Very concerned nobody has predicted a Baggies away win. Even the Baggies boards don't seem optimistic. Have to say that of all the opening day fixtures, our's is the one which looks the most likely to produce the not very surprising "shock".

1 Chelsea 2 Arsenaal 3 Liverpool 4 Man U 5 Villa 6 Boro 7 Newcastle 8 Charlton 9 Rovers 10 Birmingham 11 Norwich 12 Bolton 13 West Brom 14 Spurs 15 Fulham 16 Southampton 17 Everton 18 Palace 19 Portsmouth 20 Man City

Brilliant! As for the game, the Baggies are not the "just come up for relegation" cannon fodder most pundits would take them for. A lot of money spent, some canny signings and a shrewd manager in Gary Megson. This is a desperately important fixture for the Rovers as I struggle to predict where we would register our first win if we don't beat WBA- the opening fixtures are so tough. The Baggies will be going all out for a first day result so expect something closer to a cup-tie rather than an ordinary Prem game. I think win,draw and lose are equal probabilities. I'm going for 2-2 in a very entertaining scrap.

Alan, very much my reaction but perhaps some hard decisions are being made now that the lads are back in pre-season training: - Nissa is getting a welcome extended run but by all accounts is still making errors. In the Prem, that will mean goals conceded, points lost - Flitty is hardly showing pre-season. Perhaps physically and mentally not up to it - ditto Tugay (one of my favourites) - Neill doesn't seem to have solved his problems from last season - ditto Emerton - no surprise that Short will not be able to play 38 Prem games The lack of feel good has probably far more to do with these clawing realisations amongst the fans than anything else. Yes, it can be argued that Souness is being reactive. But if he is reacting to the fact that his midfield looks like it will have a soft under-belly again, trying Matteo as holding mid-fielder is very sensible as was looking at a central defender as mobile as Moore used to be. If he is reacting to big question marks on the right (the interest in Finnan as a more than adequate fall back at right back), again totally right. If he and the Board have reacted to a financial headache as much as a football/morale problem in replacing Cole with Dickov, they have done the right thing. If the way they are handling Dwight Yorke produces either a more motivated player or some half a million transfer income, again, its the right thing to do. Either outcome seemed totally impossible ten days ago. You could argue that only the big clubs can set out a strategic plan and not be driven by reaction but I doubt it feels that way at Arsenal this morning if the Spanish Radio report is true. Don't get me wrong, I remain deeply sceptical about Souness and a few rubbish results coming from tactical ineptitude will certainly exhaust my renewed patience. But at this stage, we have a team which in reverse order of importance - has not had any nasty pre-season results, - avoided the drop by 11 points despite a massive under performance, - includes de Pedro and a rapidly getting fit Ferguson I feel justified in retaining some optimism and I do not want us rushing out to sign any old fifth choice striker.

For what it's worth, Nissa is a very talented central defender with a worrying concentration/confidence problem which threatens his career. Very senseible to give him an extended run in the pre-season games. He will sort himself out and get rid of the howlers (not today by all accounts), or He will do Ok and be a reasonable replacement when two of Amo, Short and Matteo are injured, or We sell him to Birmingham City ....Amo needs as much practise as he can get coming back from injury, Matteo needs to play in his new team so sticking him in as defensive midfielder will show us whether that is an option but allows Souey a proper look at the Nissa/Amo combo. Well that's my theory....

Just tried connecting to chat but got rejected- not enough parameters. Well, that's me told! Good to see Souness using the pre-season sensibly for experimentation. I'd expect a combination of Stead, Dickov and (please somebody save me from Coventry!) Yorke will prove a right handful for the PNE defence if there is anybody left in midfield to pass the ball to them!

Interesting to see that Todd has been given squad number 24 whilst Danns, Donnelly and the other youngsters on the fringe of the squad are without.

Thompson, Douglas, Jansen and Gally all started the game at Morecambe suggesting they will have a bit/no part in procedings at Preston. Having opened the door to Yorke at Stockport, Souey has to give him a run to see if he can continue doing a job. Quite often, there is an agreement tht a certain number of first teamers will play when these pre-season friendlies re greed so I wouldn't read too much into this. Thus far, Craig Short has not featured much. Presumably he is being carefully prepared for the new season. Nice to see the young Bruce starting in the centre of the defence.

Enjoy the bananas. How are the joints developing?

Issuing squad numbers, withdrawing them because some players want to do swapsies, reissuing them....hmm Who was saying something about everyone having a boss? Either Lee was too quick with some priviledged info or the former residents are back at Brockhall.

Dwight's number falling off might be an indicator of the fact he wasn't going to get one! Clubs often have a pre-season agreement that rather than red carding a player, they get subbed immediately. Very disturbing that our Australian contingent on the right are continuing to play horribly badly. I am much more worried about those two than any other aspect of the squad- up front, Stead, Gally, Dickov, Jansen and Yorke (its more than odds on that will be our choice when we kick off against WBA) are not world beaters but they can hack it in the Prem. But if its all going down under on one flank, we are in deep trouble. Will be interesting to get the SCFC fans' views on last night. Incidentally, just seen that Palace bet Sporting 1-0 last night.

If it weren't for the fact that Steve McLaren is rumoured as the successor, I would say it would be deeply irresponsible of the FA if they do not sieze this opportunity to get rid of Sven for nothing. His behaviour in the England job shows that his acceptance/rejection of Jack Walker's offer was IN character, not an aberration. His performance in the England job indicates that had he come to Ewood, we would have been boring, won nothing, but would not have suffered the Hodgson/Kidd trauma and relegation.

Gally was also on the mark. Anybody know which Taylor was playing?

Damien Duff? Of course Duff was skilful and certainly gets in the top three for most exciting but he was not one for doing the breathtaking sublime. McKenzie would do that every time he pulled on the shirt- I think he only scored twelve goals for us but at least six were in the "how did he do that category?". Plus the way he would take the ball and two opponents to the touchline, completely bamboozle them and escape with the ball at least 50% of the times he did it. He's the only player I've seen do a driven volleyed back heel flick from 20 yards- and it was only just over! Bohinen was in the same class but either times had moved on or he wasn;t as capable so his sublime moments were less frequent. Thinking back, perhaps Stuart Metcalfe should be in the dead heat third as well- what he could do with the ball at his right foot was awesome. At his left foot, a joke! But there was a player who deserved all the adulation we devotedly gave him.

Why not take the players nominated so far and have a poll? Glad to see Duncan Mckenzie get a nomination. For breathtaking skilful ability my all time top three in order would be: 1) McKenzie 2) Bohinen 3) Dead heat between Tugay, Ripley and Sellars.

Thankfully none of them played in blue and white halves! Good shout FLB. Noel Brotherston, Simon Garner and Killer Keeley for me. Last one more deadly than the three Amercan mentoned.

No doubt the Gers/Scouse/Saints fans I speak to are as unrepresentative as Waggy's friends: Gers- Souey is God. He started the revival of the club on the football pitch whilst Murray sorted out the money. Souey had the guts to confront the Rangers bigotry and transformed it into a modern football club. Whilst Souey was there, the bhoys had to eat dirt, dirt and dirt again. To a ger, not much else matters. Liverpool- Souness was reviled at the time he left but seen in retrospect as better than everything that followed him. He suffered by being appointed too close to the Shankly/Paisley era. Most Liverpool fans would have willingly swapped five years of Houllier for five years of Souey. In fact they feel quite guilty about the treatment Souness was given as the Liverpool Manager and have a soft spot for the Rovers because we revived his career. The stories of Souey the midfield enforcer tend to get confused with Souey the Manager. Saints- Souey and Southampton don't go together (they are saying the same about Paul Sturrock). Souness was not altogether bad for the club but not very good either.

So far so good. Only one worrying injury (to Friedel) and by all accounts all players have been at least OK with two fringe players outstanding- Gresko and Nissa. That at least should increase the competitive pressure for places which is excellent news. Any sign of Matty getting back to form or Emerton showing something like? Thanks to the lads in Germany- great reports back!

Tugay's invisible friend becomes visible. Perhaps the friend was not really invisible but is just a very fast squirrel. Whenever Toogs passed to him (her?), the squirrel was already up the nearest tree.

Pre-season friendlies, indiffeerent opposition and a multitude of Rovers players used but, 190 minutes and not a goal conceded shows encourging signs that the malaise at the back might get sorted out.

I know exactly who it was and I wasn't there and don't have any inside information. Anyone else who knows should keep very very quiet bout it as well.

To Andrew Cole- thanks for the memories: The Worthington Cup winner The way you fired us to safety and tenth place The goal at Liverpool Many sublime moments of skill Your link work with Stead-especially the goal at Everton There were some horrible misses (far too many of them) which if Rovers keep on creating chances at the rate they have been doing I suspect a far lesser player than you will get on the end of many more and convert a bag full. Sadly, Hoddle was wrong about your chances to goals ratio- towards the end of last season in the live games I saw it had worsened to about 8 chances missed for every goal scored. On balance, I don't think you are a bad lad and I am sorry you are going. Paradoxically, you might be leaving just as the Rovers have a midfield availble which would have played to your strengths but you did not see it that way and your insecurity about the Rovers' signing Paul Dickov says all that needs to be said about your frame of mind today. Good luck at Fulham. I hope the boo boys keep quiet at Ewood when you come back with the Cottagers.

Wild speculation mode on here, but.... I have been very surprised the way that Skysports, BBC, Guardian and Independent news sites have not carried the development of this story and Tuesday's board meeting- could the LET have over stepped the mark in their zealous reporting of some Rovers' bad news? Alternatively, could it be the Rovers' finances are in rather worse state and in the absence of any interest for Yorke and Todd, the club has had to find a way of getting rid of its top paid player? Mega-optimistic, but it could be that Matty is showing really well in pre-season training and the club have decided that Stead, Dickov, Gallagher and Jansen with one or two very promising youngsters coming through is enough cover for the forward positions?

Tris, agreed- great post with a huge amount of reality and exactly the way Souness, the Board and all Rovers' fans need and want to see the state of things at Ewood/Brockhall. The problem Souness will have if the Rovers have a second successive disappointing season is that a very different perspective will be used to judge the situation, especially if we have messrs Todd and Yorke still on the wage list. Manchester Blue asked a very valid question- yes I have had similar situations in my working life. Unless there is prima facie evidence that the employee is correct or the manager can be persuaded to change his/her opinion or way of presenting it, the board has no option but to back the manager. To do otherwise is to undermine the manager in the job the manager is employed to do- to use their own intelligence/experience/discretion and manage. However, a board never forgets being forced into such a situation and rarely forgives.

Interesting turn of debate in the last few posts. Have to say that whilst I welcone the reinstatement of the drog, I do miss the contributions of people like Bernard. Souey is undoubtedly a very large step closer to the sack than he was on Monday. Irrespective of how unrealistic or unreasonable Cole's behaviour has been, it is Souness' job to manage his players. In that respect having to report to the Board on Tuesday that Cole is now unmanageable (by Souness) is a huge admission of defeat/inadequacy on Souness' part. Credit to him to be man enough to admit defeat and to turn to the Board to ask for their support in resolving the situation but he is certainly one more cat's life closer to the day when the Board will be asked to support him and will give a negative answer. Let's hope the on field performance does not bring the Rovers to that situation. What is most worrying is that in the transfer market, one aberration (Grabbi) has now been added to the three most controversial Souness signings all turning sour as a result of clashes with Souness. These are HIS signings we are talking about, not local boy made good, thinks he's God and takes a liking to pies and page 3 girls. To have Cole, Yorke and Todd all mouldering away is a criminal waste of the club's scarce resources.