I see this place as an extension to the pub. Go to the games, meet up with some people, have a laugh with those people and then when i come back i usually continue a few of those in jokes.

I think to make the message board a place where you can only post really meaningful and 'normal' posts would be a bit silly.

Lets have serious discussions at times, but don't take away our in jokes and laughs because some people don't 'get it' and it winds them up.

If it had been the other way around , Matt , 99% of our fans would have agreed that the goal should have counted - the English are like that !

If thats a hook to hook onto then i'll gladly grab it

What a load of crap.

It must just be me then Tom ! Put it this way - if UTD scored a goal like that against the Rovers I would have no complaints at all if the ref allowed it . (1% of know nothings might complain . Maybe you'd be among them......?)

If you read my posts in various Euro 2004 threads scattered around this forum you'll notice that i said the goal should have stood. Decisions like that will either be given or wont, it depends on the ref. Nothing more we can do, let it go.

What i'm disputing is you saying that 99% of the English fans would accept it.

It's happened at the other end and correct me if i'm wrong, but 99% of the English message board members aren't saying it was the right decision never mind 99% of the English public.

The only reason the sensible part of the English population would have accepted defeat that way is because of our negative play.

For the record, The Temple Bar hotel is quality. I highly recommend it. Stayed there in January.

If it had been the other way around , Matt , 99% of our fans would have agreed that the goal should have counted - the English are like that !

If thats a hook to hook onto then i'll gladly grab it

What a load of crap.

I MUCH prefer Real Player. Loads faster and doesn't take 10 seconds for the picture to come back up if you move the time bar forward.

Well, talk about different opinions!

I can't stand real player, got that stupid live update thing running in the background, takes too long to load on my machines and rips cds into a stupid format that only Real Player seems to support.

My iriver supports WMA files, therefore, i love it.

Probably a Mac vs. PC thing. On the mac the live update thing isn't on all the time. You can disable it on a PC if I remember correctly. For MP3s I use ITunes. Only real player for video.

Ah explains everything.

Yeah RP isn't to bad on the macs at work. Prefer itunes on it though at times.

Quicktime isn't a bad video player either...

So sorry Tom.

Do forgive me, please.

Everyone Tom was down under too, enjoyed the Coopers in the Lord Nelson just as much as all the others

There was Drunx as well, Frank Robinson, Chris Roe (and his ex Mrs ), Lee and Nic of course, Jan, and some American chap whose name escapes me, the two brothers from Lithgow, the bouncer that threw Vic out of the Orient.............

Much better

FLB, you must ask Lee, Blueboy or SteB what my accent is like

Additionally, SR is not a "native" aussie either

Forgotten in the Rovers fans you've met thread, forgotten in various aussie threads and now forgotten here...

I feel sad

I MUCH prefer Real Player. Loads faster and doesn't take 10 seconds for the picture to come back up if you move the time bar forward.

Well, talk about different opinions!

I can't stand real player, got that stupid live update thing running in the background, takes too long to load on my machines and rips cds into a stupid format that only Real Player seems to support.

My iriver supports WMA files, therefore, i love it.

I knew someone was following me

Richard Keys? Probably Andy Gray actually. Or Stan Collymore. They all mate around together allegedly.

That all sounds a bit woof

"........and next season we're bringing you something extra special, extended highlights of YOUR Premier League club on a Saturday night. It'll be like taking mucky polaroids of the wife and knocking one out in a cramped motorway service station toilet. It'll be that good."

I knew someone was following me

Best thing since sliced bread....or the silicone chip....or the wheel.....or pre-washed salad

you decide....

It you want secure system and fast browsing, go Linux and get rid of MS crap completely.

I'm desperate to install Linux again but i'm waiting for my new hard drive to arrive (Or should that be waiting for money to get one!) so i can make myself a little tester system.

Tried it a while ago and had nothing but trouble.

England playing in a major tournament helps unite the country. It gets casual observers involved in football.

It's not a disturbing phenomenon at all. I can't believe some of the balls I read on here sometimes.

And once the tournament's over then a lot of people will have no interest in footy until the next one, that's the way it is. Some people think there's shame in being a "plastic" football fan, as if it's some sort of black mark against your family name. Pathetic.

Bryan, calm down dear, read your signature.

When I said "disturbing phenomenon" tongue was very much in cheek.

(Although I personally would take Rovers winning the FA Cup this season over England winning Euro 2004 anytime.)

What I still don't understand is why these people can suddenly turn from apparently not being interested in football to foaming at the mouth fanatics.

To me either you're interested in football or you're not.

While there's always some element of people jumping on the "cool to be an England fan" bandwagon once every 2 years, I've never noticed it to this such an extent as with this tournament.

I understand what you're saying revidge and i also get the same sharp tounged response when bringing up the subject.

It's an observation more than anything.

My girlfriend does the same, she's commenting on the football and style of play like a true pundit (Which is where i'm getting my sudden knowledge from ). But will she come to Rovers with me? Will she balls. Ah well, more nights out in jumping jacks laughing at neil in future

No, its the one where you get to go to bukkake nights with Pringle

How come i always get into these sticky situations?

The comment 'stick to your guns' wasn't a dig mate. You've made some good points and I appreciate that. Far better than some of the nonsense that has been posted. Anyway i've got Denmark in the work sweep so I'm cheering them on now.

I know bud, i didn't take any of it personally.

I've got Portugal in the sweep, but they won't win it.

Milan Baros will be top scorer and lead the Czech to a 2-0 win over Sweden in the final.

Lets just forget about it and watch tennis. COME ON TIM!

Right that's it!!

Superb

So when Jimk2 et al talk so pessimistic about Rovers you don't ever respond.  We haven't been overly negative at all.  We have simply done what any team would do and that is try and hold on to a lead.

re jim and rovers: thats different, i've shown blind optimism for rovers and always will

Don't get me wrong, we should hold onto a lead. At around the 50th minute maybe at a push? But 3 minutes in, we score and then never looked likely to score again (Only on set pieces). Our build up play was terrible, giving the ball away to often and just overall not looknig like to score.

It makes me laugh some of the comments.  Obviously when two teams are evenly matched when one takes the lead they will sit back.  What else would you do?  Course we sat too deep but it was the quarter final for gods sake players get nervous and panic.

I didn't think that Portugal looked that nervous when they were 2-1 up. Correct me if i'm wrong but they stuck to their guns and attacked. Admitedly they got beat on a set play, but we weren't going to score in open play which is where we should have scored if they were actually 'exposed' by being attacking minded.

Yes we played too many long balls but with the strikers we had on it was an easy option and when you are leading 1-0 in a quarter final you take the easy option. 

As soon as Rooney went off we starting hitting long balls. Why? We were still playing fairly decent football at times until he went off.

If you honestly think we deserve to be going home then fair enough but we have played some of the best football at times and had as much right to be there as a few of the others.  When we needed to we could play and score something the Italians, Germans and a few others clearly couldn't but you stick to your guns Tom.

Damn right, we have played some cracking football. Against france we did (Apart from the last 3 minutes) as we kept going at them even though we only had a 1-0 lead. Switzerland was one of the most convincing wins of the tournament (Along with Sweden 5-0 and Holland against Latvia). Croatia we played very well (Apart from our set plays) but against Portugal we looked totally different. We didn't look the attacking force we had looked in the other games. Maybe this was due to Rooney going off, but we'll never know.

And finally, I will stick to my guns, as many people who know me know i haven't exactly got a proper footballing brain when it comes to giving opinions. But i fell very strongly about this one and believe i'm right.

We where simply not good enough with bad tactics and players to boot.

Someone else speaking sense.

Some of us on here need to take those st. georges cross glasses off and face up to the truth.

Well done my ###### arse, we got cheated out of it

If we had had our goal allowed, it's Portugal that would have been cheated.

You cannot be so negative throughout a full 90 minutes and expect to go through.

Dont be daft Tom. And dont be bitter either. We would be in the semis because we scored more goals than them. Period.

They attacked for 80 mins simply cos they had to. When the scores were level or when we were behind we were not negative but were going full tilt at them.

I'm not bitter at all. In fact you'll notice in other Euro 2004 threads i've been laughed at for saying we won't win the tournament and for saying we wouldn't get out of our group.

In my eyes it's very odd that you've said we went 'full tilt' at them. I personally don't class hoofing the ball up to two - 5 foot 6 inch - strikers as 'going full tilt'

The negative teams have finally left the competition, which in my eyes (As a neutral now apart from the Czech Republic) is a good thing.

No more sitting on 1-0 leads in the hope you can scrape through. Bye Germany, bye bye Italy and unfortunately after starting so bright and attacking, bye England.

The ref didn't cost us the game, losing Rooney and the tactics Sven used did.

Well done my ###### arse, we got cheated out of it

If we had had our goal allowed, it's Portugal that would have been cheated.

You cannot be so negative throughout a full 90 minutes and expect to go through.

Nolan9 - I didn't David James was that bad. Couldn't do much about either goal. Think he only once managed to do his famous flapping antic on a corner but it didn't cost us.

If you play defensive for 87 minutes you usually get punished. We would have had it not been for Lampards goal.

Bringing a small, fast striker onto the field of play and then hoofing it up in the air (Rovers style) for him and owen to win is useless. Why not bring someone on who was going to win it in the air. Heskey maybe?

Bringing on a defensive midfielder in the 52nd minute. Nice one Sven, really take the defensive game to them.

Neville, Terry, Sol and A. Cole. You're true lions, you battled for every ball, you ran after everything that even got past you. HEROES

The midfield 4, Gerrard - Battled, couldn't do much else. Scholes - Made his usual clumsy challenges, created a little bit. Lampard - Quiet at times, never made a true impact. And finally, David 'Media Darling' Beckham - That my lad, was a disgrace, you're supposed to be this england captain that leads by example and not one that shouts and rips into everyone. If thats the example you want the rest of the players to follow then we shouldn't have bothered. You've been off all tournament and will need to re-think your future at Real (If it's affected his game, surely it has!?)

Come on you Czech

Don't want to put the mockers on anything by saying we're going to win it but we've been more impressive than at any tournament I can recall since 1970.

I didn't think we were that bad in Euro 96

Mind you, we got to the semis of the world cup in 90...but i don't really remember it properly.

Gerrard has already signed for Chelsea, I know for definite that the tranfer fee is £31m, although im not sure about any extra players included in the deal.

That information comes from a very respectable premiership manager who manages not a million miles from Anfield.

Not a million miles you say?

I'm going to go for the current Grampus Eight manager. His name slips my mind at the minute

that's better.

Oh and leave my mate Lofty alone you 19 year old glue lover 

Thank god you did that Ste

The look on Rickys face was almost the same as when i struck a ball from all of 2 1/2 yards into the top corner of the goal at the Darwen end.

(It's the last time i mention it )