There are any numbers of Reserve, Academy and Football League players being advocated by the same folks who are knocking the Axe. There is a massive gulf now between these other forms of football and the Premiership. The Axe can hack it in the Prem as Scotty says. All the other names being thrown into the ring are risks in comparison. I am sure that is why the focus has switched towards older players who have produced the goods consistently at international level or for less glamorous clubs in the Champions League. Probably the best guide that a player will not be a complete flop although Nonda is currently doing his best to confound this particular theory- he is here on loan so has not blown a hole in the transfer budget. I am not happy that extending the Axe is the better option at present but in the bigger picture, this is a very sensible move.

If we had the unlimitted resources of Chelsea, we would have a better squad player than the Axe. As it is we are not so blessed. The man can do a job in the Premiership, does it with good grace and in the general swing of things probably costs us less than most alternatives would.

credit www.newsnow.co.uk and roversmum who posted a link on the official site just before I posted here.

Nelsen says he's way ahead of recovery schedule in award acceptance speach.

If you want to play "what if" games, the 3rd placed clubs at present are: Livorno (nice seaside town in Tuscany - home of the Italian Communists) Bruges (very nice and we will get a warm welcome from Cercle fans) Liberec (party time but everyone will miss the train north from Prague to the Polish border) Odense (cold and wet) Ajax (no need to go to Rotterdam either) Rapid Bucarest (very cold and dodgy) Palermo (very dodgy but a fantastic city) The UEFA games this week will mean the tables will become much more settled. In our group, it is crunch time for Basle as they play their last game whilst Feyernoord can more or less forget about progress if they lose at Nancy. To repeat, the last 32 is drawn 3rd v 1st (second leg favouring clubs coming top) and 2nd v CL 3rd (second leg favouring the CL drop-outs). Draw arranged so clubs from the same country don't play each other and you cannot play clubs previously encountered in the Group stage. Draw for the two rounds after this one have no seeds and no protections.

11 points off 3rd with a game in hand. Champs League is a shoe in.

Lossiemouth are Highland League but BreCHIN City are in the Scottish League.

Dunfirmlimb Forfart Heart of Midlithuania

Webb was outstanding for the Manc v Chelski game.

There were some bad injuries in the Fulham v Reading game as well as the sending off which might help us in the coming fortnight. I'd like to see Jeffers start but please leave Bert where he is. I'd be tempted to play MGP on the right and Peter on the left- MGP at least is able to spot Gray's over-lapping runs so might play Bert in to devastating effect. Absolute must win but Fulham have come to Ewood and won very deservedly in two of their last three visits. A very nervous 2-1 to Rovers. We might well be 17th at start of play but very unlikely we would be in the relegation zone. Sheff U would need to win by 5 at Watford.

Great link ozzie. That is a such a wonderful gallery- have spent many happy hours there. I completely agree with thenodrog's post above. There is a big difference between boisterous cameraderie and ignorant boorishness which alienates everyone around.

Okkas' agent has said he is going to the Rovers for a trial 18 to 22 December and hopes to move in the january window.

PSG the somewhat surprising "big" name in trouble after last night's results. Rovers, bar codes and spuds- thre injury hit out of form bottom half of the table Premiership clubs are having a stroll in the UEFA. We cannot all be in weak groups. Probably a sign of the economic power of the Premiership being translated into football strength. Having said that, both Arsenal and the Mancs are one poor performance away from CL elimination.

Sky called it as they saw it- bad decisions by Dowd. BBC called it after the editorial panel had been at work- good decisions by Dowd.

Because Steve Bruce is a rubbish manager and they are far less likely to win promotion under him then if they get rid. He was one defeat away from the chop probably- now he is reprieved to take them on another losing streak.

Never mind scf08, get used to the fact the British press are totally biased against the Rovers. The BBC are even wittering on about a penalty Feyernoord should have had which nobody on this thread has even mentioned yet. Both sides were utterly woeful in front of goal. I'm afraid I've turned against Nonda after that performance- Jeffers on the other hand looked very sharp when he came on. Rovers' crossing was poor again and MGP and Bentley once again played without conviction but were nowhere near as bad as some who will come on here and claim. Feyernoord played some pretty and effective football until 30 meters out then fluffed it completely. The one class act at de Kuyp tonight was Tugay. Great to be through and the chances are we will only need to draw against Nancy Lorraine Cheryl (loved that name whoever came up with it first!) and we will qualify top.

The additions to the UEFA Cup from the Champions League are beginning to become clearer with one round left. Lille, Steaua, Bordeaux and Sporting Lisbon are either cerain or as good as to be joining the Uefa Cup. Mancs v Benfica will decide which of those two will be in the UEFA whilst there is a three way scrap between Roma, Olympiacos and Shaktar. Intriguingly, both last year's finalists; Barca and Arsenal could well be dropping into the UEFA. Even if they don't, the addition of CSKA and Werder will hardly make the UEFA an easier competition to win.

Whilst I am delighted to see the recent good run of Brum has saved Bruce's neck for another day Karren Brady is jumping ship, or not. Has to sort out the Stevens Enquiry and the VAT Tribunal before she leaves. So we add BIG CLUB to Notlob and Fat Freddie in the Bungs Enquiry line of fire? Thinks, how many players went from Ewood to St Andrews and were their transfer fees reasonable and realistic???

If anyone doubted that the West Ham take over is little more than a property play, read this. I might be wrong but these guys have not come in with a vision to take over the footballing world. A £10m lollipop for Christmas (very nice- will buy two thirds of Tevez) and keep it steady on the management side. The Guardian blog fails to generate much heat on the subject. Tris has hit the nail on the button. Apart from residential development which could yield £200m at current prices seven years from now, Upton Park could also be prime office space being decently located between Docklands and the Olympics. I'll also repeat my oft repeated statement- Abramovich is squillions in on his Chelsea venture despite his massive spending. If he liquidated today, he'd double the money he spent (property values of 13 acres in Chelsea) whilst on its own terms as a football megabrand Chelsea is well on track to be profitable within the business plan timeframe set by Abramovich/Buck/Kenyon.

Rovers will be playing in blue and white halves- in Europe the home team changes don't they?

Rovers are not a basket case for external investment but the Walker Trust will only part with the club if they are convinced that the incoming investors will be more generous than they are. That's a tough call on any non-Rovers supporter. Tris is right- the Icelanders have got themselves a bit of a bargain with the WHammers. Think Docklands in 1985 and Upton Park is the equivalent of that now with the Olympics regeneration coming to that part of London.

Rovers have poured cold water on the Koumas link.

With the night's Champs League games drawing to a close, it is looking likely that we are going to see some interesting names in the knock out round draw. Steau Bucharest are as good as certain to be there and at the moment Arsenal (despite taking the lead just now- will they get a point in Porto without Henry?), Benfica and Lille could be in the mix. Tomorrow night's games could see Barca as good as going into the UEFA. Of course, Rovers need a point from the last two games to be certain of being in the draw but where we finish is going to be critical. If I remember correctly, only one second placed team from the UEFA groups has survived the encounter with the third placed CL team dropping into the UEFA. Traditionally, the top placed teams have wiped out the third placed teams they play in the knock out rounds but as things stand going into Thursday night's games, the third placed teams in most groups are the big name favourites.

Add Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton to those Middlesbrough figures and there is a home town population of 440,000 for Boro to attract from- that's before getting into much of North Yorkshire, Teesdale and South Durham. Boro 55 seasons ago were playing to 35,000 sold out gates every other week. @drog you don't seem very impressed with the club's efforts to attract the "Indo-Pak" population of the town. How would you improve the club's efforts in this respect and what are you personally doing in this regard?

Rubbish- all you need to do is read the accounts and it says it in black and white! The club was advanced another £3m loan more-or-less interest free last year over and above the usual £3m subvention and the previous loans extended since Jack's death of £14m were converted into additional paid up share capital. So 3+3=6 14 divided by 4 years comes to 3.5 per year discretionary funding. The Walker Trust has put in 3 x 5 = 15 (from the fund established for Rovers by Jack) + 14 + the new loan of 3 last year making a grand total of £32 millions in the five years since Jack died. 32 divided by 5 is 6.4. Coming back to this summer, Rovers were not lacking in ambition in their transfer targets- number 1 target is playing regularly for Barca for goodness sake. Bellamy took a £20K per week pay cut to join his childhood heros' subs bench. The club brought in four new forwards, two of whom are Champs League regulars, plus the captain of the Dutch national side. Now we are after Beckham! And the club is being accused of ambition by a town which cannot get of its backside to go and support it.