philipl

I got a premonition about two 1-1 draws this week then forgot about it.... hmmm

Alan Smith really hates us doesn't he? All through last night's game he was commenting from a Wigan viewpoint.

I have been having a good laugh at the contributions by people like revidge blue and tcj. At least DMTP got last night into perspective. Of course its two points dropped but it could turn into the most extraordinarilly valuable point gained. My take: - Nelsen was incredibly good and Zura handled himself pretty well given Roberts had singled him out for some very rough stuff. - Kuqi was much better than recent games and took the goal sensibly but he's not Prem class. - Bentley wasted his chance - Savage had a good game - Bellamy was not going to score last night; combination of not getting his half chances (he had at least four) quite right and a brilliant Filan save at the end. But last night was about Wigan- they were perfectly prepared and played some good stuff at times; they will be a handful for anyone who plays them including Arsenal on the last day of the season, and The officials who were awful. It says a huge amount for the professionalism and quality of both sides that last night at least resembled a game of football. In the first half Dowd was blowing for anything and I doubt that as many as one third of the linesmen and refs' decisions were correct by the time we reached half time. I know Wigan's first half goal should not have been struck off but there was nothing wrong with MGP's goal either and had that stood giving us the lead it would have produced a different game. I also think that Bellamy was unfortunate not to win a second half penalty but equally Kuqi's goal came from a good old-fashioned 1920's style assault on the keeper.

"Fear of the Intertoto is driving the Rovers players on." At least its a nicer fear than relegation! Two reports I saw over the week-end. Apparently seven clubs have said they are willing to enter the Intertoto but Rovers are one of three who have said so publicly. The Intertoto draw will be made in Noyon on 12 April with the countries being drawn out of the hat as the club names are not known yet.

The Robon Oakley clip on CNN in the Condi Rice thread in ICBINF is quite decent I thought. A good site: http://www.cottontown.org/page.cfm?pageid=257

Another reason for so badly needing three points from this game is that Bolton play one of their games in hand by going away to Brum on Tuesday night.

Sparky's rallying call!

Having read this, I am increasingly sure we'll come 4th and play in the UEFA Cup.

I kind of get the impression that Simon Jordan isn't terribly fond of the owners of Birmingham City...

American. You are in a pub or restaurant with a half-eaten meal and a half consumed drink, nobody smoking. A non-smoker walks in and doesn't light up. A smoker walks in and lights up. Can you tell the difference and the need for a ban? Malta has changed from a place where restaurants, cafes and bars were purgatory for our family to be being extremely pleasant- we can go anywhere since the smoking ban came in a year ago. Sure, there are a few places where its not enforced but they aren't places we would go to anyway. But if we go into a non-smoking environment, we can keep it that way.

They are all massive games now but boy are we going to kick ourselves if we don't draw level on points with Spuds on Monday night.

On the basis of the first half of Brum v Chelsea, I remain convinced that our season's defining games will be at Pompey and Brum and that Chelsea will be beatable.

Having listened to the Boro commentators three times this season, I have to say I quite enjoy Bernie Slaven and his side kick on www.100centuryfm.com Put them on just now to listen to the Basel v Boro game.

I am amazed nobody wants Big Phil.

1) The guy still has awful positioning and concentration lapses but I am struggling to think of right backs I would swap him for. 2) OK WC year, he's producing the goods- its down to our management to keep him producing. 3) Massive sign of confidence in Rovers all round if he signs a 4 year deal BEFORE Germany. 4) If he gets snaffled after a good WC, his transfer fee will be astronomical if he's signed the 4 year deal.

1) Our executives are well paid but extremely parsimoniously paid by Premiership standards. You would probably find that their pay looks as bad at the bottom of the Premiership league table as our attendances do. 2) Revidge, just ask yourself- what is the most discretionary outlay a football club has? I doubt you will find anything as easily controlable as transfer fees. That missing seven figure number probably DIRECTLY equates to transfer fees not spent.

I keep telling you folks, there will be Rovers fans in Paris cheering for Barca...

The £13 yield per seat is borne out by taking annual income from attendance and dividing by total annual attendance. I think they take the Executive packages and boxes into the Commercial heading. The decline in attendance from 26,000 in 2002/3 has cost the club: 6,000 this season, 4,000 last season and 2,000 the season before in average gates. Rovers have averaged playing 23 home games per season so that is 276,000 x £13 not received which comes to £3,578,000 income the Rovers have not received as a result of the gates decline. However, the accounts would suggest a disproportionate drop off in higher-priced tickets pointing to a loss of closer to £5 million. Whether it is £3.6 million or £5 million, there will be calls from supporters to spend that money which doesn't exist in the transfer market this summer.

Well, I still think Jan's post is worthy of a Grooby! ... and if 'drog adds up the numbers on the home page, 50% of BRFCS respondents started supporting in 1989 or earlier. Incidentally, is 'drog auditioning as one of the miserable old gits?

Spuds luck is going to run out. They again did not look convincing. Arsenal is the club that worries me- both for getting 4th or not getting 4th but winning the CL.

jan, that was a superb post. It seems very few people in Blackburn have realised just what they have in the town. In fact hardly anybody on these boards recognise it.

Steve Bruce moaning again.... Can't BIG CLUB do any of this in-fighting in private?

Ahn from Duisburg?

Steven Reid talked up in this Guardian report

Wandering a little off topic but I cannot help but thinking we Rovers fans are a war-wearied jaundiced lot. Look at the table this morning: 1. Chelsea 2. Man U 3. Liverpool 4. Spurs 5. BLACKBURN ROVERS 6. Arsenal Had anyone told me that would have been the top of the First Division Table towards the end of March 2006 at any time between 1966 and 1990, I'd have been absolutely amazed and ecstatic. This Premiership League table is a beautiful wonderful sight irrespective of whether we blow it over the last seven games. Enjoy it, paste it up, savour the moment folks. And for all the jeremiahs out there, it could get better. Stop looking at the Walker/King Kenny years as a one-off. We might just have the best manager in the game of football since Brian Clough. Different style, less spectacular progress but Hughes is potentially THAT good with as good a back room team behind him. And we are in the lucky position that RFW is enjoying an Indian summer with his mouthpiece Bobby Charlton talking about him going on forever. If Man U had doubled over the Rovers and not the other way round, the pundits would have been talking of a genuine race for the Premiership title this season. Chelsea going backwards at the moment is taking the pressure off the Mancs. The most obvious destination were Hughes to leave us is therefore not vacant and there appear to be hardly any other positions in England coming vacant in the next twelve months or so we would have any need to be worried about. I am very confident that we have the set up at Ewood to not only punch above our weight but to punch a great deal harder yet. This is a really exciting time to be a Rover.