philipl

Great day for Australia- all three sessions went their way. Fortunately, England are still in a potential match-winning position. However, we need good weather and three quick wickets or we can forget about winning this Test.

How do the Rovers manage to make me feel ashamed to be a Rovers fan quite so often? Dickov and Emerton were utterly unprofessional.

Suddenly this is a very big game for us.

or until it stops raining?

Just taken hotmail off my PC preferring Skype and MSN (Skype is brilliant- can have multiple conversations as well as chat!) but I can log in through another account.

I've just tried the chat section to see whether we can go online today but it looped me back to the forums. Is this completely dead now? I guess I'd better ring round the bars of San julian's to find out who is carrying the Rovers game- the Britannia Bar has closed to make way for a new road.

Word of warning- anyone getting into difficulty with the Old bill will not be going. Zero tolerance will no doubt catch some innocents as well.

Three London clubs in the first three games. Here's hoping we give them all a lesson in how the noble game should be played. The Guardian's writers have their stab at 1 to 20 here. two put us challenging for Europe, the rest well down the bottom half but not in trouble.

Islam in fact being the more recent religion is generally recognised as a more advanced theology and does not promote primitive teachings. Islamic philosophy, mathematics, archectural design, engineering have all been in advance of those practised by Christians at numerous stages throughout history. A very interesting poll carried out by the BBC showed a sizeable majority of British muslims in favour of islamic teaching in the UK to be carried out in English. Christianity outlawed preaching the Bible in English for centuries and within my life time was conducting services in latin. Religions and their institutions by their very nature are conservative and slow moving but I have enormous confidence in the strength of Islam to preach the message of peace and to survive the great stresses it is going through at present. Would there have been the "radicalisation" had the Soviets not invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and the West intervened by finding the only muslims willing to take up arms against the Soviets?- the small minority of nutcase clerics who promised 72 virgins to every youngster willing to go to certain death against the Russian tanks and armour.

Good first day for England helped by the Aussies having a bad one but its still very possible for England to be all out sub-400 and a couple of Aussie to make big tons on that track. No need for rain dancing by either side.

Another prediction, this time from a Spurs supporter. I think its very well argued and pretty fair. Incidentally don't moan until you get to the bottom. Then moan then realise what he is really saying.

Nelsen has told New Zealand Radio that he doesn't think his knee will be ready for this week-end.

The official site has a figure of 11,200 season tickets sold or 2,000 down on this time last year. I guess its going to be important the Rovers get off to a good start in the Prem to raise interest levels. English season ticket prices are the highest in Europe according to this report. The FA Premiership response to Lib Dem Don Foster's point about normal market forces not working is a classic piece of not answering the question put. It seems ordinary rules of supply and demand only work at Ewood

Thenodrog's Islamophobia seems totally out of control so its almost pointless explaining that stonings for adultery are so rare that the western press picks up on them from the rural back of beyond in Nigeria or Pakistan. As I've pointed out, the Bible also has some pretty outlandish punishments prescribed. This is gruesome reading. It recounts systematic murder, rape and torture perpetrated by Christians on Muslims in Europe in one town (largely unknown to the world at large) within the last ten years. I condemn this utterly as much as I abhor the executions of Iran, and the barbaric excesses of Shariah.

Can we just ban Vinjay for being so boring and spineless? Let him back when he files a report of his meeting with John Williams.

At the moment, Australia are carrying a lame duck skipper in Ponting. His innings at some point tomorrow will be one of the biggest challenges in his career.

Read page 4 of this thread Great minds and all that

Hoggard did his job OK. At least Freddie didn't have to come out tonight and Old Trafford will be packed before the players emerge in the morning. What price a Freddie first ball duck? Excellent day for England today- we're on for either a good total or a massive total tomorrow.

Funny, I hadn't thought about that possibility Shillito.

The LET are reporting that both Bellamy and Nelsen are doubtful for the game at West Ham. So who is correct?

With the number of chances being missed by Australia, this has the feeling of the 1st Test in reverse.

Ok, ignore the stab in the dark on page 1. Kick off two days away and many of the transfers I had expected haven't occured so my final prediction is: 1. Liverpool 2. Chelsea 3. Arsenal 4. Man U 5. Middlesbrough 6. Spurs 7. Rovers 8. Everton 9. Charlton 10. Villa 11. City 12. Pompey 13. Newcastle 14. Bolton 15. Birmingham 16. Fulham 17. West Ham 18. Sunderland 19. West Brom 20. Wigan

No - and I expect Sparky to keep the uncertainty over Bellamy and Nelsen going until the team sheet is announced at 2pm on Saturday. Whilst West Ham will be buoyant following their promotion, the lack of Prem experience in their squad means there will be plenty of pre-big match nerves as well. Winding that up a notch so they don't know whether they will be dealing with one of the Prem's quickest forwards and most effective and uncompromising defenders has got to be good psychology in my book. ... and give Matt Jansen and Tugay an on-pitch pre-match fitness test which involves practising ball juggling skills. That one will psyche them out as well. Ripley giving a virtuoso display along the half way line in the warm up at the County Ground terrified the Swindon players before our game there early in the season they spent in the Prem! Another example- Ibrahimovich, Ljungberg and Larssen's keepy uppy session with two balls between them during the warm-up here in Malta so mesmerised the opposition that Sweden were 4-0 up after 16 minutes!

There used to be a particularly revolting jellied eels shop on the main drag near the ground. West Ham supporters reading our web site reading their web site etc etc. Never mind the closed loop, this is an open-minded and reasonably informed assessment of t'Rovers.

Please submit your review early said Den. Is this early enough? With the board not knowing what time it is, what is early anyway? It's all relative I suppose but what has relativity got to do with it other than Bellamy getting heavier the faster he runs? Relativity is a tricky concept particularly when you are previewing game number three and the season hasn't started yet. Several inter-planetary objects might have moved by August 24th, or maybe not, or exist in a parallel universe (Jenas at Highbury?). Just how big an asteroid belt does Jol need anyway? And will they collide with mother earth or at least Ryan Nelsen? Oh I'm enjoying this a lot more than when I punched Blackburn v Tottenham into Google thinking I could crib some other pundits' work. Woohoo, up popped espn and two other sites- there it was Blackburn Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur 24th August 2005... and a blank screen. (on every site) So no early season form to go by. No knowledge that we got robbed blind by a 92nd minute Wham winner and Fulham hadn't forgotten how to win at Ewood either, nor that Spurs frollicked to an easy win at Pompey before taking their frustration out at not being drawn out of the pansy bowl (oops, fair play lottery) for a UEFA place by thrashing 'Boro. Bottom v Top and huge stakes for so early in the season but could it be the other way around???? Rovers 100% success, Spurs under-achieving ..or will this already be predictable mid-table mediocrity? Enough of this whimsy- Spurs are the enigma of the Premiership with on paper a great coach, one of the best keepers, a more than OK defence, a cornucopia of riches in midfield and several international forwards who lead the line for their respective countries. And yet they always seem to be considerably less than the sum of their parts. A failing which has bedevilled them for every one of their anonymous years in the Premiership. Of course there have been many significant Rovers v Spurs games. 7-2 and all that when Rovers destroyed the Spurs double team, Danny Blanchflower and all. One of the first televised sightings of Rovers for me was when Match of the Day covered Rovers 0 Spurs 1 in the 65/6 relegation season and very unlucky we were too. Nothing until Spurs had sunk into the 2nd Division and in that wonderful season Jim Smith steered us to 5th when we drew 0-0 at Ewood and got hammered 4-0 at White Hart Lane. Were there any Rovers v Spurs cup ties whilst we were in the wilderness? Ah yes November '88 and a plucky 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane in the League Cup followed by a 1-2 knock out back at Ewood. Spurs knoocked us out of the League Cup again when we were first back in the Prem. So into the Prem and both clubs won away in that glorious first season back. Rovers did the double when we came second in '93/4 and in the Championship season we were comfortably beaten 3-1 at White Hart Lane but were equally comfortable 2-0 victors at Ewood. '95/6 saw a Rovers double with Rovers taking a 3-2 victory at White Hart Lane in one of my all time favourite games. Two early Shearer strikes to the good, Spurs powered back to equalise and also brought two magnificent saves out of Tim Flowers as well. 90th minute and Sutton finally back from injury hooked the ball over his head from the half way line. Shearer out paced, out powered the Spuds rooted defence (I had to work that in ) and planted it in the bottom corner. Delirium!!! Spurs returned the double compliment the season after, had the temerity to win 3-0 at Ewood the following season and again took four points off us the season we went down. Saturday 25 August 2001 and back in the Prem at Ewood as we recorded our first Premiership win in three seasons and first against Spurs since the magnificent Shearer hattrick. We lost at WHL but it was a second 2-1 win for Rovers in Cardiff which brought the first silverware of the 21st century- good old Matty Jansen and Andy Cole with Mark Hughes supreme in the middle of the park. Another home defeat to Spurs the season after was rectified by an end of season Rovers 4-0 romp at WHL. How sad it was that it was to be goodbye to Dunn and Duff as well. Shorn of flair, 1-0 home wins for each side in 2003/4 and a 0-1 home defeat followed by a 0-0 draw in (as I write) our most recent Premiership match. So a distinct historical edge in results for Spurs (Rovers W34 D 19 L42 F137 A 157) but we've made a habit of winning the ones that matter. In the Prem its much closer (Rovers W9 D3 L10 F24 A25). At Ewood in the Prem it is Rovers W5 D1 L5 F10 A13 so we hardly have a good record in this particular fixture. Indeed Spurs came to Ewood and gave a very well organised impressive display to disrupt a mini-revival Mark Hughes had got going before Christmas and the arrival of the Axe and the Admiral. Prediction- ask me on August 22- but I have to confess I don't have a good feeling about this one. Spurs at their best will be too strong for us.