When RFW introduced Ryan Giggs to the Man United team he did it slowly. Cup games and substitute appearances in games United were already winning. He could afford to do this with a strong squad already at his disposal. This careful nurturing saw Giggs become one of the best left wingers of his generation. Due to an injury crisis at Liverpool, Souness was forced into playing Redknapp, Fowler and McManaman ahead of schedule. This was OK initially, but all got injured regularly, came in and out of form, and are burnt up wastes of space now. You've clearly just decided that Hughes isn't playing MGP for financial reasons. This is just plain stupid. If MGP is one of our best 11 players then it makes sense for him to be i the team winning games for us. Hughes has told Pedersen that he has plans for him this season. Why can nobody accept that? Why is it that two months out of the team has convinced people that Hughes is unfair and never going to play the lad. Management doesn't work like that. If MGP plugs away then he'll get his reward. He'll get his chance eventually. There's far too much impatience. Remember that he's already played a lot of football this season and looked burned out in his Premiership games. Hughes may well be bringing him up to the pace of the English game in training before putting him back in the team. It takes time to adjust for a lot of players. Stop bloody whining.

Very good memories of last season. One of the more enjoyable away games. 4-3 Rovers, why not?

Add a couple of 4-0 hammerings to that list. The midfield two years ago was far better. One of the best left wingers in the world and a Tugay who could outpass anybody in the league. He isn't looking half the player this season. Emerton is no Duff and Reid has yet to prove that he's Premiership class on a consistant basis. And we're still waiting for Bazza to justify all that money we spent on him.

Thanks very much for that Dan. A bit hard to make out so I'll reserve judgement until I've heard it properly. Maybe they'll play it in December at Earls Court~

Well there you go - a very well written post that makes a lot of valid points. I absolutely refuse to believe that the contract came down to money or anything other than a desire to play and enhance your career. David Dunn was never England's answer to the left-sided problem. David Dunn was always a central midfielder with great talent. Not only was he the captain of the U21 side, he was the player they looked to when in trouble and more often than not he delivered. Having made his international debut against Portugal as a Rovers player he was one step closer to the dream of starting and playing regularly for your country. A feat which will be impossible for a Rovers or Birmingham player under the current manager (but that's a different debate). However, GS had other ideas. Tugay's immense passing and Flitty's tenacity and desire kept Dunny out of the central midfield positions. When Flitty got injured and Dunn was required to play a more defensive role to compensate for Tugay's inabilities in that department he didn't shine. Souness went public as saying that this was disappointing and something Dunn should have in his locker. He then promptly dropped him again and played him out of position. Furthermore he then criticised Dunn publically in what I'm assuming was an attempt to get him to work harder in training or something. This was a bad tactical move because it probably did the opposite. This was a gamble from Souness that went wrong because his player didn't respond in the right way. This is also partly Dunn's fault. However, he will have been doing the same things at night when he was England's answer and the player infinitely better than Joe Cole. With Souness a hero at Rovers and very solid with the board there was only going to be one winner. With Dunn (quite justifiably) wanting an international career it made sense to see which clubs would offer him the chance to play in the middle. Only Brum did, but playing in the middle there was going to be better than not playing regularly here. The move was best for all parties. Souness got rid of his playboy and got some cash, and Dunn got the chance to play in the middle again. Unfortunately injuries have got in his way, and he isn't in the same class as Lampard who has taken his opportunity and brought his game to a new level. I don't see DD as a traitor or a person who turned his back on Rovers because he did what was the best for himself. I'm sure if he'd known how quickly the wheels were going to fall off here then he'd have stuck it out under Souness and tried again with a new manager. Dunn is clearly ambitious about playing - he wanted out when he wasn't being played in the first division (or last Prem season, can't remember). He'll do what is best for David Dunn because in twenty years he wants to look back on his England caps and his great memories with Rovers such as the promotion season. At that stage in his career it made sense to move away - hard as it must have been. He didn't leave because he loved us any less than anybody on this messageboard. He left to play football.

Yes I do respect your opinion, and like I said, you talk a lot of sense for the most part. Is it really your view that David Dunn doesn't love Blackburn Rovers Football Club?

To incinuate that David Dunn doesn't love Blackburn Rovers is one of the stupidest things I've read on this board. You usually make good points when you aren't making up transfer gossip, but that is just plain wrong. David Dunn is a professional footballer. In fifteen years time he won't be - he won't have a job in the game unless he goes into coaching/management. It is his responsibility to make sure he makes the most of those years. If it means leaving your hometown club in search of first team football then so be it. At the time he left Blackburn had finished 6th in the table. At the time he refused to sign the contract we were flying high. Absolutely nobody wanted rid of Souness. Considering the progress that we were making under him we could be expecting to see GS as manager for another five years. If you played for another team then would you refuse to score against Blackburn because you love them? Of course you wouldn't. You'd relegate them if it meant helping the club you played for. It doesn't mean you don't love the club. It means you're a professional who takes great pride in your job.

Dunny is/was far from an average player. He was brilliant, sometimes even mercurial when in a rovers shirt. Unfortunately he was plighted by injury and inconsistancy and getting over £5m for him was tremendous business. He clearly loves the club and gave us reason to love him back. His one-man crusade to peg back Arsenal at Highbury being one example. He got nearly ten goals a season and laid on plenty more. At one point being a mainstay in the national team was just a matter of time A disappointment? Yes. Average? No.

If the defence remains unchanged for a period of time and Hughes keeps plugging away with them in training then we will reap the rewards. Nissa is a quality player. I've said this pretty much since the day he joined the club. Play him at centreback and he'll do the business. Yet people seem so apprehensive about him. I'm not expecting a catastrophe from him at any moment because he's never given me reason to whilst playing at CB. He makes no more mistakes than Craig Short. He's mobile, reads the game well, a good header of the ball, strong in the tackle, and has youth on his side. No problems there at all. Two years ago I expected Nissa and Tiny to be the backbone of our team for years to come. Obviously this wasn't to be, but Nissa is miles ahead of Tiny at the moment. Jay is inexperienced and naive, but at the same time he is a big prospect and everybody has high hopes for him. He's not afraid of anybody and mixes it up with the tackles. His positional play will get better with time. It's worth keeping him in now and giving him confidence because we don't have any better long-term options. Like with Nissa, I'm convinced that if we give him the chance to prove himself then he'll be a mainstay in the team for a very long time. I don't know what to think about Lucas. His distribution is absolutely appalling. He can tackle and he's willing to go forwards. However, he's very prone to bad matches and very susceptible to mis-controlling passes and misreading the game. I wouldn't be adverse to Hughes finding his own man, but at the same time we all know there is potential in Lucas. If only we could sort out that bloody passing. Nissa needs a partner and at the moment Andy Todd is the man. The more they play together the more they will know each other's strengths, weaknesses and quirks. Whether or not this will develop into a long-term thing is up to Hughes. The most important thing is not rocking the boat. Pick your men and stick by them. The best defences are the ones which the manager doesn't even need to think about. Irwin, Pallister, Bruce, Neville. Every week (taking United for an example). Stability would help us no end I reckon.

Congrats - but you are forwarding his case by implication. I share your view that MGP's not getting a fair in chance. If Souness was still in charge and results going as they are and MGP was consigned to the subs bench all the time, a lot more people would be querying why a young international left winger with a good goalscoring record for both club and country and who has just joined the club is not being given a chance. However, most seem to want to give Hughes the benefit of the doubt, which is understandable. So let's just wait and see if MGP can force is way into the team rather than posting new messages that obviously get on everyone's nerves and only serves to harden people's view against MGP. Very well said.

I will destroy you.

It's far too early to write off somebody with such a good record at international record. The regularity he gets goals from the wing for his country reminds me of somebody like Ljungberg. He's been rubbish in his games for us, but something tells me that he's a good'un and one worth keeping hold of.

Very good, and I'm in complete agreement, but the numbskulls don't want to listen. In their eyes, because he was captain of the 1995 Championship side makes him a "great" player. Which is utter tosh of course. I've been watching Rovers on and off since the year dot and the only member of that 1995 side who should be guaranteed a place in the "greats" team is Shearer. Even then I would put a strong case for Fred Pickering. Numbskulls is a little uncalled for Jim. How many of these 'greats' you have self labelled have won the ultimate English prize of the top league ? Whilst playing in a championship winning side doesn't automatically mean you are a 'great', it certainly goes a hell of a long way towards a permanant place in the record books. These postings are getting a little hysterical, but they don't surprise me. You won't get Utd fans slagging off Steve Bruce or Roy Keane, Arsenal fans bemoaning the attributes of Viera. We probably have the only group of fans who can win the bloody Premiership and spend the next ten years slagging off the captain for being an arrogant cockney ! (He wasn't very good at lifting that trophy was he ? Should have held over his head not to the side)... Vote Forrest ! Bruce, Keane and Viera haven't left their clubs in the way Sherwood did (granted that two of them haven't left at all yet). When Viera had the chance to go to Real Madrid he stayed loyal, unlike Sherwood. Viera may well be the world's best holding midfielder. Keane was up there in his prime too. Sherwood was never the best in the league at the time, never mind the country or beyond. Bruce probably wouldn't get into Man United's team of greats. I don't see how he has any relevance. If Hendry had been captain of the Championship side then Sherwood wouldn't have half the votes that he has now. I think his status is getting him so far, not his ability.

Must drink less vodka....

Just something I'm curious about - what does SRW stand for?

I'm actually very surprised/disappointed that Latheron hasn't received more votes. I get the feeling that people are tactically voting rather than doing what they should be doing and picking their personal choice. Political voting will only undermine what we are trying to do here which is create a best 11 made democratically with everybody having the right to make their own choice.

That's amazing, because I manage to fit in pretty well when my Rovers shirt may well be the most expensive piece of clothing I own.

Dragging the thread somewhat off topic, I find that the people I know don't care whether I'm in jeans that don't fade. I agree with pretty much everything Morph has said. Wear what you want, but don't get upset when the negative stigma strikes you.

Whatever happened to wearing Rovers shirts at games??

Can't see any presentation being made , but there are plans to save this topic and all your posts, in something a little different than messageboard gold. I can see what you mean about a presentation, but something like this could easily get a section of the matchday programme or a bit of the LET Full Time supplement. A final team complete with a 500 or so words explaining the system we voted on would be an interesting read for many Rovers fans, especially if some were invited to come up with teams of their own.

To be fair, it won't cost you much in the way of airfares.

I voted Latheron. In fifty years Sherwood will be remembered as the captain of the title-winning team, but not as a majestic player. He cannot be deemed a "great". Latheron, an England international who scored goals, seemed to be a very very good player.

eh? Doh!! 2-1 i think 2-1 or 2-1?

I do like the idea of a presentation of sorts. Surely the club programme or the LET would take note if a well-penned summary of the scheme with the final team was sent in. It can't hurt to do so anyway. A best 11 is something everybody will have an opinion on so it would be good for people outside the website to read what we've voted on and compare it to their own.

Craig you once again cross the line. The songs aren't fantastic but the name comes under the category of "awesomeness".