Only 12000 or so on today and it's very obvious why. The gulf between the Championship and the PL is so great these games are almost meaningless. Rovers dealt very competently and professionally with QPR without even moving out of first gear. Hughes got the team selection spot on and we should see the full first choice on Wednesday all nicely sharpened up, ready to go. I thought Peter made a good debut and should be credited with a bit more than three assists. He created all three goals, a damn sight more than an assist. If someone can create three goals on Wednesday we'll be laughing all the way to Cardiff.

The idea of Allardyce moving to Newcastle strikes me as quite bizarre. I suppose it's a question of failing to understand the mentality of a football manager. Presuming he does go I'd have to ask the question why? Newcastle have become a joke club, largely due to the chairman and the fans, neither of whom help the club's image. Allardyce seems to be in a secure job, performing well in many directions, increasing gates, improved "status" in the PL. Why on earth give up all this to manage a club with no extra money available, huge expectations and very little potential to succeed. I suppose money must be at the root of this should Allardyce move. It can't be ambition as there is more possibility to fulfill one's potential at Bolton. Surely Shepherd hasn't convinced him the Toon can be changed overnight? Perhaps I lack ambition but if I were in his shoes I would stay at the Reebok.

We got three extras and may be getting a couple more yet. this is a game to take people along to. I think we'll manage 29000. We had 19200 Rovers for Portsmouth so we should keep those, add 2000 on the home support plus 8000 or so from Essex. ......thanks bob

Do away goals count double?

Never done a postal application before. I feel stressed just thinking about it! I like the feeling of someone saying "Yes your credit card has gone through Ok" Do they always succeed or is it better to queue/phone?

Stu, do you mean straight after the QPR game? Like we have to queue with the kids etc?

It is unfair, on those who want to continue to enjoy the Wigan win, to close this thread. I have done my best to split out the non-football posts in this thread and move them to HERE. It's not perfect I know but it's all I have time for. The posts relating to racist chants have been left here where they are relevant to football, the other stuff has been moved to ICBINF. No doubt some will feel their posts should not have been moved, for this I apologise, it isn't simple. Anymore off-topic posts will simply be deleted, not moved. Happy New Year and Broom

It's worth just watching the banner at the top of philip's link

Absolutely. I don't understand why ST holders can't just log in, buy their tickets and that's an end to it. I never book on-line because the club never make my seats available to me online.

I booked Utd tickets last week. What I don't understand is why we are always asked to have the account numbers ready but the TO staff often ask for Block, Row and Seat No? Why can't we just give the account number which should immeadiately bring up all the necessary info. On Wednesday I offered my account numbers and the TO lady refused these but requested Block, Row and Seat. Then got it wrong and had to re-do the transaction three times. Anyone know when Utd away will go on sale?

I don't know how the club works that one; it would be interesting to find out. We can ask the question next week. If you're right then last night's attendance was good considering the weather, Sky, Xmas, the opposition etc. If it was 19521 as announced, I still feel we put on extra 2000 home fans as most gates seem to be working out at around 17000.

Looking out from the FS; Darwen End Upper tier shut Away section - 500 Home section - 1500 That's 6000 empty seats JW - large gaps in the upper tier Riverside - gaps on the outer edges BBE looked full FS - hard to say but seemed busier than usual

Well my cup runneth over. 8th in the league, two semi-final games on the horizon, Notlob and Man Utd coming up in the PL, great day at Wigan, 4 wins on the bounce (when did we last do that?), 19000 home fans at Ewood last night. I can't say I enjoyed last night's game much other than having played below recent standards we still managed to win. I hate to think how tired the team would have been if we had played Sunderland? Hopefully Sparky will ring the changes on Saturday and we will be firing on all cylinders for the first Utd game. While 19521 is a small crowd as Pompey only brought around 500 I reckon we had an extra 2000 home fans at the match. Now that must be good news.

Travelling to Wigan we didn't really expect to get anything from this game. Wigan are having a great season and after losing five, not unexpected, on the bounce seemed to have got themselves back on song. We thought we were in for a very tough afternoon. On yesterday's evidence it's hard to understand why Wigan have done so well so far. I thought Rovers played very, very well as a team, not one outfield player could be criticised, yet we were not brilliant. So why have Wigan done so well when they didn't come anywhere close to matching Rovers? Given Wigan's record I'd rank this as our best result of the season to date, ahead of the Old Trafford win. In theory we could have lost this quite easily but the team went out determined to do a job and got a very just reward for their efforts. We really need to keep this attitude going through to January 11th and then who knows? Am I the only one a bit concerned by Brad? I thought he was below par yesterday. If Gray hadn't cleared one off the line, when Friedel should have come for the original ball, it might have been a different story. Enjoyed the Wigan Walk. First out was with about 12 minutes to go. Makes the Riverside look a bit better

Stunning, I'm truely shocked John Williams himself hasn't driven to London and delivered your ticket in person. The stuff I'm reading on this board tonight is quite unbelievable.

About the only piece of common sense on here. I've sent back my STSs, Utd tickets, shirts, old flags, scarves ( the shop needs them), wooly hat, baseball caps and Wigan tickets. We are now only getting half-price pies. I am absolutely disgusted, we have been lead up the garden path by an ex-Rovers player who promised us all FREE pies. It's appalling the only way I could afford to watch football and feed the kids is if we get free pies at Wigan. Outrageous, next thing you know they'll be calling off games when the temperature drops rapidly and catches out the groundstaff and their preparations. I feel every fan going to Wigan should take a flask and sandwiches and refuse the half-price pies.

errrrr.........it's actually £4 per number and £1 per letter. I was in there today and got Tugay 16 for £13. I agree it's still a very high price for names and numbers though.

Not sure where to post this comment but here we go. I got my Utd tickets today, first phone call I was 38th in thee queue, second call a couple of hours later I was 15th and got served pretty quickly. I'm delighted to say I got two extras without any trouble at all, six instead of four. I'd have expected it to be a hassle but no problem at all. Now if we can all convince a mate to come along.............

Probably because no one had told the switchboard there was an inspection. Gerald Jackson knew bugger all about it at 6.00pm

Sorry Mike I can guarantee it was at least +4c in Workington today, but I don't know what it has been like here. I do know this can happen as quickly as it has

I can't believe the stuff being posted on here. The friggin railways can't guarantee to get you home after 8.00pm tonight. The weather is severe, the club have been caught out. It happens and I think the fact it happened so quickly is totally understandable.

Before everyone calls the club for this think on. I've been out Kart racing all day. We set off from home at 8.00am -3c, got to Cumbria at 9.45 in -5c, but by 10.30am it was up to +1c in the sun and rose to around +4c by 2.00pm. The Kart track was running really well until 3.30pm or so when the sun dropped below the rim of the quarry in which it's built and the track froze up in no more than 10 minutes. My guess is the pitch was bathed in sunshine for most of the day and it was not until around 3.30 or 4.00pm that it began to freeze. In the temperatures we had today and are forecast for tonight the pitch would freeze very, very fast. If the heating isn't working properly that is a club problem but I can fully understand why the pitch was OK at 2.30pm and then needed an inspection at 5.15pm. Mind you having steamed down the M6 from Workington I wasn't best pleased to hear the games was off as we hit the M65.

Getting my hopes up for a great crowd and a good win on Wednesday night. Usually means we lose. I'll try to spend the next two days being as pessimistic as possible. Come on Rovers we can get the town on a high. Wins at Boro and Wigan plus Sunderland at home, then it's Portsmouth and QPR and the semis not far off. Now is the time for the team to sell itself to the missing support. We really need a home performance on Wednesday. I'm going for 3 -1 but it won't be easy

I can't help feel my original post on this is being misinterpreted. I am not whinging about the excessive cost from a personal view as I can, just, still afford it, though without STs I could not. I was trying to make the point the cost for an average income family in the Blackburn area is out of reach for the coming sequence of games at this, and probably, other times of the year. Without STs the lowest cost for the forthcoming sequence would be £565 for our household. If I had to find that cash between now and the Utd PL game on February 1st we would not attend all the games. Wigan would be out and then I'd start to look closely at QPR, Sunderland, Portsmouth and Bolton as ones to miss. If I'd forseen the Utd semis I would not be going to Wigan, and might have missed QPR, though I can't recall ever missing a home game for financial reasons. We HAVE to go to both Utd games. This isn't logical, we don't HAVE to other than in an emotional sense but we will go regardless of the cost. My question is when will the more well-off supporter start saying "No?" I take thenodrog's, and others, point that if we want to watch top-class players we have to pay for it BUT this can only be maintained while fans can afford the cost. Once that bridge is crossed the clubs, especially so in Rovers case, face one of three choices: Lancashire United Relegation Reduce costs and then prices The first appears unacceptable to the majority. The second results in a spiral of decline leaving only the third choice. Players will have to be paid less throughout the PL. Currently I can't imagine saying "No" but I have a feeling the time is approaching and the first time will not be the last.

Thought Tennant was fine but yesterday's episode fell way, way below the standard expected. It was almost as if someone woke up last week thinking "Quick we need a Christmas Special". Very disappointed. The only programme the family had planned to watch all day.