bob fleming

Well really. Have we learnt nothing from last season?!?!? We don't even know what position anyone's playing in! What are they doing? 4-0, 4-0!! is that it? Against a bunch of pig farmers from Austria?! Where's Brad? Where's de Pedro? Are they injured? Is Nissa playing left wing??! What's wrong with Thompson? Where's Amoruso? What's happening? Someone get a message to one of our guys on the ground and find out what the heck is going on!! and quick!! Was Saunders on the plane? I can't stand this much longer!!!! Tris - can I get CNN on tinternet?!? Where, where!! Stead's injured - pass me that gun.

Great post Hughesy. Well done lad. Sorry for repeating what has already been said but I can't stop laughing at this. Brilliant Chesh. Didn't Ferguson also fall out with Cole and Yorke. How strange? Whatever happened to those managers we used to have - who never fell out with anyone, you know, the likes of Kidd and Hodgson?

I believe Paul Mckinnon is at a bit of a loose end.

Hughesy - I wrote this the other day about Tuesday's LET. I wish I'd kept the paper now and got a proper quote but those pescky bin men have been - damn them and their efficient refuse collection service. So I'd take a guess and say that he will look to replace Cole - although as with most thing's - there are no guarantees - I can guarantee you that.

It's a tricky one Jim. Seeing how we finished 6th and still lost season ticket sales then I'd say no. Dunn (who most on here at any rate, slag off as not being good enough) was sold at the beginning of that close season, Duff at the last minute at the end. So we'd have probably lost ST sales anyway. You say that Boro have sold 25,000 Season Tickets this season. Let's call that £11 million worth. I wonder what they're paying JFK and Viduka? £50,000 each a week? That's £5.2 million a year. Plus they still have to pay the rest of their squad. Was there a fee for Viduka? Can't remember for the life of me. It doesn't add up. Steve Gibson is bank rolling them big style - and good for him. Unfortunately, it would appear that we are now operating in something called "the real world" as it appears to me that the money from Jersey isn't what it used to be. Don't get me wrong Jim - I'd love us to go out and buy a "big name signing" or someone to "excite" the fans. But if the money isn't there what should we do? Gamble the long term future of the club in an attempt to bring back ST's holders who even then might not come back anyway? These missing fans certainly wouldn't give confidence to the board to go down this route. Or maybe Jim, the Board have been reading your posts and aren't prepared to back him anymore? Perhaps they've set aside some money to pay his contract up when they sack him.

Read last weekend that since 1996 'Boro have spent £50 million on strikers alone. That obviously includes those mentioned above plus some other rubbish. Then of course you've got wages on top as well. So, take Ravenelli (Steve Gibson was daft enough to), let's say he was on £30,000 a week (sounds about right I'd imagine) on a four year contract - that's another £6 million. Let's just say that since 1996 'Boro have spent well over £100 million on strikers who by and large have been pony. So it stands to reason that any striker that Blackburn Rovers buys, who doesn't cost a huge amount of money, is bound to be a bad player. Let’s not even give Dickov a chance eh? Let's go and buy an "exciting" player, who costs an absolute fortune, he's just bound to be successful - as 'Boro have shown over the years (I'll not mention Davies or Grabbi as I don't feel that way out).

I doubt it greggy, although I'm sure if he (Stead) was banging in x20 plus goals a season we'd have to look at upping his wage - maybe not up to £55k a week though.

Den r.e. Germany - Oh. That'll be it then. Den r.e. Terrified - Surely he has to leave before we can replace him? Ace - I'd have thought so - but I'm no expert. I'll try it later today and let you know (and I can't see any wheelbarrows round here).

LET Blimey! I could have sworn that the first game was tomorrow! What are they planning on doing? Parachute onto the pitch after getting changed on the plane? I thought they'd already left to be honest. Well, unless what the LET is reporting is a load of nonsense, then there's no option. See you Andy, and take your mate with you please, if you can find someone daft enough to have you both.

Yeah - he did score more goals than Mr Cole. I can't see how we can presume Dickov will be our number one striker next season anyway (J. Stead?). Not when Souness said in the LET on Tuesday, as I've previously pointed out, that if they release some players it would enable them to "go again" into the market. I would have thought reducing the wage bill by £55k a week (or even half of that figure as is rumoured) would enable us to go looking for a replacement for Cole. Whether there is time to get one in - or indeed Cole does actually leave anyway - of course remains to be seen.

SteB - and the rest of the guys who run this site - Cheers for getting it sorted (even though it may well only be temporary). Your efforts are really appreciated. Without getting too melodramatic - players come and go at BRFC - it's the fans that make it all happen. Enjoy Germany SteB (and whoever else is making the trip) - watch out for their lager - terrible kick to it I seem to recall.

Maybe he isn't modes - I doubt Andy Neild was there when they boarded the plane.

Cole on £55,000 per week ?!? There's your LET link. I'll be first to say it then. If he goes and we get a suitable replacement (I have confidence in Stead, Gallagher, Dickov and a lot of hope for Jansen - but I'd sooner get another experienced striker in as well) then I'm not too bothered. How very controversial. If you read the LET last night I'm sure you'd have seen this coming. Sorry I don't have the exact quote but Souness did say something along the lines that if one or two left it would give him the opportunity "to go again" into the market. It's another falling out though - but with a player he's already fallen out with so at least he's showing some consistency. Finally, in a complete departure to what appears to be the vast majority on this MB, Rovers fans who I've spoken to over the last few days about Cole's possible departure seem quite pleased or indifferent. Certainly not incredibly fed up. It's all about opinions. Interesting times ahead.

r.e. Robert Coar - or burnley Bob as he is sometimes referred to. Hasn't he been on the Board at Rovers for twenty odd years now? Does he actually go and watch burnley? If he's that big a burnley fan then why is he our Chairman? How does it all work?

Standing Order has been set up. Yesterday afternoon when the MB was down was quite possibly the longest afternoon of the year at work, I even started talking with my work colleagues. I could do without that.

Good! It would be a bit harsh if you shot me for that Alan! The article didn't mention anyone's operating profit in all fairness and it didn't single the Rovers out at being particularly bad - we were just fourth in the list - that's all. Maybe I should have said that they were 2003 figures, but as you've pointed out the 2003/04 season numbers aren't going to be much better.

The Daily Express reports that "Andy Cole will learn if his Blackburn career is over when the board meet tomorrow." He's played for them before it says, 14 years ago, when he scored 4 goals in 15 games on loan from Arsenal. Elsewhere in the same paper "Wages Boom Takes Clubs To The Brink". BRFC Turnover 45.4m - Wages 35.5m - 78.2%. That makes us 4th worst behind Sunderland, Leeds and Fulham (who coincidentally are the worst of the lot - you couldn't make it up). I'll not bother with the rest of the paper - tax hikes, Wayne Rooney, asylum seekers, blah de ****** blah.

Sunday People 18 July 2004 "A Rovers insider, going under the pseudonym tchocky, understands that...." It really wouldn't surprise me.

It's in the Sunday People Blueboy. Alan Nixon eh? Same fella who said we had £10million (or was it £15 million?) to spend this summer. Oh well - we'll have to wait and see won't we. Don't be surprised to see all this denied in the LET tomorrow. Then again - nothing surprises me with football anymore.

I've heard it all now!

Well it was early. Oh well - silly Lemmy. He should just stick to speed and JD - it's served him well to date (59 this year). I think that Lemmy has a big problem with anyone taking heroin to be honest - after it accounted for the death of several friends and a girlfriend ("the one" apparently) of his in the 70's - hence songs such as "White Line Fever" and "Stay Clean". Why don't you go the whole hog and tell me that Simon Garner use to smoke and drink when he was a player. Ruin everything I ever thought about my heroes.

Got a bit miserable reading this thread this afternoon - some good points but not much optimism about. I agree about the "dangerous spiral" though - it should have been pulled down years ago - it's only a matter of time until someone ends up falling off and into St Johns Tavern. Had an idea. This season Rovers will have the DeanoCard in operation as a season ticket for the first time. No longer will there be the need to acquire a book full of tickets. I don't know if other clubs do this already but will a Season Ticket be available to buy throughout the entire season? Say we start really well (won't be easy looking at the fixtures) de Pedro plays like a world beater, Matteo is solid as a rock and Stead continues where he left off. We get off to a flyer. Will those fans who decided not to renew then be able to be a S.T. for the remaining games? There's no admin involved as it's all done on those computer things now. The price would of course reduce on a game by game basis. So you could but a ST for the BBE after missing (or buying normal tickets for) the first two games for say (£420(?)/19*17) £375.78. Just an idea, as I've already said other clubs may well already this - so it might not be original, but if this facility was there then Rovers may well get some more ST holders joining throughout the season (Birthday Presents / Early Christmas present - who knows?). Which is of course what the club wants and needs - money up front. Just an idea. My coats ready if required.

Yeah he does - bit of fast twiddling and srceeching on a couple of tracks. Gets him out of the house for a bit. Which is nice. American - you'll have to ask them about that. Although, believe it or not, I don't think they're that sort of band. Anyway I'm sure Lemmy has Pepsi with his JD.

I suppose once you've enjoyed caviar for a few years it's hard to go back to stomaching pie and chips again (or on occasions last season, off milk). BRFC - a victim of it's mid '90's success? I hope the posts on the last few pages (in particular Capt Kayos' and Pabby's and earlier on roversmum's and Alan75's - in fact the whole thread really) are read by someone at the club - I think it sums everything up brilliantly. (Incidentally Pabby I met some lads from Haslingden on a night out in Preston a few months back - one of them had Rovers tattoos on his arms - clearly they were big fans. They stopped going when it went all seater - like many they felt that it had all become a bit sanitised and the atmosphere simply wasn't there anymore.)

"Golden Touch" and "Stumble and Fall" are tremendous songs. Best new band I've heard for a long while. Really like the album and I'm playing it inbetween listening to Motorhead's new album, Inferno, which is the best thing they've done in years.