He missed a crucial chance when it really mattered on Thursday night. He notched a neat goal in the opening seconds today and another "couldn't miss" opportunity thanks to great work by Derbyshire and a blunder by Calamity. That apart he wasn't that great although I thought his partnership with Derbyshire was as effective as anything we've seen from any other combination this season. I've thought for a while McCarthy must be very difficult to play alongside.

After we went a goal down last night, we showed no creativity or imagination whatsoever. Our sole tactic seemed to consist of lumping a long high ball up to Crouch in the hope he could get a flick on. Only we were so poor, more often than not, we couldn't even direct the hoof forward in the general direction of Rodney's head. I was left thinking, "Just what is the role of the supposed tactical genius that is Terry Venables in all this?"

Not that I'm bothered but spain have just scored and are 1-0 up after 65 mins.

Well i'm really looking forward to seeing Dunny back tomorrow as well. Shame some people seem to have the knives sharpened for him before he starts. No pressure at all then then lad, mom performance, a minimum of two 30 yard screamers, couple of goal saving challenges and a clearance or two off the line the minimum required...............

Vastly over-rated player and a prat to boot imo but definitely time to move on. We have bigger fish to fry.

Come on Gordon, you said initially "our better players!" I saw that as well. It was a feeble attempt at humour by Curbs as in: "For someone who is supposed to be an average player, but is really Roberto Carlos mark 2, it's not surprising there were a few clubs after him." Unfortunately it went totally over the heads of everyone in the room (not even the merest titter) because they were probably all thinking "Yes, this is an average player."

Well if that did suddenly become everyone's intention then we'd need 'em on long contracts so we could suss 'em out with 2 years to go and move them on then for a sizeable fee if necessary.

It was obviously the opportunity to play alongside Christian Dailly wot swung it.

I agree with 99% of what you say there but as a Club we can't afford to simply let players come and go as free agents. If one of our more highly regarded players leaves occasionally we HAVE to be in a position to cash in. We need the fees more than most.

Watford look like they've gone, it's not looking good for Wigan but Charlton might yet give West Ham a run for their money. I think it will be Watford, Charlton and Wigan down although I hope it's Watford Charlton and West Ham (not because of Lucas but because it's a crap journey, crap place, and we always always lose there) Didn't honestly think we'd be looking down on it from quite such a distance quite so soon. Amazing what 15 points out of 21 can do! The players have answered my original question in some style!

Exactly so. Bellamy behaved worse than Neill if you will but the situations do bear certain similarities. Bellamy insisted on "the clause" so he could get a cut price move ensuring someone probably came in for him with a whacking signing on fee plus higher wages. Neill refused to sign a new contract so that he could move for nothing in the summer or at worst allowing him to move before then for a vastly reduced fee thereby ensuring himself a whacking signing on fee plus (much) higher wages. However I seem to be arguing with people claiming Lucas wasn't acting purely in his own best interests!. Where would we be if everyone simply walked out at the end of their contracts? In a right mess. Interesting what we're going to do about it in future though. We didn't get a real inkling that Lucas was leaving until this summer (12 months to go on the contract) by which time it was probably already too late to realise his true market value. Do we have to insist that players we want to keep always have at least two years left on their contracts in future or they'll be sold? Could get pricey. Or do we just leave it as it is and risk the odd one walking out?

That was Neill's intention. Whether or not the club should have taken matters out of Neill's hands and sold him in the summer is a different matter entirely and one for debate. However as I recall there was only ever really a swap deal with Warnock on offer in the summer anyway which Sparky must not have fancied at that stage.

Sheesh 1) Not entering the final 12 months of his contract 2) Obviously because I'm a Rovers fan and we got the better end of the Dunn deal. If I was a Brum fan I wouldn't be too impressed. Stop trying to defend an indefensible position. Neill ran his contract down for his own benefit and we've lost out on about 2.75m as a result. Entirely his prerogative and maybe in a financial sense you can't blame him but don't try and pretend it's anything other than that just so you can pick an argument with me.

What ARE you on about? His market value under normal circumstances would have been at least 3x what we got for him.

Oh yeah, brilliant, if they'd all "loyally" seen out their contracts like Lucas then we'd have been about 38 million quid worse off in terms of transfer fees we would never have received! Bottom line is Neill shafted Blackburn Rovers to optimise his own financial position. Which unfortunately post Bosman, he's perfectly entitled to do. Hope it never happens to us again though. Anyway as 1864 says "Lucas who" we've played two away games without him and are two victories by an aggregate of seven goals to one to the good.

We played with such verve and enthusiasm yesterday I'd be very loath to take it off Savage (unless of course he says he doesn't want it long term)

Crikey Stu. Heads I win, tails you lose. Are West \Ham quite THAT desperate?

It seems a very risky move, IF the Hammers get relegated and he doesn't fancy slugging it out with the Dingles in the fizzy pop league, then who's going to be in for him in the summer? Any prospective clubs will have to pay a substantial fee for him and the better clubs don't exactly seem to have been falling over themselves to sign him in this window when he's virtually free! He'll be very hard pressed to match the 35k p.w. that was supposedly on offer from Liverpool imo. The one thing that might save him is Wigan who are currently in freefall. P.S. Has he not actually gone yet? It said he had signed for West Ham in this morning's NOTW.

The answer lies in the total absence of media exposure in those days Gordon. If we were in Division 2 now and unearthed a keeper like that he'd be gone to the Prem inside 6 months. And, yes, good to see Brad back to something like his best after letting his performances slip well below their usual standard a year or two ago.

I didn't realise, or had forgotten about this, but according to that Harry Berry book, when he was transferred to Newcastle in 1976 because we needed the dosh, he had a knee condition which prompted Newcastle to put in an appearance based clause. They then refused to select him and we never even received the fee! (Despite appealing which we lost!) He then went on to make over 200 League appearances elsewhere! Sounds like it's not just in recent times we've been shafted by "a clause!" Sir Roger was unlucky I think to be around at the same time as the likes of Banks/Shilton/Clemence and to be playing in the old third division at a time when it received zero media exposure in comparison with today. I'd argue he was better than Friedel, but he was certainly in a different class to today's contenders for the England jersey such as Robinson and James. He'd be a shoe - in for England keeper if he was in his prime and playing today.

Got to say, he's proved me completely wrong, I was dead against his signing but his general play has been excellent. The only problem is, his lack of pace is going to put him in a goal conceding/sending off situation occasionally.

He remains an athletic midfielder/right wing half converted into a full back with an appalling defensive positional sense and general inability to make a legal tackle. Last 2 games without Lucas: Everton 1 Rovers 4 (penalty needlessy conceded by Axe) City 0 Rovers 3 This is not a Shearer, Duff or Bellamy moment. There is life after Lucash!

By Peter Harrison's own admission Neill has been in negotiation with West Ham this week and has apparently agreed to join them in a two and a half year deal. Mark Hughes has got most things right since he's been at the club, but there is no way Neill should even figure in the squad tomorrow. It would completely devalue the shirt. The fact he might have the captain's armband would be even worse, but he should never have had that in the first place once he announced he was "keeping his options open". And before Scotty starts, it's not just because it's Neill, the same would apply to any player who had agreed to leave the club.

I don't want to turn this into a personal "yah -boo" session but I am basing it on what I have seen on the field over the last couple of months. I think he's been poor. More in terms of mind not being fully on the job and lapses of concentration and defensive application. And yes, that's even allowing for the fact I agree I'm probably half looking for it with him leaving. Is it due to him leaving? Is it a normal run of the mill dip in form? Who knows? - probably only the player himself? Is there a risk it is because he's leaving? I think so. Can we afford to take the risk of keeping him on until the death and his performances dipping even further?. I don't think so. You disagree, that's fine. I don't mind that at all. I was more annoyed about the fact that you think it's quite all right to dismiss what I said out of hand (and I'd agree) but when I retorted in kind you accused me of being "personal". I didn't take what you said to me (initially) as being personal in any way nor did I think was my response to you.