Brum Preview

[Quack]

Will be an interesting game - if the Express and Star is correct and with the Mancs on saturday I would expect a second string Brum side.

I would rest Dunn / savage - mainly to prevent any chance of them being crocked by ex-colleagues. I think 2-1 to Rovers after extra time.

[cletus]

Could be a close game.

Brum are cr@p, but Rovers last two performances haven`t filled me with confidence. Just hope Robbie & Dunny decide to show BIG CLUB what they`re missing!

ps....i won`t be there.....work commitments

[AggyBlue]

After two defeats we need a win and a decent performance, otherwise confidence could nosedive.

Quick, move that banana skin

[Paul]

not going tomorrow night £10 is to much for me,hope we play a poor side and go out,the big 4 take the carling cup serious now.last season we lost to chelski and had 2 injurys after playing a full strength team

waggy I'm not trying to have a go at you but this is a ridiculous statement. Presumably the big clubs take the PL and the FA cup seriously as well so we may as well send out the reserves in those competityions. Just what are we supposed to try and win? I know lets revive the Manxman cup, only 3 games so we can risk our players in those matches as nobody else will take it seriously.

[waggy]

waggy I'm not trying to have a go at you but this is a ridiculous statement. Presumably the big clubs take the PL and the FA cup seriously as well so we may as well send out the reserves in those competityions. Just what are we supposed to try and win? I know lets revive the Manxman cup, only 3 games so we can risk our players in those matches as nobody else will take it seriously.

we have shown in the last week that we have not got ample cover at cb,and i would priorties the comps as 1 premiership,2 europe,3 fa cup 4 league cup.if that is ridiculous so be it,but last year we lost emerton and pedersen to injury and still lost to chelski

[joey_big_nose]

we have shown in the last week that we have not got ample cover at cb,and i would priorties the comps as 1 premiership,2 europe,3 fa cup 4 league cup.if that is ridiculous so be it,but last year we lost emerton and pedersen to injury and still lost to chelski

Its a fair point from Waggy. Its actually quite hard to order our priorities. I suppose our biggest realistic and optimistic hopes would be:

6th in the Prem

FA cup Semi Final

UEFA cup Semi final

League Cup final

Of course in all probability we will find it difficult in all compeitions due to the enormous amount of quality around (just look at Porstmouth. Or Newcastle. Or Spurs. Or Man City) But saying we could achieve two of those things what would people prefer?

I would struggle to say which I would prefer as they all have upsides and downsides. Although the league is bread and butter you have to say the semi final last year was an outstanding occasion for the club and I am not sure I would have wanted to go out in the FA Cup third round and finished sixth. And then, as Waggy points out, going for all four could lead to us burning out the squad.

THe saving grace is we could bring in more players in the January window and, hopefully, Reid is due to make a comeback. But still we are going to be stretched as the season progresses.

Anyhow as far as tomorrow night goes I think its a bit of an obvious choice. We should rest parts of the first XI as, along with the benefit of letting key players recharge their batteries, it does look like we need to shake up the squad a bit and we do have decent options at striker and central midfield.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Look here at the match coverage section for the Brum game on the official site,a picture of a young lad sat around a swathe of empty seats...you have to laugh at the irony!

[Tomo]

I think 2-1 Rovers Derbs & Roberts with the goals.

Att - 12,385

My team would be:

Friedel

Zurab Ooijer Samba Olsson

Rigters Tugay Axe MGP

Derbs Roberts

[Blackpool_Rover]

For what its worth im not so confident about this one. But id still put an understrength team in because im thinking about the league and the uefa. Also these players should be playing for their place in the first team....

Brown

Taylor Zurab Henchoz Ollson

Bentley Tugay Mokoenna Peter

Roberts Rigters

Subs...Enckleman, Derbyshire, Oojer, Dunn, Santa cruz

[92er]

MH said on Radio Lancs that Benni might well not play, but he backs him to have a good season.

[Alan75]

not going tomorrow night £10 is to much for me,hope we play a poor side and go out,the big 4 take the carling cup serious now.last season we lost to chelski and had 2 injurys after playing a full strength team

And there's the bloke who suggests free admission for the unemployed in order to boost attendances and atmosphere.

[brfc fan]

I'm predicting what looks like a comfortable Rovers win but actually was a struggle.

3-1 (Derbs, MGP and Sav for Rovers)

I don't know about last night. I think tonight's a great night with 8 games including interesting ones like Fulham v. Bolton.

[JAL]

See were your coming from Waggy, but isnt every professional game an absolute must win top priority game otherwise it wouldnt be professional no matter what the competition.

Tonights game is a massive opportunity for the other players who havent been involved recently to showcase their talents to the club and all, prove their value, stake a legitimate claim to play in the next game.

Look forward to these games sometimes more than the premiership ones because of the uncertainty of who is or isnt playing.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Coventry taking 11,000+ fans to Old Trafford tonight!

[Cocker]

Coventry taking 11,000+ fans to Old Trafford tonight!

Fair play to them. Ian Dowie has been ranting about how he has found their weakness. Oh dear they are going to loose 5.0 arnt they.

He should just stick to hanging out with the Goonies

[DanLad]

last year we lost emerton and pedersen to injury and still lost to chelski

Hmm, I can't really subscribe to this point of view. Seems like pessimistic Souness thinking. This is going to be a bit facetious so apologies in advance!

If you follow the logic to it's natural conclusion we should never play our first string players in a game we're likely to lose?

How about training? Maybe we shouldn't play our first string players in training games? There's no points riding on these training matches and they might get injured. Come to think of it you can do your hamstring doing shuttle runs. Maybe best we don't let them do them either. Endurance sessions...likely to knacker 'em out so we best avoid them, too. How about pulling muscles in the gym? keep 'em away from them, too *

we have shown in the last week that we have not got ample cover at cb,

Re cover at CB, I thought that most people (I don't know whether Waggy said it, admittedly) thought we had the best squad we have had for years. We've got Zurab and Oijer to come in if our first pairing goes out and we've still got Henchoz after that(?) Seems like good enough cover.

* Actually, in hindsight this might _actually_ have been Souness' training regime!

[waggy]

come on lads the carling cup is about winnable to the rovers as the premier,look at liverpoo last night,play torres in the cup and bench him for the league.with the squad we have this is one competition to far.i know hughes will play his best team he always does,but if we suffer a injury to bentley/samba/friedal do not complian.i have never said play a weakened team in the premier,as on our day we can beat anyone,but this is a comp to far.

[waggy]

And there's the bloke who suggests free admission for the unemployed in order to boost attendances and atmosphere.

can you explian that al

[den]

With thinking like that Waggy, we would never have won it in the first place.

[waggy]

With thinking like that Waggy, we would never have won it in the first place.

won what

[den]

won what

The Carling Cup.

[Presty On Tour]

we will get though tonight at all costs imo, i got a feeling we could be heading to cardiff in the next round.

[waggy]

The Carling Cup.

i thought when we won the carling cup the big four did not take it seriously,in the last 5 years chelski2,utd1 and liverpoo have won it

[den]

i thought when we won the carling cup the big four did not take it seriously,in the last 5 years chelski2,utd1 and liverpoo have won it

They played weakened teams than, as they do now. Can't see that anythings changed much there. Seriously Waggy, don't you want rovers to have a go at winning anything? We were only a midgets **** away from the FA cup final last season.

[waggy]

They played weakened teams than, as they do now. Can't see that anythings changed much there. Seriously Waggy, don't you want rovers to have a go at winning anything? We were only a midgets **** away from the FA cup final last season.

your right den,but have the big 4 not improved there squads beyond belief,all 4 second teams would finish top ten in the premier