He's awesome!

Me too! Where did you decide to sit? Saw him this year at Blenheim Palace...amazing.

Oh my god, that's hilarious! Imagine if he was gay! How funny would that be...unless it's 2016 of course. I was hoping to get tickets for this but won't bother if there are going to be interruptions. Something like him wearing a Venky's out t shirt though...I'd be all for that!!

It is a poor view. From that clip (the only one I have seen), it looks like everyone has over-reacted to the tackle.

Well as far as I am aware he hasn't shown remorse for what he has done. I may have just missed it though. He made a rash tackle, which I think most of us agree wasn't as bad as it was made out to be, but he can't afford to be making rash tackles like that (in that area of the pitch etc). If the reports are true, and who knows apart from the people in the dressing room, then he 'blew up' at his manager. Granted the above arguments are pretty weak, but I'm not just looking at what he has done since he came out of prison. He had anger management help in the past and said he wanted to change before he went to prison, but it didn't help. I just personally think that he needs to learn a lesson, and he will only learn that lesson when he stops getting chances handed to him on a plate. What motivation has he got to change if clubs keep employing him and he keeps getting paid huge sums of money?

I must admit, I heard about it before I saw it, and I expected to see a really terrible tackle. When I saw it though, I thought 'is that it?'. Massive over-reaction from the media.

Would the games take place in a Gladiators type setting? I'm all for rehabilitation of people who have committed crimes, but people don't change until they are ready to change. You can give them all the help, tools to change and chances but until they are really ready themselves, then they will continue to behave how they behave. In my opinion, like Fife said re remorse etc, Joey Barton, hasn't shown that he is ready to change, and while people carry on giving him chance after chance, then he'll have no motivation to sort himself out.

Most of the players being named in comparison with Barton weren't thugs though. Hated players yes, thugs no.

Ok, you summed up my post in one line

Why do you presume things about people expressing an opinion different to yours? I've seen rough, 'dirty' players playing football, but this isn't about how Barton plays football. He didn't just give some people a slap. If some teenager had just given him a bit of lip and he slapped him round the head, it'd be different. I think the thing I am struggling with most is the cigar in the eye incident. I cannot, for the life of me, see a rational human being doing something so horrendous. How would I feel if someone did that to me or my family? If I then link that to how he behaves at a football club, ie not professional, assaults on team mates, having a bust up/showing no respect for the manager then I don't want this individual at the club. I don't care if we are liked by the media. It's not about that and it's not about being morally superior. If you think that is why people don't want him at the club, then I feel that you just can't see things from other points of view. I can see that Barton would be cheap, better than most of our current midfielders and people may think that Sam could control him. I also want to win, and I want Rovers to do as well as possible in our position, however I think Barton has run out of chances, I think it'd be a massive risk that we can't afford to take (for all the things T4E mentioned) and I'd be embarrassed if we had to turn to someone like Barton. There must be other, viable alternatives (again T4E mentioned one).

I'm not holier than thou, and I am not perfect. However, there comes a point were people run out of chances, especially when it is disgraceful, violent behaviour which has even led to time in prison. He hasn't shown anything to suggest he has come out of prison learning from those mistakes.

Well they didn't cover it up for Gerrard. Are you serious with that comment? Also, do you genuinely believe that Rooney and Barton are equal in terms of behaviour? In my eyes if an England player had done the exact same things as Barton, they'd be critisized more than Barton, not less, like you are suggesting.

Oh I hope we don't sign Barton. How many chances do you give someone? I'd hate us to be the club that gave him yet another chance. It'd be embarrassing.

Well that's just ruined it . Unless it was...otherwise you would have yelled at them for being so stupid as to suggest golf on a Saturday, for such a dedicated Rovers supporter?

I don't believe Benni made these comments. I think it is the media trying to cause trouble!! Oh, hang on a minute...

Maybe it's time to put a lot of things to rest... 1) No Theno didn't go and play golf and forget about Rovers. 2) Yes, everyone who said Ince would be crap was right. Move on. 3) If you supported Ince at the time of his appointment, then good on you, but now is the time to accept that, in the end, he deserved to go. 4) You may not like Sam, but he is the manager of our team. Don't support Sam if you don't like him, but support Rovers. Some people will stop watching Rovers because of who the manager is. I don't agree with it, you might not agree with it, but it's their decision! It's just endless, going over the same comments.

Crikey, some of the insults/comments flying round are out of order (unless I misread something). Why people can't disagree in a more mild, polite manner is beyond me. If you disagree with someone so vehemenently why not just say so instead of getting personal.

Really? I thought the 'calm down little boy' deserved a response like that.

I agree with this. It's not as though it's a gamble any more though, I mean they can't get much worse and Andorra are probably the best opposition to try him aganst. Plus, he wouldn't get any stick from the media because they are all calling for him!

Forgot i'd posted here lol! Yeah I used to play loads but have tailed off, I've obviously bought TBC but can't get the desire to play back yet . I went to BWL lots and every time we killed Nef the DS Chest (only bit i'm missing) never dropped, the week after I quit it dropped . I just love the guys in my guild so I log on every week for a few hours for a chat and to do a bit of questing, I should really get my arse in to gear and get to 70.

Ohhhh I play this. A level 62 Hunter on Aggrammar is my main http://armory.wow-europe.com/#character-sh...r&n=Snappel

I was in the Clayton and Douglas lounge one game as a guest, and Ronnie Clayton came over to each table having a chat. He was talking about Rovers etc and I was listening avidly. I'm probably more into football than my dad now, who first introduced me to Rovers, but Ronnie said 'sorry ladies another football story' . He was however a thoroughly interesting and likeable guy. I'm too young to remember him playing but i'll cherish my guest invitation that they both signed for me

No.

I'll judge Benni next season, I like to give them the first season free . However on past form and this seaon, I think he could be a real asset along side someone with pace. He is a different type of player than Bellamy, and so I try not to compare the two. If Derbyshire reaches his full potential then I think they could be a great combination.

Oh I feel quite bad that I like West Ham losing. It is only since Neill joined and I can't help myself, I want them to go down and no 'big club' to touch him. If I think about it logically though, he did the right thing by us, he didn't resign a contract and didn't lie to us. He was quite honest and open about considering leaving the club. How many times have we all complained that players aren't like that these days? I still can't help it though. Maybe it's that he said he wanted a challenge, when really he gave up UEFA cup football and he went for the money. I feel bad that it's West Ham in this position though, and I would have liked Spurs to lose to help our league postion. I've always liked West Ham, they try to have a core of English players and they did us a favour in 95 . So, erm yeah, i'm confuzzled