I take it from your post you have only just started at Uni BuckyRover as that is a typical I'm at Uni now I know it all a lot of first years come out with. I think MCM1875 says it all really

Cheers Trooper. Went with your recommendation and the Braggster is currently plaing on my PC via headphones here at work. Something a bit different but quality all the same

No the concessus is we need to attract fans from all walks of life not just the Asian population.

Well said Manchester Blue.

Don't think it is direct animosity to the Asian football supporter Jozsurf, but the perception that people seem to bend over backwards to help them whilst the rest of the community get shafted. I am not saying this is the case, but when you read about Christmas cards being banned from stores and offices etc and the police saying they should employee the Asian if they were on a par with a white applicant it all adds up. Don't get me wrong this is not necessarily the Asian populations fault and as far as I'm aware it causes no offence when they receive Christmas cards, but the people at the top who 'know what's best' when really they do more harm than good. Asian supporters should count themselves lucky, they don't get half the abuse non season ticket holders get on £10 a ticket match days

They sell Balti Pies, what more do they want Seriously though, Rovers should not go all out to attract Asian supporters, they should go all out to attract Any supporter and not discriminate. Hughesy what you suggest would IMO make it more likely to put Asians off coming to Ewood due to increased animosity from other supporters. Could you imagine a father who has just spent half his wage taking his kids to Rovers and an asain family sat next to him get in for free. What's next? Lasagne to attract Italians, Stir fry for the Chinese

though of course home games would be played at deepdale, with it being the oldest pro sports ground in the world Yeah, and can't you just tell

Hooligans have to be smarter these days to avoid detection by the many cameras in and around football grounds. Added to this the extra police presence at grounds compared to the 80's. That is not to say football hooligans are smart far from it. As for nailing them to the floor, now that fox hunting has effectively been banned, why not keep the toffs happy by introducing Hooligan hunting. Imagine a load of toffs on horses following their hounds as they chase the Burberry Brigade around the countryside Anyway although I've gone on a bit here, who really cares what happens to those 17

Very happy with the appointment. Didn't really have a first choice. Hughes, Dowie, Moyes, Megson or Strachan would have all been welcome at Ewood for me. OK so he doesn't have premiership experience but that is not going to guarantee success on the pitch, Hughes may succeed he may fail. If it's the latter I'm damn sure it will not be down to a lack of effort on his part. All we can do is give him time and support the team 100% I for one am confident he can turn Rovers around

I agree totally with this. Its all about getting bums on seats, how the hell can we do that. We aren't going to get back the 4,000 or so 'supporters' who were there for the good times back unless we get success on the pitch, which really is catch 22. Do we invest to succeed in the hope that 3,000 - 4,000 new supporters will come back therefore generating the cash, or we try and find new ways to generate the cash before investing in the team. All clubs have 'glory supporters' who jump form one club to the next, a mate of mine who is a Man U season ticket holder said he wouldn't mind too much if they finished midtable to get rid of the glory hutting supporters. Maybe he can send a few our way

Pre Season we heard rumours of the club having £10 - £15 mil to spend. This, it seemed was not true. I'm not saying we have that much to spend but if Souness was living on borrowed time and had 3 or 4 games to save his job, would the board give him large sums of money to spend during the summer, especially after losing money on Grabbi and to a point Cole and Yorke??? I think the club will give the new manager money to spend (don't have a clue how much), but i'd think they would need to offer a new manager some money to attract them to Rovers.

I'll go for a Rovers win 4-1 The Souness fan club for us: Todd Flitty Jansen Gally and for them: Shearer

He paid big money for Heskey - and Played him

Just added some new questions in light of the managerial changes which have occurred since the preview was posted. I certainly picked a good preview here

I'm indifferent. I think it will depend on who we bring in. I could not see us being relegated under Souness but at the same time could not see us breaking into the top ten.

I feel shocked but because I had faith in Souness keeping us up. However I will wait to see who we bring in before I get upset / excited about this. Strachan would be my choice, but I have a strange feeling Steve McMahon may be in with a shout. Anyone but Hoddle or that Houlier. My main concern is players leaving. If Souness comes in for Stead, Ferguson etc we have to get top dollar for them. As with most, thanks for the memories Greame and good luck

How can you not vote for someone who is known as 'Mr Blackburn Rovers' Great artical FourLaneBlue. Bob gets my vote

Got to agree, Yorke had me fooled after his performances in the first two games of the season, but against Man U he just waved his arms at the ref whenever he lost the ball. Drop Yorke get Matty in

After two difficult matches against unbeaten and seemingly unbeatable Arsenal, and then our old foes Manchester Utd we now face the task of taking 3 points from Newcastle. Both teams have struggled to get results this season and have managers who are starting to feel the pressure. Newcastle - Blackburn matches are always eventful, from the 1-0 bottle victory on our way to winning the title to last season 1-0 victory at the unfortunate expense of Barry Ferguson. So we have many questions before this match. Can Rovers make it 2 wins in a row at St James's Park, which team will get their first win of the season, will Shearer score against his old club and will Rovers finally get a penalty.......................... Unfortunately we do not know the answers to the above, but thanks to Jamie Waller, my Newcastle supporting mate we do have some answers to the following questions, so read on and enjoy What effect, if any has missing out on the Champions League has affected your pre-season, in terms of buying players? The only real effect is that we’ve resisted the opportunity to spend a lot of money building a Champions League-winning side when we don’t have Champions League football and income to back it up. Leeds’ plight is a good example what happens when your ambitions are bigger than your achievements, so I think buying quality, experienced players like Kliuvert and Carr makes good business sense. Who is going to be your most influential player this season and why? It has to be Shearer, as usual. No other player gives as much as he does in each game, and despite his age he’s still popping up with match-winning performances and goals. He’ll be sorely missed next season. What are your thoughts on the players you have bought this summer? As I said, I think they are quality, experienced players. Milner aside, the new arrivals have played top-flight football for a number of seasons, so if nothing else, they’ll bring a wealth of experience. On his day Patrick Kluivert can be a world-beater, and Nicky Butt’s won a hatful of medals, and brings with him that bite in midfield that sale of Gary Speed took away. Stephen Carr will bring some much-needed quality to the back line, and Milner will continue his development down our right wing, hopefully at the expense of Kieron Dyer. Both teams have had a poor start to the seasons, the Blackburn fans are getting a bit disillusioned with Mr Souness and some of his tactical decisions, but the board seem committed to him staying. Do you think that the Newcastle board are committed to Sir Bobby given that he has already been told it’s his last season or do you think his tenure as manager could be cut short if results don’t improve? At one time I thought Sir Bobby was ‘unsackable’, such was his standing and reputation within the game. However, in the light of less-than-impressive recent results, and his insistence on buying forwards when the defence is in dire need of strengthening, you have to think that he might not be so safe if results continue to go against him. That said, I think the board will feel almost duty-bound to allow him to see out his contract, and take steps to replace him towards the end of his tenure. What are your thoughts on Blackburn as a club? As a football fan, I’ve always enjoyed watching Blackburn play, and was as pleased as anyone when they took the title, especially as they wrestled it away from United. These days, however, they don’t seem to carry the same feeling of family and togetherness as they once did. I’ve never been to Ewood, but television coverage still suggests it’s a friendly atmosphere and a good stage on which to play football. What are you thoughts on our summer signings of Dickov, Matteo and De Pedro? You could argue that these are quality, experienced professionals, similar to Newcastle. However, with the greatest of respect, these players aren’t going to win titles, and not necessarily cups. A club of Blackburn’s stature should be attracting a higher standard of player, rather than picking off the better players from relegated sides. To me, signings like these only indicate a lack of ambition on the part of the manager. What are you thoughts on Souness? Committed and passionate or just a moaning Scottish big mouth? I admire his passion and commitment, but once in a while, his niggling complaints against every bad decision become a bit too much. There’s no doubting he’s a top-class manager, but a few lessons in manager-referee relations wouldn’t go amiss. We have exchange more than our fair share of players and managers over the past few seasons. What impact has each of the following had on Newcastle: Shay Given In my opinion, the most consistent Premiership ‘keeper in the last 5 years. Each season there seems to be one of two ‘keepers who stand out, but you can always put Shay third in any poll of the best in the league. David Batty I have a lot of time for Batty, and his impact on the team cannot be underestimated, but he will always be remembered from breaking up that potential title-winning team when we lost the 12-point lead. A true professional, though, and a surprisingly great loss when he moved on. Alan Shearer He was a legend before he got here, and he’s only become more legendary since. The fact that people are still calling for him to return to the national fold highlights both his ability and standing in the game. We may never see his like again. Kenny Dalglish This is always a bone of contention. He’s won titles, been a world-class player, but he never seemed to ‘get’ the Geordie way of playing football. He dismantled arguably the greatest attack in the country, and brought in lacklustre, second-rate players, specifically at the back. He turned Newcastle from everyone’s second team to an at-best top-10 outfit. Which players should we watch out for, when you play us? Leaving aside Shearer, players like Jenas and Milner are worth paying attention to. Young, capable, future internationals who have adapted to Premiership life with relative ease. If they stay injury-free, there’s no reason to suggest they won’t be England squad regulars in a few months. Who do you see as our danger men? You can never rule out Stead – he’s come from the third division to the Premiership and taken to it like a duck to water. He’s one of those players who just ooze quality. Yorke is another player who has to be watched, as his great ball control and awareness will always be a threat, especially against our back four. Sir Bobby Robson is leaving as club manager at the end of the season along with Alan Shearer. Do you think this will have a big impact on the club and who do you see as their ideal replacements? It’s frightening to think what will become of a team who has been led by these two giants of Geordie folklore for so long. To me, neither is directly replaceable, so we have to look at the next-best-thing. As a manager, we should be looking for people in the Steve McClaren/Steve Bruce class, whose teams are always organised and efficient, yet able to compete with the better sides in the league. As a target man, players like James Beattie are often touted as replacements, but that’s missing the point. Shearer’s not just an aerial threat; he’s a born goalscorer, a leader, a constant annoyance to the opposition, and a passionate supporter of the club he plays for. How many players in football today possess all that? Not many. Do you think Alan Shearer has any regrets about A: Leaving the only club he has ever won a medal I doubt it – he freely states that he loved his time at Blackburn, and had he won trophies at Newcastle it would never have been an issue. In my opinion, he was destined to play for his home-town club, regardless of how successful he was at other clubs. B: Signing for Newcastle and not Man U? Maybe. The success of United may well have entered his thoughts when he looks at his trophy cabinet, but winning the league, the FA Cup and the UEFA cup this season should be enough to quash those feelings! What are your predictions for the season for both Newcastle and Blackburn? At present Newcastle would be happy with a top 6 finish, but there’s a lot of hard work to go in before that happens. Blackburn would be happy with a top 10 finish in my opinion – maybe those close season acquisitions will help stave off a relegation battle this term. Your prediction for the match? I always feel we have a chance at St James Park. Regardless of current form, I’m predicting a 2-1 win to Newcastle. Shearer will score at least one of them. Your goal will be handed to you via a typical defensive blunder. And finally, why do Newcastle fans continuously go on about being the best fans in the world, when everyone knows that Ewood Park is home is the best support ever (Especially the Riverside) Simple - because Newcastle fans are the best fans in the world… Thanks again to Jamie for taking part and providing some good responses ********************************************************* Preview update Of all the matches I could choose to review!!!! Within 24 hours of posting my preview many of the questions and answers became obsolete with the sacking of Sir Bobby Robson, then just over a week from posting the news coming from both clubs has shocked both sets of supporters. I have returned to Jamie to update the preview: What are your thoughts on the sacking of Sir Bobby? Do you think his dismissal was carried out in a manner befitting of Sir Bobby? Not even close – a legend was left with a bitter taste in his mouth courtesy of another PR masterclass from Mr Shepard. Its one thing to decide to relieve your manager of his duties at the end of the season, but to announce it to the media on the eve of the season, before you even tell the man himself, is something only Freddy could manage. A sad end to a good tenure for Sir Bobby. How do you feel about the appointment of Souness? Do you think he is the man to turn around Newcastle’s season? Is there a man in football today who could turn us round? Poor discipline, desperately bad at the back, prima donna players - whoever was given the job was always in for a rough ride, especially given the fans’ thirst for instant success. That said, I’m prepared to give Souness a chance to prove himself. He’s never been a bad manager, but he’s never been that great. Selling Bramble would be a good start though... Who do you see as the ideal candidate for the Blackburn job? This is a tough question, because Blackburn are one of those clubs who have no major weaknesses, so matching them to a suitable manager is not easy. You should however be looking towards the likes of Gordon Strachan in my opinion; a no-nonsense, good young manager who could pick up where Souness left off in terms of management style. With Shearer hanging up his boots at the end of the season, do you think Souness will be in charge in 12 months or will Shearer get the job? I must be one of the only Newcastle supporters who can see the utter disaster in putting Shearer in charge. Legend or not, until he’s got his coaching badges and a few seasons management experience under his belt, a club of Newcastle’s stature should not even look at him, let alone consider him. In time, if he proves himself to be a promising manager, then I’ll welcome his appointment, but for the foreseeable future an experienced coach is all we should be employing. To that end, barring some almighty fall-out with the fans or the board, I expect to see Souness at the helm in 12 months. Given the changes over the past week and a half, do you think Newcastle can get a top 6 finish? Not until we sign two quality centre-backs and start playing like a team – simple as that. Every team in the top half displays a level of playing competence across the pitch, and has some form of togetherness that gets them difficult results – I’m talking about the Boltons and Birminghams of the league. Providing Souness can steady the ship and buy some quality defenders, a top 10 finish is not inconceivable, but top 6 may be a bridge too far this term. How do you see Souness and his no nonsense attitude coping with egos such as Dyer and Bellamy etc? Not to put too fine a point on it, I hope he kicks their arses. Dyer has been allowed to act up for too long now, and Bellamy runs the risk of dying from some moaning-related disease. Sir Bobby was never much of a disciplinarian, and certain players seem to have taken advantage of that. Hopefully Souness’ tougher stance on discipline will knock those players back into line. They might even start playing to their potential, but one step at a time, eh? Which of the current Rovers squad would you like Souness to poach in January? Despite his age and less-than-glamorous reputation, we could do worse that to bring in Craig Short, for the simple reason that he’d bring a bit of grit and ability to our back line. This is the only part of the team that needs any real attention at this stage in my opinion, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Matt Jansen moving to the north-east some day. Even though it appears Souness will not take change until the Monday after the game, does you match prediction of 2-1 to Newcastle still stand? At the time of that prediction, I had the misguided belief that this was just another classic Newcastle slow start, and that eventually somebody would be beaten to get us rolling. Now it appears that there are bigger problems internally at Newcastle, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you turn up with the intention of putting one over on your old manager, despite him not being in charge yet. A draw would be a good result for us at this stage, but Newcastle being Newcastle, we’ve just as much chance of beating you 5-0 as you have of beating us by the same score line! Again Thanks Jamie, and good luck to both Newcastle and Souness.

Do you care what Cockneys think about us

Have done American, you'll get £50 winnings (in US $ of course) on the 27th September. I only hope I am right I have always been told i'm not very funny, but Peter Kay wouldn't have got as big a laugh as I got in Corals in Manchester when i asked for odds on Rovers to beat Arsenal

Right, in the clod light of day i have changed my mind. I'm so confident i've put £10 on Rovers to win tonight. Maybe i do waste my money

Quality

3-1 to Rovers I don't know, i don't think we'll be battered. We always seem to raise our game against the 'bigger' teams. As long as we try to get at them and not invite pressure (we'll be under enough of that as it is ) I'll go 3-2 to Arsenal with a possible 2-2. Won't predict who will score i think i've said enough already. A draw what am i thinking

To be fair to the players they aren't going to criticise Sven when he is still the England manager, otherwise they would possibly be straight out the team. If he gets sacked though just wait to see how many players stick up for him then. It's like Ranieri, the players said they would be gutted if he left, no one could do a better job etc etc, but now Mr Porto is in charge things are suddenly 100 times better. Two faced, I wonder