Well, well, well, finally the gloves are off from the media hacks that have been looking for a chance to totally discredit Blackburn Rovers since that day in Liverpool ten years ago. I have been closely monitoring the media for many years now and many of their attacks have been veiled, albeit thinly. To be accepted by the media you have to be a member of the 'magic circle', (i.e a London club or a big metropolitan club (Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle) as Patrick Collins helpfully pointed out in the Mail on Sunday or get big crowds. The history of the club or the background behind why a club like Rovers get smaller crowds than a Man Utd seems not to matter. The fact that around TWENTY PER CENT of our borough woke up in the dead of night and paid an average of £40 does not matter, the fact that our players are not in the same class of Arsenal's therefore requiring appropriate tactics does not matter. Newcastle played the only way they can, and got well and truly thrashed, while a 1-0 scoreline probably best suited our game, tells its own story. Of course, as an earlier post stated, I am sure thuggery' will not be promoted at all in the upcoming 'Battle of the Buffet 2' or is it 3? Yawn. The double standards would be laughable if the public had not been taken in by red top hacks. While watching the game yesterday, I noticed many 'cynical' fouls by both sets of teams, Nicky Butt in particular, but these were obviously 'mistimed' or 'over eager'. We are a blacklisted club, commentators, pundits, journalists, managers and officials have been taken in by the media hype and are on the 'Blackburn Rovers are bad for the game' bandwagon. One comment by the chosen one in early February after being well and truly outplayed by a resilient Rovers started all this, carried on by Nigel Worthington who showed just how easy it is to be carried away by media hype. Now every tackle is being monitored, though I did not see one tackle being two footed, off the ground or malicious, but just committed play from a team giving it all and who I felt immensely proud of, Steven Reid's chase and tackle springing to mind. 17thousand others felt the same as they got applauded and cheered off the pitch. Do we want to go back to the Hodgson, Kidd or late Souness eras where many of you on this board and at Ewood were sick and tired and largely apathetic of a club and team that seemed to be going through the motions, I feel more strongly for our team under Hughes than I have for years. I just hope Rovers fans hold their nerve at this time and don't get taken in by media spin that want to discredit and humiliate our great club, if everybody else outside Blackburn Rovers, think we are the new Millwall/Wimbeldon so be it, it will just make me get behind the lads that bit more on Wednesday night. ps European Super league? I would be waving them off at the airport, we could finally get our game back and I think REAL football fans not Neutral from the Home Counties would say the same and would have loved a Rovers/Newcastle cup final.

What? It must be one of the strangest and most annoying songs I have heard in a long time. Makes me want to throw my radio out of the window every time I hear it!

A good friend of mine went to watch an Accy Stanley game a couple of months back when he got chatting to Lucas, Stead and Steven Reid (strange, I know!). Neill was extremely anti-Souness- his training methods, general attitude and the dire quality of his backroom staff, he said that apart from Brad, Amo and Ferguson he couldnt see any of our players EVER playing for him again. All problems the fans were well aware of, but to hear a player confirm this shows how unstable the club was in the final stages of the Souness era.

In their biggest game for five years, that REAL football club cannot even shift 18 thousand tickets, the amount we sell for every game. The old chestnut of 'If we were in the Prem we would have a full house every week' has once again been exposed as absolute nonsense, as they continue to prove themselves as a club that belongs to the lower regions of the second tier.

We have sold 700 according to Cardiff's website. Not too bad considring we took around half that to another 'hostile' place; Millwall several years ago.

I think you have a selective memory. The bottom tier was almost totally full, bar the seats that were behind pillars. We even had a few fans in the corner section. We had around 6 thousand at the game. We are the only set of fans that estimate down our away followings.

I've talked to Neild in the pub a few times and he and Souness have quite a good relationship. They have many 'off the record' discussions. If you remember the story about a month back when Souness came out on the back of the Telegraph to moan about lack of funds, the club tried to ban Neild from club events until they found out that Souness had purposefully gone to Neild to undermine the board.

I'm going over with a couple of mates. Getting a flight Saturday morning only 40 quid.

Burnley fans just can't grasp the face that they are not one of the countrys big boys. From ClaretsMad: 'Better to go now, or hang around like Cloughie did at Forest, living on his past achievements whilst all around him the empire crumbled??' Sorry????

Did they mime like when I saw them earlier in the year ?? p.s Metallica Indoor tour this december - first confirmed date Earls Court 20th Dec... Don't think they mimed, just a flat performance. Great news about the winter tour, Lars told the crowd in Dublin that they were coming back to play The Point.

Saw Metallica in Dublin-AMAZING! When the first two songs are Battery and Master of Puppets you know its going to be good! The Irish crowd were tough though, they got booed for not playing Whisky in the Jar! ps Linkin Park-utter S***e!

Had a few listens of St Anger and I have to agree with the sentiments of this thread. Some of the riffs are taking me back to 'And Justice...', however without the solos it is a complete waste of Kirk Hammett and some of the songs seem to go on longer than they should, but if the mid-sections of the songs contained a solo we would have had a metal classic on our hands. But I do think it is a good album and a welcome return to heaviness, bring on August when I go to see them in Dublin!

How old are you Phil? 65? Metallica and Iron Maiden arent exactly nu-metal! Live after Death is nearly twenty years old! Anyway, must agree, they are my two favourite live albums. Maiden's power and the hairs stand on the back of your neck moments on S & M

Agreed! Scooter have a real way with words! I had MTV on the other day and one of their tunes came on, one line I remember- 'respect to the man in the ice cream van!'- Genius!

Currently listenting to Metallica, cannot wait for the new album in June or the fact I am seeing them in Dublin in August. Also enjoying Iron Maiden On the softer side I still love the new Coldplay album and have bought the new Paul McCartney live album-still a class act

This situation is a result of the club's at times average and at others appalling away support. Over the last few seasons I have witnessed the club's away followings and their totally unpredictable nature. Promotion season: Watford away (night)- around a thousand. Last season: Middlesbrough away (Sat)- Nedding a win too secure survival, not many more than a thousand. This season: City away (Sun), First local game of the season, 1,500. This will have clouded the club's judgement somewhat, yes they should have worked out that for big games the fans ALWAYS return, Arsenal in the FA Cup, over 4,000 sold in three days. So the club should have realised that Celtic was one such game. Yes, the club is probably at fault, but the big drop in away support over the last three years is also a factor.