I went to Preston Grasshoppers rugby union on Saturday. Good afternoon out with some great company, however dreadful game of huff and puff. Union will always be the bigger game due to sponsorship and being a big game in the home counties and on a UK wide basis. I prefer Rugby League anyway.....far more physical and must faster game, also lots of families (women and children) go and no hassle between opposition fans who often stand together. I prefer League every time.

Abbey, yes it is cheap cheerful and has decent steaks and pizza. Great value.

Yes, I am going with a mate who is a Chesterfield fan, his wife, daughter, father in law and mother in law. Should double the gate Preferred my day out at Preston Hoppers last Saturday.......decent pint of Thwaites, or should I say about 8, I think!

Trust you to come up with something posh Paul. I prefer a pint of Thwaites Mild (Nutty Black) myself. How is Ewood these days btw, enjoying the atmosphere? I must say that I haven't missed it one bit.

roverandout: it must have been difficult saying what you did. There are a lot of people out there, and clearly on this Board judging by the above responses, who have similar challenges. There are plenty of decent folk out there who are willing to listen and not be judgemental, and who really do care about mental illness and do not see it as a "weakness" or whatever. Some people on the this Board appear to have made some decent offers, don't be afraid to ask for help. and......COYB!

Tris, thanks.....it is on the list to try.

Dreadful, dreadful news. RIP Gary, great player, sorry for his family.

fantastic, one of my favouries. I am off to another tonight when I take my team to 60 Hope Street in Liverpool. Oysters and and a nice crisp white wine for starters......only 7 hours to go followed by a night in the Hards Days Night Hotel. 60 Hope Street and the London Carriage Works (about 100 yards on the same side of Hope St) are my two recommendations if MB colleagues go to Liverpool; do not touch the jamie Oliver italian place in Liverpool One with a barge pole, overpriced dreadful food with terrible service standards.

Ha ha. I used to go to Chorley Lynx and loved it, especially the Morris's pies (Clure will know them!). I used to sponsor a couple of players, only £60 a time. Lynx then Blackpool now sadly gone.

Yes, come on you Saints

Going on a freebie (every year), champagne, meal in bobby Moore lounge, free wine, beer etc and seats on the half way line four rows behind the players entrance and parking 400 meters from the ground. And the Missis drives. There will be a few of us missing Ewood that day.

Went to the Bleeding Heart french restaurant near Farringdon tube in London on Tuesday night. fantastic meal, great fois gras nibbles and the fish courses were sublime. The best was the fromage trolley...some of the best stinky french cheeses I have tried (and I am an English cheese fan). PS. Someone else paid

Thanks WB, remember it well. I was sat in the middle of the Derby fans with 4 other Rovers mates from Southport which is where I lived at the time. I don't remember how we survived as it was obvious we were blues as the only fans sat on their hands amongst the Derby fans, Great memories....what a rollercoaster!!!! More like a prison overall !

What a fantastic game, watched every minute of it. Beats footie hands down.

love the game. I used to sponsor a couple of players at Lancashire Lynx/Chorley Lynx before they folded (Jason Demetriou for eg). Now follow the SAINTS. Go to Challenge Cup at Wembley every year (miss Rovers that day) and sit in the very best seats at Wembley, eat well and drink as much as I like on corporate. fantastic sport....beats footie hands down.

Algheros? I cannot understand why people rate it. Full of badly behaved noisy kids, dreadful service and dreadful food. I try it once a year to see if it has improved as it is only 5 minutes drive, every time it is worse......the pits!

Abbs: it is run by Rovers fans

I have a Perspex shirt (XL) and an Anniversary shirt (XXL), both of which are in great nick. PM me if interested in buying.

I have an older lightweight official Rovers jacket with the Rovers badge on the front and "Lonsdale" -our then sponsors- on the back. You can have it if you want? It is in very good condition.

so have I, it is on the top of my office filing cabinet at work along with 2 more recent signed balls. Also have on my office wall: all team signed Tim Flowers goalie shirt from 94/95 all team signed "Lonsdale" shirt a Jim Smith signed 1st Day Cover from the 1975 Rovers Centenary Game of 2/11/1975 versus Bolton a signed Mark Hughes photo a signed shearer photo I also gave away a signed Rovers shirt to Ernesto's Barbers Shop on Richmond Terrace in Blackburn .....sorry, no offers!

aye friday nite in the Original Ship Inn in Towngate , Leyland. 6th pint of Lion Ales Mild (electric pumps) and a tub of cockels...then a good fight with the North Enders outside Leyland Garage (Fords). them were the days....no cctv....cheap ale ....and plenty of loose birds. BRING BACK THE COCKLE MAN

Yep, it was a Brewers Fayre until about 6 months back...smelled of chips and was full of drunken parents and wild kids who have all been turfed out. It is now run by the couple who had the Boatyard pub at Riley Green who are making a good go of it.

The Royal Oak is my local: good food (try the specials board) and a great pint albeit expensive. I suggest that you try The Boars Head next to Crooks Land Rover place, which is a mile down the road from the Royal Oak towards Preston just past Hoghton Tower. It has been refurbished...great food and real good well kept beer (Thwaites bitter is £2-10 when it is £2-60 at the Royal Oak. It has been gaining a lot of trade at the expense of the Royal Oak and the Sirloin. Well worth a try. And CLB when you go into the Royal Oak I am normally sat in the right hand corner side of the bar next to the sign saying "Bull Sh*t Corner".

I used to work behind the bar at Jerrys as the locals call it) when I was 16. The food now, and the couple who run it are dreadful. I would not buy a bag of crisps from those wasters. The Travellers Rest at Euxton, run by a Rovers fan is well worth a visit. the couple are ex-Riversiders and gave up going when others were being offered cheap tickets as it "was unfair".

thanks to Longsiders, ffan and Zulu. You all have a lot of decency for your comments.