town. And that is why we can never attract big enough crowds to support a Prem team indefinitely. Just thinking to myself the other day about the Prem and just what is there to attract new supporters? The league is flacid and uninspirational. It is stagnating. By and large any team that comes up is nearly doomed to be relegated unless one or more existing teams have a disastrous spell based on poor leadership (which is why we and Soton have struggled so much). I do find the attitude of newly promoted teams refreshing, everything in their season in the Prem is a bonus and they know it, the attitudes of the West Brom and Norwich supporters are really refreshing compared to the 'established' mid-tablers. At the top only 1 team now has a real chance with another two waiting for a slip up. The rest are simply hoping for a Champions league berth to fill the coffers and illustrate some measure of success, as soon as that becomes impossible the season may as well be over. Poor fare really and whilst money screams so loud I cannot see things changing. Strange thing to me as the press and media seem quite happy with this state of affairs when in reality it must be damned difficult finding interesting angles in such a sterile news atmosphere. The Prem and the FA too must be worried but no one in authority seems to see the danger signs. I long for a return to the dog-eat-dog years of the 60's when at the beginning of every season half the teams were forecast to be involved in winning the title and the other half in avoiding relegation. The whole business is in a state of suspended animation, no wonder the less committed punters and increasing numbers of sponsors are turning their backs on the sport. Metaphorically speaking we at BRFC have bought nearly every T shirt available and there are no new ones coming through. I can see no way forward to improve the situation other a half hearted action which would limit squads to 25 players and no more. That way the top teams would be unable to sign players simply to warm the subs bench and preserve their current unhealthy monopoly on European bunce. In turn this would strengthen the rest. imo the only way forward to satisfy the money men is a European league, yet that would be a major turn off for the majority of fans. We wouldn't be in it and worse still I personally would rather we weren't, it would be sterile fare in the extreme. This may be a suprising time to say this when we have virtually seen off the spectre of relegation and are in the SF's next week but I do feel that we are drifting aimlessly through a self created vacuum which each season is becoming increasingly soul-destroying and pointless.

In my clumsy way I was trying to inform him that he wont be able to get one from official sources on the day.

Make sure that you get a ticket first.

Every cloud has a silver lining............. at least we'll be able to get out of Cardiff in record time! but I expect the FA to give us Mike Riley for every cup game next season to make sure that we never sully the later stages with our presence ever again. They have long memories and will carry a big grudge.

Difficult to play a good pass when Thommo in front is playing too narrow and Dickov marked by 2 6ft+ centre halves is the only outlet. I've no doubt that choosing to play his way out of trouble by playing intricate one - two's with Todd and Flitty is probably on Sparky's 'most banned' list!

And exactly how would that work then?

That would mean that the final insult will be toward the fans who have stumped up for the higher priced ones waggy. Gotta say this mercenary and manipulative ticket sales 'engineering' by the FA all leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Going to Cardiff at the instigation of the greedy grabbing FA is just like bothering to vote in the oncoming General Election......... it only serves to encourage em!

Just got mine too. Same story...... Only tickets left are £45 and £55. Given that there are not all that many of those in the millenium stadium and that all the £25-35 have gone then it looks like we will be pretty well supported. I bet you dont know whether to laugh or cry tmap! Tell you what you should try to think more positively than simply saying 'screw that'. Dont go and save your money instead so that you can afford the best tickets in the house for the final and then you can have a real day to remember.

What a RFW! What does he expect? After scoring in the incredible 4 mins of Fergytime at Ewood he has absolutely no right to moan about bad timekeeping has he?

Shouldn't that read 'the yid in the yed' Abbey?

Of course it is! A long term publicity ban from Williams as a result of a fall-out between the LET AND brfc would see the LET off quick style. What else of substance is in it apart from Births,deaths and marriages's?

neeps and tatties? He's not a scot for goodness sake Bryan........ the wee mans from Glasgow! I think a battered and fried Mars bar would prove far more traditional to ward off his homesickness.

No chance of that! Glasgow is 250 miles from Wrexham.

What is it about the French and spitting? http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/050222/3/98w8.html I would imagine and indeed hope that Bartez will be punished hard for that.

The match if my memory serves me correctly that ended just as Jock Stein the scottish manager collapsed and died pitchside from a massive heart attack.

Lying, cheating and refusing to accept a handshake at the end of a match........ He is quite simply not an honourable man and should therefore neither be considered nor treat as one.

Bloody strange why so many folk on here reckon that we can do without Dickov and should get rid of him when we procure ths services of 2 top strikers next season. So just what we gonna do when injuries, suspension and loss of form kick in with our top guns folks? Or maybe some members are assuming that we are going to sign 5 top strikers come summer.

Continually playing as a lone (and small), back to goal striker against 2 giant centre halves is an absolutely thankless task and I do not know anybody else other (than maybe Shearer at his 10 year back best) who could do it. Somebody who is at best half-decent but appears to be turning troublesome is Beattie and he cost 6million. Dickov aint brilliant but he's the best we have by some distance and he never shirks a challenge. imo far more deserving of criticism are the underachieving likes of Emerton, Gallagher, Stead and Neil. Criticise all you lot want but there appears few viable alternative suggestions coming from the 'iknoweverythingbuthaveneverkickedapigginballinmechuff' ranks of Dickov haters.

Hmmm. I've nothing definite to go on, so its only a hunch but the way this reads could (and not suprisingly) possibly point to a psychological problem.

Now 1. We have at last a team with a totally professional attitude equal to the guys of 95. 2. Super result last night and a committed and CONFIDENT (at last) performance 3. Hughes and his mgment team are doing their level best with the players that they inherited. but........ and this'll stir up the natives ........ 4. We have turned into the Burnley equivalent of the Prem!

I think thats Game Set and Match to Philip.

At least we'll get home in time for a pint or two in celebration.

It wouldn't totally suprise me to find that it wasn't even mooted to the South Wales police force when the decision was made. Gotta say that the more I think about it the more the FA's thought processes seem to be based on total lunacy. Not enough hotels by half, those with rooms charging a kings ransom, inadequate roads and transport services, pubs filled well beyond legal limits ( and Cardiffs very own are hardly shrinking violets are they?). The prospects of spending Sat night in Cardiff city centre becomes increasingly daft. I wonder how big their local hospitals casualty dept is? And all this just to sqeeze every last penny out of Joe Public to help pay for the excesses of the corporate monolith that they are currently building in North London! Kinda sad that 75% of contributions will come from 200+ miles away in the spiritual heartlands of English football who should have been better considered by choosing a site in the midlands. ......Ooooh err Im in severe danger of talking myself out of going...........

Fine but who do you suggest playing that will provide some entertainment? And please think about it a little longer than a millisecond. All the Ferraris have gone remember and Hughes has been left with nothing but 4x4's. I predicted the nature of that game on this thread days ago, it should have been obvious to a blind man on a galloping horse, so why should it come as a suprise to anyone is beyond me. We knew that Leicester only have the personel available to do a Burnley by playing for a replay and penalties. We know that we do not have the talent or the pace in the squad to easily break down massed ranks of 6ft+ players ( we have 1 prem quality striker ONLY in the squad so why play with 2 up front? Dont forget Hughes has tried em all since he came only to be forced tro admit that they are simply not good enough). Hughes may have been on safety first policy but so what? If Leics had nicked a goal they would have been even more obtuse and difficult to break down. Would you rather we went out of the cup turned over and humiliated like Charlton Athletic? Maybe we should order that Chinese keepy-uppy chappy for ht entertainment in Cardiff? He's certainly entertaining but to date I haven't seen any club rushing to sign him up, have you? Save your criticism for when Hughes has had more time to sign up his own players. Anyway you speak of 'pretty to watch' and 'entertainment', but imo if you wanted to really watch a game of football 'proper' rather then enjoying the event as a spectacle you would sit near the half way line and not on the Blackburn End. I dont want to be grumpy but if you rem the 94/95 season you will rem that we played some @#/? then. History proves that we ground out results as necessary but in actuallity we played some pretty desperate and ugly football at times. In hindsight would you rather we had done a Newcastle Utd and ended up as glorious failures? Rem the French commander's comments whilst witnessing the folly of The Charge of the Light Brigade "C'est magnifique mais ce n'est pas la guerre"? There's nowt for glorious failure.

Thank you you two for ensuring that our little secret is no more! I stayed for the presentation and a bit, dropped the wife and kids off at home and still got back to the West View by 9.30. And we weren't the first back to the pub either! ps I seem to rem undertaking some ancient nissan sunny parked in the outside lane at high speed too! It probably caused severe delays for some of the people leaving later .