1864roverite

Maybe Rovers can add amoruso as a clause in the transfer. Give us 4 million and take them both back

my views on a seriously cold and wet night against a poor team (still shivering from leaving 29 deg of pure sunshine) the performance was poor, the result was the required win and we are safely through the round with a game against Colchester. Negatives were the perfromances of tugay and mokoena, the poor keeping of Brad and a lack of defensive cover. Positives Thommo scoring twice MGP notching another The result oh yes and finally... did anyone witness the performance of the wheelchair bound numpty at the bottom of the Blackburn End ? Please dont slate me for this but really, his manoeverability with his disablement was pure class. He showed far more movement than Tugay, even when reversing madly along the walkway ! The guy was pure entertainment and I cannnot understand what his gripe with the youngsters who mobbed MGP was about. Cant wait for Monday

Rovers answer to Peter Kay ! (not the stature of the man tho Scotty). Rovers win 1-0

just back from Cuba and my first prediction for the New Year. 2-0 Rovers oh what fun I have had in Cuba with Rovers remaining uneaten, thos eniggly naggly dinglefans who were with us really had the mockers on them when Rovers appeared on tv versus cardiff !!!

Rover6 your not the only one thanking God for fat Fred Shepherd, the local whorehouses of Thailand and and the like couldnt survive without his anuual visits !! ....allegedly of course

yes he did Darwen Blue but then what did he do ? He jumped ship just as the going got tough leaving us in a bloody great big hole. We can all thank him for his efforts but we or some can never forgive him for just walking out when it all appeared rosier up the north east. Truth is is that Sourness has been found wanting on the management front over the past 15 months, both with Rovers and Newcastle. It is really that obvious. The apparition that NUFC is a massive club, much more so that BRFC is a misconception. Okay we dont have 50k crowds, we dont have superstar players, we dont fill our stadium or have waiting lists for seasons tickets. One thing we do have is a club that runs itself efficiently, from the top dog to the tea ladies. If only Newcastle could be like that then they might just have that chance of being a really massive club. In any case with sourness in charge newcastle are only heading in one direction and that is DOWN

Just another snippet I not once had the feeling that Rovers could have lost their lead today, it is a surprising calm that has descended over Rovers supporters. Anyone else have the same feeling ?

Last prediction this year for me 1-0

A great Bank Holiday Tuesday and thanks Rovers for a belated prezzie Just listened to BFS and he is absolutley gutted at getting beat by BRFC. The defensive quality showed through today and obviously the hard work is beginning to pay off, well done the back room team. Now then if only they can work a little magic on Bothroyd and Stead and get them firing on all cylinders then we could go on a decent run. Still a little concerned about Brad refusing to step off his line. Still a little concerned about the lack of calmness when the chances do arrive. Still VERY concerned about Jim's refusal to accept that one day, yes, just one day Rovers and its supporters can be optimistic and that they might just actually win a hot headed derby match at the Breezeblock. Happy New Year all, off to sunnier climes for a while and back for the Bolton game at HOME

Jal that was me. I sit right behind the Blackburn End goal and IMo Brad was clearly at fault. Goal 1 Fyer breaks free of the defensive line and heads off to the right of the area, Brad, instead of going out to meet him allows himself to move to his own left side and then instead of fronting him he backs off leaving a gaping big hole to his rght, result GOAL. Goal 2 A free kick defensive wall is in place - 3 Rovers players - Brad is cleearly pointing to his left, goes to check his angle and then decides to move to his right. At the same time - from my honoured position - the fans behind that goal can clearly see a massive gap to Brads left hand side. Indeed if you see the goal from a different angle you will notice TODD pointing at Brad to stay left, the crowd around me can easily see that the whole left side is wide open as Brad statys right and makes a dreadful effort in trying to cover is obvious embarrassment, he even insists on having a go at the 3 man wall. His anger should have been directed at himself for leaving that amount of space or like every other goalie who has faced the french sulking mother he should have placed a defender to his left on the line. JHC the kick was nothing spectacular after all so there is my opinion Kal, like it or leave it but thats what I saw

jim have you been dressed as santa this chrimbo ? or have you not just had any cup of cheer or sherry ? you really need to have a dose of optimism instead of doomism for once. Happy New Year

There really is some crud written on these pages. Rovers fully deserved the point and could easily have lost that if Bellamy had gotten a little mor eluck right at the death. Rovers played very well, both defensively and in the middle, the only problems were with the goalkeeper YES the KEPPER and young Stead. Friedel was clearly at fault for goal number 2 and I have to question his postioning on goal number 1. All in all a good point following the other positive results in our favour. match summary to follow when guests have gone homne to the NEAST

NEWSFLASH Game is DEFINEATLY ONONONONONON Whaaaaaayyyyyyyyy lets go for it Rovers

1-0

according to staff NO tickets on sale Boxing Day

I was under the impression that as per the everton game, manure, city and liverpool that newcastle had been granted the whole of the away end, maybe a darren end season ticket holder can put it right

considering nufc have sold 8000 tickets, Rovers have almost sold out the Darwen and Blackburn End I would guestimate the crowd to be the biggest of the season. 29k+

just seen his miss on tv versus Charlton, a reminder of the good old times eh ?

krislu its his work ethic that you have to admire. He will tell you he aint a gracious player blessed with ultra speed, but he does give 100 per cent and will always put his foot,leg or head in if it is required. We can ill afford to let him go, he could work very well with an experienced head alongside or indeed if Rovers can get a solid midfielder in then playing Stead and him may just be the answer. My view is that we need a striker to score the goals that will turn draws into wins. the bottom 5 are taking shape and we dont need to be a part of it. 4 or 5 positive results would make a very different picture and as long as norwich,palace and southampton all bite the dust at Ewood then we wont go far wrong.

look on the bbc pages and in particular look at the newcastle supporters pages. I cant believe it myself but then again you never know especially where Bellamy is conceerned, I mean he is an annoying little prat aint he ?

there is a lot of rumours about Shearer having been temporarily suspended by Newcastle for hitting Bellamy ! i wonder if there is any truth in them?

JHC it took me 6 years to get over the Shearer departure, Souness has only been gone a couple of months ! I see where your coming from SG but on this occasion I will be one of the Blackburn Enders who heap derision on someone who just upped sticks when the going got a little bit tougher. Oh by the way I am pretty sure that over 5k Geordie fans will be doing the same if we manage to get a couple of goals ahead in the game. For evidence read the NUFC message boards. a recent poll of supporters conducted on a local radio station revealed that out of 6500 votes almost 68per cent wanted Souness out, that about equals this message board when we were really struggling ! Roll on Boxing Day ! its a day for football supporters NOT racists

As we are in Christmas week, I thought I would give all Rovers supporters a break from the tinsel, turkey and trimmings and allow thoughts to wander to Boxing day when we see Rovers at home to the mighty magpies, Newcastle United. The obvious pointers to this fixture are dominated by Mssrs Alan Shearer and Graham Souness. In respect of the first gentleman, he needs no invitation at all. A phenomene whilst a Rovers player and someone who simply adorned the Blue and White halves with the style and panache not seen since Mssrs Clayton and all. There is a mighty question mark as to whether this would be Shearers last ever visit as a player, indeed there are still lingering doubts as to whether he will actually play due to him being injured. Whatever happens, although I was deeply saddened when he left, if he does get his final chance on the green green grass of Ewood then I for one will applaud him as he leaves the pitch. The second gentleman, well, thats a totally different issue. Souness came to Rovers and promptly took the club by the scruff of the neck and turned us around. He gained us promotion, Europe and the Worthington Cup. He steadily built up our club from the dregs it had become and then promptly sold all the silverware and upped and left sticks. Now for some, he was a modern day manager, an icon and a hero. I loved his style of management although towards the end I looked at him in a totally different light. I am pretty certain that if he gets any positive reaction from the Ewood crowd it will be tepid at best. At worst he will suffer the JUDAS taunts that Shearer suffered on his first homecoming. So to the game. My Nephew Lee is a hardworking Geordie who works on the rigs in the North Sea. He will be present at the game, YES a geordie fan and his sister will be in the Walkersteel Stand as guests of mine. Howl AND derision I hear, away fans in the home supporters end. Fear not my friends, they have a long standing affinity with Blackburn Rovers FC and their dad used to be a Rovers player in 1972/73. I asked him the following: 1. You have a direct link to BRFC in that your dad used to be on the books of Rovers in the early 70's around the time ken Furphy was in charge. What are your views on Blackburn Rovers from what you remember all those years ago and the way they are now ? My earliest memory of BRFC, is one of a warm, friendly club, where quite literally - what you saw was what you got. I seem to remember one highly rated Howard Gayle ! 2. Obviously the great striker that is Alan Shearer returns to his spritual home and the club that he has won the only major trophy of his goal laden career. Can you recall exactly what you were doing or where you were when the Newcastle Manager KK announced a £15m transfer and paraded him at St JAmes PArk ? In July ' 96, I was based down in Didcot Oxfordshire. When news filtered through, I recall being overcome by a wave of excitement - tidal in scope. 3. We see fat Freddie Shepherd constantly on the sports channels. Being a self confessed Mad Geordie can you give us a real Newcastle fan view on this individual. There's a tribe of evil demons lurking behind this guys pleasant facade. An ex scrap metal merchant with a penchant for publicity. How a man of Mr Shepherd's background & calibre (not an iota of footballing knowledge), could publicly announce what the future held in store for Sir Bobby, without first consulting the great man himself - begs belief ! This man should be birched in Northumberland Street, before being beaten to death with a sock full of frozen vomit - for his treatment of Sir Bobby alone. 4. Rovers and Newcastle have shared lots of ups and down over the years. What is your finest memory of matches played between our clubs ? I recall the game at St James - season 2001/02 quite vividly. Olivier Bernard opened his account for the mags with an absolute thunderbolt, after David Dunne had put the Rovers in front (waving his boot at the faithful in the Gallowgate end). We got the last laugh though, Gary Speed popped up with the winner. Oh so sweet. 5. It is said that Newcastle are a club that have modelled themselves on how Blackburn Rovers is run. We know that NUFC are a much larger supported team and have a magnificent stadium so how does it feel that you have not managed to win a trophy for so long whilst BRFC have managed to grab themselves a couple of pices of major silverware in 10 years ? A fan cannot miss what he / she has never had - not in my time anyway. We'll forever live in hope though, there's nothing more certain. Who knows what's around the corner. The beat goes on. 6. What are your thoughts about how far Newcastle can go under the guidance of Sourness and his merry men ? Greame Souness has inherited his current squad, we mustn't lose sight of this. What we must do is wait until January when the window reopens, give him sufficient funds for a plunge, and judge him fairly from there on in ! 7. Can Newcastle ever hope to achieve "greatness" after this season when the mighty son of Newcastle hangs up his boots ? We'll always ''hope for greatness'' ! No one can deny us that ! However he can never be replaced. 8. How did you feel about the sacking of Sir Bob Robson and the appointment of his successor Sourness ? I mean NUFC tried Dalglish and Gullit and it got them nowhere ? What can Sourness do for Newcastle ? Sir Bobby was sacked in the worst possible manner (refer to section 3). Greame Souness - well, we'll soon see. 9. What players should Rovers be wary of and which should they target as weaknesses ? You cannot afford to underestimate Robert on his day. Weaknesses - right through the middle of our defence. 10. Who will Newcastle hope to sign in the January sales ? A lot of rumours circulating. There seems to be a bit of substance to the David Dunne scenario though ! A couple of centre halves are a must. 11 and finally a prediction for the match. 3 - 1 to the toon. Haway the lads. Thanks Lee and I am looking forward to seeing former Rovers player Shay Given although I sincerely he has another stinker at Ewood. my own view is that Rovers are due a win and if bellamy, Shearer and Kluivert are struggling then our defence has nowt to worry about. The midfield of Bowyer and Butt are missing and as I watch them on PPlus they dont look to good defensive wise. Bottoms up 2-0 Rovers and a great belated Christmas prezzie.

Oh come on Oz, our old French teacher used to call you worse names than that and if I recall you were called much worse when playing football or cricket two half wits shouldnt get to you, what should have really happened is that you should have gobbed the racist chanting muvva, hoiked him out and spat on him as he left

Back home and a little ill so no drinkies at the blues bar tonight ! Rovers today have shown some definitives in their display. Some may say it was a negative performance but I dont think so. It is clear that Rovers have worked hard on the art on defending, although I do wish that this message can be forwarded to Dom Matteo, although today his only negatives were his very poor distribution. It is evidently clear that Rovers have the ability to mess it rough when required, controlled aggression was in abundance today, from the imp that is Dickov to the battling Ferguson and Flitcroft. It is certain that Jay Bothroyd has been to the same finishing school as Emeeeele 'eskey. How can anyone, 6ft 3 or more and steadily built, fall to the floor on so many occasions is beyond me. Today should have yielded 3 points, although slightly unhappy we didnt get the 3 points I am definitely happy with the way we played. Everton have a very formidable formation, 5 across the middle does not allow the opposition midfield time to think when playing 4-4-2. Rovers however compared favourably with their aggressive nature. This I think upset the Toffees and knocked them cleanly out of the strutting style. It is surely not going to be long before Rovers put everything together and really give a team a pasting. I hope that it is Newcastle on Boxing Day and not only just as it is Sourness and co returning to Ewood. My slight disappointment is that we didnt see a front line substitution 10 minutes earlier. I firmly believe that Gallagher and Stead should have been on after 75 mins and that might just have made the difference. My ratings Brad - 8 - hardly tested and appeared a bit more confident in the defence in front of him. Neill - 7 - steady performance and put himself about. Short - 6 - coped well until injured. Matteo - 5 - what is it about this lad. He cannot pass to save his life. i counted at least 16 passes where he gave the ball away. Todd - 8 - another fine performance. solid and dependable and even outjumped ferguson on several occasions. Nissa (on for Short) - 7 - a steady performance with no frills. Flitfroft - 7 - typical battling performance and really upset Graveson and Carsley, not to mention the ref, Cahill,ferguson,mcfadyn,stubbs and the rest ! Ferguson - 7 - probing perfrmance and battled well alongside Flitcroft. Not enough time for productivity due to the five man wall in front of him. Reid - 7 - another solid effort from this player who is growing in confidence in each game. Emerton - 7 - my only criticism is his deleivery from dead ball situations. Very unlucky with that effort in the 91st minute. Dickov - 7 - typical gritty performance. Got right up everyones nose. Bothroyd - 6 - for a big man falls over too easily and needs to think about the team more. subs Gallagher - not enough time to impress but should the goal have stood. I couldnt really see if he was offside or not and the tv tonight will be interesting. Tactics - spot on. Destroyed Evertons usual overriding and overpowering style of play. Limited them to 1 shot on target and there are not many teams who have done that this season. ref - 4 - too picky and gave Everton far too many 50-50 decisions. Home fans - very disappointing turn out but it is the weekend before Christmas and crowds are always historically low. Good ovation for Bent, it wasnt his fault Sourness sold him was it ? Everton fans - for 7.5k of them, all I heard was Everton Everton, etc on 3 occasions during the match. Poor IMO for such a large following. So tonight its another point in the bag, the other teams around us have all floundered and conceded a number of goals in the process. Rovers move up and out of the bottom 3, teams around us all now have a similar if not worse goal difference. So are we having a Happy Christmas ? It does look positive, or even slightly better than a few weeks ago. The team are NOT conceding and are NOT losing. My New Years wish is that we get a solid midfielder and another defender, dare I wish for a striker as well. Rovers do need firepower if only a seasoned traveller/journeyman, maybe even someone who just wants football and can be a loanee. Finally, I would just like to give every member my Best Wishes for the Festive period. May everyones Christmas wishes come true and lets hope that we can all celebrate in style on Boxing Day. Regards