Well, seeing as how they got fewer points in a group which involved those sporting giants Macedonia and Israel than we did against the world champions, world cup runners up and a quarter finalist..............................

We always do better against the quality teams. Its a complacency thing.

I expect us to cruise through WC qualification

It wont happen of course but lets hope the mags sack him cos I'd wager Hughes would sign him in an instant ....... and imo he'd be exactly the player that we need. All he'd need would be a bit of astute management.

"Why do the media always call us thuggish, I just can't understand it"

Next breath...

"I think we should sign Joey Barton, quality player"

Chinese baddies !! ?

Careful , FLB ....the thought police are in a particularly vigilant mood

Your extreme, small minded views are no longer tolerated.

I have waited a long time for this day

Do us all a favour , Bucky . Take a very large amount of them ......all at once . Plus some more just to be on the safe side .

....and wash it all down with a few bottles of whisky

Whisky contains Alcohol which is in fact, a drug

I like drugs (only the good ones though)

Xbox 360 is looking great over the next few weeks:

Pro Evo 2008

Half Life: The Orange Box (inc Team Fortress 2)

Halo 3

Call of Duty 4

All definate purchases for me!

In the meantime I will be buying a Wii (on Saturday) with Resident Wii-vil 4 and Zelda

Brilliant!

The Daily Mirror is reporting that we are going to make a bid for Bellamy

£8m, yes that would be brilliant.

Now where will we find somebody who can get 2nd top scorer in the Premiership for that price and will come here?

Pigs might fly I suppose

Imagine if Benni read half the comments on here.

He is hardly going to decide to stay is he.

I pray he doesn't leave, he is irreplaceable. If he stays and we make some top quality additions, who knows where we could finish.

NO, PLEASE NO!!

i have just had a very nice conversation with a swedish girl, to make me grin like a cheshire cat and then i come on here, and now reading this and being told by my mate in blackburn....it is like being hit with a ###### brick!!!

i know that sparky is very rarely wrong...but 99% of rovers fans if you asked them would say that we don't want nonda at rovers anymore.

You have hit the nail on the head.

Sparky knows better than you

I've been blessed, admits McCarthy

Benni bigging up his team mates.

I think he is a brilliant character and we need him to stay this club.

Although after what happened with Bellamy I am almost half expecting him to leave

He scores nearly everytime he plays.

I actually expect him to score

When was the last time we had a player like that.

He's been on loan.

I think its brilliant that Hughes worst signing is a loan signing that has scored 8 goals. He hasn't cost us anything.

Pardew added: "I'm not surprised he has done so well and has been one of the big successes of the Premier League this year.

"Benni has proved he could play in the top four sides in this country quite comfortably - that's how highly I rate him, but we are hoping he will have an off day.

"He is the ideal centre-forward in terms of the way I like to play football with 4-4-2, to have one of my strikers dropping in - and in terms of doing that role, he does that as well as most.

"Benni can lull you into thinking he is not interested and he is having a lazy period - sometimes that is when he is at his most dangerous because you think he is not a threat and then he suddenly bursts on the scene."

Exactly what I have been saying, his laziness allows him to stay sharp and gives defenders a false sense of security.

Get rid!

Lazy sod

Check out Wii Pre Order to really see how they are struggling with stock

Andy Cole

I remember, until the League Cup final, a lot of people were getting on Andy Cole's back calling him lazy, and wasteful

Where has all the get rid , he's rubbish crap come from.

Nobody has said anything of the sort -yet again we have the typical thinking instead of reading what people are posting.

Its nothing to do with his colour (absolute bollux jan), his goals, dip in form etc. - its about what he is actually doing on the pitch.... which imo is not enough and is quite obvious for all to see.

He can't be arsed keeping on side or trying to get back on side.

his control has been nothing short of awful lately.

Doesn't win nor attempt headers

Doesn't offer himself for passes or try to create space

Gives up when tackled.

Now that to me is not good enough which is what the argument is about, not about getting rid of him , and is justification in my book for being dropped to the bench to give him another kick up the arse.

He did very well indeed for our goal on Saturday.

I think some people are massively missing the point. His game has never ever ever been about workrate. Mark Hughes knows this. He has already said that he does more running now in a game than he has ever done in his career. The man has scored 20 goals this season. He cost as much as we got for Shefki Kuqi. He doesn't get his goals by harassing defenders, it just isn't his style. If he'd scored 5 all season then by all means criticise him. But what he is doing IS WORKING. We have taken points that we've had no right to take because of him. If we sign three 25 goal a season strikers with amazing workrate then drop him like a tonne of bricks. But until then, what are we moaning about?

I've also read that he "should have 25 goals by now if he worked harder". Well why don't we put that money towards a 15 goal a season partner and have TWO dangerous strikers, instead of fantacising about replacing our best one? Recently we have been spoiled with workrate. McCarthy is a little different - one of the most skillful players I've ever seen at Ewood. Are we really that 2 dimensional as supporters that we can't just enjoy that?

That's bang on that post.

I get frustrated supporting football sometimes and when people criticise Benni it makes me feel very sad.

"He would have scored 25 goals by now" How do you know this? if he is knackering himself out instead of playing his own game (which he has had for his whole career) he might not get any goals. His "laziness" creates space for other players. Just ask Derbyshire

He certainly isn't irreplacable.

Whilst his goals have been invaluable, his general attitude leaves alot to be desired. Offside more than any player I have ever seen and a reluctance to do much running off the ball, he annoys me very much.

Maybe I should replace him.

Im rubbish and I won't score any goals, but at least I would have the right attitude.

Some mighty perplexing handball incidents this week. Penalties given and denied with no apparent consistency. Do the referees read from the same rule book?

I was thinking the same thing. I don't actually believe the Brown handball should have been given, but neither should the Keane penalty yesterday, but it was.

Exactly . Benni threw a wobbler after being left on the bench ......how much time would he spend on UTD'S bench ? And how many wobblers would Fergy tolerate ?

Having said that , a money + Saha deal would be ok if the worst came to the worst ....

That's exactly what I was thinking (Saha)

I don't think Man Utd will come in for him though, and I can't imagine we would put another release clause in for our best striker.

I wonder if Hughes could get the best out of Smith. I always want to see him play upfront to see if he can recapture his best form.

Two ways of looking at it .

1 - He could be well capable of adding another 5 + at least on top of the 20 with more application .

2 - Ferguson and co will stay clear of someone with such a laid back attitude .

Can't complain too much on balance I suppose ...

Also maybe, because he doesn't bust a gut all the time, when a chance presents itself he is more capable of taking it, because he isn't knackered.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

Will be good to see Gerrard and Hargreaves given a go together in the middle. Five days too late but that's McClaren for you.

Why do people keep calling players like David Dunn and Frank Lampard fat when they are obviously nothing of the sort?

I assume it makes them feel better about their little pot bellies

Jimmy Corbett who we beat off much competition to sign for in excess of half a million as an 18 year old has just signed for Folkstone Invicta and is working part-time in Boots by London Bridge.

That's what Rio was talking about by saying Premiership footballers have made sacrifices. They knew that if they didn't "make it", they would probably end up in a dead end job on very little money.