LDRover

I'm pretty sure that if you had a poll of all prem managers who they thought are the best keepers in the league then Friedel would be in the top 5, no question. How some on here can ask for him to be displaced by the hapless Enckelman (even for one game) is totally beyond me or is it just a case that because we're having a better season this time round we need something new to moan about? Imagine how you'd feel if you were a Sunderland fan, now there is a s**** keeper.

It's hard to dislike the person, given that he gave us great success there can be no argument about that. What is easy to dislike is that despite leading us to almost certain oblivion and being one game from the sack he landed such a wonderful managerial opportunity. That's why it so easy to gloat now it's gone pear shaped.

Blimey, that'd be a right tear up if we drop the geese and swans in with the squirrels and ducks.

Peter Shirtliff, John Bumstead. Good job they never played in the same team. And someone must remember Lopez Ufarte from the Spain '82 world cup.

fnarr fnarr indeed. During the ashes series I had the same reaction whenever Geoff Boycott talked about 'probing the corridor of uncertainty.'

If he honestly believes that, then we are in trouble. How many 'stick on' chances from open play have we had this season, 4, 5 maybe ? Or has the definition of chance changed? Does it now mean, as ProZone call it, 'penalty box entries'?

Just to go totally off subject here has antone else noticed the striking resemblance between Shefki Kuqi and Al Bundy off Married With Children? Although I believe Al is a better finisher.

From where I was sat there appeared to be quite a few "holes" out there, and I'm not talking black ones either.

Colin Hendry visited me in hospital when I was laid up for 9 weeks in 1994, top bloke, actually asked how I go about ahem 'relieving' myself when I'm flat on my back. I told him the nurses were very accommodating !! Saw various Rovers players at Peppermint Place over the years most notable being when I got Mark Atkins to wear my blue and white wig on the dance floor (he bought us a drink after but that was probably down to us reminding him of an overhead kick he'd scored against Boro). Also gave Scott Sellars a clip round the ear at PP after he'd missed a sitter in the last minute at Newcastle in 1991 (1st promotion year). Stood next to Graham Fenton in urinals at Brewers (now Pitchers) in town. Other mate stood at other side and gave him dog's abuse. Also had p*** next to Clive Tyldesley in service station on way home from Play Off victory in 1992. What a funny looking chap he is. Saw McKinlay and Sutton in Pelle menswear on a Tuesday afternoon in town. Heard them both moaning how crap it was and sure enough they'd both left the club within 6 months. Oh and Tony Gale losing at Blackjack in the Grosvenor Casino, Blackpool earlier this year. He'd been commentating for Sky that night on a schoolboy international at Bloomfield Road. A thoroughly nice bloke who looked upon his time at Ewood with great affection.

Has Souness got the franchise on dodgy hamstrings? He's been there just over twelve months and lost Dyer (more than once), Luque, Emre, Bramble, Boumsong, Babayaro and Carr to the problem in that time. That's not forgetting the same problems here over a number of years. Training (or should I say lack of it) problems????

Sorry modes but if a 17 average for the series is good for a No. 4 bat then I'm getting the pads back on. Mind you if it's between Belly and Big Belly (Big Bob Key) it's a close call.

I thought the reason he threw his wicket away (around midday for the second time) was because there was sponge pudding on the lunch menu and he fancied filling his boots. Now that you've said that I must congratulate him on his tactical masterstroke. Well done Belly.

104 -3 and that's the Bell end.

You talk of these young fast bowlers but there's some bloke called Harwood (Shane I think) who's had a great season proing for At. Annes over here and was sold to them as the 4th best bowler in Australia. Views?

Blimey! Forgot about Tuborg, that stuff was rotten. They used to sell it in Daniel's when Daniel's was the 1st pub on a night out. Problem was if you sampled the Tuborg you were home early doors and didn't even darken the doors of Peppermint Place. One thing that always puzzled me, why did people call it the cav when they weren't old enough to have ever been to the place? Anyway, I digress, Rovers tomorrow, marvellous. Ewood club 1:30pm k.o. just hope the cheeky blighters haven't put the price of Kronenbourg up. My main hope though is that they haven't got the same bar staff in the ground as they had on the first day of last season. Remember the recruitment of all the African blokes who couldn't add up? Made the queueing up even more soul destroying.

Ironic that Bob. We were talking at work the other day about what the worst alcohol was and Skol was mentioned. I always liked to sneak 4 cans of the amber nectar along with 4 cans of Stones to barbecues and revel in drinking the host's Stella. Now that I'm totally and utterly off topic I'd like to stress that in my opinion the worst alcohol bar none is Ace lager.

With the suspected absence of Bellamy and the pace of Fulham's front players this looks a dodgy one. If we come away with anything from the game I'll be delighted.

And with that post Paul you put yourself in for post of the year. Great stuff.

You did say cult didn't you?

Just over 20k

Anyone read Richard Littlejohn's piece in The Sun today? Bang on if you ask me. I may be leaving myself open to being slaughtered (pardon the expression) for this viewpoint but what the hell.

Firstly, condolences to anyone who has been affected by this terrible tragedy today. The people actually responsible for today deserve nothing but pure contempt from all right thinking citizens and are not worth the energy to be honest. However , the people who I've heard on radio phone ins today (Vine on Radio 2), a long standing work colleague, and the authors of various other things I've read are the people to really worry about when they imply that it was purely retaliation and was fully deserved. I'm confident that the terrorist can never and will never win, but the loony lefty Guardian readers who hold up George Galloway as some sort of hero really do concern me. Whatever people's views on the war in Iraq there can be NO excusing atrocities such as this.

As John Williams said in the LET last night that there was no such thing as a 'free' transfer I would hazard a guess that if the Cole deal goes through our hopes of landing McCarthy would diminish significantly. The well might not be dry but it'll be getting a little parched.

CLB, I was only a wee boy so didn't get to the away game because it was a night match and my dad wouldn't take me. I mean the home game that we lost (last game of the season). I can still remember the big guy Steve Johnson scoring for Bury that day and I also remember the players spraying us with champagne from the Enclosure stand when the match had finished.

Have to consult Mr. Jackman's book but earliest memory is of a 3-0 home defeat against Rotherham (late 70's and I'm sure the referee was a notorious one called McNally). Other memories were of Howard Kendall breaking the net with a penalty at the Blackburn End, beating Coventry in the 4th round of the FA Cup when they had their infamous brown strip on, watching us lose in the cup at Anfield when John Butcher had a blinder and a certain Mr. K.Dalglish scored the winner and invading the pitch at home to Bury when we'd won promotion from the 3rd Div. Happy days. That would make a total of about 27 years of being a Rovers fan.