i think that's entirely plausible. look at the rubbish they've bought off us - it's hard to imagine, should any of them leave brum, that they will be going anywhere but the championship or below. I think i'm right in saying that with the obvious exception of Damien Duff that's pretty much true of any recent departure (last 10 years or so) of Rovers. The grass is always greener......................

and how many people in this country will protest at what they perceive as corporate meanness? I'm sorry to raise this again but it smacks of more moaning about Them or They. If you don't like the society we live in or the way in which it exploits less developed nations do something about it. This might involve, to pick some easy ones: carefully limiting your purchases in any major retailer not using fuel derived from BP boycotting all Nestle products - Kit Kat anyone? ensuring you only drink fair trade tea and coffee not replacing your cheap Vodafone phone every 11 months (the average lifecycle of a UK mobile) Abbey National is Spanish owned so lets all have a go at Spain avoiding Procter & Gambol products - third world animal testing to avoid EU regulations not wearing Nike - human rights issues in Asia I agree The Guardian article is a cheap shot. I've listened to a lot of debate about the UK reaction to the disaster. Seems to me a lot of people are using the sitaution to gain "political" capital in any shape or form one can imagine. The Tory party in particular have been outrageous in their active criticism of the government. People love to bang on about this issue while at the same time actively supporting these companies by purchasing their products on a daily basis. MacDonalds anyone?

Simple answer - No.

There is no reason whatever to introduce video technology to the game. The ONLY instance where it can have value is in the cut and dried decision of "did it cross the line" for a goal, to employ video replays for offside, penalties etc. where a judgement is required is clearly ludicrous. The question therefore has to be how often do we get a "did the ball cross the line" incident. I can't recall a single game involving Rovers, which means it has never occured in a live game at which I have been present in 30 years or so. Hardly worth the investment for a once ina blue moon event. If the powers that be want to introduce technology to improve the refereeing standards this shoud follow rugby's lead. Wire up the officicals so we can understand the reasoning behind their decisions during the game.

Officially Rovers are now stating the second bid has been rejected. The new offer from Rovers "doubled the original initial payment and increased the guaranteed amount by 33%." For me this has now degenerated into a farce. Birmngham have had two decent bids for a 30 year old player who has publicly stated he wants to leave and handed in a transfer request. It sounds like we offered in the region of £2.5m which is more than enough for a 30 year old. I'd like to see Rovers pull out of the bidding now and leave Savage and Birmingham to enjoy each other's company. I'd be happy to see Savage at Ewood but it isn't that important, far better to put the money towards solving other problem areas. We can always go back to City on 30th January. Official Site Link

I do and I shall be very annoyed if Rovers do not take this tie seriously. I expect Hughes to go there with a full team and look to beat Cardiff first time. I would accept we might see MGP in for a debut and perhaps Gally and Stead up front to give Dickov a rest, otherwise it should be the same as yesterday. I was shocked by the attitude of Radio Rovers yesterday when it was suggested we might rest several players as the PL is more important. Well for me the FA Cup is just as important. We've had bugger all to shout about for two years so an effort at achieving a cup run is EXPECTED not just a turn up and see what happens. Great post den - I remember it all

Now who wants a badge?

Got two new lucky shirts for Christmas. The T-shirt worked against Newcastle but failed for Villa so I may have to wear the Lonsdale polo for the first time. Looking out the window we need an entertaining and exciting home win .......I've a horrible feeling we will be watching a very cold and boring draw.

ITV News just reported Robbie Savage as "very strongly" linked with a move to Ewood......while the BBC are reporting City may report us to the PL for an illegal approach to Savage. Ho, hum

Friedel, Neil, Johansson, Todd, Matteo, Reid, Flitcroft, Fergusson, Emerton, Dickov, Stead. MGP returns to the bench other subs, I presume, as Newcastle. Come on you Blues

A 2-1 win for Rovers as the Hughes revolution continues to slowly but surely improve our fortunes. 2005 cannot be as bad as 2004.

As a supplier to major multiples I could give chapter and verse on what constitutes a fair price compared to what the market dictates....but I won't right now as I have a party to organise. Sufficient to say there is a wide gap between a fair price allowing profitability and re-investment for and by the supplier compared to the price major multiples are prepared to pay for many products. Equally the supermarkets will not extoll the virtues of many home-grown products because they know that when the same product is imported, to supplement seasonality, it will not match the quality of the UK foodstuff. The public is frequently conned.

Trade yes, of course,because as you so rightly say without money developing nations have no chance. There is a "but" to this situation. Wealthier societies chose to take advantage of low wage economies, alternate climates etc to produce and transport luxury goods around the world. We do not need to eat strawberries at Christmas, we do not need little dinky vegetables or exotic cut flowers flown from Kenya to our supermarket shelves. If we really do need those products we should be paying the true cost, we consume and consume without, for the large part, a thought about the impact on others. Anyway this digresses from the debate. It doesn't really matter who donates what, we simply have to help. I feel, very strongly, that by paying a proper price for what we have learnt to consider a cheap daily product we would contribute far more to those in need in the longer term. I don't suggest an equal distribution of wealth simply a fair price for what we take.

The truth of the matter is it is not anyone's "backyard" - it is OUR backyard, our planet. As I said before until we start to pay a proper price for what we consume life will not improve for those who work for a pittance to fund the wealthier societies.

I have spent the last few days feeling as though I have watched the mother of all disaster movies, slowly I'm beginning to find the radio and newspaper reports bring home the reality. Footage on ITV last night showing land from which villages have just been washed away really intensfied this. If I appear critical of the USA, I'm not, and apologise to American and others if that is the case. Remember though "the coalition" has donated 0.023% of the total spent to date on the Iraq war to the tsunami disaster fund. I make no apology for being critical of that lose definition The West. Strangely I find myself in the unusual position of agreeing with a part of blue phil's arguement. To the point then. We, the public, are so quick to blame "THEM" or "THEY" for everything - road maintenance, poor hospitals, poor education, bins not emptied, lack of overseas aid, imigration. The subject doesn't matter, it's always THEM who are responsible, Tory or Labour Thems, the colour of government is irrelevant. We have to blame Them because we refuse to take responsibility for our own lives and for others around us. When it goes wrong or we don't like the approach we can still blame Them because They are in charge. We are responsible, collectively, for our world. It is time we all took responsibility for our actions. For centuries The West has raped the developing world for gold, cotton, minerals, cheap labour, food, whatever. Today it's mange tout and strawberries at Christmas, cash crops taking food from the mouths of the hungry. It's Nestle selling third world mothers powdered milk. It's the cheap mobile or PC. Our waste is exported to third world countries. Norwich Union call centres in India. Turning Phuket into a Western holiday playground. The list just goes on and on..........we know the cost of everything but the VALUE of nothing. We won't pay enough tax to provide for ourselves let alone those who need our help. Yet we moan and complain at the inability of THEM to resolve problems or to provide aid to regions hit by the tsunami. I'm no better than anyone else and I don't criticise any individual. If we want a better and fairer world, if we want to eradicate poverty, topple dictators, limit imigration WE, the populace, have to change. We have to stop demanding a cheap life, we have to pay the real value of everything. It is not Them, it's US. Sadly I don't think we will wake up until it is too late. Frankly a donation to the disater fund makes little difference - demanding Western governments change our world, demanding our society changes, would make a world of difference. Tell me I'm being idealistic if you like, but you know I'm right.

Spot on Morph. There isn't an arguement to be had here, the response from ALL Western nations has been, and probably will remain, paltry and yet we are prepared to spend hundreds of millions on a war in Iraq. What's the difference - oil. I will not be making ANY financial donation but I am clearing out clothes I don't wear to be added to aid parcels from Oxfam etc. The world would be a far, far better place if the Western nations, so ready to go to war for oil, would realise relieving the abject poverty of billions around the world would contribute more to global peace and security than any regime change ever can. That is a tremendous post from Morph

I thought I was being realistic. Savage is 30, I think I'm right in saying even Roy Keane was only offered another year by Utd, agreed he (RK) is 3 years older than Savage. It just seems to me that Savage at £2m plus a four year deal will cost Rovers perhaps £8m. That assumes he earns £30k/week which could be on the low side. Good player that he is, and I'd be happy to see him at Ewood, he's not in the same category as the others you mention and Rovers should not be held to ransom on the deal. Philip's post is probably as close to the truth as any of us will get and very little real money will change hands.

But we've already offered more than his market value. £2m for an ageing midfielder, who has probably got no more than two seasons in him, plus having to match the four year deal he just signed at Birmingham? Rovers have to be realistic, we made an offer that was turned down, if we go back with more we are just throwing money down the drain. I agree Robbie Savage could help us out right now but £2m plus a four year deal is ridiculous. If Hughes is taking us in the right direction we will need better players than Savage in two years time - basically we can't afford to offfer any more.

Charlie - just two more mentions and we have to apply to NASA for a licence. Have to sell a lot more badges first

ROVERS WORLD. Sign up for a quid offer until 5th Jan Just getting ready to use this for the first time - I've got the Match Console up, anyone know what time I should be able to get a broadcast? Nothing there at the moment.

TEAM NEWS Same team as played Newcastle except Bothroyd is in for Stead who replaces Jay on the bench

Following the highly entertaining Boxing Day clash Blackburn Rovers have two away games at Bolton and Aston Villa before they entertain Charlton in the last of four games over the nine day holiday period. Sunday's game against Newcastle was one of the most entertaining of the past year and the club will have been heartened to see our second highest attendance for more than 12 months packed into Ewood. Against Charlton Athletic Juniors will be admitted to all areas of the ground for just £1 with Adults and Seniors starting at £15 and £10 respectively. There are no concessions in the Jack Walker Upper Central area. Official Ticket Details can be found HERE Registration may be required to view the Official Site. The Ticket Office is closed on 1st January.

With you all the way. Gally has shown he can make a difference in the few minutes play he has had in recent games. I felt Stead had a very good game yesterday, with a little more luck he would have scored, and he is certainly no less effective than any of our other strikers. Dickov is fine, he works hard but will never get the pulse racing, as Alan says his game is very predictable.

You hit the nail on the head, thats the difference between the current and past manager. Same players but different attitude and performances. By my reckoning we had 24000 Rovers at the game. With "Kids for a Quid" against Charlton and the fact yesterday was very entertaining I really hope we can get another decent holiday crowd in. Give them another performance and perhaps folk will realise things are not quite as bad as they look?

I thought Ferguson was extremley good, probably his best game for us to date. His quick-thinking for Dickov's goal was superb and he played the type of football I have been expecting. As Newcastle don't have much of a midfield this would suggest we need an "enforcer" to work alongside BF to free him up to do the creative stuff? He effectively created Nissa' goal. One point no one has raised, Given was spilling the ball all over the place yet we didn't exactly pepper his goal with shots and our follow up on shots was poor.