No doubt messrs Graham Hoddle Houllier Sturrock Vennables have already jammed the Ewood switchboard. Moving to serious candidates- Gordon Strachan Otto Hitzfeld (the fans' favourite for the Newcastle job) are both available without compensation and would grace the Rovers' Manager's job. Managers whom I believe would be temptable to Ewood include- Ian Dowie Mike Newell Worthington at Norwich Good shouts but might not come- Megson Jewell Mark Hughes Soon to be available with a variety of attractive baggage- Sven GE Available with leggings- Stan Turnip

The way the betting moved this morning there must be substance to this story but there is still noothing on t'internet. Anyway, assuming he has gone, let me say a big THANK YOU to Graeme Souness. Without doubt the second most successful manager since the Rovers had managers (as opposed to secretary picking the team). He did the really hard bit, getting us promoted then drove us on to Cup success and two Euro qualifications. Timing of the departure is about right as well. We'll probably be getting decent compensation unlike when Newcastle stole Gordon Lee from us. Now Newcastle can get used to not getting penalties and having referee decisions go against them.

By a process of elimination, he is just about the only credible candidate left-see my post on the Bobby Robson thread! Cannot see any reference to Souness and the Newcastle job anywhere at the moment. However, Strachan seems to have been intervieweed as has the ex-Bayern boss. Link

Yes, John Forbes of the shop in Northgate fame. I cannot remember whether he was a left back but if he was, then both Souter and Forbes should appear in the voting lists next month. Souter was the first acknowledged pro footballer and quite probably the first player to move clubs for a transfer fee when Rovers signed him from Darwen. Returning to more contemporary times, I am sorry not more has been written about Kevin Hird. He was sensationl when he broke through into the Rovers first team and the goal he scored away at Hull is one of my all time favourites- breaking down the right wing at speed and hitting an unstoppable 25 yarder. He scored at least two more of the same ilk.

I don't know what the blatantly insulting stuff was Sam but the rest of your post is spot on. Rover 6 will struggle to find a contemporary manager apart from Arsene Wenger with a better incoming/outgoing transfer record than Souness in his time at Rovers. Back to Newcastle, I am quietly enjoying the way Fat Freddie and his board are floundering a week after firing Sir Bobby. Apparently they have given themselves three days to make a new appointment. The other revelation I like is the way the Gold brothers at Brum clearly knew what they were dealing with when they took on Steve Bruce. Apparently Bruce becomes personally liable to pay to Birmingham the value of his unexpired contract should he resign. That means paying £7m should he walk this week. Incidentally, I am not surprised to see Souness' odds shortening as the next Newcastle manager even though there is no press talk yet. It looks like Allardyce, Shearer are unpersuadable, Houllier unwanted, Bruce and O'Leary too costly, O'Neill at too big a club to fight (even if he would want the St James' hot seat), Vennables is getting his hip op excuse ready as those "we are not talking" talks have dragged on too long and for some inexplicable reason, Strachan is not in the frame (too intelligent for Fat Freddie?) nor Curbishley. So where do they go now? Megson, Worthington and Dowie might all be legitimate targets should Rovers find themselves managerless but presumably too much of a climb down for a "massive" club like Newcastle. Coleman is probably too young and untried so after ruling out all the foreign managers in the Prem plus Keegan, the process of elimination leaves Harry Redknap and Souey.

One of the most interesting aspects of MGP signing for Rovers is the following he seems to have brought with him from Norway onto this board and Lee Grooby's- the Youth Team coach of Tromso included. All I can say is welcome and I hope you are all proved right when MGP turns into the world beater you clearly believe he is.

Whilst the statistics for Bob Crompton are overwhelming, I have no idea how we are going to rate some of the other players who powered the Rovers to two Championships before the First World War or achieved the five FA Cup wins in the 1880s/90s. Will Souter, Forbes or Forrest make it into the greatest ever team? In fact is there a case for Souter to be in the right back vote?

I think the Guardian are a bit soft on Fat Freddie here.

At last, a decent sensible perspective on the Matt Jansen situation. If Matt were iredeemably incapable of ever playing Prem football again, I am sure the medics and assessors would have concluded that to be the case and the club/insurers/agent/lawyers would have terminated Matt's relationship with the club by now. Perhaps there has been some negotiations and Matt is on a much reduced tolerance contract which gives him a last chance to establish himself. However news of that sort inevitably leaks out and I have read little to suggest such a deal to renegotiate his contract was done. What seems to have come from behind closed doors is that the physiological assessment of Matt is AOK. On that basis, the blockage between Matt headless chickening his way round Christie Park and the England squad is psychological. Faced with that dilemma, what do we Rovers' supporters want? What is the least worst outcome? Being patient and giving Matt every last chance to prove it again whilst a Rovers player? Or, squirming as we see a rejuvenated Matt scoring 20 plus in the Prem for someone else because the "hard headed realists" have called the situation too early? For once, saying the same things to Matt as he was saying to Yorke four weeks ago seems to me to be the most sensible approach for Souness to take.

Keith Newton oozed class. Hird and Price were very effective as well as being great entertainers and crowd-pleasers (a rare combination). But there was only one Bob Crompton. A double Championship winner.

There have been howls of protest about the Rovers not splashing the cash in the transfer market this summer. Below, I have simply taken the crude numbers from the BBC web site to compile the following league table of Premiership spenders this summer. By net expenditure reported (incoming player fees paid less outgoing player fees received): 1. Chelsea £88.95m 2. Man U £31.40m 3. Liverpool £26.70m (excludes Owen- not disclosed) 4. West Brom £ 9.47m 5. Charlton £ 7.57m 6. Brum £ 4.65m 7. Palace £ 4.55m 8=Spurs £ 4.35m (hides eight not disclosed inwards transfers) 8=Soton £ 4.35m 10. Pompey £ 4.05m 11. Boro £ 3.25m 12. Villa £ 2.45m 13. Rovers £ 1.65m 14. Norwich £ 1.50m 15. Bolton £ 0.50m 16. Arsenal £ 0.15m 17. Man City £ 0.50m profit 18. Fulham £ 1.75m profit 19. Newcastle £ 9.40m profit 20. Everton £17.60m profit

There are two colossi in that list- Newton and Crompton. Berg and May are no doubt also going to appear in the central defense list and super Atko in the central midfield list. Has to be Mr Blackburn Rovers, Bob Crompton.

So are we opening a poll on how long before Souey falls out with him? I like the fact that he has pace and touch but am concerned by the numeroous reports aboout his "attitude".

The BBC report Yorke's move to Birmingham City. Hopefully, Birmingham were forced to pay a premium to the Rovers to hijack the move to Celtic.

Looks like Brum tied Bruce down very tightly in his contract. He probably bought Yorke as a revenge for not being allowed to talk to Newcastle! If, as early press reports are indicating, Allardyce rejects Newcastle (and the Bolton Chairman has refused them permission to talk to him), Fat Freddie will have found that his first four choices have all rejected him. As he described himself as the man who shot bambi for sacking Sir Bobby, perhaps he should not be altogether surprised. However, Allardyce has slipped away to Spain for a short break. Whether he is anywhere near the "club" in Marbella where Fat Freddie made his famous comments about Toon supporters and Geordie lasses, no doubt jim's erstwhile colleagues will be sampling the Spanish sun to find out.

Perhaps Yorke read the Celtic boards and found their fans were every bit as delighted to be acquiring him as we had been at the prospect of him staying. In any event, assuming he can get from Glasgow to Brum in time to do his medical, looks like Yorke is joining the mission for the rehabilitation of fallen players savaged by Souness- also known as Birmingham City. Steve Bruce is becoming quite a soul-mate to the discerning Rovers fan.

Not exactly inspiring. Still, we'll see. Including cup goals, it looks like he scored 10 for Coventry in the first half of the 2002/3 season before being side lined by injury. Cup goals doubled his Perugia tally from that mentioned above- they were all against top sides (Wolfsburg in Europe; Chievo, Udinese, Bologna, Sienna in Serie A). If he is as bad as our last two striker signings- the relegated Dickov and the fourth division Stead, I will happily agree with Ossydave that this is a poor poor signing.

Bothroyd surprised a lot of people by his move to Serie A Perugia then by doing pretty well there. He ended up scoring 6 goals for the side which was eventually relegated (another player who went down last season now at Ewood). Probably will not win us any penalties though!

£500K for Yorke! Sounds like good business to me. Shame we spent £2m to bring him here but Souey, to his credit, has publicly regretted the signing. By and large, Souey's transfer dealings have been pretty good. I wonder if one of our prolific goal scoring teenagers has caught the eye of the management sufficiently to be considered if we have an injury or suspension crisis (either Stead getting injured or Dickov getting suspended). After all, Gally came through to the first team squad relatively unheralded from the youth team set up.

PGM 1) Talk out of your derriere 2) Get signed as a left winger but play anywhere but on the left wing and don't ever dribble pas your opponent. 3) Miss a sitter. The lad is a bit screwed up. Bring back de Pedro!

Brilliant AESF. Absolutely spot on. Why has Newcastle United had such an odious set of Chairmen. From one-eyed Lord Westwood through Hall to the utterly unsavoury FF, they have dragged the toon army through more dirt than Bowyer, Dyer, Bellamy and Woodgate are collectively capable of imagining. The seedy end of the Bigg Market ends in the St James' Boardroom.

Given Newcastle's propensity for Rovers' managers (Lee, Dalglish) for a maliscious moment I imagined Souness walking into the bad boys' dressing room. Newcastle behaving as shoddily as always. No wonder nobody likes them.

Jim Arnold was a huge favourite but Brad gets the vote. A lot more of Saturday's form please- I think we will need it this season.

Cannot see us winning this one- the best we can hope for is a draw. However, I have a horrible feeling the Newcastle midfield and forwards will click and this will be more like two seasons ago than last season. Newcastle 4 Rovers 1

I am still sitting on the fence although Brad's superstar show yesterday nearly got me to vote for him. When does the voting close?