sorry was I watching bangladash or the aussies?

A few seasons ago I was reading an article which amounted to an obituary for English cricket…England had been losing for years, people no longer interested, TV revenue in doubt…etc.

However since then English cricket has gone through something of a renascence. England have climbed to 2nd best team, we have some true world class players (harmison, flintoff, etc). Plus 20/20 cricket has come along with grounds full to capacity. This ashes series has been over subscribed by 250,000.

It was 20 years ago when I first started to follow cricket. Learning how to throw a ball in my back yard got me hooked…not a bad year to be hooked with it being the last time England had won the ashes on home soil. Since then I have seen many false dawns many 5th test wins, only to lose the series 4-1. Many average, and many good players come and ago. I have seen the demise of cricket written up in the papers. How can a sport that last hours and days compete in a global TV market where instant results are demanded.

However I believe that after 20 years of waiting for an ashes win, this is going to be the year.

Who needs the football starting in august when you got this?

as the convicts arrive on these shores predictions and such like for the forthcoming ashes series.

england to win 2-1

it's get out your crystal balls time...think ahead to 2005..where will we be...will we still be at the top?, or perhaps relegated? how about champions of europe. and will alan shearer be still palying?

To be honest I was bored. I throught we started quite well in the 1st half but faded when we started to give the ball away. we onlystarted to play in the 2nd half when Emerton game on, he looked really lively. I throught we where to defensive and waited until the 81st minute to bring on stead. Dickov worked hard but did not get a sniff on goal. Throught 3-0 flattred aresnal a bit but they where the better side on the day.

Throught the rovers fans where great (even when we where 2-0 down, out

signing the arse). Decent stadium and a decent day out but given a second chance would have preferred it somewhere closer to home (as would my bank balance).

my tickets just arrived.

got my 1st choice the £25 seat. block UN1, row 35, seat 29

You mean a screw loose metaphorically and physically?

The Drog has probably hit the nail on the head.

I know this is blind(ish) faith but I still believe Matty has got it in him to be great again.

very blind faith.

It's a very sad fact of live but Matt Jansens career at rovers is over, perhaps even his footballing career. It would be the best interest of both Matt himself, and the club to release him (or not offer him a new contract-which ever comes first).

Even if he gets himself fit (mentally or physically) he needs a long run in the side, and I don't see MH giving him that. The odd start and the odd goal per season does nobody any good.

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF WE SHALL BE PLAYING ON THE SATURDAY OR SUNDAY?

Not known yet, have to wait and see who the TV companies pick, most probably sunday though.

I thinks it be a saturday. Sky are going to pick what THEY consider to be the biggest game. I think that be man utd/newcastle (also i don't think Sky have shown man utd yet in the cup this year). And sky will show the sunday 4pm game, with bbc showing the saturday 5.15 game (times for yesterdays program).

pleased with the draw, could have been man utd whcih would have been worse.

what odds rovers/newcastle final?

god must be a rovers fan this year...cardiff, colchester, burnley and hopfully leicester

got my 6 tickets for saturdays play the other day

how do I get into yorkshire to see the game?

do i need a passport, and how will the border guards treat me?

bring on those dingles!!

brentford/hartlepool, notts forest or burnley (at home please)

also can it be arranged that arsenal, chelsea, man utd and newcastle be drawn agaisnt each other please?

if ferguson goes..will gary flitcroft be made club captain again?

an idea...

every primership player should donate 1 weeks wages to the relief fund. After all when you earn what they do, you not going to miss one weeks wages.

aside from all the poltical arguments...

what I find very distressing is the places I visted 4 years ago such as Phuket, Phi Phi, of the Thai west coast in ruin. Bodies lying on the same beaches, that i had such a great time on only 4 years ago. Of course not as distressing as if I had been their at the time (or if I was one of the locals who is/or was dependent on people like me visting their country)

Football matches on several recent dates have had a minute's silence for Ken Bigley, Emlyn Hughes, and Brian Clough.

This week we are seeing one of the world's worst natural tragedies in living memory unfolding.

Bolton v Rovers took place as if nowt had happened.

Can't help thinking it would be different if the loss of life had happened in the good ol' USA.

I noticed that the england players were wearing black arm bands during the current cricket test.

I agree that the 1 minute silence is over used these days and is becoming devalued. fair enough to pay respect to a late player/manager (but only at the club concerned e.g notts forest/derby for clough), or a major diaster such as the current one, or 9/11.

saying that has there been a 1 minute silence for the 100,000's who have died in irag since the us invasion?

coming back to the topic in question, I think people should stick their hands in their pockets for the victims of probably the biggest natural tragedy in my life time. I gave £50 yesterday

the only problem is will people in 6 months, a year, 2 years still remember, or will compassion fatigue set in?

However, it seems likely now that there will be at least 2,000 casualties from the Scandanavian countries and that there are hundreds of Germans, Czechs and Americans missing. It seems astonishing that so few British citizens have been lost.

According to the news Thai officals claim that over 50 brits have died. But I don't think this has been validated by the UK goverment.

Don't forget in Thailand there are many small islands which are popular with western backpackers but are of the beaten track.

And with the death total estimated to be around 40,000, that is an absolutely staggering number.

and rising

look at the number of countries effected, Sri lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Somalia, Kenya, Burma, The Maldives

there can't have been such a wide spread diaster like this from years and years (100's years probably)

been to some of the Thai islands effected (Phuket, Phi Phi) difficult to think that there not much left standing now

at least the holiday makers can leave, but it's the locals who are really effected. And a place like Thailand wich many of it's islands are dependent on tourist it could mean ecomomic and social ruin

people seen the news today/yesterday on the earthquake/tidal waves in indian ocean?

difficult to imagine the scale of the disater over such a wide area from south east asia to east afica. 26,000 (and rising) death toll, british holiday makers killed, 1 million sri lankans (out of a population of 20 million) left effected, tourist industry left in ruins.

brings into context the problems we face with our climate!

I've put in a application for 6 tickets for the saturday at OT. They are not taking phone applications only by post.

anybody thinking of going fancy dress for the saturday?

and of course those n-power girls...!

crewe or stockport away please

if this is true I totally condem it, and any fan doing this should be expelled for life

very impressed with reid today, and thomo changed the game when he came on (as he did last weekend)

any chance of starting him next week sparky?

after sitting through 90 mins, freezing my b***s I throught be be self theres got to be more to life than this?

still a derserved point. I think Hughes is starting to make us harder to beat, we just need to start converting well earned draws to wins.

anybody throught Thompson looked very sharp when he game on to replce the lacklustre Tugay?