No Hughesy, that's not right. We only won the league when we finished 1st. Your thinking of the previous season when we finished second and were runners up. We finished 4th, 2nd and 1st with Jason. He was an excellent player, no denying that, but Duff has the edge IMO.

Brotherston, Sellars, Wilcox, Duff - we've not done bad have we? and that's just in my time. Noel would beat a man and then beat him again. Then he'd beat him again and get a cross in. Very skilful and on his day would give many a full back a torrid time, I only remember him as a left winger though (Windy Miller on the right). Scooter was a great player, as others have said it's a shame he didn't play in the Premier League for us -"The silky skills of Scott Sellars" as Jack Holden would often say on Radio Lancashire. Wilcox - the crowds favourite. . Would run all day for the team and would deliver cracking early crosses which Shearer invariably found himself on the end of. Duffer - magnificent. I used to watch him for the youth team and he and Damian Johnson would terrorise defences. The bloke has it all. His tricks include turning the right full back in an anti-clockwise run with the ball glued to his left foot and also dummying the ball completely whilst running around the bemused full back before he knew where the ball and the player have gone. He was worth the entrance fee alone. Damn that Russian bloke. I don't know how much Noel cost the club but I think Sellars was only £25,000, Duff and Wilcox came through the Youth team. Four cracking players for next to nothing. For me it's just got to be Duffer though. Sublime. (I've approached all the other positions in the team with an open mind - I'll need something special to convince me not to vote Duff - I've seen nothing yet (and I doubt I will))

It's cheaper in the lower tier anyway Hughesy. So that's good news. I don't think anyone's mentioned this, a bit irrelevent here, but our Home game against the Trotters has been put back a couple of days to Monday 24 January for Sky. A Trotter at work told me - obviously I didn't believe him but it's on their Official Web Site, so it must be true. TrotterWeb.

I find this extremely bizarre all this angst as to why MGP isn't playing. When he did play he looked light-weight, perhaps he's worn out after the Norwegian season? Perhaps more importantly, we now have Reid and Emerton doing the business. So what's the problem? What's the big deal? Who are you going to drop for him to play? As for giving him 10 minutes at the end of a game - that doesn't wash either. Neither Reid or Emerton look like fading in games - so why change it round? If it's not broke...... American makes a very valid point. So, in summary, I'm not really bothered. It's not a big deal. I've no doubt that we'll see more of him in the future but some of you need to give it a rest as you may even start turning people against him.

Has he? OK, thanks Graeme.

I don't think anyone's being too hard on him Eddie. This entire thread is undoubtedly light hearted - which makes a pleasant change if you ask me. Good luck to the fella - I hope we see him soon in the first team. rover6 - I seem to recall that it was just a 12 month contract, 64 pages, A4, White. Standard stuff. Alan75 - Is that a picture of Ostenstad? He's actually lost weight!

Well you say that Den but poor old SKARBELLY (if that's his real name) has asked a very good question about poor old de Pedro and to date, IMO, we've learnt very little. Other than the fact most people consider de Pedro to be of the portly, unfit, variety type of player, taking his money for next to nothing, and generally doing an impression of an over weight blue and white Weeble. It's not just been positive comments. Oh no. Nuclearsox states in his post that de Pedro needs two players to actually hold him in an upright position and that he doesn't have a wand for a left foot. I'll not even mention Nuclearsox' stats (which I reckon have been made up by the way). Other posters reckon that he has a pie and sleep addiction, and will cost the club £13 million if he comes on as a second half substitute anytime between now and next May. There's also a particularly nasty reference to Moles. It's scandalous. It's nothing short of character assassination and I for one want nothing to do with it.

That's not a bad idea really. But I can't help thinking that we're not really going to get the truth in a lot of instances. Just a lot of waffle to appease the fans. They're not going to tell all and sundry that a player is bobbins as they'll never get shut. Week Beginning 29 November 2004 - Sparky's Squad Update: Paul Gallagher: "Really pleased with Paul, he's buckling down now and he deserved his hat trick at Fulham". Morst Gamst Pedersen: "I was all for giving MGP a start at left wing against Fulham but decided against it yet again to annoy certain posters on BRFCS.com" Javier de Pedro: "This guy was a terrible signing. What a cock up. What was Souness thinking? He can't even run. What a bad do isn't it? Left foot like a wand my ar*e." But then again - you're right I don't actually know. I just heard from someone that he isn't particularly match fit and can't run - and that was a few weeks ago. Either way I doubt we're gonna see him in the first team as MGP must be well ahead of him.

Good Heavens!! It was a joke! I made it up! He came on a free, as I already knew and as you've pointed out. A clause in his contract that means we pay £5 million after three games and £8 million after four and a half?!?!? To who? He had no club. No one on earth would believe that (apart from Paul ). Look - I apologise if people have to read between the lines a bit on some of my posts. If you look back I've actually answered your original question as well. i.e. By all accounts he can't run.

Er, no. Not at all serious. Besides it'll never happen anyway - now that he's wearing his Andy Todd disguise and playing at Centre Half Sociedad will never find out

There's no official explanation that I'm aware of. What annoys me though is that Morst Gamst Pedersen is keeping him from the first team bench. Hughes should issue a statement to the press to explain just what the blazes is going on. I also heard, from a bloke in the pub / internet, that we have to pay his former club Real Sociedad, £5 million when he completes three first team appearances and a further £8 million when he reaches 4.5 games. I don't know what more de Pedro has to do to get a game - if only he could run.

If that's the sort of thing Forrest was up to then that's even more reason to vote for him as far as I'm concerned. I'm happy with my vote. Sherwood's never burnt a witch in his life, never even come close (probably).

Strewth Ricky! That's a bit straight forward!

Great preview Tris. I think we can win this one. Play Thompson in the middle - attack like crazy mad men and we might just score one goal more than them. 3-2 Rovers. Dickov, Thompson and Bert. Cole x2. Onwards and upwards.

millionpints - spot on. Lock this or move it to ICBINF. I've had enough.

So the Police are now on the look out for a drunken Sparta Prague scarf wearing, Blackburn Rovers "fan", with an Australian, Brummie, Cockney accent. They also know exactly what he looks like as they have television footage of the idiot. It's not much to go on is it?

Quite a few sources are claiming that, I can only assume it's on one of the Press Association articles (can anyone with access to the PA news feed confirm this ? Or are lots of individual journos making the same mistake ?). Well he did help us win a trophy didn't he? By not signing for us until the following season.

That's absolutely ridiculous. Two people - and by some accounts just one - have been out of order. In a crowd of 20,000. That's 0.01%. Ban the offender(s) - issue a strongly worded statement that this behaviour will not be tolerated at Ewood - tell the press and the likes of GMTV to have a reality check. The club can't do any more than that. Slow news day methinks. The Sun 23/11/04 - "Man on Blackburn Rovers Messageboard states Racist Ewood is a fabrication and blames the press for making stories up. Have these people no shame? Where will it all end? Someone should resign...."

If he could just sort out his low self esteem he'd probably get a game. daheri - who are his critics? Does he mention any BRFCS members by name?

If Eddie Latheron's name wasn't up there Jimmy Forrest would have had 12 more votes (probably). Like Al I too voted for Latheron - if only I'd known. Perhaps we could have a second vote for this poll. With just the top two. It'll then just be a straight choice between Forrest and Sherwood. Whilst I appreciate that this is yet more work for Den, I really do think that it would be the fairest way of settling this highly contentious second midfield position. Just a suggestion Edit: (Bloody hell Tris!)

Urgh. That's just vile. Hughesy's coming across like some sort of BRFCS version of Swiss Tony (sorry Hughesy)

Bloomin 'Eck krislu!! That's one brave prediction! Not only is Nils Eric going to score (highly unlikely in itself) but we're going to beat Everton?!? What about Birmingham? I don't know what the odds are on that but it's got to be worth a pound. I think we'll win. 2-1. Yorke to open the scoring with a tremendous 80 yard run where he beats our entire team and Mark Hughes before sending an acrobatic over head kick past a stranded Eddie Niedzwiecki in the Rovers goal. We equalise through the "tireless running" of Paul Dickov and Rovers score the winner in the 79th minute through David Thompson who out jumps everyone to side foot home from 3 yards. Just as I predicted last week, again, there will be no penalties. In summary: - Rovers 2 Stoke City 1 20,987

There sure is. You couldn't make it up. It goes straight from Blackburn to Manchester. By rail. I couldn't believe it either. Someone told me that you can also drive there as well using "the motorway" or the "M66 or M61" - I've never heard such nonsense. Not in my day. "Nowt wrong wit tram tha nose" I told them in my best Welsh accent (it's all the rage round these parts). See you at the station. I'll be wearing Blue & White halves and carrying an axe so I don't get taken for some sort of hooligan type. Besides my Aquascooter and Blackberry are in for repair.

Well said waggy. Spot on. Amateurish is the word that springs to mind.

MCM - Glenn's a good lad and everything but surely it's not worth driving all the way to Leeds to get the train with him. I'll get on the 11.00 from Blackburn station - which is a lot nearer. Maybe see you there.