who thought he was too pricey (Rev and Myself for sure), is comments like we should break the bank, top notch player, we must outbid Everton, we have to have him. Funny how things change so quickly.

Philip not really sure what you think my reservations are I tend to agree with teapreacher also, except for the passing ability. No doubt he is good but the best mmm, thats open. I am just saying he does best with a bit more time and space, a luxury he is not often afforded. On the Tim Cahill thing, remember a season and a half ago, Souness was sniffing around Cahill and the sentiment on here was that he was not good enough, how things change huh? Can't wait for tomorrow, it's o the telly over here too. Fulham next week as well.

At his best when the game is ahead of him?? I think I would have to agree with that, if he has space. If the wee fella is allowed some time on the ball with options ahead of him he looks outstanding. Problem is, in the Prem it does not happen much. that is compounded by the fact our forward line does not offer much in the way of movement, SPL it happened a lot, teams playing 'gers would sit back giving Fergie the room he needs, good forward movement, hence Fergie looks like a world beater. He needs a partner or two to take the opposition's eye off him and help stop him being pressured. Next, best passer of the ball in British football?? I don't think I can agree with that sorry. Bazza has an air about him but I think to make it work Sparky has to make him the pivotal man, leaning me toward your case for having him replace Tugay, but, and it is a big but, can we teach our forwards to understand Fergies game and learn to read what he is going to do. Then and only then will Fergie become the "top top player in the prem' that Souness predicted. Just my thoughts, now tear em up.

Will it still be considered stupid if it has the results Hughes is hoping for, better links throughout the club. Success for BRFC, if it comes, both short and long term, should justify this move. Can't really fairly judge it as stupid until we have seen the full impact.

No problem Colin, one of the points I was trying to make is it is not unique to the USA. Course it's rotten, no one likes it.

Um, fair enough you have to run a business and all that but there is a balance. It is, after all, compassion which makes us human. You make a well functioning society sound like a pack of wolves, culling the weak...... I would say a pack of Wolves is as good an example of a well funtioning society as you will get, or was. Until the maruading Europeans almost wiped them off the face of the planet. Bryan, RIF is Reduction In Force, sorry. When I worked in England I worked for an English company. When I started there was 2500 employees when I left 6 years later there was 800. The same tactics in getting to 800 were used as is here and yes it took some time for the individuals to find out. Of course compassion is important, infact it is my belief that compassion comes first it is a Human trait, an instinct if you will it's just that sometime one must learn to overcome that. Yes it's difficult. Now as Colin said, back on topic.

Do you really screw your "friends and colleagues" like that? If so, then with friends like you I suppose they don't need enemies. In the words of Jim Royle "Gut wrenching" my arse."" Colin, GROW UP. When you do, would you like to come work for me heh heh. What would you do Colin, the financial situation demand you have a RIF of 25%. Tell me how would you handle it. Do us all a favour, don't try to tell me what my feelings were you have absolutely no idea, none.

Geee . That's confirmed it - you have turned native .....Already..... Actually BP I beleive the Natives have many languages and dialects, non of which include that word. It came after the English and assorted other Europeans destroyed the natural order of things over here. But that is another story, one we English don't care to take much credit for either.

Fattest yes, but by all accounts (and the fans I see in the crowds) the English are trying their best to catch up. Embracing so many things that are American why do you do that if you hate them so much. Stupidest? ( a good old Americanism that, most stupid I think is the correct English term) hardly, you show your own ignorance by that comment. Why do the English crave things American so much. When I left I had never heard of McDonalds or seen a Baseball cap but in the pictures, only a few years later I returned to find a proliferation of American fast food chains all over and it seems you are all doing a great job of making them a great success. Hell there's even one by Ewood. What can I teach anyone about democracy? just be thankful you have it and the right to openly voice your opinion, as offensive as I find it you have a right to express it. Please tell me your experiences in America that have led you to the misconception that Americans are the "stupidest" people. I would be interested to hear your life experiences of living amongst Americans that led you to arrive at that decision. If you don't wish to bore others with them that's OK just PM me.

Only happened once (by promotion) at a large engineering company in Blackburn. My former colleages were delighted that I had got the job and worked their butts off for me. Since then I have been involved with a series of startup companies and have chosen my own staff. I am confused now, if you inherited them how were they former colleagues? Was there a bitter individual that had been there over thirty years who was demoted to make room for you, as was the case with me, oh and Tony Parkes BTW.

Sounds like you've adapted well to the land of Shwarzenegger and co , USA .....Sad to see the Rovers going the same way What? you don't think that happens in Jolly old England, perleeeese wake up.

What changed is, in my opinion, the board were finally made aware of the division Tony's presence could have on the camp, as a player Hughes would have seen it first hand. A point, had Tony Parkes been fired before Souness arrived would Souness" personal battles gone on with the likes of Dunn and Cole, sneaky feeling I have is that Mr "Blackburn Rovers" was somewhere in the background egging them on. Just a gut feeling. He should have been moved on long ago. What a load of rubbish you talk USA Blue. There is and never has been any suggestion that TP has undermined any manager at Rovers. I have no idea where you get your rediculous assumption from. Incidentally your management philosophy is exactly what gives capitalism its unacceptable face. Employees are people, not some kind of disposable object that can be thrown away when no longer required. Have you ever been sacked? I'm sure it must be devastating. I too have been a manager for most of my working life and am proud of the fact that I never sacked anyone. So do you Al. Not actually sacked Al but made redundant after 91/2 years of service. Firing someone, or laying them off is a difficult thing for management also Al, but you apparently would not know that. Letting people go that have been your friends and colleagues for years is truly gut wrenching, espescially when you know AHEAD OF TIME. You have to keep working with these people and look them in the eye on Monday knowing that come Friday you will be meeting with them to tell them they no longer have an income. I'd say it is actually as difficult, if not more so, as losing your job. Yes I may come across as cold but I am not, more like battle hardened. Al until you yourself have actually done this you can only comment on what you know, which is by your own admission, only one side of the coin. As for the Parkes thing, my points were hypothetical, suggestive and unsubstantiated and I am not in the least surprised by your it never could have happened stance. We all like to feel warm and fuzzy don't we, sadly life is crueler than that. Chances are you would not even consider it ever happened, that might spoil some perception. Time may prove may right or wrong eh Al? Given what you say about capitalism I can only assume you support the opposite, so what do you stand for, communism, socialism, people not working hard, expecting the ones that do to bail them out? really acceptable those options. What is so wrong with taking care of a business, sometimes a few must suffer so the whole can survive, it's not just capitalism Al it's also the way of Mother Nature, think about it. Only the strong survive. Lastly, I have taken over as manager where the old boss was demoted and still there, I was also informed that he would be going nowhere, an untouchable. Obviously still bitter about his demotion, he caused nothing but unrest and dissention. He retired, things got good.

Parkes is fired Rovers get a Penalty, what did Hughes know that we don't.

How many chances did Mr Cole miss.

jim'll be up for that one.

What changed is, in my opinion, the board were finally made aware of the division Tony's presence could have on the camp, as a player Hughes would have seen it first hand. A point, had Tony Parkes been fired before Souness arrived would Souness" personal battles gone on with the likes of Dunn and Cole, sneaky feeling I have is that Mr "Blackburn Rovers" was somewhere in the background egging them on. Just a gut feeling. He should have been moved on long ago.

What made this club different was that there was once a human element - and TP epitomised it . I see very little of the human element present in JW . A board meeting on Tuesday that decided Parkes' fate and he still hadn't mentioned it by Friday ? What kind of self respecting Chief Executive (or manager come to that )wouldn't think about the possibility of there being a leak in that time ? Williams has apparently promised to speak to Radio Lancs after today's game . Let's hope he doesn't forget . How ferkin naive some of you people are. It happens. I have managed businesses and sad but true the business is first. It is common practice in a company to make decisions to get rid of people some time before they are told. I personally have known people that were going to be terminated up to two weeks before it happenend. It's the way it is we are not talking about a mum and dad business here. Wake up, the human element left football years ago, having one long term employee does not alter that. Good to see Rev back, must have been foaming at the mouth for a chance to have a go on this one. Wake up poeple it happens every day, not just to priveleged football "staff" but to hard working folks struggling to make end meet, does anyone here this Parkes will go hungry? Hey, maybe Parkes himself was tipped off he was going to be canned and called the press himself, anyone think of that? Let it go, Parkes has been nothing short of priveleged for a long time, let the new era begin. I'm done on this one. PS the post above this one is about the most real one I have seen yet. It's not like the bloke was up at 5am everyday then pulled 8-10 hours at the mill is it.

Yes, Chris is criticising Dickov and has been for some time.

Calm down Paul, don't do anything drastic. The idle (whatever you called them) will have their ideas changed or they too will be gone. Try to get over it and go enjoy your day in Manchester

Is this the same Mark Hughes that you slagged off mercilessly when he was appointed manager? Absolutely it is, though your statement of "slagged off mercilessly" is a gross exaggeration. Yes, I think everyone here knows my stand on Hughes appointment, it was before he was appointed actually, I was against it. I did however say that, unlike some folks in the past, I would give him full support and hope he proves me wrong, from what I have seen so far he is doing that. I did not think he had the credentials to take this club by the scruff of the neck. I stated at the time we needed someone who could rebuild this club I doubted Hughes ability to do that, its all in here for people to see so I don't need to go on and on. The difference between me and some is I will support Hughes, many others here once they have formed an opinion on someone then look for every little thing to justify their opinion, ignoring anything that goes against their opinion. Me I am open I said what I said and was of that opinion but it is turning around, and I like it. I also don't fault the club for how it turned out, anyone who really beleives it was BRFC's intention for it to turn out this way is mad, the others? well some folks just can't pass up a chance to have a pop at the club. Parkesy has been here many years yes, but why? I used to watch him play, nowt special, he saved us one year, big deal. Remember this is the same Parkes that would not play Mr Dunn. The same Mr Dunn that Souness did play yet got his pee pee smacked when he let him go. As Bryan so eloquently put it, we just fired the reserve team coach. I have deep seated feeling that Parkes was a distraction to any new boss, divided loyaltys and all that, this sends a clear message to ALL the staff at BRFC that a new era has begun, one where you perform or you are done, regardless of who you are, no resting on Laurels. Take out the human element and think of the club, this is for the best. Come on you Blues.

I can understand the sentiment on here I really can, but folks, mark this very day on your calendar for this is the first day of the rebirth of this club. It has needed a shakedown for some time, I can't help but feel a virus of apathy had infected the club at all levels. I also can't help but feel that Mark Hughes is the cure for that virus. I for one am excited, we needed fresh ideas a new approach from the ground up. A point was made in an earlier post that Sparky came here with full knowledge of TP's methods techniques etc and most likely knew before taking the job that Parksey would have to go, harsh but it is reality. A new day has dawned for Blackburn Rovers and the day will be bright, has to be, it's Blue and White. Tear 'em up Sparky give us back a team to be proud of.

Waggy, ever been in Management? It happens all the time. Often decisions to release people are made well ahead of time. Paperwork, insurance issues and severance packages are worked up and then the employee is notified, it's quite common place. To add, sometimes with longer serving people the things can take time. I have no doubt at all that Sparky and Williams had the conversation and the decision to fire Parkes was agreed sometime ago. Sparky would have had to make his case to let Tony go to Williams, it's not like he could have just called in TP and said oh Tony you're fired. Contacts would have been made with the prospective replacement to see if he would even consider coming to our great club. It would look even worse if we had fired Parkes and his replacement told us to bugger off. No I have no problems of how it was handled, I am sure all efforts toward keeping things on a professional basis were employed, it's just unfortunate that somehow the story got out. I support this decision 100%, no disrespect to Tony but I am surprised he was allowed to hang around as long as he did. And as to the question of "if this is how the club treat loyal servants" have we all forgotten this man was treated to a very very decent Salary, it's not like the man did it for free.