It doesn't matter how many times you beat a player if you give the ball away afterwards. What matters is the end product.

Perhaps that shows that your spying operation at Derby was more successful than at Brockhall?

There's a reason why the surcharge is not there on Saturday (see above) but it's back for the game with Hull.

I seem to be in a minority with regards to Rothwell. Every time I've seen him play, you seem to get the same thing. He picks the ball up and tries to beat a player or two. Often he's successful but then invariably gives the ball away. I can see why fans like a player who tries to beat people all the time but I don't see any end result. He was truly terrible at Sheffield United.

There's no surcharge for the Ipswich game Matty. Rovers and Ipswich did a deal on ticket prices for the two games at the start of the season. There have been a few on this thread who have said that they won't pay a surcharge.

Presumably we might find out how much an issue it is this weekend.

That's right. For cup ties pricing has to be agreed between the two clubs and whatever is agreed for the first tie has to be done in a replay as well. That's been the case all season gumboots. We have averaged about 2,000 walk-up tickets a game over the season so far and about 800 of them or 40% have been bought with the £3 surcharge.

I noticed as I was going into the JW Upper last night that I was the only person around me using my season ticket - everyone else had paper tickets. I firstly assumed it was a lot of non ST holders but then realised a lot were probably refugees from elsewhere in the ground.

Whilst a "post Christmas gesture" might be the official line, it's actually a deal on ticket prices we did with Ipswich at the start the season.

It's forecast to be 8 degrees tonight. Not shirtsleeve weather but it's really no reason not to be going. Saturday afternoon will be a lot colder.

The White Swan is excellent Matt. We've been twice and failed to get into their Christmas Tapas Night this year, having gone last year. The experience is nothing like Northcote. It's very much still a pub in style and looks although the food is vastly better to most other pubs. The cooking is probably a little less refined than Northcote but it's still very inventive and full of flavour. It thoroughly deserves it's Michelin star.

I suspect thats gone over many posters' heads that one Jim.

Away disabled fans have to go in the lower tier, which is less than satisfactory. I've no idea what they do about concessions. I think in the Norwich game they had a few ordinary fans down there as well - i think it was cheaper than opening up the other end of the top tier as there were already disabled fans in the lower tier.

We were too Simon, including Steve, although he did talk about the apathy he saw at St James Park on Saturday. He compared it to Elland Road on Boxing Day - two crowds pretty much the same size but wildly different atmospheres. Maybe Newcastle's managers are out of touch and they will sell plenty more but presumably they have a better idea than you or I.

The pricing is exactly the same as it was for the first game - £10 in advance and £20 on the gate (except that of course they were not on sale at the gate for Rovers fans). I presume that was all agreed by both clubs.

I hope plenty do Tomphil - it's £20 on the door. You might think that the club would have a decent idea of what they might sell but clearly it's a basket case at the moment so anything's possible.

Steve Waggott told us at the Fans Forum on Monday that he had spoken to Newcastle and they had told him they expected to sell about 1,500.

That's a bit extreme Jim if Newcastle are only expected to bring about 1,500!

The last time the Darwen End was full we beat Leeds 2-1. And the last time we filled an away end we lost 4-1 at Deepdale. I would be putting away fans in the lower tier to improve the overall atmosphere.

For the first time ST holders will be able to opt to have their cup ticket uploaded on to their ST card rather than receiving a paper ticket.

From my understanding Newcastle have said that they expect to sell about 1,500 tickets, well below the 4-5,000 we might have expected.

36,440 total.

It’s a stretch to call it a prediction but it was on my list of possible updates above, as was Stanley.

On the evidence of his game at Bramall Lane last Saturday, no. Time and again he would pick the ball up, beat a player or two and then give the ball away lazily.

I think there are a whole range of possibilities for upsets this weekend. Most won't happen but somewhere it will. Stanley must have a good chance at home to Ipswich. Birmingham at West Ham, Peterborough at Middlesbrough, Gillingham at home to Cardiff and Luton at Sheff Weds, as well as Philip's suggestions.