Fife Rover , Henchoz has never had any pace but he reads the game well and uses his experience to avoid getting exposed. It's a plus to have pace in any position but most centre halves are usually pretty pedestrian- that's why they're centre halves. Oh for another Mike England coming up through the ranks.

Didn't know that about Henchoz . Toddy, get stripped you're playing.

Gray didn't look interested enough for me on Sunday and Mc Eveley will never make a full back if he lives to be a thousand ( he had no real pace to start with and two major injuries have slowed him down even more, 1st ingredient in a top class fullback = pace , when that goes you're finished in that position.) How about playing Zurab at RB ,Neill at LB and bring either Todd or Henchoz into the centre back position, both Zurab and Neill have played there before and given the way things are going if we need cover at centre back one of Todd or Henchoz needs the match practice. As for the rest of the team - I wouldn't play anyone who is not 100% fit , we need a win on Sunday more than tonight. Another point, bringing a big man in and leaving Gray out will give us more height in the team, useful at corners.

Woeful performance from the Rovers today, a very poor Hammers team (They were hanging on from 2 minutes into the second half) were too dogged and determined for a Rovers side that lacked any sort of punch, the simple fact is they wanted it more. There's no point repeating what other posters have said, every player deserved a 5 today apart from Gray and Mokoena who deserved 4. I'm sick and tired of seeing us concede goals from A) Goal Kicks !!!!!!!!!!!!! School boy teams learn how to deal with them. Corners !!!!!! opponents getting free attempts on goal because some lazy b_____d can't or won't mark up properly.

When was the last time we looked like we might possibly get an attempt on goal from a corner, why is it that the second West Ham got that second half corner I knew they'd get a player free on goal to score a simple goal ?

I'll be watching on Sky today, given the circumstances any other team but West Ham away and I would be confident- our record there is awful. I'll know after 10 minutes if we are up for or not, we need to start at a high tempo and keep the tempo high, if we allow them an easy 20 minutes to settle and play themselves in we could be in for a tough game. On no account can we allow them an early goal, especially from a corner.

Re Ray Stewart- Great penalty taker, but 76 pens in 431 games !!!!!!!!!!!! that's about 1 pen every 6 games, surely that's a mistake. We went seasons without a pen not long ago.

I'd take a loss tonight in exchange for three points on Sunday. Just my opinion of course.

Looking at it from a different angle, is there anybody who remembers Ron Springett the ex England goalkeeper ? He did something I've never seen any other goalkeeper do, he deliberately stood to one side of the goals when facing a penalty. He would stand about a yard to the left of centre , leaving a very small gap on his weaker left side and a large gap on his strong right hand side, he would always dive to the right into the large gap. He saved more than his share of pens with this technique, I remember Fred Pickering accepting the challenge at Ewood one Good Friday and blasting a good penalty to his right but he got across and saved it, I never saw anybody have the balls to shoot for the narrow side.

My vote would be for Mike Harrison, he could side foot a ball harder than most players can blast it, I never saw him miss one but Den's got it wrong with 27 , more like about 10 on the bounce, Roy Vernon was another who gave the goalie no chance- hard and low into either corner. Dougie was great for sending the goalie the wrong way, I remember him scoring a last minute pen against Everton in the teeth of a snowstorm to win a cliff hanger 3-2. I also remember him missing one at Old Trafford ( we were 3-0 up at the time so It hardly mattered ! ) Shearer , Dunny , Dickov , Ken Knighton , Simon Barker all had their moments but there's no contest for the worst pen ever seen at Ewood- step forward John Coddington, anyone who was there that day against Crystal Palace will know the one ( double attempt actually ) I mean.

I don't do score predicting so i'll just content myself with a few general comments, I'm in agreement with a previous poster about Bolton- They are a tough combative side who can actually play football when they stop trying to constantly launch the ball, we will need to be at our best to win this one, a repeat of the casual play we witnessed for large parts of the Cracow game will see us soundly beaten. Looking in my paper today they had Ben Haim down at left back for Bolton, if he plays there we could have some joy especially if Bentley is fit, he should be able to get the better of somebody who's got the turning circle of an ocean liner. I think Mokoena needs to start this game with Tugay or Savage on the bench, depending on who's available we may have to play the formation that ended the game on Thursday, we can not afford to take anybody into this game that is 100% match fit. Team if Savage and Bentley are fit- Friedel- Emerton , Oijer , Zurab , Neill- Bentley , Savage , Mokoena , Pedersen- Nonda , McCarthy. Team if both Savage and Bentley don't make it- Fiedel- Emerton , Oijer , Zurab , Neill- Jeffers , Mokoena , Mcarthy , Pedersen- Nonda , Roberts.

The result was better than the performance, it was just like the Wigan game, we started slowly with no tempo to our game and no sense of urgency. Again we were inventing new ways of playing ourselves into trouble along with the old one of " player A receives the ball stood still, he then passes to player B who's also stood still and he gives an infirmary pass to player C who's stood still as well he then passes the ball to an opponent and off we go again ". Pedersen then missed an absolute sitter he could have chosen about four ways of putting the ball into the back of the net, he actually chose option 5 ( hammer the ball into the former East Germany) and badly miss cued the ball. Shortly he after this he failed to cover his full back and we gave away a cheap corner. The clearing header is that good that the Rovers midfield stand back to admire it and allow a Cracow player to fire in a deflected shot. 1-0 down and Cracow hadn't even had a shot at our goal to worry about before this. We gradually get back into the game and end it the stronger team having had a cert penalty turned down by the homer in black. After half time we came more and more into the game and pushed Cracow back, Bentley then cut back inside his full back onto his left foot and planted a gem of a cross which perfectly bisected the two Cracow centre halves for Savage to head back across goal into the far corner.Typically Rovers then let Cracow back into the game for 10 to 15 minutes courtesy of some sloppy passing, although they huffed and puffed they were far from blowing our house down. Hughes then went all out to win the game by giving Pedersen the sheperds crook treatment and throwing on Roberts in his place, just when the game looked like ending a 1-1 draw Roberts and Mc Carthy opened up Cracow and created an opening for Bentley out on the left, he gave Pedersen a finishing lesson by making a difficult chance look easy peasy and we ran out worthy winners 2-1. I'm not fooling myself that Cracow are a great team, I don't think they were as good as Glencirbigli for instance but a win is a win and if you can play poorly for a lot of the game and win away in Europe you can't be that bad but play as sloppily against Bolton on Sunday and we'll get caned. Savage appeared to be feeling his back and surely Tugay can't play two full games in four days so we could be light in midfield on Sunday. I've also run out of patience with Pedersen , he was poor today , what does he bring to the team ? My ratings- Friedel-----6 Emerton----7 Oijer-------7 Zurab------7 Neill-------6 Bentley-----8* Savage-----7 Tugay------7 Pedersen---4 Nonda-----6 McCarthy---6 Subs Mokoena Roberts ,neither were on long enough for a rating but Roberts did well for the second goal ,he's a handfull against tired defenders.

Just clarifying a point- It doesn't have to be the goalkeeper and a defender, it can be two defenders. If you run onto a ball that's played backwards you can't be offside, having said that I've lost count of the times I've seen a striker run in on a lone goalie and play the ball forward to an unmarked teammate who puts it in an empty net and the goal is given! To the guy who criticised my comments and asked if I actually attended Sundays game - the two best players to put on a Rovers shirt in my life time conducted the half time draw, did you ever see them play ?????

A game of two halves at Ewood, first half was dreadful ,we spent most of it inventing new ways to give the ball to Wigan , all they did was wait for the inevitable miss placed pass. You could see the Heskey goal coming, Oijer was nowhere when the ball came in and Heskey notched a simple goal. Following this shock we struggled to impose any shape or form to our game , especially in midfield. I keep banging on about our midfield but the balance is not right, Savage hasn't got the skill and passing ability to play as an advanced midfielder. Fortunately we managed to put a good move together right on half time and Bentley made it 2 in 2 games with a well taken goal. I said to my son at half time " Things can only get better" . Well I got that wrong because Brad was subbed and we welcomed a debutant goalie- not an ideal start. Having said that we really came at Wigan and for 20 -25 minutes played some really good stuff and we should have been well in front by threequarter time. Then the inevitable happened, Oijer got caught one on one with Heskey and was left trying to play catch up, foolishly he tried to tackle Heskey from behind and Heskey said "thank you very much" and tumbled over for a predictable penalty. Luckily for us Jason Brown, who had yet to actually make a save managed to keep out a poor pen and save the rebound. Instead of being galvanised by this we went into our shell and for 10 minutes Wigan were on top for the first time in the game. Shortly after it took a simple ale house ball down the middle to unlock the Wigan defence and McCarthy was left with a tap in which settled the game in spite of a bit of Wigan huffing and puffing at the end. Rating Brad- 6, not really a lot to do apart from pick Heskey's shot out of the net. Emerton-7 Another good performance, he looks the part at right back but left Oijer exposed for the pen. Oijer-5 I'm not convinced he's the answer, not as good as Andy Todd in my opinion, an international class centre half shouldn't be making desperate tackles like the one on Heskey. Zurab-6 Steady performance but with both centre halves your heart's in your mouth when they have the ball. Neill- 6 Didn't do much wrong but M.O.T.M., you're having a laugh- has his watch broken? Bentley-6 Looked inventive at times and scored a nice goal, needs to get on the ball more. Savage-5 Runs around a lot, achieves a little. A couple of decent free kicks. Tugay-6 The usual mixture of sublime passes and give aways. Pedersen-5 Doesn't do enough, partly to blame for the first goal. His corners are a joke at the moment. Also too easily brushed off the ball. Jeffers-6 Played brightly and showed some nice touches but needs a goal badly. Mc Carthy-8 Looked a top class player today, his holding up of the ball was exactly what Wigan lacked. Could have had a hat trick on another day. Brown-7 Saved a pen and kept out a dangerous cross shot right after, did all you could expect on his debut. Mokoena-6 Came on for Tugay and looked lively ,even made a couple of nice passes, being anxious to create a good impression made him commit a bad tackle resulting in a booking. Roberts-6 Looked short of match fitness but his strength was too much at times for a tiring Wigan back four.

Listened to the game through a torrent of static, I feel like we lost the match although I would have snatched your hand off for a 2-2 draw at 7.45. In the last 15 mins we went from defending our half to defending our 18 yd area to defending the 6 yd box, we seem to vanish in midfield , nobody could keep the ball it just came flying back at us time and time again. Just a few comments -Gallagher , not a winger and never will be,Mc Carthy as a lone striker - you're having a laff ,not mobile enough, Gamst - bench on Sunday give Peters a chance. Substitutions ,too late.Most frequent comment " Oh and Rovers have given the ball away again "

I said what I was expecting, Speed over the ground, The ability to read the game, decisive tackling skills- I didn't see a lot of any of the above. We are talking about a 32 yr old International here ,not some novice out of the lower reaches of the championship.

Gav, I don't want to slate any Rovers player but I know what I saw out there to day and it wasn't what I was expecting, having said that the Dutch are not exactly famous for their centre halfs are they ? Jaap Stam and then name another good one. PhillipL, That's the Pedersen of old, I actually saw him go past a player on the outside today for the first time since he came to Rovers but then again it was only Boularhouz, another Dutch centre half playing at right back.

Worst debut I've ever seen from a so-called big signing, forget playing this guy at right-back ,he's not quick enough for centre half. Poor tackling technique cost us the second goal, he seems to think that just backing off is the answer.What I wanted to see today was somebody quick across the park ,can read the game,and tackle like he means it, after that performance he can only get better but I fear another Darren Peacock ! Speaking of look a likes I hope McCarthy is not the new Dwight Yorke, but his lack of mobility and habit of dwelling on the ball is worrying, to score goals you've got to get in the box and frequently, he did well with the one chance that came our way but he's got to get up front more often. As for the rest, two of the guys I've knocked in the past ,Bentley and Emerton, were our best players today both did really well. Neill and Zurab were solid.Up front Roberts tried his best without looking threatening and will need much better service in future, having said that he won't be up against Carvalho and Terry every week. The problem is in mid-field ,Pedersen or Gamst as he likes to style himself is a total light weight, it's like playing with 10 men ,he needs an extended run in the reserves, Gallagher playing totally out of position did more in the 15 minutes he was on for. The major problem is central midfield, Savage for all his work rate is neither one thing nor the other, he's not skillful enough to be a playmaker and he's not quick or dynamic enough to be the destroyer in front of the back four, Steven Reid is also neither of these two things and cannot find a role in the side. Until we find an answer to this dilemma we are always going to struggle to create chances against sides at any level in this league, the points were there for the taking today but we hamstrung ourselves in team selection.

I'm a season ticket holder at my local Rugby League club ( Rochdale Hornets) , a season ago we were playing our local rivals Oldham in a needle match. One of the Oldham players broke through to score under the posts, as he was putting the ball down one of our forwards did a " Thatcher " on him and the guy had to be helped off with a broken jaw. The referee missed the incident ( so did I ), but put it on report, the R.L. judiciary panel viewed the video on the following Tuesday and our guy got a deserved 6 matches which effectively ended his season, in fact the guy with the broken jaw was back playing before our player. Time the F.A. took similar action ?

Jrabrfc, I thought Fife Rovers answer was pretty clear but let me repeat it- When Ronnie played Right Half which he usually did, he wore the no.4, but he also played Left Half ( no 6) and Centre Half ( no 5). Dougie usually played either Right Wing (no 7) or latterly Inside Left ( no 10). However I've seen him play in no 8 and no 11, also I read somewhere he once wore no9.

You know how to pick your matches, best performance in my life time for your first game- respect!!!!!!!!

Like I said the other day my dog is better running with the ball than Emerton, take whatever we can get and cut our losses .

It's a tough one, he's one of the very,very few players capable of playing a Tugay like role in todays game, he's also a local lad who we all loved. The down side is when was the last time he played for 90 minutes TWO matches on the bounce ? That's more than just a niggling injury.

There's that guy I spotted last week , called Riquelme , he seemed half decent, maybe he'd be interested in coming on a weeks trial - give him a game or two in the reserves ?

What ever the why's and wherefore's of the David Dunn situation todays game against Liverpool proved we are crying out for a player who can pick up the ball in midfield and actually run at defenders to make things happen, we had nobody prepared to do that today.