The Bulls Head at Wilpshire is remarkable for two reasons. It has both 'the worst (kept and selection) and most expensive beer in the town.

And thats no mean feat!

How we do in the league game is a function of injury recoveries. From what I can see, Boro will have some back and we won't have Bellamy.

Sounded like Dickov was a real problem for the Boro defence and will be badly missed. If Bellamy has broken down again, I'd bring Jansen in- his work rate is more like Dickov's than Bentley.

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We need to change things or we'll get beaten. Boro will be smarting and a very different proposition. I'd bring Mokoena in 4-5-1 as Maclaren will set his team up expecting us to play the same as we did on Wed night. With Kuqi as our only viable and fit striker the solution is obvious. Jansen is just a bit part player now and us playing a 4-4-2 formation containing him, Bentley, Pederson, and Tugay will end up being brushed aside too easily. Time to grind the opposition down away from home.

Obviously a bllody fix!

BUT......MU away second leg?! At least we should be spared the expense of another farcical trip to Cardiff. 'dirty nowvenors who cant fill their end' The club probably couldn't stand another such dose of bad PR anyway.

Just imagine how many tickets would be sold this time in our end should we have to face the Arse again?

If however, and taking bent draws/ refs and agenda'd press and media aside, Wigan and ourselves prevailed it'd be a great weekend but one that could easily be held in Manchester.

People will still only buy 1 shirt surely? Whether Dunn or Sav / Bellamy / Neil is on the back is largely irrelevent to the financial fortunes of BRFC.

I know some supporters will buy another shirt, prob the away one, with Dunnes name on the back but I hardly expect a sell out situation should it happen.

More proof from our nearest and dearest that cheap tickets dont attract enough extra supporters to cover the financial loss incurred by doing so.

http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/lancashi...LARETSFAN0.html

Have I missed something? How many times do I have to say that I don't want him back cletus? Surely I've made that quite clear?

It's you that wants him to return isn't it? The point that I am making is that he will not come on such flimsy terms. He would be a fool as some other team would always be in position to stump up the going rate.

Let Gally grab a hat-trick for Stoke against the dingles on Boxing day and then re-call him in time to score 1 against Wigan   

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We could perhaps swop Gally and Jansen. With Jansen finishing the season and getting match practice at Stoke and Gally finishing the season by replacing Matty as our 4th choice striker. Perfick

didn't we do that against everton and lost 2-0???

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I know the facts speak for themselves but if you went to the game you would know that we should have easily been at least 2 up when we were forced to play the last hour with 10 men.

Anyway CT for the sake of argument that you appear to prefer the away team Everton played 4-5-1 for most of the game against one of the teams around them and they WON 2-0!

Emerton runs quickly but dribbles slowly. Why? Haven't got a scooby.

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Emerton is quick. He runs quickly just gets himself in front of his defender so that the only option is for the defender to foul him. And then turns around allowing every opponent to get back in a good position. Why he does it God only knows but he drives me mad. My mate has referred to him as Forest Gump since last easter.

i wouldn't start worrying yet!!

we still have the big 4 to come to ewood, chelski, manky utd, arsenal and liverpuds!! also we have bolton and wigan at home for the derbys!!

these attendances should blow em away well i hope eh

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Those fixtures might blow us away too.

What are you on about?!?!?

"emulate Chelsea's tactics and performance against Arsenal..."

I think i need to point out that rovers don't have the same kind of players, manager or coaches. what you are asking is absurd

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If you quote me fully and read slower it might make more sense to you. I think I need to point out that the operative phrase that you failed to quote was 'against teams around us'. Sure we do not have the talent to dispose of Arsenal as esaily as Chelsea did but we should be able to do well against teams out of the top 6. (btw I know Arse ARE out of the top six but you know what I mean I hope) We did OK last season so whats different this year? Look at our promotion year, we played many games 3-5-2 because we could afford to when playing poorer opposition, but when we tried it in the Prem and got found out in quick time by teams with faster and more skillful forwards we had to abandon the system.

So, what would you rather us do? Throw money at the situation?

...That`s been done before.

If Dunny wanted to come back to the Rovers  he says he loves so much, after a rather unsuccesful spell at the 'big' club....(& if he`s still got confidence in his own ability) then he`d accept a 'prove yourself contract. If he doesn`t, then tough titty for him. Stay where you are, collect your big wages & end up playing in the championship until they forcibly sell you to someone you don`t want to play for.

...it`d be no skin off my nose.

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He's a professional player. Like any other he will go to the highest bidder until he is past his sell by date. The thought of a contract which contains the proviso 'Come home and prove yourself and we will pay you accordingly. Honest we will' will horrify both him and his agent. I dont know what you do but would you move jobs on that proviso?

Forget origins, prodigals, accents and local hero stuff, players can and should only be judged on their ability, fitness and usefulness to the side at any given time.

Chelsea make that formation work because they have attacking players like Robben/Cole/Duff/Lampard/Drogba who can win games on their own, we simply don't have the firepower to sacrifice an attacking player if we wish to be a half-entertaining side.

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That doesn't add up. By your reasoning Chelsea should be playing 4-3-3!

Sure Chelsea have better players than us but their players should not be faster or fitter than ours should they? It's quite reasonable to try and emulate Chelsea's tactics and performance against Arsenal yesteday against the teams around us isn't it?.

Anyway we dont want to be entertaining away from home. Its survival football in the English Prem we are talking about not the flippin X Factor. Pure speculation on my part but I'd wager that if we had played 4-5-1 away all season that we would have more away points in the bag than we have got so far. Our away form last year playing 4-5-1 was excellent for a relegation threatened team it was playing 4-5-1 at home that caused the problems with entertainment and dropped points. As I said earlier the key is Bellamy. He cannot play 4-5-1 but then again he can't play any system when he is out injured.

....but if i was Mr Hughes, i`d insist on a "prove yourself" contract. Not just throw buckets of cash at an injury prone player. Do a good job for us & earn yourself a payrise.

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That sort of offer is likely to tempt him back and no mistake.

Why on earth would you want that? 

We're 12th in the table, there's no way we'd be higher than that with a defensive 4-5-1 formation that we played in the past.  The back four has been changed so often in recent weeks that it's no suprise we conceding goals.

Once we get the back four settled again we'll stop conceding as many, a return to a 4-5-1 with Mokoena in midfield would be a gigantic step backwards...thankfully, it's not one I think Sparky will choose to do.  He knows we can play attractive football and be a solid defensive unit, I'd be utterly distraught if we went back to how we used to play.

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Well it would be 4-5-1 away from home every time for me. Chelsea just made Arsenal look fairly ordinary playing that formation.

Admin Lets have a Poll.I for one want David Dunn back.

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Doubt we could afford him but if we could I'd much rather spend it on Bowyer who according to the mail wants away from Newcastle. Covers lots more ground than Dunny, defends and tracks back far better, isn't as creative but weighs in with as many if not more goals and is rarely injured. And he appears to hate losing with a vengeance and possess a tough streak which means he's more like MH's type of player. The mail goes on to suggest that Charlton are the favourites though.

With Bellamy fit a formation of 4-5-1 is a non starter. He is our best player because of his speed not because of his strength, he is not suited at all to playing most of the game with his back to goal.

Alternatively when Bellamy is injured our other players are best suited to 4-5-1, and especially away from home. Todd and Nelsen end up with glowing reports when Mokoena is doing all their donkey work. I know we were classed as unpopular and boring but other teams really struggled to score against us in the second half of last season. One great result at OT must now be tempered with the situation at Old Trafford and both their and our results since. Time and again members moan that Bellamy (and to a lesser extent Dickov) apart our strikers are not Prem standard and I know that MH will know this too. Sparky's decision therefore is easy, for awaydays we should only play with one of em. Bring back the Axe, rest Toogs and save him for for home games or away substitute appearences and go 4-5-1 saving 4-4-2 for the last 20 mins should the situation require it. As for some members looking toward Gally and Jansen to return. and save our season. Thanks for the sentimentality guys but no thanks we need to move on.

Big exageration there.

It is an Irish/Scottish and Irish/Scottish ex-patriate thing. Catholics on the European mainland are totally unmoved by the Rangers/Celtic thing and try getting any interest in it in the Phillipines or Latin America!

If it were a worldwide phenomenon, do you think the SPL TV rights would only be worth £35m for the whole league? About the same as Real Madrid's income for three months.

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I take your point but I did read somewhere that celtic have the 4th (or 8th im not sure) highest worldwide support. And given the profit of shirts thats a lot of prospective income.

In the early 80's the £3000 per week that KK was paid to sign for the Mags by them and S&N was condemned as ridiculous but it proved a superb bit of business in increased gate receipts alone. Desmond is no fool.

He'd be a great replacement for when Tugay hangs up his boots (which surely has to be at the end of this season)

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There's more in him yet imo. Reduced salary, hard work in training and fewer games should see him stick around for a while longer.

Desmond has dipped into his own pocket to pay £40K per week for Keane.

Celtic's upper wage limit before Keane was something under £20K per week.

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I assume a deal must be in place to get Desmond his money back, and some, from shirt sales and sponsorship. Timed nicely before Christmas, roman catholics the world over will be buying Celtic shirts with "Keane" emblazoned on the back for their kids. All somewhat in conflict with the second commandment imo. Does anybody else find a huge irony in there somewhere?

In my opinion Hughes has no desire to play jansen in the first team.  I think it is about time somebody was straight with the guy and told him asuch.

It's a real shame and I would certainly prefer him to start over kuq, Dickov and maybe Bentley.

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I'm sure Matts been told plenty of times. Make no mistake if he was anywhere near his old self Hughes would be playing him every week.

Everybody should just forget him cos he's finished at this level. Meanwhile Matty owes the Rovers plenty, they've stood by him commendably since his accident. In my opinion he's only still around doe to kindness because he must have invalidated his insurance climbing on a motorbike in the first place, and has no other means of supporting his lifestyle. I read that he was on an appearence based contract which explains the odd appearence on the bench and the even rarer appearence on the pitch. Was his 90 seconds v West Ham a ploy to waste time or a necessary requirement of his current contract? Or maybe even a necessary move to satisfy the requirements of his current insurance policy.

As for somebody whingeing about a stupid swede, has nobody thought the probable outcome through? If Matt had gone to the WC and played a starring role then he'd probably have been snapped up by another club as soon as the teams plane touched down back in blighty, and all we'd have would be yet another ex-golden boy to boo at twice a season. I'm sure that most people have noticed that as it stands at the minute nobody else appears to want him.

Anybody seen "Sliding doors"?

Good job that second goal went in in hindsight. And a salutory lesson to all I hope.

Savage tried desperately to save it with his hand but failed. If he had succeeded in stopping the goal he would have been sent off and incurred a 3 match suspension, WHU would probably have scored the penalty and with 10 men we would not have scored the winner and quite possibly could have been beaten.

And our many detractors in the press and media would have had another mud slinging field day.

Awful and amateurish performance by all but the most exciting second half of the season at Ewood. West Ham played their part by attacking us and not allowing any of our players any time on the ball.

At least Todds detracters will have to eat a large helping of humble pie this morning courtesy of Zurabs awful performance.

I'm angry at the BBC for putting us on early as I missed the first half. Pardew sounded a right puff for whingeing about yellow cards as most were well deserved and he is damned lucky that he will be able to pick his keeper for the next 3 matches? btw I never realised that Mike Riley has a twin!

Emerton yet again had a free run on goal in the first half and chose to turn back and allow the entire defence to recover. What does go on in his head sometimes? The most frustrating player that I can ever remember. He has the ability and potential to be devastating but appears to have absolutely nothing between his ears.

I'm with Savage but it looked like he should choose his words more carefully. Brad needs to shout and become more dominating. Sav clearly heard a shout and left the ball and Brad failed to collect.

Kuqi imo is more suited for coming on at 60 mins and making things happen than for putting on at the start. Hughes is playing him just right and to his strengths at the moment. Played from the start and Prem defenders will easily get the measure of him.

I'm not too sure if we should bring hmi in or not

I have faith is Hughes to making the right decision

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Cant see hughes falling for the old prodigal son routine. But then again he was one himself once.

Come staurday Nelsen and Zurab are up against two very fast determined young men in Zamora and Harewood whose pace i thought frightened and unsettled Todd at West Ham, so how will our two cope, its going to be a very interesting game ......cant wait.

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I think having to do his own job and look after the axe at centre half unsettled Todd more than anything the opposition did. Without Bellamy and although it will be unpopular a starting 4-5-1 formation tomorrow would serve us well against West Ham. Their most influential player Sheringham plays in the hole behind the striker so keeping him quiet in the opening stages until he tires is priority. We also looked far more comfortable when we switched to that system at their place. Unfortunately the damage had mostly been done until the late abberations of Emerton and Dickov put the tin hat on it.

I'd save 4-4-2 and Tugay for the second half.