The future of Elland Road ?

I know plenty of thick people with degrees, IT middle management is full of them

They pioneered rap-metal (their version of Public Enemy's "Bring The Noise" is fantastic), started the whole "I don't have to have long hair to be hardcore" thing, did some serious stuff (Indians for example) but never took themseleves too seriously (Rap track I'm The Man and Startin' Up a Posse spring to mind). After work I think I'm going to have to drag out my oedivnikufesin video and burn the soundtrack to CD for the train journey tomorrow.

I can do that ..... I'll get my coat

He wasn't Club From To Fee League FA Cup League cup Other Burnley 04-09-2003 04-10-2003 Loan 7 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 Blackburn 22-05-2002 £ 750000 13 (5) 1 2 (0) 0 4 (0) 0 2 (0) 0 Grimsby 21-02-2002 22-04-2002 Loan 12 (0) 3 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 Charlton 17-11-1999 22-05-2002 £ 750000 27 (13) 1 6 (1) 0 4 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 Bolton 03-08-1995 17-11-1999 £ 250000 66 (18) 2 1 (0) 0 14 (5) 1 3 (0) 0 Swindon 27-02-1995 Loan 13 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 Middlesbro 06-03-1992 03-08-1995 Trainee 7 (1) 0 0 (0) 0 1 (1) 0 5 (0) 0 Could be Lee Todd (Bradford bought him from Southampton for 250000).

The news that defender Andy Todd is off on loan might not surprise many, however the fact that he'll soon be wearing Claret & Blue might. According to Sky Sports News, Rovers have agreed to let local rivals Burnley have Todd on a one month loan and whilst Todd isn't the first player to go from Ewood to Turf Moor, it's certainly not a common move. With only seven league starts since he joined Rovers, the lower standard of football is a good opportunity for him to get some first team football.

I think most people will be too hungover to write a match report yet There is a short one in the other Bray thread that's pretty accurate.

Oooooh Yeeesss ...... I'd imagine very few tha were out last night will have made it up yet. My pics are now available (well, should be very soon anyway)here. Hopefully Jordan's and Tris' will follow soon, and if anyone else has any Bray pics (or any Rovers pics in general) then PM me for an email address to send them to and I'll slap them on the site.

Personally, I'm looking forward to NOT having a seat. I'd have gone and joined the standing people at Blackpool, but I saw the grief SteB was getting for trying (and there was someone in his seat already).

Last time I was there it was around 4 Euro for a bottled beer, slightly less for draught lager. Less than £4 but still dearer than the centre of Leeds or Manchester I'm intending meeting a bunch of folks around 1pm in Temple Bar and then heading off down to Bray for some serious drinking.

In fact, my pics from the last Dublin trip are here. Not that they bare any relevance to this trip (other than I believe that ground is a similar standard).

Erm ..... All of them ? Seriously, when we played St.Pats, you could find Blue and White shirts in just about every pub in Temple Bar. And you could see a Blue, White and Brown shirt watching the game! Aint that right Glenn? Cheers for that Lee, everyone I met in Dublin last time only seems to remember me as "that bloke covered in Guiness". Anways, seeing as we're all arriving at different times and travelling down to Bray at different times, how about we all aim to meet in Temple Bar around 1pm ? In fact there is an easy to find bar in Temple Bar called The Temple Bar, that easy enough for everyone to remember ? If anyone has forgotton who to look out for (and this time I intend drinking my Guiness not wearing it, so spotting me may be harder ), I suggest checking out the pics at http://brfcs.fotopic.net where the mugs of many of those going can be found (even SteB if you look really hard ).

I've also finsihed the night off in Fireworks a few times (I use the hotel next door when I'm on business trips*). It's a 3 floor converted firestation, pretty average nightclub, but nice and busy with very nice scenary * When I'm not picking the tab up myself

Erm ..... All of them ? Seriously, when we played St.Pats, you could find Blue and White shirts in just about every pub in Temple Bar.

Just booked my hotel, North Star (so not only am I on the same flight as Jordan, I'm in the same hotel too !). Hopefully I'll sort some match tickets tomorrow !!!!!

Each to his own, personally I thought those were two of his weakest (along with Moving Pictures). I'm more of a Watch fan the a rincewind fan.

Those of you with a passion for Rankin and Pratchett should also try Tom Holt (well his humour stuff anyway) and Robert Asprin (his early stuff). Other good holiday reads are general the stuff stocked by places like HMV (music bios, Howard Marks, Irvine Welch, Nick Hornby, Bill Bryson, Tony "Not The Skateboarder" Hawks, Dave Gorman etc). Easy enough to follow on a plane full of screaming kids, dull salesmen and dire inflight movies.

Todays excellent 4 - 0 win against Spurs (Yorke 5, Hignett 45, Duff 48, Cole 60) and Everton losing 2 - 1 to Man Utd means Rovers finish the season in sixth an get a UEFA cup place. Well done lads ! For match report click on link. Match Report Spurs 0 Rovers 4

My flight's been booked for an age (same one as Jordan he imforms me), but I need to sort accomodation. When I'm in Dublin I normally stay in the Trinity Capital (next to the Fireworks Nightclub) but then it normally paid for by either work or a customer and is a little dearer than I fancied paying. Can anyone recommend a nice, cheap (ish) B&B (or travel lodge or similar) near Temple Bar ?

Valley Parade saw Rovers reserves get a comfortable 3-1 win over Bradford tonight and recent Premiership debutant Paul Gallagher getting all three of Rovers goals. A push inside the penalty box by Darren Dunning and the subsequent penalty conversion by Bantams captain Craig Fishlock saw Rovers 1-0 down within 3 minutes. However Rovers dominated the remainder of the first half with both Gallagher and Danns having good shots on goal, but they were unable to even the score. In the second half Rovers immeadiately stepped up a gear and within minutes Paul Gallagher leveled the game with a great solo effort that he managed to slip under the keeper followed only minutes later by a Gallagher cross that met the head of Dunning only to be saved by the keeper. 50 minutes saw several Rovers players shoot at goal only to see it rebound out, by Gally managed to find a gap in the crowded box to make it 2-1. Gallagher's third around 73 minutes was a repeat of the second, with him managing to find the path to goal after others came close. He almost got a fourth a few minutes later when an excellent long range Ciaran Donnelly shot bounced off the upright and landed at hit feet. A good performance all round by Rovers, with Danns and Dunning (and obviously Gallagher) standing out in a very youthful side. The Team Ryan Robinson Michael Cole Sebastian Pelzer Neil Danns [C] John Fitzgerald (off 75) Jay McEveley Jerome Watt (off 73) Ciaran Donnelly Paul Gallagher Darren Dunning Alan Morgan (off 86) Subs Gary Hawkins (on 86) Steve Drench Ian Black (on 73) Alex Bruce (on 75) Jemal Johnson

Rovers old boy and Hartlepool boss Mike Newell is the latest to confirm his place in the line up for Simon Garner's Testimonial. The ex-Blackburn striker thought Simon Garner was “one of the best” . . . until he discovered that he smoked! Newell, now boss of promotion-bound Hartlepool, explained: “Simon was a great lad, a nice down-to-earth sort, and a strike partner who got goals. In fact, he still holds the record for goal scoring at Blackburn. “I liked him a lot – until I roomed with him and found that he smoked. He asked me if I minded and I told him ok if he opened the window. He was such a great lad so I told him it was not a problem.” The irony is that now he’s quit playing, Garner has given up the weed, which should cheer up Newell no end. Newell will be in the line-up with his other Championship-winning colleagues at Garner’s testimonial match at Ewood Park on Sunday, May 18th – and he can’t wait for the day. The former England B striker recalls: “If I remember correctly, I teamed up with Simon up front in my first game for Rovers when I signed up in November, 1991. David Speedie was suspended - just for a change! - so Simon and me were the frontmen.” Newell, who was Rovers’ first £1 million signing, went on to play for the Ewood Park outfit until 1996, taking in the celebrated Championship victory in 1995 at Anfield. He says: “It was very emotional for me, since I started out my footballing career as a Liverpool FC Junior, even though I played for Everton before my move to Balckburn.” He had turned down a move to Ewood when Don Mackay was in charge “ but when Kenny Dalglish came in later on, I jumped at the chance. He was a hero of mine as a kid and you could see things were ready to roll. If anyone could get Rovers up into the top flight, it was Kenny.” Newell looks back fondly on those years as his “most successful time as a player,” much of it being with fellow strike partner Alan Shearer, who is still a big mate to this day. “What a striker,” he says. “Whenever you gave him the ball you expected him to score.” Now, Newell is looking forward to promotion in his first season in management . . . and the big day down at Ewood on May 18th when he’ll team up with his old mates against Graeme Souness’s Worthington Cup Winners. He says: “We’re just a wee bit older than them – but who knows?” The Simon Garner Testimonial Match takes place on Sunday May 18 at Ewood Park. Kick-off is at 4pm. Tickets are priced £12 and £6 and available from the club ticket office or by calling 01254 671666. Corporate packages and boxes can be purchased by calling 01254 690909.

St. Pats was just turn up.

The only members I know of so far that have booked flights are myself, SteB and Lee but I'm guessing a lot of people had to wait until today to find if they could get the time off work.

Hot on the heals of the Dublin news, Rovers have also announced that a pre-season game against Wigan Athletic is scheduled for Saturday 2nd August at the JJB stadium.

Managed to get Wednesday Morning out, Thursday Evening back, from Leeds for £50. So, is everyone staying in Dublin and getting the DART down to Bray, or staying in Bray its self ? I think the chance to spend the night in Dublin itself will be too tempting.