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.

It was clear to the Sky cameras and Sky commentary team and Sky pundits but not to the BBC muppets. I think technology is inevitable and badly needed. Fans are now so used to the use of technology that refs not using it seem to be anachronistic. Even more so with high tech stadia and the charges being levied. As Rovers fans, the use of technology by officials is to be welcomed- decisions against us don't get evened out in the Prem because of the inherent bias Graham Poll talked about.

Rovers are reported to be watching Jason Koumas as an alternative for this January if Dunny does not pass the medical.

Warnock is unlikely to be "up" for anything- he's only 5 ft 7 ins!

Just out of interest, has anyone ever met vinjay anywhere? To answer the question, Rovers are achieving remarkable results considering the resources the club has available. To have a team good enough to be in the UEFA and I would say, be expected to be top half of the Prem is tribute to excellent management on and off the pitch. However, at current prices, the Walker Trust injection averaging £6m a year is equivalent to about a 10,000 boost to the gate and I think most people would expect a club averaging 30,000 attendances to be in the Premiership- a factor worth considering if we ever get relegated. Be under no doubt that Preston and the dingles would claim the top two places in the fizzydrinks league this season if they were to receive a £6m boost each before 1 January. Next season, when the Sky money increase kicks in, the Rovers will be even less dependent on diminishing gates and the Walker Trust largesse. The key of course is to stay in the Prem- long term injuries to Brad, Sav and Benni and could endanger that. Finally, if you take population, affluence and proximity to other football clubs as benchmarks for where to situate a football club, of the 92 clubs in the Prem/Football League, there are probably less than 10 in a worse location than Blackburn Rovers.

The press is universal in giving Dowd a hard time this morning. In reality it is the two linesmen who were the complete muppets- one for calling Tugay last man (although Dowd saw the play from infield and hadn't called it a last man foul from a much better position from which to judge it)- and the other who bottled an uninterupted view of a handball. The farcical nature of the officiating is summed up by Keith Hackett communicating that Jol was not sent off after Jol was convinced he was- to be honest I cannot remember seeing the second red on the TV coverage although the commentary immediately and decisively picked up that Jol had been dismissed. I guess that might have come from the Sky man on the touchline who heard the verbal exchange. Even more damningly, the fourth official escorted Jol to the tunnel so he also clearly thought Jol had been dismissed! So Hackett has started the damage limitation by reinventing a sending off into not a sending off. Now lets see what they do with the two red cards. Has to be said that Mido should have had two reds yesterday if Ghaly warranted a red. Last summer Septic Blast threatened to remove the FA from FIFA because of the number of red cards being over-turned. If there is any justice, Tugay's card will be reversed and Ghaly's reduced to a yellow. I am concerned that Henchoz's summary justice on Mido will come into the spotlight when the melee that followed Ghaly's foul on Gray is reviewed. Finally, well done to the Rovers crowd for generating enough noise. Jol is blaming you for pressurising the ref.

Four things just been clarified in reports on Sky and official sites: - Martin Jol was not sent off. Dowd asked him to step away from the situation and didn't give him the red card. No disciplinary action. - Mido has told Mark Hughes it was handball so I guess that settles it. Preston blue and revidge go to the same opticians as the linesman! - Rovers are going to appeal Tugay's red card. As the spud had cut back across Toogs, Ooijer was in position to put a challenge on him. Had he gone the other way, there was another Rover who would have challenged. I think there is a more than fair case to say he wasn't last man even though the challenge itself was one on one with "only" Friedel to beat. The irony is that Ooijer persuaded Dowd to go to talk to the linesman in the hope the penalty decision would be reversed. In the event, it got Toogs sent off!!! - Martin Jol has said that MGP was a handful. To be honest he did have good moments. But that "shot" which went for a throw in near the halfway line (took it off the toes of Sav who was shaping to shoot as well) and a couple of particularly lamentable passes unfortunately linger in the memory...

Spurs are allowed to control the ball with their arm don't you know? 1) Keane for their second at WHL last season. 2) Blatant control with the forearm took the ball away from Bellamy in the 82nd minute at WHL last season. No penalty. 3) Mido at Ewood this season. No penalty. That's five points deducted from Rovers by the officials against Spuds in two games.

Apparently Mido is bragging he got away with the handball without conceding the penalty. When you think of the handball penalties given against us this season, Mido's goes into the blatantly obvious category!