Benni on his own fitness

I have the same problem as Benni in the last 10mins of the game, but with me it's my bladder won't hold the pre match and half time tipple.

This is being repeated so often it's turning into an urban myth. McCarthy wasn't unfit and his fitness didn't deteriorate during last season. Allardyce played a 6 foot 7 defender in his position - end of.

As he's said to the press today, he's not the type of player Allardyce wants. Which is a crying shame, because he's a very talented player, fantastic to watch and he scores goals - if a manager is able to use him properly.

I suspect that if (when) he does leave in January, what arrives as a replacement will not have a fraction of Benni's ability or get near his goalscoring record at Rovers.

Not happy.

A 6' 7" player who will give 100% week in week out.

He was good to watch for part of the second half on Saturday, had he started you wouldn't have seen that sort of performance.

I went brittania a couple of months ago, wasn`t too impressed either.

However if you want a cracking indian go USHA (the old brown cow), best indian i`ve had by a mile.

I can second that, I go to Usha regularly, although steer clear of the Sunday buffet, not a patch on the standard menu. The food at Usha seems that bit better than most Indians I've sampled. I rate it above Shajan on Longsight Rd & Shylet at Lango.

Dunn in the centre of a 4-4-2 would be totally different to the Dunn we're seeing now though. Teams who play 4-4-2 don't play with attacking midfielders in the centre, it's usually a holding player and a box-to-box player. Asking Dunn to do either would either result in him breaking down again or just playing poorly.

Dunn playing behind Di Santo is probably the one area of the team that is working at the moment, I don't see why people think we need to change it.

It was just my opinion, I think my line up would be effective against the dingles. I do agree that the current formation works well but it wont work for long if we play it week in week out. Horses for courses and all that.

Dunn is easily our best player at the moment, and his performances are far better than anything McCarthy has produced for years, yet you'd reduce him to 30 minute cameos to include Benni? I don't follow the logic at all.

Benni and Di Santo up front with Dunn in middle of the park with N'zonzi, Bert & Diouf on the wings and the defence speaks for itself.

I think Benni and Di Santo could rip the dingle defence apart, then add the threat of Dunny running through.

Diouf 1st goal, Rovers win 3-1.

Yeah I know what you mean....my in-laws just look at the price and moan that its not 2 meals for a fiver.....The goats cheese tart starter at the C&B is simply marvellous.

Welcome to my world Sparky! I'll deffo safe C&B for a more quiet enjoyable meal with my Mrs.

I could even leave my car there and go round all the old haunts of Revidge and Pleckgate! If any are still open...

You can't go wrong at the Clog & Billycock mate....a touch more expensive than your usual pub grub, but everything is good.....real good.

Good call. It's a few years since I've been in there. Thursday nights used to be great! I don't mind paying that little bit more for good food. It may be wasted on the in-laws though, might save that one for the week after!

Home?

Thanks for that mate.

And if you do go and eat at the Golden Lion, make sure you also take Paul's tip from a year back - go another couple of hundred yards towards Chorley and buy some amazing local lamb from what I think is the best farm shop in the area. I don't buy lamb from anywhere else now, also get eggs and some veg from there. Truly a local food hero without the inflated prices of some other "farm shops".

Spout House

Cheers for that Tris, sounds my sort of place. I'll give it a go.

Paul, I agree with your recommendation.Well worth a visit for good value food.

Sounds promising. I might give it a go. I'm not after The Ivy, just some good home cooked food, I can't do with Brewers Fayre and the like.

I take it it's near the little 9 hole golf course?

I'm out for Sunday lunch with the family and in-laws this weekend, can anybody recommend somewhere I can get a good home cooked Sunday lunch? Blackburn area preferably, I don't want to be going too far with the in-laws....

Not a seafood fan but I have heard rave reviews about it in the past so may broaden my horizons so to speak.

I'm also going to research into New Yorks brst pizza and cheesecake

Carmines in the theatre district is the best Italian I've ever had, you'll have to queue for a table or try to book, it is well worth a visit. 4 of us went the first time and we ordered 4 dishes (as you would expect) and found that the dishes would actually have fed twice as may! www.carminesnyc.com

I love Rays Pizza, it's take away only but the pizza's are the size of bin lids. You'll find Ray's Pizza outlets all over NYC.

There is a bar just over the road 2 blocks down from your hotel, Scruffy Duffy's. I've been messy in there a few times! You used to be able to get a bucket of buffalo wings for around $10.

Anyone want to recommend any restaurants in New York?

The Olive Garden at Times Square is a decent Italian, but you must try Smith and Wollensky's on the corner of 49th St and 3rd Ave.

Smith and Wollensky's is the best steak and chop restaurant I've ever been too, however it's a little on the expensive side but well worth it. A good tip is to go into the bar grill rather than the restaurant side as you'll pay over the top in the restaurant and get treated more as a regular/local in the grill bar.

www.smithandwollenskysteakhouses.com/new_york.htm

Yep, we certainly do. I think the reason N01 think they are the only ones singing is because they're standing up...

I've usually too much Guinness inside me to stand up for 90mins and my legs can't take my beer belly.

....yeah, about 30 in the top corner (N01) make an effort. The rest are like victorian children......seen but not heard the BBE is pretty p1ss poor these days vocal-wise.

We do our bit in N02

Cheers Morton!

Do appreciate it, hopefully the baby will like it too.

No worries, let me know how you get on. Like I said, I've not been to any of them, it's just word of mouth from a Yorkshirite....

Cheers, appreciated.

Here we go pal, I've not tried any of them myself but I've been told they're o.k.

The Cow and Calf, Hangingstone Rd, Ilkley. White Cross Hotel, Otley Rd, Guiseley & The Fox in Menson, 129 Bradford Rd, Ilkley.

To be fair, if you head over Ilkley way you can't go far wrong.

Haha nah we were thinking of somewhere nice but some restaurants arn't that baby friendly

I'll have a word with one of my colleagues in Leeds when I'm over there in the morning.

Can any one reccomend any where nicish to eat in leeds prefebly near Guiseley, has to be ok for a baby?

Guisley is the home of Harry Ramsdens, not that I'd recommenced it though...

Just had to return to the Crown & Thistle tonight - fantastico!

Tandoori chicken & prawn starter with lettuce and dijon mustard dressing was superb.

Followed by a hearty fish, chips and mushy peas main - damned large portion.

Mrs CLB had the breaded mushrooms starter followed by salmon main - equally superb.

Who needs the Ribble Valley?

Well I paid a visit to the Crown and Thistle yesterday, and I've got to say it was excellent. We gave the starters a miss as we like our desserts. I had the roast beef dinner, lashings of tender beef with lovely fresh crisp veg, roast potatoes and a perfect Yorkshire pudding. Mrs.UM had Mexican Chicken, really spicy and enough to feed two. The in-laws had half a roast chicken with all the trimmings and a massive portion of fish chips and mushy pea's. Young Chloe had pizza chips and beans, the pizza was freshly home made on a baguette and the chips were the best I've tasted for a long time. Bro in law had crayfish linguine and 4 of us had chocolate fudge cake for dessert. The portions are extremely generous and great value for money. All that and a round of drinks came to £58.

Another thing to point out is that the staff are very friendly and it is certainly service with a smile. Credit to what they have done with that place, it will be a goldmine once the extension is completed.

I've got to say that is one added to my list.

ABBEY, wtf is a hot buffolo wing?

Overpriced. I had them in a bar in New York and it was $10 for 50 buffalo wings!!! They were real hot. Small wings for such a big animal too.

we went to tgf fridays in the trafford centre on friday night...the hot buffolo wings and the jack d glazed steaks are to die for.

If you liked TGI's you'll love the Route 66 next door, it's far better in my opinion. although if your into a rack of ribs Frankie and Benni's are the best.

Tried the Crown & Thistle at Grimehills, above Darwen, last night. For years this has been a good pub for eating but seemed to go downhill a couple of years ago. Now under new owners there is an expansion programme underway with dining now upstairs as well as down. There will also be further dining areas once an extension is complete. Very good food from an extensive menu and equally good value for money.

The Crown & Thistle used to be run by the current management at the Grey Mare on the Grane Rd, they used to do real home cooked food. I did quite a bit of work on the place from time to time and always got fed well. It's good to hear that it's on the up again. I think I'll have Sunday lunch there one day soon.

No, they went about 10 years ago.

And the refurb was this after the fire?

I wasn't aware of a fire, the fire must have been since I worked on the refurb. I must be getting old...

Anyone been to The Farmers Arms at Heskin?

Do they still have the pot bellied pigs? (not on the menu..)

I worked on the refurb of The Farmers Arms about 12 years ago.

Gave El Rincon another whirl last night after watching Lancashire destroy Yorkshire at Old Trafford ... once again couldn't be faulted. Very busy for a Tuesday evening after a bank holiday! Really good value as well (8 tapas dishes and a decent bottle of wine, enough change from 50 quid to leave a tip). We just perched at the bar - a really nice informal way to eat tapas ... apparently next to some geezer off Coronation Street, but for all I know about soaps it could have been someone off Sesame Street.

I went in there a while back on a bit of a do from work, we were in there for the afternoon on the tapas and red wine, I hear it is frequented by a lot of the Corrie stars and a few footballers like it.

It was my first taste of tapas and I must say I was very impressed. El Rincon has a great atmosphere too.

For Fish and Chips in Preston this is as good as any.

armers Glory on Haslingden Old Rd, Oswaldtwistle do cracking fish and chips and quite a reasonable price. other items on the menu are cumberland Sausage and Mash, Steak & Ale pie and a mean Stilton Burger. It's a real welcoming oldy worldy quiet country pub.