I agree - I can't see why Dickov is getting criticised based on recent performances (except about finishing - Cole is hardly the person to compare him to given Cole's amazing ability to miss simple chances). I would say his passing is pretty good. He's played a key pass in probably half of our goals from open play this season, and on Saturday he was always looking up to bring Emerton and Reid into the game. If he had a really quick forward alongside him I think he'd set up even more.

Despite Reid's at-times control, which I'm hoping is lack of matchfitness, he otherwise looked v.sharp today. I cant see how anyone coukd have been at today's game and suggest MGP should start instead of reid.

After today, can you argue De Pedro should be near the pitch?!?

Great performance. In fact, for a bottom team, I can't remember a better one. That said, there was still a lot of room for improvemnt - Fulham had a very defensive midfield. Main problem was I've never seen a team make so many chances in the last 20 yards but refuse to shoot - I would say 15 times we wasted great chances! Why did people try not to shoot?!? = 1 good shot, plus 1 peno all game vs 20 great chances in a game we dominated. Freidel: Genuinely great save from cole, but must catch a cross this season. Come on Brad, come off your line, Neil: best performance this season. Never looked in too much trouble altho we were lucky that Boa Morte wasn't playing (ditto Johansson), Johansonn - good perfomance, altho could have been booked in 1st half. Must tckle harder - probably 9 or 10 times he could have won the ball with tackle, but ended up losing it to a Fulham guy who was probably 2 stone less, Short - Godlike, although when you kick it out, you can kick it forward more than 1 yard. Todd - solid, altho Cole had a good game and Papa Diop won every header (applies to Short, altho Todd was marking him more). Emerton - good, but 1st time shots wd have won us the game. Reid - odd: great most of the time, but 1st touch cost us 2/3 goals surely. Tugay - training means he's 50% fitter. No invisible friend. Ferguson - tidy. Looked great when we're attacking. Tried hard when we weren't. Dickov - looked good, but really not a clinical finisher. Gallacher - good goal, but depressingly ducked out of every 50-50, even when he could have clatterered the defender. Powder puff. Refused I would say 4 clear-cut chances from edge of box - why?!? Put the guy on steak supper every day - has so much potential that we should not waste it. All in all, a good performance, but I've honestly never seen a side waste so many great crossing/edge of box opportunities. esp. when I'm nervous as **** after being forced to drink Carling beginner beer beforehand!(3.8%!?!)

He should be ok - he seemed to hate being at right midfield as he was always drifting into the centre, so can't see him drifting out to the touchline when he's supposed to be in the centre!

Great, well-researched preview. More leaky defence exploits for both sides. Think we'll once again go ahead, then concede 2 goals before coming back for a 2-2 draw.

Don't know why but Man City away is always one of the games where I expect the worst possible outcome every year, so I expect to lose 2-0 particularly if Matteo is playing. If we do go ahead, I just hope we quickly get a three-goal cushion because I couldn't put my myself through the nerves and pain of last season's debacle.

The club won't seem without Tony Parkes - a fantastic servant over the years and got us out of several tricky situations. It's fair enough that a new manager wants new blood and new ideas, although I would have liked to see Parkes kept on in some non-coaching role, but perhaps Parkes wouldn't want that. Can't believe someone was low enough to leak it to the press before Parkes knew - presumably it was someone who doesn't like Hughes or has fallen out with key members of the Board.

I wouldn't say Blake was anywhere near the worst, although I agree he was one of the most annoying, because occasionally he would play really well, try hard, score a good goal etc, but then the next three games would see him show no enthusiasm at all. I remember one great goal in Div 1 (can't remember who against) when he showed a great first-touch on the half-way line, turned one player, and then surged down the pitch leaving defenders for dead before slotting it past the keeper from just inside the box. I remember thinking, "this could be the turning point, maybe he'll try this hard every game"...but of course it wasn't.

I can't see why he'd get more than the automatic 3 game ban as it wasn't as though he thumped the guy or kicked him in the knee. It's a shame that Bothroyd is such a strong player - one of the Norwich guy's kicks just before the retaliation was just as hard (with no attempt to go for the ball) but he just shrugged it off as if it was a fly. If he'd have hit the deck, the Norwich guy would have been booked, we'd probably have won the game and we wouldn't be without what looks like our only genuinely dangerous attacker for 3 crucial games.

Ostenstadt was our best forward during that first season in Div 1, so can't see how on earth any author who did literally one minute's proper research could have Egil as our worst ever. In my time watching Rovers, the worst two were Ward & Peacock. Others may well know of worse players technically, but every time I saw those two on the teamsheet a) I thought "why?!? Are they sleeping with the manager?" & I was filled with utter depression, knowing that my day would be ruined by watching them render every attack toothless (Ward) or make every aimless hoof by the other team into a goal-scoring opportunity. Dark days.

I think a lot depends on our forward line - Norwich's defence will probably cope pretty easily with Dickov's style of play, ditto Stead in his current form as they're used to it in Div 1. However, Djorkaeff dropping off into the hole behind Bothroyd would be a much trickier proposition for them. If we play those two, I reckon we'll win 2-1. Otherwise, I think a 1-1 draw is on the cards.

I agree with you about Bothroyd, but although I'd like to see Stead back in the starting line-up eventually, I'd prefer to see Djorkaeff and Bothroyd for the moment. Gives us Stead, Dickov and Gallagher to bring on depending on which of them the game suits.

Much better today. Good to see Hughes making changes and some interesting ones at that, e.g. McEveley has done nothing whatsoever lately to suggest he'd do well back in the first team but did a good job barring that one pass. I was particularly glad to see Boothroyd get a run out as he's our only forward likely to score a goal out of nothing. I'd still like to see Emerton in his proper position on his current form though. Reid has played left-mid before...although I'd rather see him given a run out at centre-mid as if we're being honest Tugay could have been sent off which would have cost us a point. However, all in all a good day and encouraging signs re. the management.

1-3 to Liverpool I'm afraid. Cisse has been misfiring, so presumably we'll gift him all three goals. I can just about live with a loss as long as Emerton returns to right-wing and Reid (or indeed anyone new) is tried out at centre-mid or right-back.

My thoughts exactly. I never saw Douglas play, but once you read about him there's only one winner in this vote.

Did you not see the Charlton game (away, season before last) where Todd played that role? Unfortunately, he was v.bad - hopefully Hughes saw it and isn't ever tempted to repeat it!

You might be right, but have to say that if I'd inherited the squad he did, I'd also be trying out every player in Scotland in the hope of unearthing new talent...

He would be great, but would we be able to get him here? London to Blackburn + lower wages. We can hope, but I dunno. I'm sure we could negotiate with Chelsea for them to subsidise his wages should they want to offload him. Would be in their interests after all. Apparently he wants to stay in London, so unfortunately Spurs & Charlton (both flush with cash at the moment) would be clear favourites to sign him. Spurs would probably pay him the same wages as well.

Seems harsh to give him an extra one match ban for violent conduct when that's what he got sent off for in the 1st place. Plus, if that's what you get for a punch then it should be an extra 3 or 4 matches for an attempted leg-breaker tackle. Good news for us though as it might help Fulham get dragged back into the mire at the bottom.

The problem is that while we might have the money from selling Ferguson, the chances of persuading an equally good proven midfielder to Ewood are very small indeed in our present league position. Just look at Everton - they tried to sign decent players all summer and were rejected by every single one. We'd just end up without Ferguson and £10m in the bank with which to cushion the resulting relegation cash crisis.

I'd say Tugay and Djorkaeff are completely different players who don't do the same job. Tugay hangs far back and starts all the moves off, with occasional stunning long balls. Djorkaeff on the other hand is more like Scholes in that he tries to make things happen in and around the opposition's penalty area. It's horses for courses really, and unfortunately for Tugay, we need more creativity in the final third at the moment with the wingers misfiring (although Emerton is looking a lot better) and Dickov/Stead not really the type of player to create something from nothing. Great as Tugay is, he does cause problems for a team playing 4-4-2 because he hangs so far back, yet is bad at tackling. You either put a holding midfielder alongside him, which means you'll always be outnumbered around the opposition penalty area, or you put an attacking midfielder alongside him and leave yourselves open if the opposition hit you on a counterattack. If/when Ferguson fulfils his potential then Ferguson/Tugay might work, but until then Toogs is going to struggle to start games.

I don't mind playing Villa as they never really surprise you so you tend to get what you deserve out of the game - if you play well, you'll definitely win, if you play badly you'll definitely lose. Unfortunately, I think we'll be pretty average and it'll be 1-1, with Djorkaeff netting on debut.

A good signing if he's very close to match fit as we desperately need some creativity in centre midfield before January, but a bad signing if he's going to take months to get fit while being paid heavy wages.

I can see the club being after fresh capital, but that's different from selling the club. Isn't the Trust fund set up to help the various businesses Jack Walker owner? If so, I can't see how selling it to a random person meets with this. If it is allowed to sell businesses, I wish it would sell the airline ASAP so the sales money can be used to help Rovers.