I agree with Scotty. When a player hands in a transfer request, it becomes fact that the player doesn't want to play for the club. Not a sign that he wants to play for Rangers, just that he wants to leave the club. Having said that, I don't think anything can be assumed about Barry becoming difficult if a move doesn't come his way.

It should be pretty easy to work out. If he stays, he will have to do something extraordinary in the next few months, until the next transfer window, to hold or increase his current market value. And the writing is on the wall as far as I am concerned. He's failed to stamp his class on the PL so far, and why would that change. He will be worth much less in a few months time, and will still go anyway. Might as well get adjusted to life without him sooner rather than later.

Some of the commendation posts in this series of threads have been outstanding. Well done billy and Chesh for the most recent ones.

If 4.5 millions is really on offer, then bite their hand of Rovers.

We wouldn't have to pay him because he wouldn't be doing the work he agreed to in his contract (make himself to available for reserve matches etc...). But surely we are jumping way ahead, making assumptions about BF becoming a difficult employee... to me at least, wanting a move doesn't automatically equate with anarchic behaviour.

Not quite all waggy. However I do agree to an extent with the overseas funding bit by some of our worldwide freeloaders. Prescriptions and medicines aren't free are they so shouldn't cures for homesickness be at a price too. In a way we do. By placing the demand for EPL as a product, and shelling out for the subscription.... and we all know that portion the clubs get from the TV revenue is vital.

He needn't hope. He definitely helped Birmingham up the table last season. Sounds quite humble and polite. Hope he a ) recovers, b ) comes to Rovers. Good luck to the guy.

I could never boycott Kit Kat.

The former I agree with, the latter... bite your tongue. It might not be your flavour, but it's unfair to compare it with Gridiron.

I am probably just looking for more positives in Hughues's management effort, but I speculate that substituting Stead at the point in the game he did, as well as being a good tactical switch to bring on Gallagher, was also a protective measure of Stead. By all accounts, he had a good game, but the goal just didn't come. Better to sub him at that late stage, before Stead over does things in the last 10 minutes, and turn a good performance, to a bad, demoralising one. Very happy with the win. Even though it would probably be more than enough, I hope we can push on to the 42/43 point mark that would mean safety in any other season. I would be happy enough with that.

I was insensitive also, so I apologise.

I concur.

From BBC News headline: I am growing to detest the repeated use of the words "forming coalitions". Surely there are alternatives in the English language. I guess it is the latest catchphrase.

Actually, if I recall correctly from my time there, it would have been fairly easy to evacuate the people near Patong beach, Phuket to higher ground. There are many accessible roads into the nearby hills and mountains.

Google, obviously one of the most hit web-sites in the world, has this link up on the main page.

By most accounts, the club was faced with a decision, instigated by Cole, to "offload" either he or Souness. Considering you have been in favour of the latter scenario since day one of Souness's regime, you are being disingenuous with your wording. I assert that what you actually consider idiotic, is the decision to not sack Souness, that would have kept Cole at Rovers (supposedly). Nothing wrong with that opinion, but who are you trying to kid? Again, I assert that if Cole had pulled this stunt on Hugues, or another manager who was not Souness, you would not have considered the decision so idiotic. EDIT. Actually, I shouldn't be so assertive. Call them suggestions instead.

I should think that if he is high at all, he should be sacked

Look, I don't mean to be argumentive, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to say that he also had an influence in retaining Dunn and Duff when he took over, the latter signed to a deal with a hefty transfer release fee, a decision Souness was party to. I know this point is debatable, but it can also be said he had a hand in their development. Badly managed, they might not have become the vital assets they became in Div 1, and subsequently the Premier. Those two sold for well over 20 million pounds, he had a hand in that... I think it is fair to see it this way, and I'm just calling it how I see it. Jim doesn't count, because he's always wanted Souness out, not just at the height of the worries over relegation. All those that called for that aren't wrong, because we can't say for sure Rover's would have been relegated had we made the switch. But what can be said is that retaining Souness did allow us to avoid the drop. Those that called for, which obviously includes me, can lay claim to it being the right course of action. To be honest, I was suprised he wasn't forced out over the summer. I accepted that not everyone can have the blind faith I had in Souness, and posted that during the relegation battle last season. This is why I've taken Scotty to task over his earlier interjection in this thread. I don't know. It is fair enough to go beating up on the ex-manager, especially when he did jump ship. I'm not so blinded I can't concede that. But I just wonder what everyones reaction would be if people started misrepresenting the truth, or at least as I perceive it, on Kenny Dalglish's time with the Rovers. I would certainly react in the same way I have done now.

Wrong. I subscribed to the "consider Souness's future after the end of this (03-04) season". I do and did believe Souness made mistakes. I think the biggest being falling into the trap of excessive transfer activity. But I thought it would be suicide to sack him at the stage it was muted last season. Thankfully, he wasn't and Rovers didn't... drop into the championship. But surely it doesn't cause you personal turmoil to agree with me that Souness was tight-fisted over many transfers, at least as many (really more) than the costly ones?

Knowing Souness, he'll probably start the bid at £10m! That's a misrepresentation of the truth. Exempting Grabbi, and even for Ferguson IMO, Souness done well with the transfer figures against the inflated valuation of the player's clubs. For a good many transfers, we all speculated that they'd fallen through, before a late acceptance by the selling club to lower their valuation. Obviously, I don't subscribe to the "let's blame Souness for everything" line of thought

Always injured? (at least Sutton was in our relegation season... oh no )

A proven Premiership defender to replace a defender who was injured. Proven to be bloody rubbish though I thought Matteo was brought on in injury time, a regular "soaking up the minutes" ploy. If so, it was hardly a tactical move. If you are going to waste time with a substitution, to try and hold a lead, you might as well put on a defender.

So far, only Bolton not winning against Portsmouth has not been the result I wanted. The rest of the fixtures have gone exactly as I wanted them. Hopefully, Middlesborough can beat Tottenham tomorrow, and it will have been close to the perfect weekend for Rovers in relation to this season.

Watched most of the match from an Irish pub, here in KL. I was so pleased with the work rate of all the players today. An incredible hunger. It was as if they sensed that if they added just a little bit more effort, they could avoid the draw and get the win. One question. I couldn't hear any commentary in the area I was in... it looked to me when Cole got clear of the marking and Friedel saved his shot, that he had brought the ball down with his hand... admittedly, the camera angle could have easily misled me, but was there any controversy over it? Cole played well, seemed determined to score against us, but it's a credit to our defense, especially Brad on that shot, that we kept him, and them, scoreless.

Says who?