This is a huge challenge now- Charlton welcome three players back from injury and a look at the table this morning tells us all we need to know about Les Read's team talks. - Charlton's most important game this decade etc etc. Rovers with 6 out through injury. Even so a line-up of Friedel, Emerton, Ooijer, Neill, Gray, Bentley, Tugay, Savage, MGP, McCarthy, Nonda; subs Brown, Todd, Gally, Peter, Mokoena doesn't look too bad. Derbyshire and McEveley still don't make the bench.

The biggest beneficiary under the scheme I suggested would be Rovers fans as we already have the cheapest tickets.

So a rumour on the Kop is serious is it? Don't be daft. I am being serious- Liverpool are being sold to DIC. I have plenty of contacts there so I can find out whether they are going to keep Rafa or not with far more chance of reality than the gossips of the Kop. Quite honestly, my guess is that Rafa is safe. He only won the European Cup for you and Liverpool are sitting pretty in the PL league table for a second half push for 3rd or 4th.

My gut feel is that with the foreign money men having come into the game to make money, there will be much tighter control over wages than in the past- this is happening with recent surveys showing a dramatic reduction in wage increases. The PL is already the most powerful league financially so apart from Chelsea, Arsenal and Mancs going toe-to-toe with AC, Barca and Real there isn't any external competitive push on wages. If the PL is sensible, the smaller clubs will get a modest change to distribution favouring themselves and particularly the relegated clubs. The PL has a 14 vote one club one vote rule so this should be possible. A move like this will hopefully take away some of the massive fear factor that exists within the Premiership now and hopefully reverse the current collapse in goal scoring. Secondly, all except the London and CL-type clubs should take advantage of the new broadcasting windfall next season and seriously cut ticket prices. A PL initiative to reduce prices by 25% or more has to be the way forwards to offset the massive disincentive of games no longer being habituated on Saturdays at 3pm. Next season, BT will be broadcasting the Setanta rights as well as 75% of all other games on delay. The balance has got to be tipped back to the fan in the stadium, particularly the travelling fans who create the atmosphere in all seater stadia. The PL has to incentivise away fans. Perhaps a rule should be introduced whereby the tickets for visiting fans should be made available at the price those fans pay for home matches if distributed by the visiting club on a membership or season ticket basis.

They are being sold to Dubai so they'll probably get a camel trainer.

When we had been relegated back in 1966, Everton away was the only first division draw we ever seemed to get in the FA Cup. Certainly remember a 3-0 defeat and a 2-0 defeat at Goodison.

This campaign against Mokoena is sheer sturrocking stupid. The guy will not be on a fortune, he does have physical presence, he can disrupt the opposition, passes don't go forwards but he usually plays a good out ball along the line, the pace of the Prem doesn't phase him, he seems to be a very professional individual, he doesn't cause problems when he is displaced, he has got big match international experience - in short he is ideal material to have at a club of Rovers size and means. No doubt if Sparky signs the players he is targetting, the Axe will be 20th in a 24 man squad but a player like Aaron is needed. It is a squad game these days.

Well they seem to have started...

Just out of interest, anyone know why the draw was not allowed to be broadcast on the internet? Real toss-up as to who will progress from Everton v Rovers. Some oter tasty ties around as well.

The only thing that is falling faster than the number of bums on seats is the balls in nets.

To keep them both happy- rover6 actually wants MGP in the Axe role.

If we'd lost today, we could have said good bye to pretensions about European football next season. As it is we are 9 points off fourth with two games in hand. If we beat Charlton and Newcastle, we can sleep easy with regards to relegation worries.

Henchoz replaces Zura. Neill to RB Emerton back to RW Bentley to centre mid. Fulham are big so and sos - bit concerned that Bentley and MGP might get squashed.

So you reckon the Mancs will move for Dunn then 'drogy? Got a feeling that Larsson could be new Cantona for the Mancs. Bit old for drop kicking Palace supporters but could be as talismatic.

Probably get a nightmare draw like Pompey away- no money and little chance of progress. One or two fizzy pop league away fixtures could be uncomfortable- Norwich or Derby away for instance.

What's with all these squiggles these days? 1 home and 3 away for me.

It seems that Zurab and Jeffers are out, not doubts. Suspect Hughes will go for Henchoz replacing Zurab and Neill to replace Gray and no changes elsewhere. Gally to be on the bench and to get at least 20 minutes in place of Nonda if we are not winning by then.

I feel sorry for decent Feyernoord fans like SCF08 but UEFA have to act. The prospect of a Feternoord v Krakow game deciding which of those two qualify sounds like a recipe for a disaster in terms of crowd problems. Even more credit is due to the Rovers' travelling support for not getting into any trouble in either Krakow or Rotterdam. With one round of games to go, Rovers' opponents in the round of 32 will be: If we beat Nancy, the following are in 3rd place in the UEFA Groups- Auxerre (Livorno or Partizan Belgrade could go 3rd) Besiktas (Leverkusen a long shot to overtake them) Liberec (Braga also a long shot for 3rd) Osasuna (or Lens or Odense if someone else gets a stuffing) Ajax (or Zulte-Waregem if Ajax beat them in the decider in Amsterdam) Rapid Bucarest (this one is wide open as Hapoel, Mlada or PSG could come 3rd) Fenerbahce (another day of destiny as Celta, Palermo or Frankfurt could come 3rd) If we don't beat Nancy, the following are in 3rd place in the CL Groups- Barcelona (Werder will drop to 3rd only if beaten by Barca in their last game) Sporting Lisbon (Spartak Moscow a long shot to overtake them) Bordeaux (an exceptional scoring feat needed from Galatasaray to dislodge them) Shakhtar Donetsk (Olypiacos hanging on by a thread) Steau Bucharest (again all but certain to prevail over Dynamo Kiev) CSKA Moscow (will probably overtake either Porto or Arsenal and Rovers cannot be drawn against the Arsenal) Lille (or Anderlecht or AEK) Benfica (or possibly Man U whom we cannot play or a long shot Copenhagen)

If that is true SCF, Nancy broke UEFA rules and could be in hot water as well. Is there any footage of who was lobbing the tear gas? Questions will be asked if Nancy did not communicate with the UEFA officials before the police started tear gassing the crowd. However, Feyernoord are looking at a massive fine and ban: - history of trouble - previous bans - Pedersen incident to be considered - Pre-match riot in Nancy - events during the game. The Nancy supporters all behaving themselves makes it even tougher for Feyernoord because there was zero provocation apart from being on the wrong end of a right thrashing on the pitch.

Damn, we could have done with that penalty going in. Unfortunately, the Feyernoord fans rioted in Nancy before the game as well. If the jumpy Gendarmerie fired the teargas whilst the game was in progress, it might be less clearcut about what will happen. However, as they are playing again, I guess what the score is when they finish is what will stand.

I was referring to the round of 32 as I was answering a point about Rovers coming 2nd being OK. You are right that the CL clubs got wiped out in later rounds but in the 2nd place v CL exiled games in the round of 32, only Levski prevailed against Artmedia. Anyway, Nancy's game has been abandonned. No doubt Feyernoord will be entertaining Krakow in an empty stadium on 13 December but the 3-0 scoreline will be allowed to stand from tonight. The official table is showing Rovers top and Nancy as having only played two games at the moment. Barca have to beat Werder Bremen next week to avoid dropping into the UEFA. Werder were good enough to beat a determined decent strength Chelsea whilst Barca will still be injury-hit.

Like Barca? I think only one UEFA team has beaten a CL exile in the last two seasons! Worth putting the events in Nancy in context- Feyernoord have taken some real stuffings in the Dutch league this season. Ajax who did them 4-0 at de Kuyp are currently losing at home to Espanyol but should still limp into the last 32.

Dead right- you are off topic but here is the all time definitive answer.

With tonight's games about to kick off, a win for Nancy by 3 or more would be seriously bad news- we'd need to win against them to stay top of the Group. If Feyernoord win, then a win by Krakow would mean that Feyernoord's game against them in the last round would have some competitive edge to it as Krakow would need a result in Rotterdam to qualify. If Basle and Feyernoord win tonight then Rovers, Nancy and Feyernoord have qualified with just the Rovers v Nancy game to decide the 1, 2, 3 order.

I am surprised the home defeat by Coventry in 1967 with the Ferguson sending off hasn't featured although no way would our return to the top flight have been a long one. The most intriguing one to have reversed would be the 2-0 defeat to Swansea at the Vetch in 1981. Quite apart from taking the swagger out of Leighton James, I just wonder if we'd taken the second promotion on the trot if we might have manged to stay there. Certainly Kendall would have left for Everton regardless but I guess we would have kept Jim Arnold and found a strike partner for Garner who was better than Viv Busby. And Swansea remember spent most of the 81/2 season in top or second places in the old First Division finishing a very creditable 4th. Although we were still in the era of English club domination of Europe, I rather think we would have held our own in the top division had we gone up then but wouldn't have done had we won at Palace in '89.