Woah (very Keanu-esque   ), how many of those players are still with the team? I don't recognise the guys hugging, so all I can make out is Tugay. Talk about turnover!

387213[/snapback]

You can see its Cole because Yorke's name/number would be creeping into the picture.

I like the table Mr Dillo. Very professional.

Rovers to finish a creditable 8th. No Europe for us.

386990[/snapback]

Yes, I'm also stubbornly refusing to get carried away (miserable sod that I am). We're in the middle of a hot patch just now, but the wheels could just as easily come off with a few injuries.

8th would be a remarkable finish for us given the (understandable) negativity that was largely prevailent before the season kicked off - I for one would have been very happy with a 12th place finish, yet now that would represent a massive disappointment. Happy days.

Thats nonsense, he was clearly class but got injured regularly and Souness was not his greatest fan.

Dunn would, if fit, be a great aquisition.

386955[/snapback]

I love how when Dunn played well it was down to his class and when he played badly it was all down to Souness' campaign to ruin his career.

Yes.

My number one signing, as I have said before, would be Malbranque. A central midfielder who is too much of a ''wildcard'' to play in the middle, so plays to great effect on the wing.

Who does that remind you of? Dunn.

Only question mark is his fitness. If he proves he is fit enough, then in my opinion, he is more than good enough to be in our team. Better than Reid; Better than Bentley; Better than Emerton.

Pretty stone wall if you ask me.

386863[/snapback]

That is a pretty damn big if, though. Fitness problems aside, Dunn was never a consistent performer for us in the Premiership anyway. Add that to his undoubtedly massive wages, a couple of million quid to get him back and his never-ending battle with injury (ok, let's not put fitness problems aside) and a deal would equate to a massive gamble.

Yes! Brilliant stuff.

Arsenal denied a decent penalty claim according to Sky. Edge of the seat time now.

Todd has been Awesome, MOTM first half

386462[/snapback]

Where are you watching it?

Always preferred "Afteryouso" but sadly it never caught on.

386357[/snapback]

Ah, good times.

I think I read that Paul Scholes may lose a high percentage of sight in his eye as a result of his injury earlier this season. And then of course we remember Bjornebye's fractured eye socket injury in the latter stages of his Rovers career.

It's a bit cruel when a football injury will blight a players life AFTER football, aswell as cutting short their career.

Mind you, there is that story about that Scottish player (I think he plays for Dundee?) that has been blind in one eye since the age of about six. He's still done alright for himself.

385972[/snapback]

Northern Irish Hibs player.

As LeChuck says, suddenly having to cope with a loss in eyesight would be a huge difference to actually learning the game with with such an deficiency.

Reading that he could lose as much as 80% of the vision in his right is horrendous stuff.

a receptive ibrox audience?????

Erm, yes, disgraceful.

We can only hoping their efforts last night and the prospect of the return leg lower Arsenal's performance levels somewhat on Saturday. In saying that, their performances this season mean they only deserve respect rather than fear of previous years. They obviously don't like a physical tustle as much as they used to (the departure of one player really can make such a difference, it would seem) and we've definietly got a chance of taking something if everyone performs.

The BBC cut away from the replays as soon as the full nastiness became apparent, despite Lawrenson.

The Sun has the full story today, along with close-up pics and 'bone through sock' quotes from Smith.

Not for the squeamish!

385417[/snapback]

5 horror injuries

1. DAVID BUSST suffered a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula playing for Coventry at Man United in April 1996.

2. LUC NILIS sustained a double fracture in his right leg playing for Aston Villa against Ipswich in September 2000.

3. DJIBRIL CISSE went down in agony under a challenge from Blackburn’s James McEveley in October 2004. The Liverpool star’s left leg crumbled under him, fracturing his tibia and fibula.

4. HENRIK LARSSON suffered a double leg fracture during Celtic’s UEFA Cup clash with Lyon in October 1999.

5. ALF INGE HAALAND suffered a serious knee injury after an over-the-top assault from United skipper Roy Keane in a Manchester derby in April 2001.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but why (apart from the rather infamous Keane incident that actually had nothing to do with the injury to Haaland's knee, but I digress...) is it that the only 'perpetrator' named is a Rovers player?

Forget England, he's been a god send since arriving and lets hope he stays fit otherwise Gresko's in...

232147[/snapback]

Thought I'd just bring up this little gem (in regards to his sig).

I'll watch the highlights when I get home tonight, but this was a good result whatever way you look at it - playing one of your bogey teams in the middle of a blip is never a sure thing, no matter how crap they are.

We've got to beat this mob eventually, it might as well be this time. And yet I don't feel confident. It's going to depend on who plays up front.

"I don't know about sour grapes. Possibly, at the end of the game, emotions were running high. It was a game that ebbed and flowed, everyone was wrapped up in it. It taints your view somewhat.

And this totally highlights the difference in class between the two managers. He knows as well as anyone else it was sour sodding grapes from Fergie. A real gent is our Hughesy.

Didn't Chris Sutton once get sent off at the Nike Trafford Ballpark for being assaulted by David Beckham?

380563[/snapback]

Wasn't that against Arsenal? Viera broke his (Sutton's) nose?

Correct Napoleon.  Jeff Winter was right up there with all the other 'I'm  a celebrity' breed of Referees.

btw I read an extremely good report on saturdays referee in the Sun.  Anybody who went agree with that?

379940[/snapback]

Yup, he's been far too happy to flap his big gob to anyone that would listen since he retired. The man's a joke, even if what he says does occasionally ring true.

The stick he takes in unreal. 6 goals is not a bad return from a guy who was brought in to bolster the squad for no fee. Contrary to what some are claiming, he has turned games for us - not a great deal, I'll grant you, but to say he has nothing useful/different to offer is just incorrect.

I'm not exactly brimming with confidence for this one with our options up front being so limited - I can see Bellamy playing at some stage and making his injury worse. I really have to wonder how we've ended up stretched so thin on the attacking front. If Jansen had stuck around he may have found himself getting some football after all in Dickov's absence.

I....I don't.....I just can't understa....

Smithy, what the Hell are you getting at here?

"He's nearly caused a riot here today when our fans decided to jump over the fence. I don't think that's caused by players"

374576[/snapback]

This is the bit that really gets me: you're right, Sam, it's not caused by the players - its caused by the fans in question being brainless morons.

Douglas played 120+ minutes and did well, shame Leeds had to go out on pens in the end.

375475[/snapback]

Flippin' excellent goal from Kelly as well!

Mmmm that link - I'm sure both Grabbi and Andy Cole cost more than Kevin Pieman Davies.

375334[/snapback]

I'm sure Davies was £7.5m while Grabbi was £6.7m......I suddenly feel very depressed.

They have gone through a power of strikers in recent seasons though. Warnock buys 'em, they don't start scoring immediately and he ships them back out.