A total embarrassment!

Yet I've lost count of the number of times when a chant has been started in the BBE, only for it to be ruined by the drummers joining in. This is a simple matter of acoustics. By the time they hear it and react, because sound travels as a particular speed they will ALWAYS end up being out of time, especially when the chant it started in the corners. I've said this time and time again. Drums cannot, and will never, improve the atmosphere.

It's simple - get rid of them!

An updated list for all players/staff since 1995:-

Accrington Stanley - Leam Richardson, Joel Byrom.

AIK Solna - Nils-Eric Johansson.

Arezzo AC- Corrado Grabbi.

Aston Villa - Chris Sutton.

Ayr United - Paul Weaver.

Ballymena - Garth Scates.

Barnoldswick Town - Michael Holt.

Barnsley - Marc Richards.

Beitar Jerusalem - Osvaldo Ardiles (manager).

Birmingham City - Damien Johnson, Neil Danns, Martin Taylor.

Blackpool - Ben Burgess, Tony Parkes (assistant manager), Simon Grayson (manager).

Blyth Spartans - Graham Fenton (Caretaker/player-manager).

Bolton Wanderers - Kevin Davies.

Bournemouth - Gareth Stewart.

Brescia Calcio FC: Dario Marcolin.

Burnley - Alan Mahon.

Bury - John Fitzgerald.

Cambridge United - Jimmy Quinn (Manager)

Charlton Athletic - Marcus Bent.

Clitheroe FC - Clark Walsh.

Clyde - Colin Hendry (Manager).

Crystal Palace - Shefki Kuqi.

Coventry City - David Mcnamee, Tim Flowers (assistant manager).

Derby County - Jay McEveley.

Derry City - Eddie McCallion

Elgin City FC - Kieron Renton, Adam Nelson

Everton - James Beattie, Lee Carsley, Alan Irvine, Mick Rathbone.

Exeter City - Andy Marriott

Finland national side - Roy Hodgson (Manager).

Fulham - Ian Pearce, Billy McKinlay (reserve team coach)

Galatasaray -Hakan Sukur.

Gaziantepspor (Turkey) -Kaba Diaware

Glentoran - Gary Hamilton.

Gretna - Craig Barr, Ryan Baldacchino.

Grimsby Town - Gary Croft, Gary Harkins.

Harrogate Town -Darren Dunning.

Hibernian - Oumar Konde.

IK Start (Kristiansand, Norway) - Stig Inge Bjornebye (manager)

Inverness Calendonian Thistle - Alan Morgan, Ian Black.

Ipswich Town - Alex Bruce.

Kidderminster Harriers - Jeff Kenna.

Kilmarnock - Gordon Greer.

Lancaster City - Michael Taylor.

Leeds United - Jonathon Douglas.

Liverpool - Craig Bellamy.

Livingston - Lee Makel.

Llanelli - James Thomas.

Lisburn Distillery - Peter McCann.

Loughgall – Jon Topley.

Lyn FC (Oslo) - Henning Berg (manager).

Mallorca RC - Jorge Yordi.

Malmo FF - Anders Andersson.

Manchester City - Paul Dickov, Derek Fazackerley (scout).

Montrose - Stuart Cumming.

Morecambe - Steve Drench, Ryan Robinson.

Newcastle United - Damien Duff, Shay Given, Terry Gennoe (goalkeeping coach).

Northampton Town - Jerome Watt.

Palazzola AC - Dario Marcolin.

Portsmouth - Andy Cole.

Preston North End - Callum Davidson, Brett Ormerod.

Rangers - Barry Ferguson.

Real Sociedad - Chris Coleman (manager)

Recreativo Huelva - Florent Sinama-Pongolle.

Rochdale - Keith Hill (manager).

Scarborough - Mark Patterson (manager).

Sheffield Wednesday - Burton O'Brien, Graham Coughlan.

Sheffield United - Bryan Kidd (coach). Keith Gillespie (signing new deal), Alan Wright, Jon Stead. Craig Short (retiring summer 2007).

SK Brann (Bergen, Norway)- Martin Andresen.

Sligo Town - Gavin Peers.

Stoke City - Marlon Broomes, Dominic Matteo

Stuttgart Kickers - David Yelldell.

Stuttgart VfB - Markus Babbel (Assistant Coach).

Sunderland - Dwight Yorke.

Vålerenga IF (Oslo, Norway)- Lars Bohinen (Director of Football-type role)

Viking - Egil Østenstad (Director).

Watford - Richard Lee.

West Ham United - Christian Dailly, Lucash Neill.

Wolverhampton Wanderers- Jay Bothroyd, Jemal Johnson, Bobby Mimms (goalkeeping coach).

Worcester City - Andy Morrison (Assistant Manager)

Wrexham - Anthony Williams.

Wycombe Wanderers - Frank Talia (contract ends 30/06/07 and is expected to return to Australia)

- - -

Back at the club after playing:

Kevin Gallagher (working as for Radio Rovers), Alan Kelly (Academy goalkeeping coach)

Deceased: (Rest In Peace)

Ray Harford, Jack Walker

Released/Unattached:

Mark Atkins, John Curtis, Ciaran Donnelly, Alan Fettis, John Filan, Vratislav Gresko, Craig Hignett, Mike Newell, Adam Reed, David Thompson, Peter Thorne, Paul Warhurst.

Retired and now taking coaching license or working as football pundits or agents:- Per Frandsen (football agent), Graeme Le Saux (football pundit & ambassador for ABN Amro Bank), Jason McAteer (undertaking coaching badge), Alan Shearer (football pundit & completed his coaching badge), Robbie Slater (football pundit in Australia), Hakan Ünsal (Football pundit in Turkey), Graeme Souness (football pundit).

Retired and in another field:-

David Batty (appeared in 'The Match and is involved with advertising campaigns for Cancer Research), Nathan Blake (runs property management company), MArtin Dahlin (partner in introducing a new line of Men's wear for Heab Clothing firm), Garry Flitcroft ((running a magazine based for professional footballers), David May (working in wine distribution), Stuart Ripley (last heard he was studying Psychology at the University of Central Lancashire), Tim Sherwood ( in partnership with Garry Flitcroft)

Retired and never heard of since: -

Patrik Andersson, Dino Baggio, Eyal Berkovic, Youri Djorkaeff, Nicky Marker, Darren Peacock (retired and living in Portugal with his family), Per Pedersen, Sebastien Perez.

Not Sure:

Andrew Reid.

Add Derek Dougan to deceased.

I'd actually forgot that Djorkaeff played for us. Shame on me!

Must admit this is an unpleasant development.

The club is negotiating with essentially foreign investors (who read headlines and don't neccessarily understand who to take seriously and who not) to take it to another level and the top scorer is dreaming of playing for a bunch of relegation scrubbers!

The scenario for Benni surely is Rovers sign Bellamy and Benni signs a lucrative extension giving him parity.

So what is he whittering about?

It's ok - he will be another ex-rover that leaves and sees his career stand still. Hughes is no mug and we will have a replacement for sure!

Benni has to rememeber that a high proportion of the goals he scored were actually put on a plate for him by Bents, MGP etc. Can't see the like of Boa Morte and Matty Etherington supplying him like we have. Even Chelsea wont accomodate that and he will be second fiddle to Drogba and used as a sub/carling cup games.

Now sling yer hook or shut up, Benni

I'm in danger of replying to my own post but check this out - the last part of his interview:

"If that opportunity occurs to go and play for a team like that (West Ham one presumes), then I would love for my management to look at the possibility and look in their heart to make it possible to make a move like that."

Look at it in their heart? Yes Benny, just like you're looking in your heart (or is that your bank balance you greedy git)!

It's just so dissapointing that he has to air his views in public with total disregard for his employers. Press misquotes and agents propaganda is one thing, but this is just a joke! Fine him a months wages for disrespcting his employer and yeah, slap him on the transfer list while you're at it!

As for Defoe, that would be the biggest coup of the lot but unfortunately, it's not gonna happen!

Benni has been on sky sports news this morning coming out with the usual stuff about wanting to leave to better himself / champs league etc. He then threw West Ham into the interview so perhaps he wants to play in the championship!

Mido last season has got to be up there...

Neil Ruddock was a close call in 1994. Unlikely we would have won the league with the fat lazy so and so marshalling our defence!

You would think so but their seems a real lack of decent English right backs outside of Neville & Richards( don’t mention Luke Young in the sentence as England). Funnily enough we have a surplus of very good English left backs, a position historically he have often struggled with

I have to disagree slightly here - we've never really struggled with left backs. From 1980 - Sansom, Pearce, Dorigo...ok, i'll give you that one!

How did Burnley manage to get this match? Why could it not have been at Ewood, I'm getting withdrawl symptoms already.

Politics - The Fa have to be seen to be recognising bin dipping Yorkshire outposts.

My Burnley supporting work colleague tells me that he will be booing Bentley.

Absolutely right MR! You beat me to it. I had intended posting virtually the same as you but with the addition of a few more names.

Let's see now; how many Rovers players in the last 12 months or so have had a very vociferous and prolonged attack on their abilities and/or usefulness to the team, and suddenly this seaon,as if by magic, they are all A1 OK.

1. MGP: He hides! Cant defend, Cant cross a ball, Cant be arsed, etc,etc. .....Different story now, eh?

2. Emerton: Ditto , but now he has emerged from his crysalis state Bert Mk1 to become Bert Mk2.

3. Mokoena: "The Axe" Cant tackle, cant pass, cant read the game etc..... All changed now eh?

I could go on in this vein but it would take too much time and become very repetitive, so I will simply list a few more that have been well attacked and dismissed as useless by more than just a few on here.

OOijer, Zurab, Neil, Gray, Bentley, Roberts, Benni, Nonda, Gally.

There now that just about covers it, and when you look at that list it almost covers our entire squad. It makes you wonder what the players themselves think about it all?

Couldn't agree with you more!

Look at scenarios from other clubs where a little faith has paid off:

Vidic - dreadful last season and lesser managers would have shipped him out

Evra: see above

Drogba: Couldn't hit a proverbial in his first season but look at him now

Henry: Awful when he first arrived at Arsenal (maybe this one is a bit extreme)

OK, faith doesn't pay off all the time but Nonda has had big injury problems in the past, probably suffered confidence because of it and playing in the prem takes time to adjust. Besides, his goal ratio (is it 1 in every 2.5 games) isnt too shabani is it?

Lets judge the guy after next season!

Nonda has been pretty average this season but if Hughes thinks he can improve him, well thats good enough for me. Wasn't everyone getting on the 'lets get rid of Emerton' bandwagon this time last year? Look what happened to him after a Hughes and the team got to work on him. Totally different scenarios, of course, but the same principle of believing in his players.

We gotta trust his judgement.

The kid's only 20 years old and gonna be a couple of years before he (hopefully?) becomes a proper player. Bentley wasn't very good at 19/20 either and look what's happened to him in the past 2 years or so.

The kid's only 20 years old and gonna be a couple of years before he (hopefully?) becomes a proper player. Bentley wasn't very good at 19/20 either and look what's happened to him in the past 2 years or so.

Unfortuntatley it's inveitable that he will eventually go to United. He's a red through and through and is probably the outstanding candidate for that job.

That's life!

Fat Frank has fractured his wrist and is out of tonights game. Apparently it was from a Rooney shot in training.

Does anyone else think that franny jeffers transfer was for financial reason I mean! Comes on pay as you play contract for free! Then loaned out to a championhip club for a bit then maybe a small transfer fee of 250k - 500k at the end of it??

I don't think it was for purely financial reasons. OK, it was a free transfer and he's probably on low wages but, I think that Rovers gave him a genuine chance to get his career back on track with us and if it didnt work out (as it hasn't) then yeah, loan him out. We don't loose either way and the guy gets a fair crack of the whip.

Good luck to Franny and maybe a Championship team is more suited to him. He just doesn't offer enough at the top level.

Yet another travesty against t'big club. It was almost as savage and gut wrenching as Durkin disallowing Sherwoods goal at OT in 94/95 season........ the little git was the only person including the entire MU team, the entire crowd and in fact the whole country who thought Shearer had fouled Keane!

I still get annoyed about that and the Gerald Ashby decision to send off Berg for tackling Lee Sharpe in the corresponding fixture. At least Grabbi had a few good moments - the equaliser v Liverpool, the cross for Yorke's goal at Bolton and I think he scored a good un v Everton. Clutching at straws here!

Grabbi does look a bit shabbi in that picture. Really doesn't look happy to be there! Oh well at least he tried!

The Souness legacy - Grabbi

The Hodgeson legacy - Davies (oh and Blake)

The Kidd legacy - Ward

Wonder if he's captain when they go to Scunthorpe and Yeovil next season. Unlikely!

I wonder what Lucas Neill must be thinking today!!

Probably what he's been thinking for the past 6 weeks or so - asking himself what on earth he has let himself in for and questioning the wisdom of joining a tea-pot second rate cockey outfit when he could be captaining a brilliant Rovers team with the potential of playing the 1st cup final at the new wembley.

West Ham's fortunes hit rock bottom earlier today as news emerged that Lucas Neill had been swallowed whole by a huge black cat, thought to be a puma. The incident happened at the Chadwell Heath training ground, where the Australian centre back had arrived early to work on his injured ankle. The big cat was believed to have escaped from the nearby Bluewater shopping centre, where a promotional event for the Gourmet Cat Food Company was mysteriously cancelled the previous day.

Manager Alan Curbishley told reporters: "This was the last thing we needed, to be honest. We are having a shocking run of results and are just looking for that little bit of luck to get our season going again. I knew something was up when I saw Lucas's daily pay check hadn't been touched, and then the caretaker told me what had happened. We are all gutted."

The furry creature also made off with striker Marlon Harewood's left leg, although this is not thought likely to impede his career.

Refusing to be disheartened, though, Curbishley quipped "you've got to see the funny side, I suppose. Only at West Ham could a black cat crossing our path cause us more bad luck. We've just got to pick ourselves up and get on with it - well not Lucas, obviously..."

However, more bad news was on its way for the Hammers as the FA announced that it was to dock them 28 points for fielding Argentine star Tevez when he clearly should have been playing for a bigger club.

Ex-player Julian Dicks was, as ever, available for comment.

At the last Euro home game (basle?) I think the drummer DIDN'T drum - does anyone else remember this? Was it something to do with it being on TV - means he might not be allowed tonight.

Always a pleasant experience when the drummer leaves his toys at home. Hopefully he will forget the early knick-off time tonight and we can all create our own atmosphere like the good old days!

Good for Sparky - bascially puts the ball in Nonda's court. No meal ticket here and you have to prove your worth. He could easily up his game...Shebani, it's down to you!