I'm not saying you're wrong but just that living elsewhere you see things from a different angle. If you lived here you'd realise just how far out of love many fans have fallen with our national team. As I said most of us would love to support them - I'm old enough to remember us being rather good - but it's hard to support a team made up of media favourites when they play like a bunch of strangers, when our club who are basically are a bunch of foreigners with a few English lads thrown in play like a group of mates most of the time.

Let's hope he can do it again on Sunday then

You must be one of the few. Most fans over here are now far more concerned about their club, whoever they support. That's not to say they wouldn't like to support England but it's not the same excitement as a good game at Ewood or any game that sees Rovers winning gives you.

Aren't there rumours around that Duff might have to retire? He's certainly nowhere near the player he was at Rovers or even in his early days at Chelsea. He seems to have been injured for most of the last few seasons.

Hasn't he already said that his team against Austria is his team for Croatia or did I dream that?

Presumably the one about if SAF goes and they want him at United before the end of the contract period, but other than that probably nothing more than the norm - the ones about compensation etc. Strikes me as a decent bloke who'll protect his interests without trying to get one over on the club that's given him his chance.

Are you Korean or just out there working? My son's out there teaching English in Seoul

There's surely the case that in the past we've perhaps not started well enough in the league becaue we've been a bit cautious in pre-season, playing teams slightly below standard in the last few years. the competitive nature of the games in this years pre-season may be one of the factors in our great start.

Thanks I start work at 8.20 and they'd been saying all the drive to work that they were going to interview him but I arrived before they did, so wondered what he'd said.

Did anyone hear the interview with Mark Bowen on the Sports Breakfast on talk sport this morning?

Got to agree with you BRFC4EVA. Rooney is still an obnoxious little so and so on the field and all that anger just bubbles away under the surface waiting for him to get frustrated again. I wouldn't want any child I had any conection with thinking Rooney was a suitable role model.

But looking at the crowd yesterday there are significantly more of the Asian heritage families coming to Ewood. It'll take a while but that is a good market and Rovers, with their community programmes, are gradually interesting more of the population. Had to laugh at one of my kids the other day who said "Miss, I can't wait for Saturday." "oh," said i " looking forward to the match, are you?" "Well yes, miss. But even better. I can have a cheese and onion pie!" Perhaps we need to advertise them better and more of our Asian heritage kids will come!

That's a really interesting and well-written article. Thanks!

I was really annoyed at the hugging between McCarthy and Jose at the start of the match. I thought it was totally inappropriate from both of them and would expect Mark Hughes to have a strong word in McCarthy's ear. I don't care how much they like one another, get on or anything else, you do not start a game hugging the opposition manager.

You're right Taylor did drop him. I'm getting tired of all the things being said against David now. Seems like the world and his wife want to knock him. In the end it's his decision: he made it after consulting a number of people and didn't do it lightly. He admits himself it's a 50-50 decision but in the end he's shattered and you run far more risk of injury if you're tired than if you're fresh. Who's to say he wouldn't have got a serious injury if he'd played and missed all but the first game or something. It would be too late for a sub to be brought into the squad and have any real impact, and we'd be without him next season. I just hope that all the revolting things that have been said by other fans don't stop him playing out of his skin for Rovers next season.

He's injured!

Is it any coincidence that many of the journalists who write this stuff are reputed to be Spurs fans?

Have watched Owen at St James's the other week, at Turf Moor last week and on tv last night and I have to agree with Fife. The commentators keep saying that he's getting there, looks strong and sharp etc but I can't see it myself. He may need time on the pitch but if we had to bring Beckham back because"we need wins now" then we surely have to leave Owen out because we need wins now and with him up front we probably can't get them. Anyone hear the guy from the People on the radio this morning. Mike Parry doing his usual OTT on Beckham and saying we need him because there's nobdy else who can play there and expecting People guy to agree with him but guy says he can't see why Bentley, who was outstanding last week, wasn't given time on the pitch. Shut Parry up very quickly and guy cut off even quicker! What really worries me is that Brazil weren't ever at full stretch there. Estonia are poor but, judging by the Albania performance last week, will really come at us. The England team last night played a very slow game and I couldn't see where a change of pace was going to come from with Gerrard holding back so far and Lampard unable to pass a ball forward. It's one of those stupid games that we ought to win easily but could find ourselves not winning or just scraping through.

Hasta agree with everything you say. I find myself wanting England to lose or at least not win most games nowadays just because the quality of the performances is so poor. And then Motson and co go on about Terry scoring the first competitive goal at the New Wembley. What was the under 21 game then? A not trying game? The first goal was scored by that good Italian and the first Englishman to score was that guy you've all forgotten was on the bench tonight - David Bentley

Guy I knew had his father's cap, England amateur from about 1904.

Thimk if you look at some of the really okd football team pictures you'll see the guys with caps on, velvet ones with tassels

Could be but why should it be? the lad's enjoying what he's doing where he is. He'll go eventually if we can't get any further than we are now but he's come from a big club where he couldn't get a game. don't see him wanting to go back there. Man U have Ronaldo and won't currently want him. Chelsea might just because they want everybody to stop other teams having them but they don't need him and Roman isn't for spending big this season. Liverpool could want him but hopefully he's got the sense to see that it's not necessarily a forward step to go to Liverpool in view of Warnock and Bellamy's experiences. For a lad who wants to play week in, week out, Rafa's rotation would drive you nuts. Like all our best players he'll probably go sometime but I can't see what advantage he'd get from going just yet. He's said himself, he's enjoying himself here and when you see the smile on his face most of the time, why worry?

Daily Express reckoned that the travelling to games would be too much for him to do it on a regular basis. I think McClaren has got it wrong and I still will even if Beckham plays well. It's a backwards step, taken as much at the behest of the media as anything else. He's scared of not qualifying but how much worse will it look if he's brought back and we still don't qualify? Must have been nice for the England players last night to know what it feels like to be cheered and applauded not booed last night.

Not just Jenas, but Dyer who always lives down to his name. Neither looked anything special last night. Good to see alan Smith back to playing like he used to. He might be a pain but he's whole hearted and totally overshadowed Owen The press obsession with Owen, who is nowhere near match fit, bordered on the ridiculous. Nice to see the Daily Mail has really pushed the boat out on Bentley and nice to see David saying that he's found his place at Rovers. Following on from Warnock's good words about the club the other week, all we now need is for Morten to ask why he needs to move because he's at the right club and we'll really look good to any potential new signings.