I will be delighted if I have egg on my face and I will be in no way smug if this does not work out Rovers are my team and have been for almost 40 years. I was opposed to us hiring Souness ( yes I actually wanted Hoddle) As it turned out and as is recorded on here I became one of Souness' most vehement supporters. Gally and playing Matteo on the left wing had caused me to begin to question the mans sanity though. Rovers through and through so I look forward to that egg, scrambled sounds good.

Pretty good that, they seem to like Emerton, even a few nods for Pedersen. Whats with these Geordies?

jim, one question. Will you feel the same if Hughes neglects to say hello to your boy or will Hughes be faced with a Souness type hate obsession. I wish Mark Hughes all the best too, I have he's managing my team. Interesting that some folks have taken the stance that it is wrong to criticize Mark Hughes before he has even sat in his office. Two points, 1) I am not criticising Hughes I am saddened by the Board. 2) How many of you taking this stance gleefully bad mouthed Dickov, Amoruso, Stead, Friedal etc etc before they even kicked a ball. Now, back to reality.

Bllx, people like me? What do you know about me? You don't know who I preferred for manager do you. Was you not reading any posts I had stated in several who I wanted. Also you missed the thread when I clearly stated I do not know all there is to know, so your sarcasm is misplaced. So, in future, before you start spouting off please come at least somewhat informed, if you wish to enter into a war of wits don't come unarmed.

Or Italy 4 Wales 0 even.

USABlue, go and look at the Welsh defence. Also look at some of the journeymen and never-will-be men who pad out the rest of the Welsh squad. Jones, Delaney, Collins, Gabbidon, Thatcher, Oster all played against NI. not any of these players would get a sniff of an England B side. I don't care how good a manager you are. With that defence you will have bad results such as the two Wales have suffered. The thing Hughes has been able to do is also produce good results such as those against Italy, Germany, Argentina and the Czechs. The fact that Wales were disapponted not to qualify for Euro2004 after a playoff defeat just shows how far they have come since the mid to late 90's. I can understand your concerns with Hughes with regards to lack of club managerial experience and a step into the unknown. It's for these reasons I would rather have had Dowie. However I think throwing the last 2 Welsh results as examples of Hughes managerial shortcomings is unfair. As regards to how long will he stay how long will anybody stay. Souness was quick enough to drop us and leave and he wasn't even doing that well. Any successfull manager will eventually be eyed up by supposed bigger clubs and it's naive to think that a love of blue and white will keep them at Ewood. Sven was quick enough to drop us for a better opportunity and he never even managed 1 game. Dowie and Strachan would be no different. At least from reading your posts over the last few years I know you will hold your hands up and admit your fears were unfounded if that proves to be the case. Let's hope for all our sakes it is. Would any of our defence get in the Welsh National team. It was not just the last two results either the Welsh choked when it was theirs to win. If you remember when we struggled we did well against Arse Man U Chelsea but the little boys stuffed us. Bit like Wales. When the chips were down the Taffs were annhialated.

A few people are calling me on the mat about Hughes' lack of Premeirship experience, throwing around names like Wenger and Ferguson. Come off it for every Wenger there are a hundred Sturrocks, for every Fergie there are a hundred, Houlliers. My complaint, if you have been keeping up is not about PREMIERSHIP experience it is that he has a total lack of ANY CLUB experience at ANY LEVEL. Running a Club side is a whole different kettle of fish. I should end this now and just see what Sparky does, remember many of you backing him to be boss berated Souness for signing him as a player a la' Dickov, Let's see and let hope you all get to tell me I told you so rather than me telling you . BTW Mr Fleming, the jim comment was below the belt and un called for . jim's issues with Souness were of a strictly personal nature and little to do with football.

How can you say they had no Prem experience some of them worked day in day out along some of the all time greats. One of the "pluses" I have seen bandied around here for Hughes is he has played under great managers. Well the aforementioned Mssrs Kidd etc were assistants to great amangers and failed miserably. You say this ..."He will unite the team and is much more of a players manager than souness ever was and that will go a long way with the players." Ho wdo you know that? What do you base that argument on, could the downside then be that Sparky will be too soft. Do we want a boss or do we want a bloke in a track suit who will not upset anyone?

USABlue. Would you prefer a situation in which the fans had no voice ? Would you prefer a situation like Tottenham when David Pleat was appointed? Or a Southampton limbo situatiuon where they have no manager? Our board has acted swiftly and competently. They have appointed a manager that they knew posessed great managerial potential from his time playing here. Hughes was also the players favourite choice for next manager, in addition to being the boards first choice, and certainly a top 3 favourite amongst the fans. We could have been like every other club that replaces a manager mid-season and gone with the usual suspects that may have seen us safe for this season (if we were extremely lucky) but would have had us struggling the next season forcing us to repeat the same managerial merry-go-round then. Reid, Hoddle, Houllier, Gregory, just think how much worse it could have been! I doubt that the fans had anything to do with this appointment but if they did it was certainly not a detriment to the process. You contradict yourself a bit there mr ozzy. You start out asking if I prefer the fans had no voice and end up saying you doubt the fans had anything to do with it. I am simply saying, for the last time I hope, that based on QUALIFICATIONS Hughes is one of the least qualified, it is a feel good appointment. Williams has been swayed by the masses and I feel it is a mistake, but if it deosn't work out then John does not look too bad cos everyone else wanted him too. I have strong reservations. ( Where's W. Bancroft when you need him, that bloke always seemd to have the balls to go out on a limb and found GOOD managers for us.) I will give him a fair crack, I have no option. How long will you lot give him before you turn on him. What is it you all know in football terms that makes him MORE qualified than say Glenn Hoddle, who no one wanted. Nothing, it's simply a popularity contest driven by fear of ridicule. Same thing with Strachan a fun guy talks good and everyone likes him but when push comes to shove what has he done (apart from take over from Hoddles good work) nothing. I just think it is sad when all you self proclaimed football experts based the appointment of our new boss on nothing more than how he does on camera. It better bloody work, no one wants to be proved wrong but in this case I do. I HAVE NOT written him off, I will give him credit where it is due, you will not see an obsession of a jim/Souness nature. I simply feel we missed the boat. I hope Hughes can find time to say hello to jims kid or we will have more of the same from Mr Personality. My crystal ball says many of you will be crying in you champers come New Year.

Great job??? Fight and hold their own?? against Azerbjain and N. Ireland, wow, that's me suitably impressed. Oh he NEARLY got to the Euro's it was theirs to lose and they did. Will we all think it's so great if he NEARLY saves us from relegation.

Before you ask I'm number 3. I have stated my reasons. This is nothing more than a cop out by the Board, it was a popularity contest rather than scouring the length and breadth of the football World to find the right man. It reeks of a self preservation type appointment by John Williams and show him to be less of a forward moving CEO than I thought of him being. Our club should not be the one to see if Hughes can cut it at this level. I fear relegation, and I fear the man has no savvy to rebuild this club from the grass roots level. Then again what do I know. Good luck Mark Hughes, welcome and please save my Football Team. If you should happen to be a success, how long will you stay?

As 1864 says we almost certainly will have interviewed him, however without permission. We can't simply appoint him so if we want him we have to ask for permission. Unless the Welsh FA refused there was nothing else the conference could have been about. It should be done and dusted by tomorrow now as Rovers wouldn't have approached the Welsh if it wasn't already a done deal. That all sounds a little bass ackwards if you ask me. First we interview him and THEN we ask permission to speak with him. Hmm... novel concept, I might try it. Take a day off work and upon your arrival the next day ask your Boss if it's ok to have yesterday off?? Might work

So there is still hope. If we have only just been given permission to speak with him perhaps Mr Hughes will interview poorly and rule himself out.

Fingers crossed across the pond. I hope the Welsh FA tell us to get stuffed.

All the things you seem to know about Mark Hughes are being contradicted by someone who actually plays for him. from teamtalk: Aston Villa defender Mark Delaney has pleaded with Mark Hughes to remain as Wales manager and resist any approach by Blackburn. Delaney is hoping the challenge of leading Wales to their first tournament since 1958 will persuade his international boss to snub the chance to move into club management. He told the club's official website: "I think everybody that saw the vacancy automatically thought of Mark because he'd been there as a player and because of the job he's done for Wales. But it's encouraging to see he wants to fulfil his ambitions with Wales. "It's not a surprise to see him linked with these jobs. What he's done for Welsh football has been nothing short of dramatic. We were down and pretty much out and he's turned it round full circle. "Now we're a nation to be reckoned with home and away, so what he's done with limited resources is remarkable. "It's not just Blackburn. Any job that comes up, I'm sure he's going to be linked with. So the quicker the management positions are filled, the better for us." Actually I don't state anywhere that I KNOW anything about Mark Hughes other than he has done NONE of the things I have listed. You know my feelings about this appointment should it come off and that is abut as far as I really need to go. This whole appointment seems to me to be driven on emotion. I don't feel Sparky can do this that's all. If he is to be our boss I wish him good luck and I sincerely hope he shows me to be totally wrong. I just feel that we should be appointing someone that has actually run a CLUB and shown to be able to instill stability and contiuous improvement into that club at all levels. That's all, I get a bit wound up about our Rovers sometimes. Go fer a ride on yer chopper - it might help you calm down. Spot on and probably the best thing I've read on here this week, thanks.

All the things you seem to know about Mark Hughes are being contradicted by someone who actually plays for him. from teamtalk: Aston Villa defender Mark Delaney has pleaded with Mark Hughes to remain as Wales manager and resist any approach by Blackburn. Delaney is hoping the challenge of leading Wales to their first tournament since 1958 will persuade his international boss to snub the chance to move into club management. He told the club's official website: "I think everybody that saw the vacancy automatically thought of Mark because he'd been there as a player and because of the job he's done for Wales. But it's encouraging to see he wants to fulfil his ambitions with Wales. "It's not a surprise to see him linked with these jobs. What he's done for Welsh football has been nothing short of dramatic. We were down and pretty much out and he's turned it round full circle. "Now we're a nation to be reckoned with home and away, so what he's done with limited resources is remarkable. "It's not just Blackburn. Any job that comes up, I'm sure he's going to be linked with. So the quicker the management positions are filled, the better for us." Actually I don't state anywhere that I KNOW anything about Mark Hughes other than he has done NONE of the things I have listed. You know my feelings about this appointment should it come off and that is abut as far as I really need to go. This whole appointment seems to me to be driven on emotion. I don't feel Sparky can do this that's all. If he is to be our boss I wish him good luck and I sincerely hope he shows me to be totally wrong. I just feel that we should be appointing someone that has actually run a CLUB and shown to be able to instill stability and contiuous improvement into that club at all levels. That's all, I get a bit wound up about our Rovers sometimes. Is it good that we consider a candidate whose claim to fame is that he failed in getting Wales qualified, that they choked when it was theirs for the taking. Please lord let me be wrong about this.

NO, but they will all deny ever wanting him if we are relegated by xmas.

Nappy. Remember your roots, lad. Thanks jim, how right you are.

Having calmed down, like I said in an earlier post I will support WHOEVER comes in but this one just seems so shortsighted it really narcs me. About like Glenn Hoddle might do to some others, yourself included perhaps..

That's one of the best displays of dummy-spitting I've seen in a while. DUMMY SPITTING?? That's nowt, there is crap in me diaper and food all over me pram as well.

If, as is suggested, this is DONE AND DUSTED then my opinion of John Williams may have to change. This is nothing more than a face saving appointment, one that smacks of "well, everyone else wnated him too" when we are staring Division one, or whatever, in the face. This management hunt has proved to be no more than a popularity contest. I thought Mr Williams had more gonads than that. We don't need an ex player with ZERO, yes ZERO experience in management of a FOOTBALL CLUB. The players choice, as TND says, is exactly the reason NOT to hire him. I really thought we would go with someone who has shown they can take over the team at all levels, that would know how to re-build after a relegation. That would have experience in bringing in young players blending the right mix of youth and experience. A manager that would get the team working as one for the cause, a never say die attitude and play decent football doing it. I would have rather kept Souness than hired this man. Going down and may I remind you all when we do that this is what YOU wanted. Sod it, where do I sign up for a Burnley message board, up t'clarrots. I've had about all of this lot I can take. Oh, and one more thing, I read Mark Hughes is "dithering" that he is torn between the two jobs. Well too bad, don't we want a manager that actually WANTS THIS job and THIS job alone. What is he going to do when he get's a few bad results, will he figure he made a mistake and go back to Wales? Buggar, I'm mad if this happens, we've got it all wrong, I can't beleive there are so many on here that can not see that.

So did one Mr Graeme Souness

Could also quite easily apply to Hughes. Delicate Situation because the FAW have not been officially approached to talk to the manager and working out the details of how/for how long he would carry on with the Wales job. Spot on Kamy. It's very delicate in those terms. Williams will have to decide if the club can afford to let Hughes continue as Wales manager for at least the England game I would imagine. Willa#iams must also consider how will the Rovers fans react to having a part-time manager? A very delicate situation I think. Part time boss should be a good fit, along with part time players and partimte Riversiders.

Why has my guy Nigel Worthington not been mentioned at all? If it is to be Mark Hughes I fully expect to be playing in the Dingle Division next season. ( assuming they don't get promoted)

He thinks we are a big club? Cross him off the list he's obviously tapped. I was thinking he might be worth a shot too.