Nelsen for me. Bellamy's only there because he scores goals every now and then.

Roeder stunned by magnificent seven Daniel Taylor at Ewood Park Monday October 15, 2001 The Guardian Sven-Goran Eriksson’s voyage of exploration brought him to this ground yesterday where the ubiquitous Swede will have learned that if West Ham players won England the 1966 World Cup, as their supporters are occasionally prone to boast the chances of them having a telling impact in 2002 are almost non-existent. Instead, after showing the backbone of a jellyfish on their way to the season’s most emphatic Premiership defeat, any talk of the far east in the West Ham dressing room next year is more likely to concern Grimsby and Norwich than it is the offerings in Japan and South Korea. Whether Glenn Roeder will be around at that stage is open to debate but West Ham’s position in the relegation quicksand is not a false one and their beleaguered manager was at least realistic enough to acknowledge that, in an increasingly impatient business, he may not be given much time to retrieve the situation. “In times like this I always think of the Rocky films. You can either lie down and be carried out of the ring or get up and start swinging,” he said. “Look at Burnley and Stan Ternent. They lost 6-0 at home to Manchester City a couple of years ago and there was a massive question mark over his future. He survived and now he’s doing a great job. I’m still confident that, given time, I can do the same. I can cope, if other people can.” It is easy to sympathise with a man who, more by default than anything else, inherited a creaking side last summer after initia!ly being informed that there was no hint even applying for the job. Yet questions must also be asked whether the players are behind him because this pitiful surrender, two weeks after a 5-0 drubbing at Everton, suggests there is little of that Rocky spirit in his dressing room. Paolo di Canio may be a talismanic force at Upton Park but take him out of the east end and he suddenly seems like Superman in the presence of kryptonite. Trevor Sinclair appears to have his mind on Sunderland (as might Don Hutchison) and, after being sent off on his debut at Middlesbrough, Tomas Repka made it two red cards in his first three games yesterday. If he makes it a hat-trick in his next, one wonders whether he will get to take the referee home. Graeme Souness felt a victory like this had been coming for his neat and industrious side, but he must still have been surprised to see his players speed into a three goal lead before half an hour had elapsed. Until Garry Flitcroft headed in Corrado Grabbi’s clever centre, West Ham had actually acquitted themselves quite well but that 18th-minute breakthrough was the catalyst for the most abject surrender imaginable. Nine minutes later David Dunn had embarrassed Shaka Hislop with an exquisite shot from 30 yards that caught the goalkeeper slightly off his line, and within another 60 seconds Tugay Kerimoglu’s cross was headed across goal by Grabbi for Damien Johnson to make it 3-0 from point-blank range. Briefly, West Ham rallied. A low 20-yard drive by Michael Carrick offered a glimmer of salvation but when Sinclair squandered a fine chance to make it 3-2 four minutes into a tetchy second half they crumbled again. Repka was dismissed just after the hour after taking Grabbi’s heels for an innocuous second booking and when the substitute Grant Mccann sliced Tugay’s cross into his own net a couple of minutes later it was damage limitation time. Or at least it should have been. A thumping right-foot drive from Tugay narrowly beat Dunn’s effort as the game’s outstanding moment. Jansen lashed in the rebound after Hislop failed to hold Dunn’s drive and, after seeing how easy it was, the substitute Craig Hignett weighed in with the seventh from a Jansen cross. Blackburn were awesome. “There is going to be a lot of soul-searching in the next few days,’ said Roeder. “There were players out there who can do better and players who were doing their best but can’t do any better. Our squad is at least four or five people short. “It hurts. I hope I get more time but whether it’s me or ultimately someone else, who knows? I know that whoever ft is, they won’t have a magic wand to turn things around immediately. “There isn’t much money to spend and if we keep defending like this we are going to be in serious trouble.”

You took the words out of my mouth. Bellamy has been good this season. He's been good as a goalscorer. On the occasions he has been on the pitch. There are better candidates for player of the season. He's just winning because he has scored goals over the past few months. Which is what he is meant to do. Other players have done what they have meant to do, but much better. It's an Antipodean for me.

Brilliant idea! A real blood-vessel buster. From thousands (OK, hundreds) of living rooms around Blackburn comes the cry of "*** ****** ****** ref. Rovers stick a patent on the idea and before you know it Jose & RFW have to pay us millions in fees. Especially as ther DVDs of injustices will be three times as long as every one elses. I'm still going for Reid's at Wigan.

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I don't like Alan Shearer either. I hated the bloke when he jumped ship. I've seen nothing since that endears me to him. Enjoy your millions Alan, enjoy your testimonial and the more thousands it will bring you. I really don't like you any more, but you were the best striker we ever had. And just stop appearing as a pundit on MOTD with your knees about 2 metres apart. You look like an elk in rut.

Joey, Magnificent. Obviously a lot of time & effort gone into that. Thank you. I really enjoyed reading it. Colin

I'm going up into the attic with the noose now. Goodbye. It's been nice chatting to you.

Apparantly one of the little blighters was on the pitch in the game at Highbury between Arsenal and Villareal. Bloomin' hooligans, next thing they'll be digging up the pitch to bury their nuts.

From today's Guardian Spot on Florida, It's not the ref, it's FIFA's stupid rule which the refs have to interpret.

That result was the biggest travesty of justice since MGP "scored" at Newcastle. It's Zen, live with it. Ooooommmmmmmmm That assistant referee will be reborn as an earthworm. Or as Glenn Hoddle. Hopefully the latter.

I'm old enough to remember watching the first Doctor Who with William Hartnell & then Patrick Troughton with my Mum & Dad on a Saturday, so it is a satisfying feeling to sit down with my daughter and watch it again in 2006. Lawks! What a big soft git. It's well written, well produced, there's a decent storyline, it's pitched at a level that both parents and children can enjoy together. Well done the BBC. That was funny, but the story was based 5m years in the future, so it's rather depressing to think that the chavs will be going for so long. Ooops. At least Burberry shares should be secure in the long term

Don't know if that was a typo or not, but a tip of the hat to you there Pick. This really is a game that we should be winning, Taylor and Cunningham are truely aweful, they have the mobility of a fully laden longboat on the Leeds & Liverpool canal and if MH gets the midfield to play some low fast balls through to Bellamy and (whisper it) Dickov we should be OK. I just hope Savage manages to stay away from Damien Johnson, there's an early bath waiting to happen for both.

Well done Accy

Tony, Where do you get that from? Have you (or anyone else who predicts Bellany to score in the 78th minute with his left foot from 5 metres to the north west of the penalty spot at the Blackburn End blah blah blah) got a crystal ball? I wish someone would tell me where all these predictions come from. To be honest I haven't a clue what's going to happen on Sunday. Is Mystic Meg somehow scattering her stardust over us? I think we should be told.

Five games to go yet, possibly a bit early for me. I'll wait until the end of the season before I make my mind up.

Mr Moderators, Is it possible for everyone to have three votes and aggregate? A sort of proportional representation, because there seems to be too many people who would like to vote for more than one goal. Take it as a challenge for your web-building skills (he said smilingly.) I'm voting for Reid at Wigan just for the sheer horrible speed & violence of the thing. Tugay v Fulham would get my second vote and MGP's in the same game would bet my third.

Have a look at these: Gallery Of Costume, Platt Hall, Rusholme, Manchester (which is next to the Curry Mile) here Helmshore textile Museum (maybe a bit hard to get to) here Lewis Textile Museum, Blackburn here Macclesfield Silk Museums (lots of trains from Manchester Picadilly) here Manchester Museum Of Science & Industry (has old textile steam-driven machinery plus a full display of Manchester's textile history. It's interesting.) here If those web sites give you the "postcode" you can put it into here and it will show you where they are.

Ah, that explains MOTD's one-sided highlights. They weren't.

You need a life Eddie "In 1996, miniature Arsenal striker Paul Dickov decided he'd had enough of the managerial turmoil at Highbury (three managers in the previous 18 months: George Graham, Bruce Rioch and Stewart Houston) and jumped ship to Manchester City. There he managed to play under a variety of bosses as the managerial reins went through a further four pairs of hands before the end of the calendar year (Alan Ball, Steve Coppell, Phil Neal and Frank Clark)." Once Clark went in 1998, Dickov only saw one more outgoing manager at Maine Road - Joe Royle, in 2001 - before heading to Leicester the following year. Once there he saw the back of Dave Bassett, before switching his charms to Blackburn, where bothGraeme Souness and Tony Parkes have left during his stay. That leaves the Scot with 11 departed managers during his career, Mark Hughes, you have been warned ...

Rusholme is known as "The Curry Mile"as it full of curry houses with bright lights, shops which stay open until very late, and a general feeling that you are in India rather than Manchester. To be truthful most of the shops are run by Bangladeshi people. You'd get some good photos there. It is just south of the city centre, past the University You could also get some good photos in the centre of Manchester of you just look up from ground level and see the marvellous architecture which appears above the shop fronts.

OK, Which current Premiership player has seen more of his managers sacked/departed than any other. Clue: (and it's a big one) he's in blue & white.

Enjoy..... MONDAY APRIL 02 2001 Starstruck Burnley bow to superiors BY DAVID MCVAY (The Times) Blackburn Rovers 5 Burnley 0 THEY transgressed the rules at Ewood Park yesterday. On the day die practical jokes were supposed to end at noon, this East Lancashire derby was something of a hoax. Do not blame Blackburn Rovers, who returned from a short break in Dubai with devastating effect. With impeccable timing, they moved into the second automatic promotion place in the Nationwide League first division for the first time this season. Better still, they have played two games fewer than Bolton Wanderers, whom they dislodged from that position. The pranksters on April 1 actually were Burnley, allegedly on a mission to gain revenge against their bitter local rivals for a sound thrashing incurred at Turf Moor last December. The renewed hostilities ensured an intense security operation outside the ground, but inside the visiting team were in no danger of detaining anyone, performing with a restrained and overawed temerity befitting star-struck members of the Blackburn reserve team. In the end the home side, shorn of theft fat-cats image during a sequence of 17 league games interrupted by just one defeat, settled for five goals. Such was Bumley’s compliance and willingness to afford their opponents the freedom of the park, though, it could have been far more. A 1960 FA Cup quarter-final tie recalled in the local newspaper, when Blackburn were on the road to Wembley and Burnley were two months from winning the old first division championship, was a reminder of greater days and some memorable matches in the region. Although this was not one of them, the nature of the victory indicates that at least one of these clubs is preparing to accept the challenge of top-flight football once again, even if its ambition at this stage will not stretch to emulating the FA Carling Premiership title achievement of 1995. “Success for us is getting out of this division,” Graeme Souness, the Blackburn manager, said. “We have ten games left and we must go into every one as if it is the last of our lives. We will probably have to win six or seven of them.” Burnley, promoted last year and devoid of passion yesterday, are some considerable distance short of the standards set by their famous predecessors, as a tame capitulation confirmed. By the time the grey hair and grey matter of Mark Hughes released Craig Hignett, his fellow substitute, to make it 5- 0 with seven minutes remaining, the claret and blue shirts were in a sorry state. “It is frustrating and embarrassing,” Stan Ternent, the Burnley manager, said. “But we have to put it in perspective. Blackburn are by far the best side in the division in my opinion. Make no mistake, they will be promoted.” Burnley had offered scant resistance and virtually nothing as a creative force in the first half. It got progressively worse thereafter. During that initial 45 minutes, Blackburn had swept into a two-goal lead through the most unlikely source. Craig Short laid claim to his first goal in five years and his first for Blackburn when he diverted David Dunn’s shot beyond Nik Michopoulos after 13 minutes. Now in the twilight of his career, the former Notts County, Derby County and Everton defender perhaps did not envisage himself as an overlapping left back, but his sprightly foray down that flank to the byline elicited a second goal, hi off Steve Davis, the Burnley captain, in the 27th minute. When Marcus Bent skimmed past Mitchell Thomas to supply Matt Jansen with his seventeenth goal of the campaign 11 minutes after the interval, the white flag of surrender had already been hoisted by Burnley. Jansen, Alan Mahon and Bent ran amok among bedraggled defenders and the curiosity was how it took Blackburn so long to score again. It was worth the wait. Jensen and Mahon exchanged passes near the halfway line and the forward executed a clinically impudent finish. Man-to-man marking Blackburn Rovers (3-5-2) BRAD FRIEDEL: Clean handling and supreme agility to thwart Taylor’s header 7 JOHW CURTIS: Able and alert to what little menace came his way 6 HENNING BERG: Solid as the proverbial rock. Withstood a devious dragging boot from Weller 7 CRAIG SHORT: Clearly life in the old dog yet. Honed predatory skills because of inactivity at the back 7 JASON McATEER: As always an eager and earnest workhorse down the right 6 DAVID DUNN: Exemplary in creation and boundless energy in midfield 7 GARRY FLITCROFT: A gifted anchor role. Legs are tiring but the vision never wanes 7 ALAN MAHON: A repetitive pain syndrome to Burnley 7 DAMIEN DUFF: Not fit with a chest and rib injury. Withdrawn 5 MATT JANSEN: Hit die bar before his two goals. Stylish front running 8 MARCUS BENT: Perfect foil for Jansen, although first touch is sometimes suspect 6 SUBSTITUTES: Mark Hughes (for Berg, 73mm): Did his best, but even Sparky failed to agitate the visiting team 6 Craig Hignett (for McAteer, 67): Touches of class in brief cameo, and a neat finish 6 Stig Inge Bjornebye (for Duff, 27): Solid if not spectacular and lent width to the cause 6; Substitutes not used: E Bericovic, A Kelly. Burnley (3-5-2) NJK MICHOPOULOS: All Greek to him on the day. Exposed cruelly by colleagues 5 MITCHELL THOMAS: The Kenny Burns revolving door of World Cup 1978 reincarnated 3 STEVE DAVIS: An unfortunate own goal, generally lacked presence 4 IAN COX: Difficult to know who he was marking. He clearly did not 3 PAUL WELLER: Nasty dig at Berg was his most significant contribution 4 GLEN LITTLE: Did not let his head drop, but mostly treading water for 90 minutes 5 KEVIN BALL: His departure alerted neutrals to his selection 3 PAUL COOK: As anonymous as the rest of the side in uneven midfield struggle 4 GRAHAM BRANCH: More twig-like, really 3 GARETH TAYLOR: His splendid header could have made a game of it 4 JA.N MOORE: An offside “goal” but subdued far too easily 4 SUBSTITUTES: Gordon Armstrong (for Moore, 73): Brushed aside repeatedly in his short spell on the pitch 3 Andy Payton (for Ball, 60): Consistent with the rest of his team-mates, making no impression 4 Paul Smith (forBranch, 46): Mowing the grass at home would have proved more productive 4 Substitutes not used: B Maylett, P Critchton. Booked: Weller, Little. Referee: Alan Butler. Played advantage rule well for the second goal. Fair effort all round 7 Player ratings by David MeVay

Got me bang-to rights on that one guv. Mind you he does have a point. That goal was a joke, should never have been allowed. Hey ho.

Thanks Tango, Good preview, much appreciated. Colin