philipl

I have been pretty clear Benni is far from blameless.

No there are two people to blame- Benni AND Sam. Sam waged a war on Benni over the last two months to make sure he left.

Putting aside my feelings about this transfer, I have read enough about Benni's situation to think the West Ham being have a serious problem trying to get a new work permit for him. An ordinary person in Benni's situation would certainly be struggling but no doubt there is an extremely expensive legal specialist whom I know beavering away as I type this....

Benni has been a player who quickens the pulse and entertains as well as being a very good goal scorer for Rovers. I am sad to see him go but £2m for a fat 32 year old is not bad business. The guy's comments have been infuriating and refreshing by turns but Benni always gave the impression of telling us as it is. Sam's role in all this has been unedifying. It seems he took against Benni from the start and Benni's leaving is the end product of an all out effort by Sam recently to drive him out of the club.

In other words, Sam has screwed up. But then I don't believe every word I read in the Mail although they alone of all newspapers got the West Ham/Sheff U/Tevez story right.

smoss, it is 23 January and the post that got me into so much trouble 13 days ago because I didn't have a question mark on it still applies. I cannot think of any permanent transfers this window- can anybody? I think the point being made is not about Rovers comparative advantage or disadvantage in the market, I think it is that there is no market this window, or certainly not in the first 70+% of it.

Wham have made a written bid but no idea what it is.

Exactly which is why I ventured what I did on the Sam Targets thread. Sam has to change his game dramatically or else there is not going to be much left for his successor regardless of which division we are in next season.

Keith Hill profile and no I am not putting him forwards as the next Paul Ince!

The Benni story on Sky isn't so dramatic Have to say that den could be onto something with regards to payback time from the barrow boys over Savage.

Gosh you are slow this morning Hughesy!

The end of America's war on drugs

Benni has not behaved the way a professional athlete should. Sam is being heavy handed and I'll be mad if Benni is forced out. Sky are idiots.

It is Roberts out not Benni at present.

As If It Weren't Obvious Already... by Conor Friedersdorf If you're one of the Americans who thinks that controlling our southern border is a must -- that the potential for smuggling terrorists or their weapons imperils our national security -- perhaps you should join me in diagnosing everyone who wants to keep waging the War on Drugs as part of the problem. Cue a New York Times story that answers the question, "What happens when you create a hugely lucrative black market in illicit substances?" The answer: Mexican traffickers — facing beefed-up security on the border that now includes miles of new fencing, floodlights, drones, motion sensors and cameras — have stepped up their efforts to corrupt the border police. They research potential targets, anticorruption investigators said, exploiting the cross-border clans and relationships that define the region, offering money, sex, whatever it takes. But, with the border police in the midst of a hiring boom, law enforcement officers believe that traffickers are pulling out the stops, even soliciting some of their own operatives to apply for jobs. “In some ways,” said Keith Slotter, the agent in charge of the F.B.I.’s San Diego office, “it’s like the old spy game between the old Soviet Union and the U.S. — trying to compromise each other’s spies.” James Tomsheck, the assistant commissioner for internal affairs at Customs and Border Protection, and other investigators said they had seen many signs that the drug organizations were making a concerted effort to infiltrate the ranks. “We are very concerned,” Mr. Tomsheck said. “There have been verifiable instances where people were directed to C.B.P. to apply for positions only for the purpose of enhancing the goals of criminal organizations. They had been selected because they had no criminal record; a background investigation would not develop derogatory information.” Perhaps it isn't worth keeping drugs illegal if the cost is the corruption of our border agents, murderous turf wars in our cities, billions of dollars spent jailing non-violent offenders, children of non-violent offenders growing up without their parents, the rise of paramilitary drug cartels destabilizing multiple Latin American countries and capable at any moment of using their smuggling channels to help terrorists, no-knock raids in American neighborhoods that regularly terrify innocents and sometimes kill them, and addicts who overdose more than they would if dosage and quality were controlled.

Everton and Fulham have got themselves some real glamour names to play haven't they?

All three English clubs should go through in the CL. Liverpool have an eminently losable game against Unirea instead of facing Real Madrid- teehee.

Benni is sheer class. But he is 32 and not looking after himself the way he should.

Washington Post reports on rapid move to legalise pot in US States and collapse in support for prohibition

I am absolutely torn on this one. Benni is the most skilful player now at the club, is a brilliant goal scorer (look at his record) and can turn it on when he wants. Plus it would be great to see him as a Rover and leading the South Africa front line. BUT his lack of self-discipline in everything he does combined with the fact he is of an age where lack of physical fitness is literally a career-ender (look at Fowler as another example) means I would enormously reluctantly part company if he cannot mend his ways. For all his professed desire to play in the World Cup Finals, apparently he still couldn't put in a decent shift against Japan yesterday.

The Economist approvingly tracks the increasing decriminalisation of drugs

Hasn't Benni had swine flu and that was what Sam was referring to.

Benni is and always has been a class act. We don't have enough class as it is at Ewood to be able to keep Benni on the bench.

Hardly a resounding vote of support from me to the Axe was it?

Reset the table to a 1-0 win to Liverpool in Lyon. Lyon Pl4 GD+5 Pts 9 Fior Pl4 GD+5 Pts 9 Lpol Pl4 GD-1 Pts 6 Games to play Fior v Lyon Deb V Lpol Lyon v Deb Lpol v Fior Assuming the Hungarian lose the last two games, then Liverpool would have needed a favourable result for Lyon in Florence. If Fiorentina win that one Lpool have to beat Fiorentina by 3 or more or else they are out because Lyon are ahead on the head-to-head and Fiorentina are ahead head-to-head.