First time I've read Sox's and Scotty's preview. Wonderful stuff. Carlsberg don't do posts but if they did they'd probably all be like that one etc..... As for the game, I think the opening day is a bad time to be playing West Brom. They'll be all boinged up and Megson will be particularly determined that they make a far better general fist of things this time round. Looked at in the context of the season the home games against the promoted clubs are "must win" fixtures for us and I think I'd rather we opened with a fixture we wouldn't necessarily be expecting too much from and then faced the Baggies after 3 or 4 games when harsh reality has set in for them. The heart says Rovers 1 WBA 0 (Stead) The head says (and my actual prediction is) 1-1. Is anyone keeping score of a prediction League this year?

The offence of causing death by reckless driving was technically replaced by the one of causing death by dangerous driving. The maximum penalty was originally ten years imprisonment. I think there were then proposals to increase this to 14 but I'm not absolutely certain if that was brought in or not. EDIT: The maximum penalty is now 14 years I believe.

With the squad as it is at this precise moment I feel the decision to let Cole go for nothing and replace him with Dickov will lead to another desperately disappointing season, the saving grace being the three promoted clubs should still be worse than us. 1) Arsenal 2) Chelsea 3) Liverpool 4) Man Ure 5) Newcastle 6) Spurs 7) Fulham 8) Villa 9) Boro 10) Brum 11) Charlton 12) City 13) Portsmouth 14) Bolton 15) Southampton 16) Rovers 17) WBA 18) Everton 19) Palace 20) Norwich

Jansen isn't going to recover his form coming in off the bench or coming in for one game and being replaced the next. He needs a run of at least 8 -10 games. If he's not physically capable of that, or if he gets that sort of run and can't do it, then time to call it a day.

4-0, was there a game on? Semi recovered now after a liver transplant this afternoon. The boy Fleming's fault. Bit daft really going all that way and not being able to remember anything about the match. Hope everyone who went had a great time and got back safely.

Have just spotted a poll in yesterday's Sun the results of which I think would be representative of a lot of people's views on here. A vast majority (70%) disagreed Sven should be sacked for bringing the FA into disrepute after having two affairs. Similarly 67% disagreed his affairs undermined the image of the England team. However a similar percentage (68%) thought that at £4m p.a. he hadn't given value for money. Wouldn't disagree with any of that.

That trait is not exclusive to the favoured England players under Sven. Every time a team is in relegation trouble and a manager is in danger of the sack the players chirp up about what a thoroughly bloody good bloke and manager he is. (Why didn't you play for him then?) Then as soon as the new man comes in (which invariably sparks an improvement) it's all about how much more enjoyable playing and training is under the new guy!

Think me and Waggy have been saying this about Neill for a couple of seasons now. Can't defend but the next "super atko" in the making.

So the pre season scoring stats for the forwards are Gally 5 Stead and Dickov 2 and De Pedro 1? Interesting.

Imagine us as a publically quoted Company. The season ticket letter from JW is the flotation prospectus and the comments from Souey are the interim trading statements. "The aim is not to go bankrupt (be relegated) this year" is not going to encourage anyone to invest (buy a season ticket) in the first instance and is more likely to have people stampeding to sell (not renew) It's just about promoting the club and our prospects in a positive light.

If only the FA had appointed Brian Clough at the peak of his powers c1973-76 instead of Revie/Uncle Ron Greenwood.

It's little to do with whether he had an affair (again) at work per se. It's about whether when asked about it by his employers he deliberately lied about it to try and cover his own arse thereby inducing the FA to put out an official release which turned out to be false.

Sh!t, Simon, you're so right. Souness should shut his mouth and cease these ridiculous utterances. Good lad Tris. Glad we're finally agreed. If the words in red said "Enable Blackburn Rovers to be in the top half of the table a year from now" he'd be on the right lines PR wise. None of which desperately matters if we're actually performing on the pitch of course.

Ermm........Amoruso, Short, Matteo, Johansson (Todd, McEveley) Stead, Gally, Dickov, Jansen (Yorke) Dead heat?

But is anyone really that bothered? Personally I tend towards the point of view that any number of people could have perfoermed as averagely as Sven has given the talent he has at his disposal. EDIT: In any event there is no chance of Sven simply "walking away" and forgoing £14m compensation. If nothing else he is motivated by love of money.

I'll start it again, and I'll keep on about it until he stops coming out these daft comments. I'm sure it hasn't escaped your attention it's emptying Ewood and progressively eating into season ticket sales regardless of whether you feel it has any effect on performances on the field. (I think it does) A simple "I'm happy with the squad I've got and we're going to give it a real good go" or "let's do the best we possibly can" or "the aim is to improve on last season" etc would be far more helpful.

Regardless of the ifs and buts surrounding his future with the club, I cannot see any reason whatsoever for not keeping him in the squad. It's just a waste of money and resources. Same with Andy Todd, although it seems Wigan are preparing to take him JJB-way very soon. I was wondering if there was any way back for Todd given Yorke's miraculous pheonix from the ashes type situation. Guess the difference is someone's willing to pay something for Todd, but no-one's willing to take on Yorke's wages.

Good to see we're aiming sky high as usual. If the extent of our ambition is quite that low, we can't possibly do anything else but struggle. It's this more than anything else which perplexes me about Souness. He was so warrior like as a player but is obviously now content for his team to scrape by on the bare minimum, i.e. finishing 17th is a successful season.

Plus ca change etc.....

Actually no he hasn't. Jeff Powell was anti-Sven when he was appointed on the basis that he wasn't English. He came out with the comment that what can this country of skiers who spend half their time in darkness teach us about football. Typical Daily Mail really. However when Sven got some good results he changed and seemed to forget everything he had previously written. It seems he has now done another u-turn. The FA won't sack Sven because they can't afford to. If, as he says, he hasn't lied about an affair they can't do anything about him. If they want to get rid because of football reasons fair enough but this stuff is just nonsense. "Oh yes he has!" INSERT REPLY HERE I'm quite aware Powell's vehement opposition to Sven's appointment was on the basis he wasn't English and anything he writes about Sven has to be read in that context. Just enjoyed that quote that's all. Can't honestly recall him ever changing his tune and saying much complimentary about Sven either but I'll take your word for it. The FA might be entitled to sack Sven depending on what has actually gone on. IF he wilfully misled them into issuing an official statement which was false and subsequently had to be retracted, then that could conceivably amount to gross misconduct, especially taken in conjunction with the Ulrika "scandal" and his discussions with Chelski.

Enjoyed this quote in the Daily Mail from Jeff Powell today: (He's always been fiercely anti Sven's appointment) "Eriksson has drained more than enough money out of our game already, millions of pounds which would have been better invested in the grass roots of football instead of lining the pockets of those trousers which spend an unseemly amount of time around his ankles." Personally given the players he's had at his disposal I think Sven has done OK but no better no worse. Whether he's worth £4m p.a. is another matter altogether.

Forgot to mention it before but one of the best things about Sir Roger apart from his unsurpassed keeping abilities was his wont for dribbling the ball round the entire opposition forward line whenever he got bored!

Wouldn't quite class him as a "cult hero" but arguably my favourite ever Rovers player, and as good as Shilton and Clemence at the time IMHO. But more or less completely overlooked playing for a third division team. Then again I'm biased as he and Tony Field were my two idols as a schoolkid.

Shearer was obviously the best by far but in terms of cult heroes would have to go with Keeley Speedie Hendry

Why all credit to Souey for showing his humanitarian side in resurrecting Babbel's ailing career and helping to put him in the shop window. From a footballing perspective it was however more or less clear from the off the Liverpool man had no real interest in playing for Blackburn Rovers and things like passing to team mates and putting his body on the line to prevent a goal were alien concepts.