With the average up 3,000 on last season, at least 2,000 more people are turning up at Ewood to watch the less fancied teams compared with last season.

After the Liverpool game, Rovers attendance up to 23,346 on average. That lifts us to 15th in the average attendance list and away from bottom of the %age of the ground filled list. This graph helps put it in context. 2006/7 saw a 100 improvement on 2005/6 so virtually unchanged so 2007/8 looks like it could show a big leap although I do think the lack of Bank Holiday games bacause of TV schedules will hurt us somewhat.

It isn't ideal but I read on here that effectively the Board calculated they were investing about £1m in net loss in gate income in the 25% price reductions. When you think that gates felll from an average of over 26,000 to 21,000 in three years in the Premiership the Board might well have concluded if that trend continued they were going to lose the £1m anyway. I agree with Hasta to an extent in that there seems to be a ceiling to the numbers of home supporters Rovers can attract and that there is a limited price elasticity of demand. However, the 25% reduction seems to be beating the targets set for it of increasing numbers by 10%. Season ticket sales for all of last year (including half season-tickets) were around 12,000 and the club will launch its half-season ticket sale with almost 15,000 full season tickets already sold. The attendance against Liverpool yesterday showed that the ST holders are turning up- Rovers' attendance numbers are actually bodies through the turnstiles, not number of tickets sold I believe. Then attendances before yesterday were up by around 2,000 on average matching to the corresponding fixture last year. Bad attendances against "unattractive" opposition are now 19,000+ whereas previously they were 17,000 which is a good sign that the underlying platform of support has increased by more than 10%. Of course Rovers have launched what promises to be one of the most exciting seasons in years so the price impact might not be the only cause. Perhaps worth comparing with Bradford who slashed prices. Despite being in danger of relegation from the football league (when they had high hopes of promotion), over 13,000 turned up yesterday to see the 2-1 home defeat to Brentford in a division which looks like it could be suffering a big decline in attendances otherwise this season.

Well its Tribal but not the first media to report that a new deal for Mark Hughes is under negotiation. Here we go again, its only Tribal but Mark Hughes to replace the hugely disappointing Sam Allardyce. I wonder if Mike Ashley would get his finger out and sort out his dismal shopping chain and the branch at Ewood in perticular.

You are talking about wisdom on another thread and then you go and trot out this old ###### again, 'drog!

Mark Hughes profiled

Agreed totally. Benni knows for all his cuddling of Morinho that his Manager at Rovers is one of the great strikers of recent times so has to have the utmost respect for him. Sparky took a calculated risk he knew he could win when he pulled Benni out of first team football for intensive coaching and I bet Benni worked harder physically during those days then he has ever done in his life. So much so that getting into the form he is showing now became the easy option! All the players know that they are now working on a very special project now and that is coming through in the remarkable camaraderie at Ewood- they must be enjoying the "wow, anything is possible of we keep like this" feeling. Back to Benni and he is genuinely one of the most outstandingly naturally gifted footballers/sports people I have seen. Just watch how the guy moves- there is a grace and a charisma which is the hallmark of the truly exceptional. Thierry Henry had the same X factor, Michael Holding in cricket and so on. Now that Sparky's methods (and I bet it was one of the backroom boys who really put the grunt work in 1 on 1 with Benni) are paying off we are seeing the performance coming from Benni. At the moment, you see Benni and the ball together around the six yard box and you just know it is going to be a goal. Alan Shearer managed that for three long seasons 92-95 so Benni is only just starting but today it is not invidious to begin making that comparison.

It struck me at the time that Hughes acted and dropped Benni after Mourinho had left Chelsea. Whatever the causes or background, Benni is playing superbly at the top of his very considerable ability now and it is a priviledge for us Rovers fans to see such a strike master at work in the blue and white halves.

Mokoena could be fit for the Liverpool game on Saturday- official site

I am completely opposed to the use of all drugs including tobacco except alcohol and have rarely indulged in that to excess and would urge/encourage everyone else to stay clean. I am not disputing that drugs cause harm and unpredictable harm depending on the psyche and physiology of the user. But we've reached the point that - perhaps 10% of global GDP is controlled by narco gangs - the largest single commercial enterprise in Italy is drugs running - our insurance premiums on everything are at least 15% higher than they should be because of drug crime - criminalisation is completely screwing up getting help to those vulnerable individuals who need help In other words criminal prohibition of drugs is a completely failed and discredited way of tackling the issue.

Henry Wintour on Sparky. Wintour goes half way there in his analysis. Yes Mark Hughes is an emergent football managerial genius but he is in the perfect environment at Blackburn Rovers to nurture that genius. In the final paragraph, Wintour almost anticipates the Rovers upsetting the Liverpool and Man U bandwagons in the next 12 days.

Not a feeder club but Rovers co-operation agreement with Cercle Brugge has been extended for another three seasons. They are going well- 3rd in the Belgian League last time I looked. Drew 0-0 with Anderlecht in front of nearly 20,000 at the week-end. The very promising youngster Macky .... is there on loan at present.

Is the Axe going to be our new Super Atko?

The ever reliable Tribal has quoted Chris Samba as saying that MGP is very happy he (MGP) turned down an offer to join Spurs this summer.

Yes, you are right EiT.

I remember seeing what I think was his first goal- a 20 yard blast in a pre-season Manx Cup game against Burnley in 1977 probably.

Hughes interview in the LT. Quite lengthy comments about what was wrong at Spurs.

Another stimulating article about Mark Hughes. Interesting the way the Spurs connection is so summarily dismissed.

Graph of Rovers' attendances over 12 years to 05/6. 06/7 saw a marginal increase over 05/6 whilst this season had been averaging over 2,000 up on the same fixtures last season until the Reading game which I think was down as the corresponding fixture was the last game of last season. The Sky December re-shuffle has probably killed the chances of really big gates over the Festive period so I guess we are going to need the Rovers to do something really special on the field to get the crowds consistently up by 3,000 or more.

Hiddink's comments

The LT explaining what Rovers have done to help get Benni back to his best.

The drums are embarassing- simple as that. - embarassing because they are not talented, they cannot handle syncopation or rapid chants - embarassing because they run behind the opposition keeper - embarassing because like Portsmouth with f***ing bell, we are Blackburn with the f***ing drum when in reality we are Pompey and Rovers in the top six of the World's richest sporting competition - embarassing. Full stop.

That's an understatement if you look at how the five Greek League sides have qualified for the 2nd round of the UEFA. Also a little matter of the Greek population being around 20 times that of Wales.

Soaring rates of A&E admissions because of alcohol

Amongst young people, the rates of 15 year olds trying cannibis (40%) are about the same as the numbers trying tobacco. In the population as a whole, 13% have taken cannibis within the past 12 months according to official statistics. Cocaine usage by 4% of the population and heroin by about 3.5%.