Hmmm...can you please not quote entire posts when you're referring to only a small part of it? It just makes it hard to read for everyone else. You can reply to more than one than one person in a single post as well you know... Merci.

Ok, thanks for that. Lots of angry people today, I like it.

That's just an opinion though...it's not for people to tell others what they should like about football. I posted this in the Bolton topic but it's more relevant here...I had plans to go with some none-Rovers supporting friends to a game early next month (probably W.B.A.) but I've cancelled those plans now. I took a few friends to the Leicester game last season and, needless to say, they haven't asked to go again. It's just not worth me spending £40/£50 on the day when I'll just feel embarrassed about making them pay the same for a poor day's entertainment. I obviously have no idea of telling whether cases like mine are a reason for lower attendences because it may just be me...by writing that I've probably guaranteed that we'll win the West Brom game 4-3 as well. Just a small point too...I see no reason why 'results' and 'entertainment' are mutually exclusive. I'm frustrated now because I believe we have the players to be an attacking team whilst keeping a solid base, I'm not ignorant enough to criticise us doing it last season, after we'd got tonked 4-0 a couple of times then obviously something drastic needed to be done. I know things may improve when Bellamy comes back, but other things need changing too, his inclusion up-front won't solve anything.

It's cricket! I've no problem with celebrating, just think a open top bus tour and a 'ceremony' at Downing Street is a bit over-the-top. The scenes at The Oval yesterday were brilliant, I just think it might start to look a bit pathetic if we keep milking it...

Is it just me or are these celebrations a complete over-reaction? In my opinion it de-values such events. It was one match against one team...we haven't won a World Cup or anything. Admittedly, it's a special match, but still...

That is a good point...although Villa seemed to lack any kind of bite in the tackle. I'm a strong believer that, if you approach the games as West Ham have, you'll win more than you'll lose. The back four we played against Bolton looked very solid (even if Matteo can't pass), we should place more trust in them rather than protecting them with a three-man blanket. Savage seemed more disciplined with is positioning too, if he maintained that in a midfield four then we wouldn't have the problems we did against West Ham.

Well...playing 4-4-2, having competent ball players in the midfield instead of physical but technically lacking players...two strikers who combine instead of one striker being made chase balls and just generally going out with intention of winning a game. West Ham did that tonight and they won 4-0. Does anyone really think we would have approached that game in the same way? They had two strikers, two skillful wide players and Reo Coker supported from the middle better than any of our central players, even though we have more of them and therefore, theoretically, a greater need for ours to do so. West Ham won't be near the relegation zone near the end of the season, they've come into the Premiership with a brilliant attitude. They go out to win games from off, attacking in numbers and showing faith in their defence. They might switch to a 4-5-1 in the closing 20 minutes to see out a game, but that's fair enough. Compare this to us...we go 4-5-1 and just look to keep things tight and hope to sneak a goal. We rarely commit enough players forward during the openings of games...we may push forward more in final 20 minutes, but by then it's usually too late. Hughes seems to think that if we have plenty of possession in our own half then we are unlucky not to be winning games. There was no way we were ever going to score against Bolton unless they gave us a goal via a mistake, but he seems to be 'delighted'. For some reason Sky showed highlights from our 4-3 game with Fulham from two seasons ago the other day...it got me thinking; even though we were a poor team then, there was always the possibility that we could be involved in exciting games like that. Now...I don't ever see it happening. In fact, have we been involved in an exciting game since Hughes took over? The 2-2 versus Liverpool comes to mind, but we did play 4-4-2 then and showed more willingness to be adventerous than we have since December-ish. I've always deeply hated negative football (unless it's out of desperation), fortunately we've always been a great team to watch. It's not the case anymore, and I'm not going to start pretending I like it because we're doing it. I did have plans to go to a game with a few friends at the beginning of next month (probably West Brom), believing Hughes' words of "things will change next season"...but I took friends to the Leicester game last season and felt embarrassed then, so I've now scrapped those plans. It's just not worth spending £40/£50, unless the entertainment factor returns.* *Maybe that part should be included in the attendence topic.

I thought he looked quite lively on the rare occassion that the ball was played into his feet (which was about twice). I'd like to see him given a game with Bellamy and Bentley in the team, we can't deduce anything from yesterday's performance.

West Ham and Wigan have come into the Premiership and they're having a proper go at it. What rules are you on about? The rules of being relegated? They've always existed. The point was basically that both teams had basically gone out to keep a clean sheet and try to nick a goal, Andy Gray said that he struggled to see why teams are doing this in the 4th or 5th game of the season. For once I agree with him. A few years back when we were leaking goals and looking like we were going down, Souness changed the midfield to a very narrow line-up including Douglas on the left wing. That was fair enough, it was getting late on in the season and we needed points regardless of perfomance...but doing that in September? It's a horrible way of playing and it basically typifies what's wrong with the Premiership. Can't understand the Kuqi praise either, all he did was run around and chase some dodgy back passes. He never looked like doing anything else...admittedly niether did Jansen, but he was on during the first 60 minutes when the tactic was the flood the defensive areas and negate the attack. We went slightly 4-4-2 ish with Kuqi/Bentley came on, I'm sure Jansen would have looked better with Bentley on the pitch.

Agree...somehow football thinks it can charge more for a product which is getting increasingly worse. A phrase I heard on the commentary today sums it up perfectly....'the 40 point mentality'. It will come back to bite football in the arse soon enough though, Sony wouldn't get away with releasing a worse machine than the PS2 and charging £300 for it...so why should football get away with something similar? The sad thing is...we are the worst culprits in the league at the moment. West Ham have come up and are playing good football, Wigan are doing likewise (both are playing two strikers interestingly), Bolton aren't much better but at least they have Okocha and (dare I say it) Diouf. Sunderland are probably on a par entertainment wise, but that's more due to the fact that there's barely a Premiership standard player amongst them rather than having a bad mentality. I'm not even excited about Bellamy returning anymore, it's seems pretty irrelevant who chases the pointless balls hoofed forward. Bentley might provide some ammunition for him, but it appears Hughes has set a limit of 3 'attack minded' players on the pitch at one time, so even that probably won't work. I meant to ask this in last post...if anyone is going to watch this match again (or for the first time), could they please keep a count of Matteo's passes? I'll willingly put money on it that less than 10% of his passes found a Rovers player. He needs shooting, or dropping at least, even if he does win tackles he just puts us back under pressure immediately by giving the ball back to the opposition. Please Sparky, put Gresko in there, he might keep the ball more often.

I can't stand watching him play for us, it's embarrassing. He reminds me of the kid you used to phone on a Sunday morning when your team was one short...they'd run all over the place and try their heart out but ultimately they were sodding useless, and everyone could see it apart from the adoring parents (in this case, Rovers fans). Because this kid was your friend you always feel obliged to say things like "oooh unlucky!", "you're doing ok mate" etc etc...when in reality you're just praying that the ball goes to someone else. That's Kuqi I'm afraid, effing useless in every way apart from his desire.

Jansen's done nothing because all we've done is have Matteo or Mokoena hoof the ball to the opposition. We could have Henry up there and he would have done nothing. I don't think I can stand another half like the first, it just makes me angry...I thought football was entertainment?

Well...that's the worst I've ever seen us play, we're about as entertaining as a lettuce. I imagine we don't pass much better than a vegetable either. The horrible thing is...I imagine Hughes will be happy with that, nevermind that we're pathetic on the ball...we haven't conceded (yet). Savage is a grade A prick as well. Hopefully Bentley will come on in the second half for Mokoena and we'll go a bit more attacking. Hah! Sorry, what was I thinking? That will never happen.

That's the bugger, I kept putting 'Peralta' into Google. I have no idea if he's ever moved for anything like £7 million, or even if the question would allow him if he did...but he did move from Chievo to Roma a year or so back.

Hmmm....who's that Italian international that was born in England? Played for Chievo at one point I think.

Bobby Robson! He'd give the whole country a lift, he has the experience, respect and passion to have an instant impact. Any of the young managers would be a big gamble, there's no-one anywhere near qualified enough for that job yet...we can look for a long term answer after the World Cup.

Germans. I don't actually think that, I just thought I'd throw it in and stereotype everyone that has something in common with him. Maybe being a Rovers fan has something to do with it too?

If Sven has to go then we should bring Bobby Robson in, give him the job until after the World Cup and then look for a long term successor. Appointing Allardyce/Curbishley or any of the inexperienced yet talented other English managers would be suicide, I'd rather stick with Sven.

Well...wouldn't that give us at least five players if we worked on the 'uncapped at time of transfer' theory? Therefore, surely it must be still uncapped players. How much did Newcastle pay for Bramble? I know it was around £7 million somewhere... Edit: I think I might have it...Chris Kirkland. He's been called up to the squad but I don't think he's actually played, there's always that story in the papers about his dad being due to win a £100,000 bet when he makes his debut.

Where does it say in the question that they have to be uncapped at the time of the transfer? The way it's worded sounds like they'd still have to be uncapped now. Has Jonathan Woodgate ever played for England?

I don't think your way of thinking is in the minority there theno. We get higher attendences when Arsenal/Man U come to town than when we play Fulham...you can't tell me that's not because of the opposition.

Are you on about Luque? Can I ask...how many times have you seen him play?

You pathetic coward, I hate that. That's also typical chav behaviour too, you know that right?

Football's fooked - an Evertonian's view on the modern game. Even fans of a club who enjoying their most successful spell for decades are becoming fed up of football. It's a good read.

He's right. We were lucky not to get hammered, Villa could have romped away with it.