Thats exactly the same price that Knighton or even you or I could have bought it for Jim.

I've only read this page but if Brum decided to play babyhouse over letting Savage play could we not have trumped em tit for tat by refusing to let Pennant play wearing his 'dangerous' prison service medal on his ankle?

Sorry this is off topic but whilst looking for the Prem table I spotted these two articles. This is funny..........two pieces of news from Sky Sports. (and we even get a mention too) ............. "Magpies anger at Bellamy abuse by Tom Adams - Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has emphatically ruled out a summer return to the club for Craig Bellamy after the temperamental striker insulted club captain Alan Shearer. Bellamy, currently on loan at Celtic after his January bust-up with boss Graeme Souness, was reported to have sent abusive text messages to both Shearer and Shepherd's son Kenneth. The Newcastle supremo has now declared that the Welsh forward will never return to St James' Park, and warned that he chose to attack the wrong man in the shape of club icon Shearer. The text messages provoked an angry reaction from the man set to eclipse Jackie Milburn's all-time goal-scoring tally for The Magpies, and have further alienated Bellamy from the Newcastle setup. "It's true that messages were received from Bellamy's phone - but he got more than he bargained for from Alan Shearer," Shepherd told the Daily Express. "The text he sent to Kenneth was mildly upsetting but what he said to Shearer was insulting. "It was along the lines that he was past it and his legs had gone and that he was going to come back here from Celtic. "I can tell you there is no chance of that. Bellamy has taken on a hero in Alan and there is only one winner of that one. And it is not Bellamy. "Alan might have thought twice about firing off a reply but he was obviously so riled he reacted. He told Bellamy he would knock his block off if he ever set foot back in Newcastle." Bellamy's future has been the subject of constant speculation during his productive loan spell north of the border, with Blackburn, Celtic and Bayern Munich all eyeing a summer move for the former Coventry man." AND THIS "Souey wants Dyer stay by Alex Livie Newcastle UnitedNewcastle boss Graeme Souness has revealed that he plans to shape his team around England international Kieron Dyer. Dyer is approaching the final year of his contract and has yet to agree fresh terms with the club, which has heightened speculation that he could be sold in the summer. Souness claims the player's contractual situation is down to chairman Freddy Shepherd, but admits he aims to persuade the midfielder to stay by bringing in the players to enable him to flourish in the final third. "I can't go down the line of saying he's staying, but I like Kieron Dyer," said Souness. "A new contract? That's not my department. When it comes to contracts I can tell the chairman who I want to keep, but sorting it out is not my department. "If we can bring in the players we want in the summer, we will play a system that suits him down to the ground. "Kieron is always someone I have admired and people are telling me he's playing the best football of his career. "The obvious criticism of Kieron is that he has not got enough goals as a forward midfield player. I don't see him as a ball-winning midfielder, but someone who can get into the last third of the pitch. He looks dangerous there." A player who also seems to have a future at St James' Park is Robbie Elliott, with Souness saying he will play a key role next term. The defender is out of contract in the summer, but the signs are suggesting he will receive a new deal. "He will be an important player in our dressing room next season," said Souness." My opinion for what its worth is........ 1. that Newcastle have fallen into the trap of letting Shearer get too big for his boots. 2. Shepherd is a fat fool for not being shrewd enough to divert AS from running the show up there. 3. In football matters they are throwing the baby out with the bath water in keeping Dyer and Shearer who both appear to only be playing for themselves at the expense of team players Bellamy and Bowyer! A good and strong manager could get those two to play devastating stuff. 4. Dunno what AS is getting all shirty about with Bellamys txt ......... he's still been worth his place to the mags but its obvious to all that his legs went years ago after his ankle injury at Everton. wonder where GS is? He Hardly rates a mention. Hey ho! Happy days.

Out of the 4 almost doomed teams I would prefer WBA to survive. Solid base of 'proper' fans and nearest to home. Failing that.... Norwich second choice, whilst Palace are obviously a London based team and Soton have Rupert Lowe and an aire of superiority about them that will be best cured by a spell in the lower div(s).

When they get the estimated cost of policing the game attributable to their own stupid comments!

I've emailed the editor pointing out that there are far fewer supporters of the Big 3 than opponents of them! And that is why I have not bought a daily for years. Strachans column is like a breath of fresh air.

She's probably spent most of his dosh, halved the rest and buggered off to someone else by now.............. probably in the black ferrari too.

Obvious really..........

No wonder they wanted us out! Arse and Manc fans getting ripped off big time.......... could'nt happen to a nicer bunch!

Silly sod! Never mind Todd moving imperceptibly to the right RVP is making a definite and fast move to the left! Has anybody ever considered that if Todd had intended to collide with RVP and 'do' him then he was going in the wrong direction altogether prior to the incident? So many people who only see what they want to see without the intelligence / experience / nous to think things through properly have sanctimoniously gobbed off about this and it ticks me off no end.

I know that some people from within the Blackburn boardroom were embarrassed by some of what went on and actually apologised to their Arsenal counterparts. ......... before they had had a chance to view the video evidence no doubt. Anyway bollax to apologising the Arsed directors should have been apologising for their own teams unsporting behaviour.

It all went titsup for souness in the last two years after the loss of Dunn Duff and Berg and we were damned lucky to get rid of him and his staff as easily as we did. But I still maintain that after (and in successive seasons) succeeding in promotion, the Worthy Cup final and Euro qualification twice some other club had come and poached him from us (and there was talk of Spurs doing so) that GS would be widely revered in this town as second only to King Kenny in a vote for most popular post war manager.

This is the Premier League not the North West counties! The requirement for ANY Prem player is to offer a lot more than just the basics.

I may be being naive but I dont think its that cut and dried Bob. I think the FA have been painted into a corner by the media and do not really feel strong enough to be seen NOT to investigate. They will not want to be perceived as ignoring the issue but will be honour bound (irony eh ) to be seen to be doing something. However to anybody with half a brain will see that the video evidence totally exonerates him. Its completely obvious and the simplest of defences to point out that anybody deliberately setting out to elbow somebody will raise the elbow before contact not after! A warning as to his future conduct or similar may be the outcome imo but even that is unfair and will label him as a dirty player in the eyes of some.

Be even more 'almost impossible' if we can 'do' Palace tonight.

I doooont believe it! I have never been a fan of Nickey Butts. He is lucky to have been at Man Utd given his abilities. As for coming to the North West!?! What you on mate? We have more getters and givers than you can shake a stick at! I wouldn't swap Butt for Mokoena, Reid, Sav or even old war horse himself flitty! We need creativety not an overpriced, overpaid, overage water carrier like Nicky Butt.

Matteo reminds me of an average sunday pub league player. Fair enough he is not playing in his best position but his passing is abysmal, he is slow and cumbersome, he is one footed, always nervous on the ball and he cannot turn. He is no way a full back and if you think that he is a better player than Neill then I can have no respect for your judgement of football whatsoever. In fact I'll do it again especially for you Manc........

Great read and sensible article by someone who knows and understands the game. We should email the article and write more in support to the FA the press the media the most importantly the sports minister as well as d uncle tom cobley and all with this condemnation of the Prem and the Champions league monopoly by 3 teams. The competions commitee would'nt allow the situation in industry would it? They have turned our national sport into the farce that has existed north of the border for decades, and look at the state of scottish national team as a result.

What shyte! Arsenal should be charged for the amount of time their players dived and play acted through the game. I'd love to know the amount of time the game was stopped to allow the Arse players to receive the magic sponge compared to the amount of time that the rovers players wasted for the same reason. I'd not have a problem if any one of the cheating french gits had not been able to play on. But after each visit by their trainer they didn't even have the courtesy to limp for the first few steps. I guess the FA feel the need to be seen to 'investigate' the matter in order to satiate the totally unjust blood lust of the sensationalist press and media. I guess 5 Live, Talksport, Hanson and Lineker, and the massed ranks of the press pigs must carry too much weight for the weak FA shoulders. If he is found guilty does either he or the club have any legal recourse? I would love the FA and their witch hunt to be totally and publically discredited. Anyway where the flerk is Gordon Taylor when he is needed? He's usually around with an opinion whether valid or not but his continuing silence is blooody deafening. ...............Problem is they'd try to stiff us at every opportunity ever after.

Neill this / Neill that is madness! Neill may not be the most accomplished right back in the world but he is better at right back than he is at left back YET he is comfortably the best left back (currently) at the club by some distance! You guys need to think less about personalities and more about priorities!

Part of Colin Todds comments in the mirror........ "If there had been intent I could not defend him, but I have watched the incident again, I have talked to my son and I am convinced it was an accident and the boy turned into Andy. As his father, people will say of course I am going to defend him, but he does not deserve this. "His wife and mother are devastated and Andy is disappointed. He tried to apologise at the time, it was accepted by some of the Arsenal players and not by others. "Look at the disciplinary records of both Arsenal and Patrick Vieira, they are absolutely abysmal." Well he doesn't need to feel bad about anything at all in my view. Simple collision and nothing more. I wonder how much sh1t would still be flying if todd had been Tugays height and van Persie had turned into him and butted him in the face causing injury?

Just out of interest, where IS the press box ? Is it the one with the Radio Rovers hoardings (or is that just the Radio Rovers guys) ? Glenn, the press-box at Ewood is the area behind where the directors sit in the upper-tier of the Jack Walker (central under the TV gantry). Some of the best seats in Ewood. Damn good view from there. Maybe we should send the worst offenders to sit on the bottom row of the Riverside. Where they and their laptops would get wet, where there is a lousy view and where the ignorant early doors brigade stroll past, stopping frequently and block their view for the last 10 mins of every match.

Your car would have broken down by now anyway Toogs!

and long may it continue to be!

I hardly think Andy Neild plays it straight down the middle waggy. But it is the only one that I buy these days.