You'd presume if they're talking about a million then he must has a contract of some kind.  However the Rich Sharpe article today suggests he doesn't have a pro contract yet.  Don't know the exact figures but there are set fees now for players dependent upon length of time at the club, category of academy etc, it's been one of the criticisms of the new EPP as it lets the big clubs come in and pick up 15/16 yr olds for peanuts.  I'd say unless we get him to sign up we'll be getting nothing like a million sadly.

Does anyone know if he's actually signed a pro contract?  If he hasn't I'm led to understand we'd get a fraction of that due to academy rules in place.  Hoping he is in that case.

Oh don't get me wrong, I don't in anyway believe he'd do it deliberately and/or any conspiracy reasons.  Just some managers over the years are big on pushing kids through and some are more reluctant to trust them.  For me he has so far seemed a little more in the latter category.  However as you say no way would he do it for anything other than correct reasons in his view of what is best for the team.

I'll happily give Mowbray benefit of the doubt and hope over the next few months if form continues some of these lads are given a chance.  It is a concern though given how they're playing that we're bringing external people in ahead of them, or seemingly at least.  

Apologies if mentioned elsewhere but hadn't realised Tre Pemberton had gone to Stoke and is playing for their U23's now.  I knew he'd been released and/or left of his own accord.  Will be interesting to see how he does next week in that case.

10 hours ago, Bluebarley said:

I know mate, it was an attempt at sarcasm going off the posts above it's a simple case of going onto the website & entering yr DC details or ringing up during office hours.

Ha sorry my bad, not always easy to tell with some folk on here ;-)

33 minutes ago, Bluebarley said:

I've made up my mind about the Burnley game the system seems too complex for me, think I will give this 1 a swerve.

Obviously that's your choice but there really isn't a system as such.  It's either £18 or £22, depends if you're a season ticket holder/1875 member or not.

1 hour ago, tomphil said:

I wonder how many of their lot will choose to spend their money on a trip to Ewood over a trip to Wembley for their game v Spuds, tickets only £30 adults by the way,

Quite a lot I would wager.

I think Prem away tickets are standard maximum £30 now aren't they?

Interesting to compare the price to Sheff Utd for same round:

Blades v Leicester, League Cup, Tuesday 22nd August.

Adults - £15

Concessions - £10

U18s - £5

(Even better for season ticket holders - £10, £5, and £2).

I generally think we are pretty good for prices on the whole, United game last year where I agreed with the price and some didn't but does seem a missed opportunity a little.

I think there'll hopefully be a decent crowd on with it being the holidays still and priced like that.  Ok £18 not the cheapest for a League cup game but for me I can take both kids for £6, I'm sure others will do,  They often miss the midweek games but will be no issues with school etc so hopefully can get a few in.

Just as an aside and I'm not wanting to divert or lay any blame but what were the stewards doing if people were chucking wheelie bins around?

The one near us was keeping well out of the way and we could not blame him in the slightest. I fully hope the guy pulls through but could understand the stewards thinking at the time to let the idiots chuck stuff at each other. Sadly it got far more out of hand than anyone could have thought possible.

I don't think anyone could sort him out. The man is an animal, always has been and always will be and nothing will change that. I've read a few interviews where he pleads that he is a changed character or that it was down to booze but it's happened to many times on and off the pitch for it to be something that could be worked on. I very much doubt Newcastle will sack him but more likely move on to a club like West Ham. I'd be very disappointed and even more surprised if we went anywhere near him.

If you want something truly romantic (joke), why not try 'This & That' - its behind the arndale centre - has to be see to be believed but the food is awesome!!

Haha I can just imagine the Missus face if I told her I was taking her there.

Not got loads of time at present but my favourite Italian in town is Piccolino which I think is outstanding. Just near Albert Square and although not as cheap as some it's certainly worth the money. Opposite that is Croma which is decent and not particularly pricey.

If you want decent Italian and don't mind the place being a chain then one of the many Pizza Express in Manchester i'd recommend. I think there are at least 3 of them and they all do decent enough Italian food at good prices.

What a set of quarter finals so far? This is the best championships I can remember. So many close games that could go either way just highlights the strength in depth these days. 6 or 7 years ago Taylor used to walk through the whole thing and only ever get occasional fight if Part was on form or a couple of others.

So many of the games you really struggle to pick a winner and that is a great thing to see. Cracking entertainment.

That scheme has to be one of the nastiest ways to fleece supporters ever devised.

I've no sympathy though. They've all sold their souls as far as I'm concerned and deserve everything they get.

In that case if Rovers were taken over, and success subsequently followed, then the owners bumped the prices up beyond belief you'd expect no sympathy either? As you'd have also sold your soul to the devil by that logic. I've got friends who have gone home and away for 20 years and have been either priced out or are seriously considering having to stop going as they are now being expected to cough up close to £1000 just for home games.

These are lads whose only crime is to be loyal fans who have gone year in year out yet sadly they know they will be replaced but hopefully as was pointed out the limit will come and if enough stop then maybe the owners will see sense. People should remember that for every johnny come lately numpty who only started going due to the success there are many others who have been going for years and seen their club effectively taken out of their hands.

They have two choices really put up or shut up!! They either stop going in protest or cough up and carry on, some choice isn't it. Then they get labelled glory hunters anyway who deserve everything they get.

Is it possible to ever win more than 1-0?

A thought occured to me earlier (it may have already been said by others, I haven't read every post) that will probably run through the mind of McClaren (if he's still there); if Bentley is too tired to play a European Championship this summer, why will he be any better equiped to play one next summer?

I would have thought he would say that it would be worth suffering burnout and the tiredness that results from playing in Euro2008. As Bentley has pointed out if he was to play in this summers U21's then his chances of making the Euro2008 squad will be hugely diminished. This decision has been taken with that tournament in mind. Bentley is probably the one stand out player who has a decent chance of making that squad based on what I've seen of the U21's.

Admittedly now he has diminished his chances but he probaby feels it's a gamble worth taking.

Edit: Having said that, Merson is now saying what a stupid decision it was and that he'll have to have an absolutely outstanding season to have any chance of playing in the full squad. Peter Taylor isn't impressed either. Bentley has made a huge cock-up by the sound of it, there isn't one person involved with football that has said it was definitely the right decision for his career.

Another edit: Apparently the U21 squad themselves feel Bentley has let them down and dropped them in it by dropping out of the squad at the last minute. I hope any resentment doesn't carry over to Derbyshire.

Well he stated he had spoke with people in the full squad who advised him he would be better off pulling out. Now unless you're suggesting he's a liar i'd say you're taking this attempt to be 'the voice of reason' thing a bit too far.

If we're being honest, we're all being a bit two faced about this, if it was any of the other players who had pulled out, we'd all be going "bloody disgrace" "who do they think they are" and "too big for their boots" (that is if we cared that much about an under 21 tournament)

Whilst fans of their respective clubs would be applauding their decision.

Andy Townsend was consistent all morning in saying DB had made a professional decision, he was about the only one of the under 21 squad with a realistic chance of playing in the Euros next summer and therefore had made a career decision to give himself the best chance of having a good season next season and accordingly being fit and selected for then.

About right imo.

Know what you mean Rev but I was asked about this when it was first mentioned and I said he shouldn't be in the squad. Not for selfish reasons but because I firmly believe once you are playing for your club week in week out and have been in a full squad you should no longer be involved in the under 21s. Why not call up Rooney & Wallcott? It's not all about winning at that age it is about development, sadly something they will be sorely lacking anyway under Pearce.

All this nonsense about running through brick walls etc winds me up. We pay a small fortune to watch these guys, do we really want to see them walking around because they are knackered? As has been said if Bentley wants a crack at making the full squad for next year he needs a good season under his belt, not 7 days rest before the new one.

He will gain no benefit from playing more games at this level and Pearce should have been brave enough to accept that and play players who would benefit rather than being desperate to win.

Damned if you do and damned if you dont eh? Last summer Bellamy was widely criticised for lying about his future before the season ended and leading our supporters up the garden path and now Benni is getting stick for doing the opposite.

Exactly. He's been interviewed and asked would he be interested in a move to Chelsea. If he said no i'm committed to Blackburn and then moved he'd be slated. If as he's said, he says i'd obviousdly be very interested then he gets slated when he's simply being honest and he'd be stupid to turn the move down.

I never understand some fans logic. Jon Stead gave us a year and a half of hard work and toil and we sold him off, did we all complain? Of course not we got Bellamy in who was far better. There is very little loyalty in football and to be honest why should there be. Benni is 29 and he is the 2nd highest scorer in the league, he'd be daft if he didn't think imagine what I could do at a top 4 side.

Sadly we are used to, or at least should be used to, getting top players only to see them pinched. If in the close season we lose Benni but keep MGP and Bentley we will have done very well indeed.

Over the course of this season he has been good enough. In the last 35 minutes that I saw tonight he was bloody awful. I've not really criticised him before and, believe me, there's no way I want to lose him. It's just for the second half everyone infront of defence was poor, Benni included

Over the course of the season he has been fantastic it's that simple. We didn't hold the ball up well at all 2nd half Robertd was particularly bad for this. Benni plays even better when Roberts does his dirty work and holds the ball up, tonight he didn't. However he did score yet again and anyone who complains is either clueless or simply setting ridiculously high standards.

As ever, a rant given without actually reading what Phillipl had to say. The point he was making was that the football played at Ewood was much more entertaining than the do or die "lump it" stuff played in the lower leagues. Having watched League 2 quite a number of times this season, Phillip is absolutely right. Lower league football is not about skill it's about 20 not very good players (with the odd two who might make it at a higher level) passing a ball neither quickly nor accurately, around a muddy field. If they had jumpers for goalposts you wouldn't be surprised.

I suspect people are (again) harking back to the old days when football was "for the masses" and you could "go to the game, stand up, have a pie and a pint and have change from sixpence". I experienced that only a couple of times at Ayr United. I have no desire to do so again (in fact after those occasions insisted we went into the stand where you could sit and enjoy the game. Oh and- being 5 foot 4- SEE!). Like it or not, football is now about entetainment, and people who go to football want to see high quality entertainment. I suspect that's why some of us were so annoyed- even given the result- at the Charlton game, as our team so obviously under-achieved given what they're capable of. Even saying that, the product at Charlton/Blackburn was 1000% better skill wise than the second division.

Enjoy lower and non-league football if you like exploring your working class roots and wwandering down memory lane, but if you enjoy skill and entertainment, it's the Premiership every time. Yes, even Bolton!

As ever a holier than thou superior attitude that cannot understand how anyone can have a different view to them. Rather if they have a different view it is plain wrong. Believe it or not, and i'm sure not in your case. People go to football for a large number of reasons and the skill and entertainment is not always the main one. If it was then how could you explain how so many lower division clubs can still pull in sizeable crowds.

I understand what Phillip is saying and agree the skill is miles better but it isn't just about that. You are missing my point or as usual ignoring one you don't agree with. If you go off the argument that you should watch Rovers over Stanley as the entertainment is better, then you have to go with the view why not watch Man U cos they are miles better than us, like it or not it's true at the moment.

Most football fans don't sit there and pick a club based on who is most entertaining at the moment or which centre forward has nicest legs.

That coverage of Accy Stanley beating Macclesfield didn't make me think anything other than why were they wasting their time watching that stuff rather than getting down to Ewood?

Think you talk a lot of sense at times but that is just a nonsense attitude. Why don't we all just pack up and start watching the big 4? If your only reason for watching football is to see a team that could win stuff then that's missing the whole point. It is the very same attitude of all the so called Man U fans in towns all over the country that don't watch a local team as they don't see the point either. Luckily there are thousands of others that enjoy seeing their local team and keep football what it is in the local leagues.

Why not sack off the bottom three leagues and just have big franchises in each city? Sadly Blackburn will have to as well but we can at least see us winning stuff if we go and watch the Manchester All Stars can't we?

What was going on anyway? Couldn't tell on tv as the cameras zoomed out or showed Lloyd & Taylor on stage and all you could see was a load of security guys but not much else.