I think that the best option for Blackburn Rovers -- and Matt Jansen -- would be to let him go. His standard isn't high enough anymore, so not only will it be a waste of his wages to keep him, but Jansen would also not get the regular first team action that he would get at a lower level. It's a real shame.

My nominations are Shearer and Jansen.

If that is true then the goons at Birmingham should pay the policing bill, granted that Savage plays. They are the ones who have made a simple transfer turn into a massive safety concern, for both crowd and club staff.

Perhaps Rovers could relocate to Norway. Attendance problem solved at a stroke! We should do a tour of Norway... get a bit more cash than we would otherwise get.

I'll be going with a 2 - 0 win this time around, with MGP scoring both goals.

This is the best match preview I've read in a long time.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben, and Robert Pires...

Oh dear, they are absolutely sick and deluded.

He is a good signing, and should give us a good three and a half years (the length of his contract), before his football prowess falls drastically.

Karren Brady said that Savage was not for sale at any price, though! "They've (Blackburn have) got into Robbie Savage's head. But he's not for sale - and that's it." http://www1.sbs.com.au/home/index.php3?id=52948

Notice how the people involved in the administration of Rovers are not going around acting like idiots because of this Ferguson saga...unlike our Birmingham counterparts with the Savage affair. Anyway, I'm not very disappointed with Ferguson going. Firstly, his reputation indicated that he was "too big for Blackburn", relegation battlers, so it was to be expected. Secondly, he hardly set the Premiership alight (he was very average), and I think that if a good amount is paid for him (in fact, I expect a good amount to be paid for him), Hughes will effectively use the money to make the squad stronger than before.

Someone had to say You Know Who's name! My equal first preferences would be Nelsen or Mokoena, but they have only just joined the club. I suppose the only sensible choice would be either of my equal second preferences; Todd or Thompson.

"There is life after Robbie Savage.'' I agree with Mr. Gold...he should stop moaning. However, somehow I think Birmingham will "do a Ferguson" and keep moaning about it for months afterwards. They've already acted beyond belief.

Izzitnot: Here you say that Savage improved by 35% since he joined. And here you say that he isn't a better player than when he first joined. That is not the only contradiction in your first post: So, Blackburn is not a better club than Birmingham, yes? So Birmingham is above Savage and is a much better club than Blackburn? Hang on a minute...! Look at what was in The Sun (hardly a respectable paper, but there is nothing wrong with the article, when you skim it) said: Birmingham were "moving heaven and earth" to keep Savage. Therefore, we can conclude that: 1. Blackburn are a bigger club than Birmingham, and; 2. Birmingham is not above Savage. Rather, he was a very important first team player, if not indispensable.

Steve Bruce and Alex Bruce are their own men. They should both be judged on an individual basis -- without regard to who they happen to be biologically linked to.

My prediction: Rovers to beat Cardiff 2 - 0 (3 - 1 on aggregate), with MGP and Thompson scoring.

Congratulations, James No7! It's not very often that someone predicts not only the correct score but also the goalscorer(s). Take a bow. How are we going to do against Cardiff City? I can't believe I got it correct myself. I didn't expect MGP to start or even feature, thus the "wink". I'll save my prediction for the Cardiff match preview thread. I'll keep with my tradition of never predicting that my team will lose. I wouldn't want a losing prediction correct.

MGP!!!!!!!!!! If the score stays like this, my 1 - 0 and MGP scoring prediction will be correct. Hopefully we drill through them and score more goals, though.

A red card to LuaLua.

Four yellow cards so far, and three of them are defenders: Johansson, Mokoena, Nelsen, and Emerton.

The link goes to a story about Leeds being financially shafted. I did read a bit of Bruce's comments on teletext this morning - "Bowen has an agenda against me"...the clown never ceases to astound me. You can read more about the Bruce's comments here. And here's a rare pro-Savage article that a Welsh journalist wrote: http://icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk/sport/...-name_page.html

My prediction: 1 - 0 to Rovers, with MGP scoring the winner.

For future reference: The owners of Birmingham City Football Club have made an allegation of illegal activity, which has not been proven in a football tribunal or a court of law. Therefore, I ask kindly of you to stop bleating your "tapped up" comments as fact (for both the Blackburn and Everton cases).

Sez who?