I agree that fergie will put out a full strength team, taggart will want to win this one. As for the crowd, i am really dissapointed with the number of tickets we have sold, i know not everyone can afford it and it is on sky etc, but 14-5000 home fans is garbage. i think it is about time i stopped dreaming about sellouts, a passionate home crowd roaring rovers on, and realised that we have a poor crowd nowadays, and its diminishing all the time

Isn't Bolton far bigger than blackburn in terms of population? personally, i know two people who had ST's last year and have not renewed, partly because of the dire entertainment last year but also because if they view it it as a must watch game, they can just buy individual tickets. Supply always exceeds demand unfortunately, but they also get around 10-15 rovers games a season in the pub due to the foreign channels and sky. for me it is like a drug, and i need to be at ewood, but we seem to be dwindling

on the comeback theme, the one i remember with the most affection was Derby in the playoffs, 2 -0 down at halftime then Sir david Speedie notching twice to win 4-2. The Blackburn end went absolutely mental.

AC/DC's thunderstruck. cant think of a better song with an intro which builds and builds, would get the whole crowd fired up. Can hear the "Thunder, na-na-na-na-na-na-na" bouncing around the blackburn end now. imperial march was not a bad suggestion.

This is great news- I cant remember the last time we actually had someone upfront with frightening pace- when was it? here is a player who any sort of decent through ball is quick enough to get on the end of it, and when he runs at defenders he scares the living daylights out of them . Attitude Problems aside, i cant wait for the new season now!

Woodlands on Preston new rd for me!

1864 Roverite- the game is being shown on one of those foreign channels tonight, so surely there is a pub near you which will have it on- there are loads in Blackburn, and i have heard it will be on at places like the Knowles arms. wish i was going though, but will have to settle for this one on tele! its better than the radio- cant stand that, always sounds like we are getting hammered!

I will be going with the family, but hopefully will get my tickets through the offical England fans allocation when we have officially qualified. I went to Euro 2004, Euro2000 and France 98 and would recommend the experience to anyone pondering on going or not. next best thing to seeing Rovers win the league and league cup, without doubt.

Like most rovers fans that are going, i am frustrated at our following as i feel the team would have a far better chance of progressing with 30,000 cheering us on. I am going but i am fortunate enough to be able to afford it, i fully understand those with families who cant. I personally cant wait now, it is our duty to sing our heatrs out and back the team- ignore all the jibs from other fans about our crowds- and have a great day!

We are staying on Cardiff Bay- 9 of us on the friday and saturday- apparently there is loads of nice bars and restaurants, so will probably drink around there. as for the game, 1-1 in normal time, rovers losing on penalties- heartbreaking. Come on the lads!

just got in, unfortunately had to sit in the North stand surrounded by united fans. Den- i had to sit next to a young kid and his dad, who quiet clearly had never been to old trafford before and had the strongest sountern accents i have heard in a while. The most annoying thing though, was behind me a women was on her mobile phone in the second half, and in a broad irish accent stated: "yeh im at old trafford, its United and some other team". she had absoluetly no idea on who they were playing! still, great defensive performance, The Axe was outstanding as were nelson & todd. MGP was a little quieter than normal. were rode our luck at times but in the end got a thoroughly deserved point, much to obvious annoyance of Taggart. i just cant believe that he has the nerve to complain about the amount of added on time!

im going on saturday with the company, unfortunately have to sit in the Salford suite in the north stand. If rovers score and you see 2 people being removed from the north stand- thats me would be happy with a draw- but god it would be nice to finally win at that horrible place. 1-1. (dickov)

SG, you seem to forget they took 185,700 up to carlise once. (and Abbey- as for the 11,000 at home- you know like i do that they fiddle the attendances at the turf - it was actually over 20,000 )

I bought 6 tickets today and filled in the forms to get a further 3 sat with us, which they will process on saturday. They then are sending the tickets to us. However, the ticket office lady stated to me when i asked how sales were going "to date we have only sold around 3200 tickets since they went on sale, we just cant believe how quiet it is" this is pretty worrying, and completely contradicts what you have stated roverite- obviously you too were told the info by the ticket office, but i have only posted what they have said to me this morning!

on the cardiff bay subject- thats where my hotel is- anyone know the names of some of the pubs? And where people are meeting? would be good to be surrounded by fellow roverites. as far a ticket sales go, there are 6 of us ST holders but we need to buy 3 more tickets for friends that no longer live in blackburn (2 of which will not have a history as they havent been to ewood for years), so we will have to wait for the time being. around 18,000 blues for me.

my hazy memory seems to think that the Worthington Cup final was a 3pm kick off at cardiff? That was shown live on tele? i had a few beers that weekend- can anyone confirm?

I just cant believe they have put it at 12.15. this surely alone will put thousands of fans off, not the loyal rovers fans like you and I would would go whatever the time, but certainly some of the floaters who just attend the "big games". Having been at Anfield last night, looking at the pathetic numbers we took there -this game could make us more of a laughing stock than we already are. still, i have my hotel booked on the friday and saturday in cardiff, so i expect i am one of the lucky ones.

Im praying its on the Saturday, far better for work reasons as i dont fancy driving home and queing for hours on the sunday. plus, i have just booked 3 rooms in Cardiff for the 15th and 16th, so can enjoy a few beers on the saturday.

Got to be "i am the music man..."!! can you just imagine it, all the blackburn end joining in with the pia-pia-piano, bagpipes, match of the day, and then the Dambusters! that would make my day. On a seriuos note, have to agree with the rocky theme tune (not eye of the tiger). That is a quality tune.

Great win for the boys, cant explain to people how elated i am at this moment, but then again, all roverites out there will be feeling exactly the same. I sat in the JW upper, and even in there the support was magnificent. Fantastic night, performance wasnt the best by any means, but as normal Burnley slink off with their tail between their legs in yet another derby. Get in There. Also when Hyde scored, not one person stood up in the JW upper, meaning despite the rumours there was not an invasion of dingles into the home stands. the look on some of the dingles faces as they left the ground, priceless. but just remeber, in 2 years time they will be telling stories around burnley how they took over ewood with 12,000 clarets etc.

anyone know an upto date figure on ticket sales now? getting nervous now! COME ON ROVERS. (also, with a fanatastic atmosphere guarenteed, maybe we could do with the drummer for 90 mins? )

Yeah, ive got that impression too SG194- you get the few numpties going on about drinking in town all day, but most of them seem generally concerned about where to park at ewood, where to get a safe drink etc. personally, i cant wait for this one, providing we put them to the sword with a resounding 3 goal win. i dont think i can take it if it is still 0-0 going into the last 10 mins!

....well....errm its only about 800 less than you brought to us in 2000, after the 17 year wait zzzzzzzzz. and the 2560 is about 1000 more than you took to Wigan - i had to entertain customers that game (on a cold midweek night), god your support was poor. 0-0, rubbbish game too. Your french left back spooned a great chance in the last minute. It was the first time i had been to a burnley match that didnt involve the Rovers, and after years of hearing from Burnley fans about your "magnificent support", i laughed myself silly. one Wigan fan even commented to me "its a bit different from when we played your lot (rovers)" which i believe they had the JJB's record attendance. Our crowds can be rubbish too, but the difference is we know it.

i think people are massively over-exagerating the number of dingles that will buy tickets in the home ends. there will be an odd few, some sat with mates who are roverites, some corporate etc. But it will be no-where near another Celtic. There will have been loads of rovers in the home stands at turf morgue, but as we didnt score it was all peace and love. any dingle stupid enough to risk the home ends and make him/herself know, then has brought on anything that happens. as for ticket sales, Den- you are making more than SG nervous!