Liverpool currently 2-0 down against a decent Fiorentina side, 19 year old Jovetic with both goals.

Rangers losing 2-0 to Sevilla.

Arsenal currently 0-0 with Olympiakos.

I loved seeing Liverpool lose. They seeem to feel that Europe is a piece of cake and it's nice to see them taken down a peg or two sometimes. Young Jovetic looked a decent striker.

Yeah, but I'd imagine the conversion rate for penalties to be considerably higher than in open play. I',m hardly knocking him, just saying that the stats are slight deceptive. I don't think that's an unreasonable thing to say.

And I wasn't arguing - just pointing out that they all count as chances and are there to be scored or missed.

Not that I can remember, Just Jason and Benni.

didn't he mean strikers at other clubs?

All this proves is the forward play last season was so poor.

The % proves that the two forwards compared favourably, surprising for Roberts as all anyone remembers are his misses of last season.

We need to create more which makes Sam seeing midfield as not a priority seem a bit odd

Yes, it does but he quite clearly sees the midfielders he's got as being capable enough if fit. The fact that we've been around Ewood a bit longer than the manager makes us more sceptical of that. WE know they can't stay fit and even when they do they are scarcely the best of the rest or even the best of the bottom half.

McCarthy's stats are slightly deceptive due to the fact that he scored a fair few from the spot last season.

Yes, except they all count just the same and presumably pens are included. You've still got to score them.

Interesting set of Opta statistics on Sky Sports News just now -

Premier League strikers with more than 5 goals - conversion rate (ie goals / chances)

Tevez 11%

Rooney 14%

Adebayor 18%

Torres 19%

Anelka 21%

Berbatov 21%

D Bent 23%

Roberts 23%

Beattie 23%

McCarthy 28%

Owen 29%

So last season, McCarthy and Roberts put away more % wise of the miserably few chances created for them than most others did of the huge numbers created for them by their team?

Are you Alan Shearer by any chance?

No, just Irish.

Gosh! Shock horror! A professional footballer telling lies! Whatever next?

don't think anyone is shocked by the lies. More like fed up that players can't see that we all know they're telling lies and so persist in telling them.

How many people here would agree to a 20% pay-cut?

Well Honda workers have just taken a 3% one to keep the plant going and ensure they have a job to go to. Depends if he can find another club to pay him a bigger wage or not. If a 20% cut kept me in work and above what I'd get on benefits, I'd take it, but then I need the job, and could always look for something else whilst working at my reduced salary.

He has signed Diouf and Givet, so far, who have both been improvements on what we have got. Givet in particular looks a class act. Personally, I am excited about who we may sign in the summer, even though as usual it will be difficult considering we have little/no cash!! As for the style of football, picking up points is the name of the game. Fair enough if we points to games ratio under Sam was not top 8 standard, some could have a go, but some of the sniping is nothing short of ridiculous.

Oh, I agree that in the present position the style has to be secondary to the points tally. I also think you'll find that I have said before i don't really care about style if we win because winning and especially against teams you don't expect to, or in matches where you ae clearly second best, as in the Spurs game, and somehow nick the points, creates its own excitement. However, there are a significant number who have already expressed concerns about style next season and it won't take much to upset them.

Detractors, are you relating that comment to Big Sam? If so, what has he done wrong exactly?

Not necessarily a lot but there are plenty on here worried about who he might sign and about the style of football we're seeing at the moment and hoping it won't continue next year. Even some of the fans who are quite supportive of him at the moment have strong reservations about where we'll go long term if we stick with him. I presume they are the people being referred to - those who at the moment have no particular axe to grind but might turn quickly if things don't go well

Poll please Mods.................

Options:

No Chance

Yes

Yes - but only with several clauses in the contract protecting the club

As someone else pointed out you can't protect the club from his absence if he does something stupid and ends up going back to jail. You can sack him but can't bring in a replacement, except a free agent (and there's usually a reason why they are free agents) till the next transfer window. I know the same applies to players getting injured but that's something all clubs face. They don't all face the problems Barton could bring.

Reports are that he is likely to be sold for 15 million in summer so I doubt we would.

Listen to the Poll interview that has now been linked. Interesting to hear his take on it.

Glad you read it, Eddie. It's the first one she's done that's had that many read it.

My daughter interviewed Graham Poll to get his views on this this morning. He used the word despicable to describe the behaviour of the Chelsea players. Full interview on youtube

you can add the current england captain, woodgate, bowyer and pennant to that list as well.

If big sam thinks he can control him then I think he is worth a gamble.

I haven't forgotten any of them. One thing in woodgate's favour - he was a broken man after the trial and seems to have got himself over that time in his career. some of the others we don't know about as they haven't had time yet to show whether it was a one off (i.e. gerrard) Nobody's perfect, we all know that, but do we really have to court the favour of a guy who has persistently shown that he cannot be relied on to get on the pitch and keep out of trouble, go in the dressing room and keep out of trouble, go near a bar and keep out of trouble etc. Most young men do things they regret when they've had a few too many drinks at some point. Most don't seem to keep on repeating the same actions to the point where their employer cannot depend on them to do their job properly, or they find themselves out of work. It's the fact that we have limped through a seasonwith too many midfielders missing that worries me more than this guy's conduct. I want a player who will be there doing his job more often than not and I can't see how you think we'd get that with Barton.

You have to wonder where they get their ideas from. 'The fans haven't taken to Big Sam...'? Seems to me most have!

Actually there are plenty on here who have but equally plenty who are questioning his style and tactics, so it's not a universal yes. Most approve of the results but have yet to warm to him in the way they warmed to previous managers

Sky Sports News have put together a montage of Barton's various misdemeanors on and off the field. It goes on for so long I thought they were going to have to put an advert break in the middle of it.

Not with a bargepole. Unfortunately as he's signed him before, I'm afraid our manager will think he should sign him again.

Whatever Allardyce is i didn't have him down as a man to repeat his mistakes. Yes he resigned Diouf but most don't consider that a mistake. Barton would, I suspect, be thought by too many, at this club and in football in general, to be a mistake.

Do you never think to question your own judgement when your pre-conceived thoughts are continually proven wrong gumboots?

I don't claim infallibility, Gordon. I leave that to others. And I still don't like the fact that we have Allardyce as manager although I accept the necessity and I still don't think Diouf should be at Rovers and can't understand what others are seeing in this guy that I can't see. However, I accept that there are loads of people here with far more knowledge ad understanding of football than I would have if I studied it for the next 20 years (Can't go beyond that as I'd be too old to imagine) There can be few however, who would not feel that taking a risk on Barton with his temperament problems would be a bridge too far for many fans. That's not to say we should get up a petition or boycott the club, but we should understand that some might feel that to put any of their hard earned cash into his pocket would be more than they can stomach.

Are you sure you don't want to change your guilty plea - CHECK YOUR QUOTE from June 12 2008??? Oh well!

Regarding FaceBook petition - in reply to EwoodGlory signing on - "Me too. Resisted for as long as I could and then had to give in when I realised it ws becoming more and more of a possibility that he was going to be given more than an out of politeness interview. I laughed when sky first linked Hughes going to City with allardyce's swift return from holiday."

Hope your memory is better at work than it is on here!

Or is that a different Gumboots?

Whoops, no it's me and if I said it i must have done it but I honestly had no recollection of it. I really do have facebook to stay in touch with my absent kids who post their pictures on there and usually avoid like the plague anything that smacks of a group on there, Wasn't telling a deliberate lie as you've just proved there's no point - someone will always catch you out.

No, I would prefer he went somewhere else.

Your comments just reminded me of your feelings when BFS was linked with us! - It was just a tongue in cheek answer to your previous FaceBook push!

Not guilty. I didn't do anything on facebook. I have it to communicate with a son and daughter who live abroad and want to show me photos of what they are up to - that's all.

I bet Barton ends up at 1 of the following: Birmingham, Bolton or Rovers.

Birmingham then according to the press who think us and Bolton have too much sense.

You could always start a FaceBook petition?! Then he won't come at summer, but will probably be here by Jan! :-)

Wouldn't do that but can you honestly say you think Barton would be a good signing for us. He's never going to sort himself out if he hasn't done so already, at least not while he's playing football. perhaps away from football he might become a respectable citizen but even then i wouldn't hold my breath.

If Rovers ever take Barton onto their playing staff I'm doing a Waggy...( posting endless pointless ramblings on here and boycotting matches).

I think there might be a lot of people boycotting matches if this one happens. I'm still not happy that we tood Diouf, but so far, apart from having a bit of an over the top go at the ref, he hasn't done anything to show us up. Barton is a permanent accident waiting to happen.

He made me laugh with his description of his celebration, basically he had no idea where to go so just carried on running.

Really nice pics of him on the official board gallery in the dugout and with allardyce. He looks like he's just loving being the King of the Castle again.

From SKYSPORTS.com

Gotta love his choice of words, even though it's true modesty's gone strraight out the window

Did he have any to start with?