For some reason today felt a bit like the old days- the 90s, not the 70s or 80s. Tough, professional football, a great following and a real sense of good days ahead. I wasn't too pleased with some of the showboating late on when we could have gone on to score more goals.

No complaints though - the white burgundy is slipping down just fine.

Happy NEw Year.

Ps The small knott of Wigan youth to our left did their club no favours with their "Town full of Pakis" chant.

To all the doom mongers: Moyes' assessment of the Rovers.

"Outside the top three or four, Blackburn are playing as well as anyone in the Premiership and they gave us a hard time for the first 15 or 20 minutes,'' Moyes admitted.

Paul, you're wrong about the handball decision being the right one. The rules state that the handball has to be intentional. Hanson was right, for once. Notice that Rover6 is giving his expert view, given he hasn't seen the game. I think Bentley did really well in the first half and was involved in some really super forward play. we didn't win because we didn't take out chances, defended poorly twice - did Everton have another chance? - and were reduced to ten men by a stupid, stupid decision by the officials. I echo Gav's view on the massive strides we've taken. A beautiful swan emerging from an ugly duckling.

Hughes got it right for me, bar Todd making the cut instead of Zurab. It was closer to a 442 than a 451.

Bentley played well untilhe faded in the last quarter of the game. Thompson diodn't play well at all. I think Reid was decent too. What undid us was bad finishing and bad refereeing. Even with ten men we out passed, out thought and out fought a woeful Everton team.

Congratulations on the launch: it's about time a club of Rovers' stature had an independent voice for its fans. Good luck.

When Tugay is given time and space to play, the Rovers look at their best. The problem is that most teams close him down because given a chance he dictates the tempo of a game. Against Southamption and Norwich he was superb, as someome else said, worth the entry fee alone.

He's nothing like Berkovic who plays 25 yards futher up the pitch.

Thanks for the insight Rover6. And there was me thinking we needed a goalkeeper.

More crap in today's Guardian if anyone can be bothered to find the link. Lower sixthform fare.

Saw Collins nbefore the game at Cardiff, another complete and utter berk.

Reade is wide of the mark. To link the attendance at Cardiff with Hughes' tactics doesn't make any sense. The attendances at Ewood are due to a number of factors, but as both Everton and Bolton have shown, you can play the defensive game, and if you are near the top of the table the crowds will turn up.

Brian Reade's at it again in this morning's Mirror.

Elsewhere, a premiership table based on results since January 1st has us sixth.

A real test for us now that we're safe and the press is following other stories. Hopefully the players will respond with another high tempo and committed performance. 1-0 with Stead netting.

Strachan's article that appears in today's Guardian is unfortunately accompanied by a photograph of Lehman play acting following Emerton's attempt to get the ball, close the the dead ball line, with the caption, "Blackburn's Brett Emerton - only following orders". The obvious implication being that Brett had injured the German, on purpose, and on the instruction of Hughes and the Rovers' management team. So even when there's a piece that redresses the argument some idiot sub editor, drops in an image designed to con the reader into thinking a Rvoers player had gone out to injure an Arsenal player. Sick to death of it.

I was told by a United fan at work that United had sent back part off their allocation.

So the press carry a photo of empty seats. Tells you all you need to know about modern journalism. No principles, no regard for truth or the reality of a poor, small working class town supporting a premiership club; jsut after a neat headline and a sale. And even my paper, the Observer is at it. What a bunch of t0ssers.

I'm amazed at the press today and foolishly a little upset by it. What really jars is the double standards. Remember Bergkamp's elbows two seasons running on Nisa? And the inciddent at Old Trafford following the penalty miss a couple years back? Now that was something to be ashamed of. I'm sure I'm not alone in totally bemused by the level of press hyperbole, considering we were playing the most of cynical premiership teams. And calling it antii-football! Well bring it on if in means we get to rattle the efette (sp?) cages for another season.

I've never been to a Liberal Democrat conference, but I

imgaine it to be full of Arsenal fans - middle class, smug, with kids called Jasper

and Daisy and with all the passion and commitment of Charles Kennedy.

Ferguson is a good, not great, player, and the best we had.

So he is a big, big loss in my opinion.

However he is a miserable human being and refusing to play, as a tactic to get the transfer sums him up. I think backing the management team could be the only reasonable position to take and that's certainly been my approach.

As for all the nonsense about Rangers this and Rangers that Mr Fergsuon and supporters have been banging on about, it betrays a small town mentality missing from the Blackburn Rovers, a club that expects decent standards of behaviour, and who will never forget this episode in the club's history.

Back to your sectarian ghetto Barry; they'll be celebrating on the Shankill Road tonight.

Spit and move on.

Latest from Brum press says we've matched £6m bid and it's been accepted by Newcastle.

ttp://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/birmingham/news/tm_objectid=15133723%26method=full%26siteid=50002%26headline=bellamy%2dbattle-name_page.html

Scotty,

What I'm saying is that if he stays I think we stay up, if he goes then we may be in trouble. If your judgement is that it won't make any difference to our chances of relegation, then fine I think you have a sound position, except... that we can't let him go for £4m and be ripped off by around £2m.

If you do think him leaving will have a real affect on our chances of relegation then, as i said earlier, you have to hold your nose for the next ew months and hope he buggers off at the end of the season.

One thought, if he plays today who'll be captain?

Scotty,

With Ferguson in the side for the rest ofthe season I can't see us being relegated. Without him a replacement, the odds on a return to the dead men is, and I think you'd agree, greatly increased. So, like me, be glad he's staying, hold your nose and pray that the seven point gap doesn't evaporate.

Oh and keep it up PhilL

Oh Theno, I think you'll find the Scottish oil has been a rather important contribution to UK PLC's coffers over the last thirty years.

I'd jsut like to say that this has been a super thread - well done Phil L, Tris and Scotty in particular for keeping up the level of debate. After lsat night's performance i'm afraid to say that our midfield without Ferguson will not be half as effective.

Not a word from Ferguson to the thousands of ordinary folk who pay his £20k wages a week. And to throw in the towel now. All he had to do is keep stum and leave in four months - the way Berg did for United. A gutless individual.

Waggy I think is wide of the mark, as I've also followed the club since the early 70s and am currently a season ticket holder.

I'm lucky enough to be able to afford to go, so maybe that colours my view, but as I posted on page two our prices compare favourably with virtually any other club you can name including those in lower divisions.

If we had the likes of Shearer and Duff playing the ground would be full so it's not just about price, it's about poor home form and value for money. You can into the game for £16 I believe, and if you want to watch top flight football that's very cheap.

The other issue is that Blackburn is a poor town surrounded by other towns, close to several other premership sides, so our support tends to be less hard core.

The club has been brilliant trying to keep prices down and at the same time keeeping the club in the top flight. The criticism really is unfair.

I think some of the comments are a bit over the top. Paying £19 to see a premiership club is not expensive compared to watching football right through the divisions. My Preston, City, Bristol City, Bury and Chester supporting friends are amazed at how cheap it is to get into EP.

There were about 200 Charlton fans at the game, which means over 19k Rovers' fans turned up which ain't as bad at it first seems.