Savage is OK with me and will only ever produce positive comments from me. However (yes, but, there is one exception), he should try shutting his mouth a bit and get on with it. It positively makes my blood boil to see Dickov looking at the referee more than he does the ball and his team mates. Sav should concentrate on his game a bit more because I haven't really seen the influential player he was at Birmingham, where he contributed as much to attack as he did to defence.

I wonder if anyone picked up the foul in the box in the 15th minute on Reid? The commentators, much to my surprise, also picked up on it. Reid was shepherded away from a through-ball by a Bolton defender. A clear penalty. The card for Matteo was also ###### poor. No way was that anywhere near a card, and there were a whole lot of worse challenges that went unpunished.

To be fair to Emerton, he saw next to nothing of the ball until then because all of the play went through Morten Gamst Pedersen. It's a bit hard to actually do anything when the ball is not being channelled through you. Also, I don't understand this swapping wingers business. Keep MGP on the left and Emerton on the right, especially so he can help bring more out of Lucas Neill.

1-0 victory to Rovers is my prediction. MGP with a terrific goal.

Baros.

1-0 to the Rovers for me. I think MGP is due another goal and will get it at that scoreline. I am not confident that Kuqi will get one, but I hope it's him because he deserves it, for all his flaws.

Here is my analysis of tonight's game, for what it's worth... EDIT: Yeah, I did watch this match live on television, since some people have made a point that perceptions can be different depending on the type of media consumption. If there is anything to be said about this match, it must be said that Rovers could have easily earned the three points, if only there was not a lack of quality up front in the absence of Craig Bellamy and even Matt Jansen. However, that was not to be, despite Rovers having several shots on goal, as opposed to the solitary attempt by Tottenham. Another thing that perhaps needs mentioning is that it is disappointing that Lucas Neill was sent off for a rash challenge and that an unidentified Blackburn player (probably captain Andy Todd) was spotted allegedly head butting opposition number Robbie Keane on camera, which will no doubt earn some close scrutiny from the authorities. Those incidences were sorely disappointing, to be honest, because before that I thought that we were playing a very clean game and really showing up the critics who think we are nothing but a dirty team. Alas, the negative media barrage looks set to continue. Here is my analysis of the manager and the players. Mark Hughes (9): Fair play to the manager for his tactical side of the game tonight. He decided to use the 4-5-1, and despite the seemingly negative formation, there was an attacking bite to it. The formation kept Tottenham under wraps all night, and indeed a win would have been earned had it not been for the lack of quality up front. It was also a smart move to keep the creative Tugay in the defensive midfield role, in favour of the preferred Aaron Mokoena. Brad Friedel (8): The former United States international really had little to do tonight, but when he was called up to do a job, he did it without too much difficulty. Lucas Neill (6): He gets his low rating for the sending off late in the match. He played a decent game at right back before that and showed defensive poise and a certain flair in attack. Ryan Nelsen (7): There were a couple of times that I recall where he looked shaky in defence, and he also missed a quality Robbie Savage set-piece cross that should have been put away, but overall he did a decent job and kept a clean sheet in the heart of defence, so there is little more to criticise him for. Andy Todd (7): He did his job. There is not much more that I can recall about his performance, other than the fact that he works well with Nelsen in a defensive pairing. Dominic Matteo (7): The much-maligned left back performed solidly, but showed little attacking ability, which I suppose is no new revelation. Tugay (8): He very much controlled the game in his defensive midfield position in his very poise and relaxed manner, and showed a great amount of skill and creativity. Not all of his passes were 100% successful, but that is the price to play for someone with his vision. If only he was celebrating 25 years of his life, rather than 35 years. Brett Emerton (7): The right winger had a good game tonight and there was much to be pleased about his performance, in comparison to recent matches. He had a little bit more confidence in himself tonight, putting in shots and crosses, winning balls and corner kicks, and was a catalyst in attack a few times. Robbie Savage (7): He played solidly and did his job in the centre of midfield, especially in winning the ball. In addition, he is very much looking fitter than he has been in the past for Rovers and we should start seeing the best of him in the not too distant future. Steven Reid (7): He was a little bit too anonymous tonight for my liking, especially for a central midfielder, but he did not do much wrong. Morten Gamst Pedersen (7): He had his usual game on the left wing, where he puts in a cross or two and helps the build-up of attacks. His corner kicks were disappointing tonight, which were mostly over hit. Shefki Kuqi (7): The likeable striker tried his heart out, but it was obvious to see why he was signed as a back-up striker. His first touch is atrocious, and had it been better, he would have scored a couple of goals. Credit must be given to him for getting into good positions, though, and he makes a welcome change from the whinging and moaning of Paul Dickov at the referee, who consequently breaks up any chance of continuity in Rovers' style of play. Jemal Johnson (6): He was a late substitute for Kuqi and was not on the field long enough to make an impression on me. He gets the default rating of six. Aaron Mokoena (6): He was the late substitute for the injured Andy Todd and had little chance of making an impression, so he also gets a default rating. In conclusion, the match was very heartening from a Blackburn Rovers perspective, despite the lack of a cutting wedge in attack and only earning a point in a scoreless draw at the end. To keep Tottenham Hotspur under wraps and pull the strings attacking wise is a good sign of things to come.

You're not sensitive enough, to be honest. Horrible reporting. I wonder if Sky mentioned the poor refereeing? The referee just didn't let the game flow at all, he did, and cases could be made for those penalty calls. Certainly the fans thought so.

Kuqi is better than Dickov: purely because Kuqi gets on with the game, instead of whinging and moaning at the referee at a constant rate, which in turn gives the team a chance for some continuity in its play. It's a good thing Dickov got suspended when he did.

Saw the match live down here, and I'll probably be giving a player-by-player analysis after, but at a glance we totally dominated the match, apart from the last ten minutes, and really deserved the three points. We lost the game with the lack of quality up front. Kuqi tries and tries, but he has little class. His first touch lets him down, and if only he could improve it, he could have gotten a couple of goals tonight. I think we can be heartened by this, though. We look like we have some quality about us everywhere else. Tugay deserved his man of the match performance, where he pulled the strings. Emerton was an improved player, too (last saw him play against West Ham), and I think Hughes has hammered a bit of confidence into him. EDIT: Also, I thought we were a very clean side for most of the match, and I was thinking about how I was going to say that after the match during the clean spell, but then things went sour at the end with the headbutt and the sending off. It's horrible stuff that won't help our reputation one little bit.

1-0 to Rovers is my prediction. Kuqi to get his first Premiership goal.

Still would like to know how your meeting with Williams turned out...

Cheers. Didn't realise that. I've never played it before (well, not properly).

Aren't injured players supposed to be substituted? I had Nelsen in my team but he was not automatically substituted, despite me being under the impression that he was (might be wrong, though... he might just be unfit). Ah well.

I'm going 2-0 our way. Kuqi and MGP.

Here is my analysis of today's game, including a brief evaluation of every player (plus the manager), for what it's worth (probably not much)... Well, I have to say, I was jumping for joy when Andy Todd put us in front against West Ham in the 18th minute. It really looked like we were well on our way to victory since we were playing so well. However, the game fell apart from after that with Rovers conceding three goals, and I put the sole blame on the players for not putting up a decent fight. On the tactical front, I am not convinced that we can sustain playing a 4-4-2 for 90 minutes, because defensively we are far too exposed. Admittedly there is a bit of an argument to the contrary due to our first 45 minutes, but despite playing well early on and keeping a clean sheet in the first half, there were a couple of occasions when we were completely muddled defensively and could easily have let two goals past us: West Ham's poor finishing was the friend that saved us. In addition, we really did miss Ryan Nelsen today. For a player who had no previous English Premiership experience, he really was the reason for our fantastic defensive performances in the second half of last season. Now here is my analysis of the manager and each player. Mark Hughes (7): I thought his management and tactical analysis was fairly good today. It was the players who failed to carry out their duties, and I seriously hope he gives the players a good spraying. He started off with a 4-4-2 formation, and that seemed to work well, since we were on top for the first 25 minutes or so. In the second half, he saw the game slipping away from us at 1-1, and so he decided to take Shefki Kuqi off and Vratislav Gresko on, playing a 4-5-1 with Aaron Mokoena as the defensive midfielder. It was a move that put me at ease, since I am very comfortable watching us play like that, but it was not to be with Mokoena having an unusually bad day and was responsible for West Ham's second goal by being beaten by the goalscorer he was marking. After that, Hughes took off Mokoena for Paul Dickov to put us back into a 4-4-2, which I thought was the right move to try and get back into the game, but we could not get things back together after that. Hughes gets negative marks for keeping an unfit Craig Bellamy on the pitch for the whole 90 minutes. Brad Friedel (7): He let three goals past him, but that was more the fault of the defence than his own, so he gets a high rating amongst a lot of poor ratings. Lucas Neill (8): I thought he had a very good day in defence, and added a lot to Rovers' attack down the right. Now this is where the depressing part comes... Andy Todd (5): He was beaten for pace regularly and really did not look up to the task. I have the suspicion that he may very well be hampered by injury, since I cannot recall him being very slow. I am sure Rovers supporter who watch him more regularly could tell me, since it is hard to notice a whole lot only watching a few games a year from overseas. He only gets his five rating for the goal he scored. Aaron Mokoena (5): He was doing a halfway decent job on Ted Sherringham in the first half, roughing the old man up, but upon moving to defensive midfield, he really looked poor and was responsible for West Ham's second goal. Dominic Matteo (6): He was not all that bad at left back and then at centre back. He did not stand out for me, which was a good thing today, actually. Brett Emerton (5): He looked alright in the first half, doing some good things, getting in amongst the play, but got progressively worse as the game went on and in the end looked absolutely awful. His terrible pass from the bottom right corner into the defensive box gifted the Londoners their third goal, which sealed the game. Steven Reid (6): He gets a six for being solid, but no more. Robbie Savage (6): He gets a six for being solid and for making some good tackles which helped us along at times. Morten Gamst Pedersen (7): I am being generous in his rating because he did provide the corner kick cross for Andy Todd's goal, and he did trouble the opposition quite a bit too, but he was far too inaccurate most of the time. Shefki Kuqi (6): He was mostly invisible and anonymous, but did some decent things and held up the ball a bit. His touch needs working on. Craig Bellamy (5): He was missing all game and should not have played the 90 minutes. Vratislav Gresko (6): He was a substitute and did alright at left back, like Matteo, but I wish he would stop whinging at the referees and get on with the game. Paul Dickov (4): He did nothing in his short time on the ground but whinge at the referees, which really ruined any continuity in our game. He was a bit unlucky to be red carded for his late tackle, which was not vicious, but I am glad he got it all the same because his constant whinging infuriates me and it will be good not have him off the team for whatever number of games he is out for. He is one of those players who I have a love/hate attitude toward and today I really did hate him.

I watched the match live as well so let me disagree with you on one point (well, two points... I disagree with needing a new left back. I think the left backs we have now are good. Matteo can do a halfway decent job there and Gresko just needs a bit more time to get into the swing of things. Today was just a bad day at the office, and in reality a case could be made for investments in almost every position on the pitch according to today's performance, so that is why I think it is important we do not jump on the back of the likes of Matteo and Emerton too quickly, much as we are all fuming (I certainly am... just wait for my player-for-player analysis!). Anyway, if we get new signings, I don't think left back is in need of an immediate overhaul. Like you say, a creative midfielder or an attacking midfielder really needs to be on the cards, but Reid can do a job there too, on his day, and he will really need to step up. In addition, I do not think we need more investment in a new centre back, despite the poor showin today. Who are we going to be able to get anyway? Whoever we sign will probably just be only good enough for back-up. I most certainly agree with the rest of your analysis, though, and especially in your saying that we cannot play with two strikers. We can play alright with two strikers at some times, but we cannot sustain it for 90 minutes. But we have to keep in mind financial limitations and the poor market this summer. Hughes must really be frustrated at the tight budget at the moment, and being unable to get rid of the Souness deadwood. Now I'm off to do my analysis and drown my sorrow with a bit of a drink...

What time? The times aren't listed on the Fox Sports website for me. I'm going for a 1 - 0 win, with Bellamy (if he's playing?) to get on the scoresheet. Otherwise Emerton.

Everyone knows what your opinions are, as they have not been disallowed. This particular quote has not been disappeared [as of yet! ]. OK, so we know your view, but what was Mr. Williams's view when you had an appointment with him? Or are you going to avoid answering this question again? Is that because you are a hapless windbag who has made no positive attempts to have Williams give his thoughts on this concern? An answer, please. I would very much hope you are not a hapless windbag... that you did speak to Williams about this concern, or at least made an attempt to contact him.

My team at this point in time: Cech © Terry Todd Nelsen Toure Nolan Cahill Dyer Park Bellamy Forssell Caroll Stead Hendrie Yobo

Emre is a creative central midfielder. Beckham is a creative right-winger who thinks he can play in the centre.

Even if we did not pay the reduced fee now being suggested, 5 million pounds is still a fairly cheap buy.

Thanks. I was pronouncing his surname as "Koo-kee".

Now that we're on the subject, how is his name pronounced? We don't get much in the way of football on television down here...

http://www.football365.com/opinion/mailbox...ry_156511.shtml Some opposition fans' reaction. Rovers and Bellamy are getting knocked around, naturally. They're never happy, these fiends. It's either "Bellamy lacking ambition" or "Rovers do not have the right to attract players of high calibre", or failing that, there are snipes at the personalities that we have at the club.