The atmosphere at Ewood yesterday (Arsenal game) was excellent, and mostly from the Rovers fans. The best home support we've had this season which came from us having something to cheer. When Bellamy is fit and the rest of the team are on-form we are a genuinely entertaining team to watch. The workrate & determination to win were clear to see - exemplified by Savage celebrating at the final whistle, punching the air and running to the Blackburn End. If you were at the game & you know Rovers 'fans' who weren't you should be taunting them for what they missed & get them down to Ewood for the next home game. No substitute for atmosphere when you're watching on the telly in some pub. And fifth in the table speaks for itself - there is quality football to be seen at Ewood - spread the word!

There was such a predictability about tonight's game - the Old Trafford standard-issue biased ref, the tedious pro-United media coverage, and then the result. What was pleasing to see was our refusal as a team to accept that predictability. Hughes has clearly generated a huge amount of passion, energy and belief in his players. We all know that if those players as individuals had anywhere near the ability of their United counterparts, they would already have been signed up by United (or Chelsea, or Arsenal). Despite that, they went there believing they could get a result. Friedel was phenomenal. Reid never stopped battling. Nelsen and Zurab likewise. Even Bentley had one of his better games, showing sufficient ability on the ball to suggest a bright future. As a less wealthy club we are always going to be at the mercy of injuries and our luck for today's game ran out when both Bellamy and Dickov became unavailable. Had those two played I honestly believe we would have got the second away goal and gone through. Once again we are reminded that whilst teams might win individual matches it is squads who win competitions, and with just 2 significant injuries we were out of it before we had started. Even though the lads in blue & white refused to believe that. They have done us proud, and I wouldnt swap sides with the bogus toadies in red & white off to Cardiff for anything. All that money and the best they can show for it is a Carling Cup final? Sad. Get Bellamy back, maybe a decent striker in before the end of the month, and we are challenging for a top 6 finish, which is amazing considering where we were 18 months ago.

Except for Shearer I cant think of any ex-Rovers players who have done exceptionally well when they've come back to Ewood to play against us in the last season or two. If anything its been the opposite. I recall Dunn scoring against us at the Blackburn End for the "Big Club" (I think Savage scored in that game too, which as we know is the last time he scored at Ewood) but the rest of his performance that day was average. The point being, I'm not unduly worried by Jansen's return. And we do seem to have sold players on when they've passed their usefulness to us.

If Nelsen's 'crime' is implying a bias on the part of referees then he is totally justified in doing so since at the start of the season we were given that 'rap on the knuckles' by the FA, who said they would be keeping a particular look-out for the disciplinary behaviour of Rovers players. This must surely have entered the pre-season briefings received by referees and is reflected in a noticeable overzealousness by refs in games involving Rovers this season. I recently read a book by Pierluigi Collina about refereeing in which he describes how refs prepare for games by researching the tactics and form of the teams involved. Impossible then for a team to expect impartiality from the ref. Not least when your side includes players with the individual reputations of Savage, Bellamy, Dickov, Todd, etc! Added to that the fact that Halsey comes from Bolton and is clearly a myopic self-obsessed fool and its pretty damn obvious that he was biased! If Nelsen is fined for comments made as club captain spoken in defence of the club and the team, I think Rovers should pay his fine.

Are we the only team in the Premiership who doesnt have a single first-team regular who was home grown? Just a thought.

I just saw that, Jim. Jeff Stelling & the panel in the studio just laughed at him. Mourinho deserves a good kicking. On another point, Bellamy seems to be hitting his form & close to match fitness. If only he had someone of similar quality partnering him up front we could be looking at the best Rovers frontline since SAS. Imagine if we had got Cole back. Bellamy & Cole would have been an interesting combination.

Despite the scoreline there's plenty of positives to take from this game. First team to score twice against Chelsea (excluding Charlton's penalties). Bellamy in the goals and playing well. Most of all, fighting spirit from a team going 2 down early on but not giving up. This team has got real passion and a will to win. Give us a level playing field (minus dodgy refs and even dodgier Russian billionaires with limitless budgets) and we're a match for anyone. And we're still in the top half of the league.

All 3 Rovers subs given yellow cards within minutes! Must be compulsory nowadays.

Game over with those substitutions. Reid isnt good enough. Dickov couldnt hit a barn door from 2 yards. This game is a perfect illustration of how it is a squad game these days. Not enough to pit 11 against 11, you have to have 14 quality players and sadly for Rovers we simply dont. Fair dos to the lads though. We have given the financial bully boys a run for their money.

Really can't see what all the fuss is about. In light of recent discussions about falling attendances and losing atmosphere at matches we've now got the PC brigade implying that only certain chants are acceptable. It's a bloody football match, not a tea party. The suggestions that these chants were counterproductive because they encouraged the player to play harder are farcical - if he wasnt playing his best to start with then he deserves to have the mickey taken out of him all the more. Players are mollicoddled enough as it is. And Rovers fans are frequently slammed on this board for lack of support. When a highly vocal away crowd do their damnedest to get behind their team (including the traditional bating of the opposition's players) and try to make up for the loss of Zurab to a homer ref's myopic decision, they get slagged off by their own fans. Shall we all sit there in silence in case we risk offending anyone? I'm more offended by so-called fans who never get behind their team. No-one else is criticising Rovers fans for this chant so why make such a big deal about it. p.s. I'm crying because someone booed that nice Richard Chaplow the other week for being an ex-Burnley player. Better not do that in case you upset him and then people might not like Rovers any more. Grow up!

On Sky theyve got that Scouse muppet Phil Thompson talking about the Rovers-L'pool game. Typically biased, he says the Zurab sending off is a definite red card. Jeff Stelling says Zurab got a touch of the ball and was unlucky to go, which of course Pinnochio disagrees with. Stelling just laughs and says, 'Where Liverpool are concerned you certainly have rose-coloured glasses on, dont you Phil!' In which case, why have the fool commenting on that game?! Looks like Andy Todd will be back in the side with Zurab off and a suspension to come. We're certainly having a roller coaster start to the season!

... and how much will it cost to get his name put on the back of your shirt?!

An excellent article, thanks to whoever posted the link. I have got to the point now where I think the only solution is a European Superleague, with Arsenal, Chelsea & Man Utd off to compete in it. It would be completely dominated by Sky because there would be hardly any away fans, but frankly I wouldnt care about that. They stopped being interested in football as anything other than a means to print money so good riddance. As for the Premiership without those 3 teams, it suddenly becomes a genuine competition again. Anyone can win. The bitterness which surrounds the big 3 whenever anyone gives them a run for their money (i.e. the cringingly embarrassing display of Chelsea after last season's Ewood game) would be gone. We would go to every match believing we could win it. The big 3 could still compete in domestic cup competitions (if they wanted to, and took them seriously). Players wages would have to come down, except for the big 3, because the central argument used by the powers-that-be (including Robert Coar when I spoke to him recently) to justify high wages is the need to compete in Europe. Well sod Europe. This is an English league and it will be all the better when the fans and the grass-roots element of football return to centre stage, instead of dodgy foreigners like Abramovich and Glaser, Sky TV, and greedy gits like Ferdinand and their agents. Not playing ManU, Arsenal & Chelsea is a small price to pay for the return of excitement & genuine competition to a Saturday afternoon. (And thats another thing. Football is played at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon, not at 4.05 or 6.15 or whatever on a Sunday teatime. Some of us have work the next day!). Thats all for now. Rant over. Lets start a petition or something.

Pretty good summing up of the evening. Bright sun in our eyes all thru the first half made it look like the Rovers fans were saluting the home 'support'. Or maybe checking they were still there, given how quiet they were. They made Ewood seem passionate! No-one stood out but Matteo was most noticeable. Savage's delivery from free kicks remains the best part of his game. It took a good part of the first half to work out who was actually playing after both the tannoy announcer and the 20p teamsheet got it totally wrong. Jansen looked genuinely chuffed with the support he was getting, and he seemed to take his goal very well. But he still seems to have a way to go and wouldve been anonymous putting in that display against Premiership opposition. (To be fair he was no worse than anyone else. The only edge we showed over Grimsby was a greater percentage of possession. And better finishing, given how weak theirs was). Interesting to find out later that our goalie was a trialist. He did look nervous and none too convincing on the occasions he was called into action. A shame we didnt get to see Bellamy or Kuqi, but I suppose Hughes will give them a runout against Espanyol. ps- = quick donning of a Rovers party hat to celebrate my 300th post!

This incident reminds me of something said by a psychologist on a recent TV program made by Alan Hansen. The bloke said that many footballers havent emotionally developed from being children because they are taken on by clubs at a young age, cossetted, have everything done for them, and dont face the usual challenges of adulthood. Basically, they are spoilt brats. Barton's behaviour this time and previously at the City Xmas party jabbing a lit cigar into a colleague's eye sounds like the behaviour of a child, certainly not an adult. Any normal grown adult being gauded by a gobby 15 yr old would laugh at the little sod and walk away.

It seems that Kuqi and Bellamy are polar opposites, which in many ways is a good thing. It certainly increases our options, depending on what sort of defence they are up against. Kuqi will be a good target man for set pieces and aerial crosses, Bellamy a lively option for bringing the ball forward on the ground, beating opponents. And Dickov as a Super sub to come off the bench and run at people for the last 15 mins. Even he suddenly becomes a more interesting option than in his previous role as a lone wolf! In any case, its a 100% improvement on what we had last season.

Sadly, I think youre probably right Philly. We wont get much for the players we are talking about which I suppose reinforces why a Premiership club with ambition (I'm talking about Rovers here!) ought to get rid of them. It also answers the debate posed elsewhere on this board about whether we use the last few games to try out a few youngsters or continue to push on for a high league position. Has to be the second option, if this is Rovers' best chance of collecting some sort of transfer kitty.

The money for finishing 12th (or whatever it is in the end) in the Premiership + the FA Cup run + Dahlin insurance money (if they ever pay, the tightwads) + Beattie sell-on money + anything we might have left from the Ferguson transfer + whatever we get for the following: Douglas (£400,000?) McEverley (£500.000?) Jansen (£750,000?) Amoruso (£2.50?) Short (free, but off the wage bill) Gray (£400,000) Total = £2,050,002 & 50p) That puts us in the region of 5 - 6 million quid. Personally I would sell Thompson if someone like Everton renewed their interest & offered 3 - 4 million for him. That would make the following affordable: a budget striker (Jestrovich or Sokota) a quality striker (Bellamy or Earnshaw) a creative midfielder (Gera) Not to mention getting a lot of average or past-it players off the wage bill. Sorted!

When Rovers were defensively lacking Souness bought Amoruso. In response to the same problem, Hughes bought Nelsen. One of them has delivered 110%, the other one we're still discussing 'is he good enough?' If he was good enough, he'd be in the team and we wouldnt have bought Nelsen. Its as simple as that. End of season he'll be the first to leave.

The Matt Jansen saga seems never-ending. It's pretty damn obvious that he will never realise the potential he might have done had he not been riding round Rome on that scooter. The club have been reasonable to the extreme so far, but how long will this go on? And do they continue to pay him full wages through all this?

OUT: Gray Amoruso Short Tugay Bothroyd Jansen Douglas IN: A striker, a creative midfielder, a right back Pointless to speculate who because the same names keep coming up and on the evidence of the Nelsen/Mokoena signings the chances are our scouts are already looking at obscure talents the other side of the globe somewhere. I have every faith in Hughes to strengthen during the Summer and next season I predict a top-half finish for us.

When I lived in Lancs I used to enjoy watching a game at Blackpool, Preston, Wigan or even Morecambe when Rovers were away at the other end of the country. I'd say those 4 (exclude Wigan if they come up next time, of course). More to the point are the teams I always hope will lose. The Dingles go without saying, and the other Prem relegation battlers (this time Palace, Soton, WBA & Norwich - maybe also Fulham & Birmingham if we are to move up). I like to see Chelski lose because of that tosser of a manager, and ManUre of course (same reason). I like to see Birmingham lose because of the bad blood over the Savage transfer, and also Newcastle because of Sourness. And Rangers, with their pathetic new ball boy, Ferguson... that's a lot of hatred, I think I'll stop now!

I remember when Ferguson joined us a Scottish friend of mine referred to him as a 'Wee Numptie'. I didnt really know what they meant, but I do now. Ferguson would be dwarfed on a Subbuteo pitch - in terms of stature, character, playing for the team, he lacks it all. Good riddance. Obscurity beckons.

Would sir like his million pound season ticket in the Matthew Harding stand or the Shed End?

Before this match I hadnt realised just how arrogant and dislikable - not to mention ungracious - Mourinho was. The whinging after the game, the histrionics in front of the Chelski fans, refusing to shake Hughes' hand, pretending not to even know Savage's name(!)... this was an arrogance to surpass even that of the duelling pensioners Ferguson & Wenger! It's sad to think that the big money men might be impressing the media by buying everything in sight, but I would have gladly accepted a 1-0 defeat at the hands of a gracious bloke like Mourinho's predecessor - Ranieri - who I still think was harshly treated. Chelsea will win everything, then have nowhere left to go. Then the futility of buying everything will hit home, the clash of egos (Abramovich vs Mourinho) will kick in, Abramovich will be done for his dodgy dealings... oh sorry, I was dreaming a bit there! Anyway, I'm proud of our lads for a performance which had heart. I really cant see us still near the bottom come the end of the season but if we are I believe we've got the management and the players to battle through. Bring on the Dingles!!