German football faced the problem of declining attendances a few years ago but is now booming with record crowds at many grounds. The reason? Ticket prices were slashed, sometimes by as much as 50 per cent, and lo and behold, the fans came flocking back in. Pretty simple really.

Middlesbrough have been relegated from the Premier League twice. They were founder members of the league but went down in its debut season, 1992-3, and were relegated again in 1996-97, the same season in which they also reached the League Cup final and the FA Cup Final (losing both to Leicester and Chelsea respectively)!

Yes, because he was too good to be omitted.

More random thoughts. We are not the only mid-sized club with this problem. Fulham, with whom we were promoted three seasons ago, have seen their crowds start to dwindle as the excitement of reaching the Premiership gradually wears off. They took only 500 fans to West Brom last weekend - did anyone notice the ranks of empty seats behind the goal when Andrew Cole scored? Television saturation: there is so much wall-to-wall footy on TV now that, quite frankly, it is becoming a turn-off. People are bored. ManU v Liverpool, traditionally one of the biggest fixtures of the season, was on TV last night and I couldn't be bothered to watch it. Television will eventually kill football in my opinion.

I'll make one last plea for Keith Newton - the classiest and best full back I ever saw in a Rovers shirt. Le Saux was a converted winger with all the faults therein. An all-star Rovers team without Keith Newton is unthinkable in my opinion. Whatever next - Tim Sherwood instead of Ronnie Clayton?

And therein lies another tale. Every year a relative of mine buys merchandise from the Rovers catalogue for Christmas presents. And every year she has to ring up the Rovers store to ask them to send her the latest catalogue. Her address/credit card details are on the database so why is the catalogue not sent automatically? Why is the club not bombarding her two or three times a year with literature to spend on Rovers products? If the commercial department cannot make use of that sort of information at their disposal it does not give me much hope that those responsible for ticket sales are any more efficient. Cue someone now leaping to their defence.

I must admit I was shocked when I saw the figure for Saturday's attendance. Talking to a number of (ex) supporters, the sale of favourite players such as Dunn and Duff, the perceived lack of ambition in the cup competitions (especially in Europe), and the generally appalling performances at Ewood in the past 12 months have led to them staying away. People want to be entertained these days - if they don't get it at a football match they'll go elsewhere.

Excellent article on Jay Bothroyd in the top people's paper today.

That is the one thing we can be grateful to Souness for: he jumped the sinking ship so early in the season that Hughes has plenty of time to turn the club around. It's going to be quite a test for young Mark. Even with the poor and demoralised squad of players bequeathed to him by Souness, he will be expected to provide instant results. I, for one, however, will not be turning against him. It was a brave decision by the board to appoint Hughes when other, more experienced candidates were available, but I think they have got the right man.

I presume that Keith Newton did not win the right back vote (where can I find the result, by the way?), so the best full back that I have seen in a Rovers shirt will have to play left back (wherre he did many times). Younger members will have to take it from me: Le Saux and Bailey were good but Newton was CLASS. Look at the number of appearances he made for England at a time when the country was stuffed with class players. This thread is a worthwhile exercise, but, as I said before, an all-time Rovers team without Clayton, Douglas, Newton and Shearer (and possibly Mike England too) is a complete nonsense.

Disapppointing to read all this negative reaction to the appointment of Mark Hughes. We should all extend him a very warm welcome to the club and wish him luck in sorting out the mess left by Souness, starting with victory over Pompey on Saturday.

It's a lower case "c" if you look properly and pronounced keltic instead of seltic. So the Celtic Race isn't a definite article then? Ooops, my mistake, was using it in that sense. But at least I didn't think that Martin O'Neil sits in the Welsh Assembly! Celtic race lower case "r" unless it's the name of a race from Belfast to Glasgow or somesuch. O'Neill is double "ll". Tomorrow's papers say Hughes will be confirmed as manager on Wednesday. Also, the Newcastle players are having a sweepstake on the first one to fall out with Souness! Laurent Robert is the favourite.

It's a lower case "c" if you look properly and pronounced keltic instead of seltic.

Nappy. Remember your roots, lad.

repeat ad nauseum.

IT'S ALL DONE AND DUSTED. Hughes will take over after the Portsmouth match, initially on a part-time basis until Wales have found a successor. He will continue in the Wales role until then while also managing Rovers. Mark Bowen, a member of the Wales coaching staff, will be his assistant manager, while Eddie Niedzwiecki, another Wales coach, could also follow him to Ewood.

Hughes's come-and-get-me plea is rather worrying, suggesting that he desperately wants the job yet has still not been approached by the club. Could it be that Rovers have switched their sights to Dowie? I fervently hope not.

Not the Times, the Telegraph, the Independent, the Guardian, the Mirror, the Express, the Star or the Mail.

It is being reported that Mark Hughes was interviewed for the job today and is set to take over as manager this week. He asked to be allowed to stay in charge of Wales for the World Cup qualifiers with England and Poland and the Rovers board agreed.

Interesting how the Souness apologists - of which there were many at the start of the season - have run for cover in the past ten days. But then it is impossible to defend the indefensible. For me, the sight of him at the match on Saturday - which he should not have attended if he had had any conscience - with his son wearing Newcastle shirt was absolutely sickening. Souness should have been sacked a year ago. His negligence and failure to do his overpaid job properly is the reason we are in this mess. His legacy to the club is an ageing and average squad that will struggle to escape relegation. This is my last word on Souness - I'm just glad he's finally gone - but the weak Rovers board have alot to answer for. They must be grateful that Newcastle have made a difficult decision for them.

Not sure if this has been mentioned elsewhere but the FA of Wales today insisted that they have had no approach from Rovers and Mark Hughes also confirmed his commitment to the Wales job. "I’ve no plans to leave the (Wales) post, which is more than just a job to me,” said Hughes. “I am a Welshman, who is as proud today of being national team manager as I was on the day I was appointed."

Looks like the Souness magic is starting to work at Newcastle already. It is being reported that Souness, supposedly on "gardening leave" until next Monday, has had a "bust-up" with Patrick Kluivert when the temperamental Dutchman failed to a turn up for a reserve game. You have to larf. Thank goodness we are rid of this buffoon.

I'd have Mike England too, or Matt Woods, but I respect those who would argue the case for Colin Hendry. No thanks Sherwood, Brownie.

Quite so. An all-time Rovers team without Newton would be a farce. In fact, I would suggest that "shoe-ins" (to use that horrible modern word) should be Crompton, Clayton, Douglas, Newton and Shearer with the other players fitted in around them.

He doesn't know anything, only what he reads in the papers. Moving on, Sam Allardyce revealed today that he was approached by Newcastle but chose to stay at Bolton for "moral and loyalty" reasons rather than walk out, unlike the unprincipled slimeball Souness. By PA Sport staff Bolton manager Sam Allardyce revealed today that Newcastle approached him before appointing Graeme Souness as their manager. Although Freddy Shepherd did not officially offer him the role, Allardyce confirmed he was approached about the position - and was confident of landing the job before deciding to stay at the Reebok Stadium. Allardyce said: “I was hugely flattered. It’s great to be associated with such a massive club but the chairman didn’t want me to go and I didn’t want to walk out, so I made the decision to stay. “It was talked about and I pondered it but I never really got offered it. But if I’d pushed it hard or walked out, I might have got it." The Trotters boss joined the club in 1999 and guided them to their highest Premiership finish last season when they secured eighth position. Allardyce now wants to build on the progress since his arrival at the club. “What has happened here over the last five years is what has kept me,” he added. “Under any other circumstances, I should have gone to Newcastle, but perhaps it was the right club at the wrong time. There’s too much here to leave. I had a look at it and made the decision.” The 49-year-old does not know whether he will eventually regret turning down the chance to manage Newcastle, but believes he has every chance of success at Bolton. “I don’t know whether I’ve made the right decision. Only time will tell but I believe that this football club in general is moving in the right direction. It hasn’t achieved all it can achieve yet and I want to drive it on. “I have taken this club by the scruff of the neck and dragged it out of the First Division and financial ruin to the heights of the Premiership. “When you have worked hard for five years to get to this position, it takes a lot of giving up. When you get a 10-year contract and your chairman asks you to see it through, you have a decision to make. It’s not just about ambition but also morals and loyalty."