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.

Now we've signed two of those players that fans of all other teams hate, but the own fans love - Dickov and Savage. Add to that Lucas Neill and we'll not be very popular Now who else do we want to make us even more hated? Danny Mills maybe?

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

From a Birmingham website:

The game started and not surprisingly it was all midfield huff and puff for the first few minutes- with the Blues fans strange a chant of “Robbie Savage – what a w****r, what a w****r” song that was heartily applauded by the Charlton fans – how nice it was to be re-united with the rest of the fans up and down the country in despising the man.

The goal itself was as bizarre as someone choosing to play for a smoky sh**-hole mill-town club in Lancashire rather than the mighty Blues...

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.

1) you could have quite simply come in beginnning of january and offered £3 million, the club publically stated that was his valuation considering the long term contract but you messed us about as did savage

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.

MGP.

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:

no doubt bruce has improved him by 35% since arriving from leicester, he was a loud mouth nobody and bruce turned him into a combative high work load midfielder

Here you say that Savage improved by 35% since he joined.

just a warning,

he is 30 yrs old now and his best yrs are past him, he isnt the same player he was when he first joined us, he hasnt the stamina to run around the pitch like he use to which is basically wot savage is all about, so expect him to be really quiet some games and completly useless and others where he runs around kicking everyone, he has lsot around 20% of his pace

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:

Lets face it your not a better club than us, your league form the past few seasons is patchy, all your top quality players have left or got 2 old and u have struggled to bring in quality replacements, so is it the welsh connection, why would he join a club below us in the table with a real possibility of relegation ?

So, Blackburn is not a better club than Birmingham, yes?

us blues fans have been saying for the past 12 months that the squad have out grown him, he hasnt the ability to improve us technically to be honest...

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:

The player agreed after rejecting another last-ditch attempt from chairman David Gold to keep him.

Birmingham were willing to match whatever Savage was offered by Blackburn but were turned down.

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.

i cant believe how much u lot hate bruce

his son plays for your club

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.

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

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.

"Nothing personal" Steve Bruce rant in the Daily Mail.

Its almost worth the £3m transfer fee just for this!

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.

as with the tapped up comment

our owners have publically stated that savage told em that the clubs were making unoffical approaches without even bidding for the player...

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).

This is clearly about cash btw - Savage has been offered a lot more money to sign for Blackburn...

Sez who?

2 defenders now booked and only mokoena on the bench!

Don't forget that Steven Reid can play at full back, if we really need him down there.

4 - 0 to Rovers, with Stead and MGP scoring two each.

According to ESPN Soccer Net, the selected Rovers team is:

1 Brad Friedel

14 Nils-Eric Johansson

22 Dominic Matteo

2 Lucas Neill

24 Andy Todd

7 Brett Emerton

16 Barry Ferguson

5 Garry Flitcroft

20 David Thompson

10 Paul Dickov

9 Jonathan Stead

Substitutes

13 Peter Enckelman

25 James McEveley

12 Morten Gamst Pedersen

18 Steven Reid

19 Paul Gallagher

I never back my team to lose, and I'll go for a 1 - 0 Rovers win today.

MGP to get his first Premiership goal (I hope, anyway)!