As I expected, you really haven't thought this one through have you? Your one pro football club in Blackburn and Darwen analogy doesn't work either. - Blackburn Rovers and Darwen didn't merge - Darwen still continue drawing 100 hardy souls to the Anchor Ground - the many clubs in the Blackburn area in the 1870s/80s were amateur, - Rovers emerged as the dominant force within 20 years of being formed, not created as some conglomerate after 130 years of tradition. Now, why don't you try to answer the questions?>>

Dear me Cocker, if you cannot hold your own against a bar code now, you never will be able to! (Fat Freddie, Souness, Shearer runs the show, hamstrings, Saunders, how much for Boumsong?, "the defence", where are you in the League today?, £38m this summer bought you the side that you are putting out at Ewood on Sunday?!?, £100m spent by Bobby Robson won which trophies?, I can tell you what its like to win the Premiership/ at Cardiff so you can enjoy the experience vicariously- I'm nice that way, how many thugs did you sign?, Dyer and Bowyer still playing together for you?, which hamstrings?, Ewood Park turf hard enough for you? somebody once told me you are a big club- aren't big clubs supposed to win things?, tell me about your defenders, what is a hamstring injury? happy to see Bellamy and Jenas leave? Souness achieved a Cup win and two European qualifications for Rovers- he must have won the Champions League at least for you by now if you are a big club, how many Managers turned you down last year? and how many will turn you down this year? did I mention hamstrings?....)

Ok drog. I'll humour you. Lancashire United: 1) Where would they play? 2) What colours would they play in? 3) Which clubs would they absorb? 4) Would this be a merger of equals or would some clubs get more shares than others? 5) Which season do you propose this would start? 6) Would you simply fire all the lower division players brought into LU? What do you expect the average attendance to be and how soon do you expect them to win the World Club Championship?

Count down to dismissal?

I hope it doesn't exist Oklahoma. But that report is terrifying.

Delia is doing her bit for keeping Norwich ticket prices low by publishing a book of recipes collected from the 92 League grounds. Sam Dingle submitted a Prawn sandwich: 1) Sweep under wooden seats at t'Turf 2) Get Groundsman to bring left over line marking paint 3) Add Ketchup scrounged from McDonalds 4) Dunk earwigs from sweepings 5) Spread on mother's Pride Dead sophisticated them dingles...

Somewhere in one of these threads are a few comments about Notlob's sparce crowd tonight and an appropriate reminder of our European debut. Big sam has said today that Bolton cannot afford to win the UEFA Cup. He needn't worry. Plovdiv are re-enacting the Trelleborgs experience for the lads in Horwich.

What do you think they use earwigs and pink paint for in Burnley 'drog?

In comparison with Souness saving Stan Ternent's hide by lending him McEvely and Todd, Mark Hughes has a much healthier attitude to the Yorshire banana eaters. We can look forwards to: 17 Sept Dingles v Derbyshire's Argyle 27 Sept Dingles v Jay's Tractor Boys 15 Oct the Yorkshire derby with Jon Douglas at the Turd 22 Nov the Yorkshire derby back at Elland Road Boxing Day Dingles v Gally (Stoke) Mike Newell will be doing his bit at Kenilwoth Road on Bonfire Night and will mark the Dingles' relegation at t'Turd on the last day of the season.

ABC News reports a study which shows Katrina was intensified by global warming.

If the Newcastle fans had any belief in Souness, they would have snapped up the entire Darwen End to see him put one over on his former club. As it is, they are wondering if they can avoid a humiliation.

as has been mentioned innumerable times on here....

Just been watching a short Eurosports "aren't West Ham wonderful/ breath of fresh air/ in the West Ham tradition/ blah blah" hagiography. Er no- Bolton sorted them at Upton Park and they got what they deserved. They got lucky against a Villa side when most of what went forwards went into the net. And watching the three goals against Rovers shown in rapid succession makes the blue and white shirt look like a slapstick clown's outfit. Woeful defending for all three is too polite a description. Emerton's piroette and back heel will go into the "what happened next?" compilations but where/what was Todd??? If Amo had done that there would have been a public hanging. Back to attendances, the Premiership/Abramovich chickens are coming home to roost in a flock. It won't be long before the Mancs' good start is over leaving the Chelski bandwagon to roll away with it irrespective of Charlton and/or Citeh upsetting a few apple carts and then all the nation's football fans have to look forwards to is the inevitable national humiliation which will be the SGE good bye. Even Chelsea fans are revolting. My hunch is that Rovers' fans actually have a good season to look forwards to as a tough to beat team increasingly also becomes a smooth passing outfit with a threat upfront. Plus a Dingles relegation scrap and an Accy Stanley promotion up the road.

To prevent editing. More coherent and lucid than your politics but you were saying...?

Did you see the pictures of the Aussies returning home. Was it a Bank Holiday in Sydney today? Ponting was interviewed again st the back drop of an empty arrivals hall.

Well OR, at least you're honest enough to admit you were a bit daft.

It's not funny then. Luque out for two months. Must be a long hamstring that guy's got.

You are joking. St Alan of St James will leave the pitch early but he will have been substituted by Souness.

Saw a bit of the celebrations - everyone enjoying themselves great but seems all a bit excessive. It was only Australia we beat when all is said and done.

Lee Bowyer, Lee Clark, Amdy Faye and Charles N'Zogbia. That's only a soft/easy midfield to play against if someone shouts "Lee's ball" and they both go for it. Otherwise, it shows the strength in depth up at St James's. It could easily pass muster as a decent mid-table Prem midfield line-up with a less neurotic manager in charge.

In the early matches, there was a litany of decisions which favoured Australia. Australia won the toss in the first two tests remember so the coin only went 3-2 for England. England just as surely dropped catches to lose the first Test as the Australians dropping Pedersen cost them the chance to make the last afternoon/evening a cliff-hanger. In fact, I took great heart from the First Test as we would have been even stevens with Australia if our performance in the field been up to scratch. It will be interesting to see whether the Australians make the generational change now to get a seasoned new team in place for the Ashes down under. If they persist with the current team more or less unchanged and appraise the series just finished the way Neekoy is looking at it, don't be surprised if England win 4-0 down under next time.

Excellent preview American (and paddy k). Head in sand over the Owen contract- his release clause is every bit as real as Bellamy's £6m get out if offered by a club in the Champions League in summer 2006 (well that rules out a return to Newcastle under new management!). Feeling insanely optimistic about this game. I know Souness was brilliant at motivating Rovers for big opposition (which he might regard us as given his history) or desperate situations (which he but not the team is in- yet). So I expect NUFC to be highly motivated and playing an attacking high tempo game. Not that NUFC have the personnel available who are capable of playing 4-5-1 and shutting the match up. This should make for a very entertaining free flowing match. With Bellamy back, I expect Hughes will work on the basis that our 4-4-2 is better than their 4-4-2 and stick with the same back 4 we saw at Bolton. Hopefully the midfields 4 is MGP, Sav, Reid and Bentley (Tugay and Moko on the bench) and the 2 would be great to see Bellamy and Jansen but I suspect the Newcastle defence will need a bit of Kuqui bullying for us to get the "best" return out of them. I think Rovers will win. It could be close: 3-2 or it could be a 5-2 repeat. Could get a bit tasty with Bowyer and Savage possibly in confrontation. Quite likely it will not be eleven v eleven at the final whistle- big challenge for Hughes to keep his players' discipline in order. We can be pretty sure that Souness will lose it big time at some point. The Scottish accountant sat close to him will no doubt be on her most ladylike behaviour. Perhaps Souness will get fired at Ewood after all.

...and the fact this nonsense/idiocy is still going on is yet another reason for the continuing decline in attendences. Generally speaking if you select your boozer to watch the match, you can be certain toi avoid any remote risk of trouble finding you. On Wednesday night at the National stadium in Malta, the Croat mob singled out the vip section for their attacks. A Government Minister needed four stitches when a flying seat hit him on the back of the head- in all 70 people needed stitches. The last time I went to an international with my step son, we had huge fun sitting with the Swedish supporters. Thankfully, I knew what the Croats were like and I stopped him heading for their side of the ground. Otherwise we could have been injured or been rounded up amongst the 103 which got rounded up and charged with "GBH by a group". There were only 500 Croats in the ground so 20% of them now have a criminal record and a suspended prison sentence.

Repeating myself but: - Matty's movement on sunday was excellent, the balls through to him were poor, - Sparky clearly has faith in Matty or else Derbs and Gally wouldn't be out on loan, Here's hoping Matty will get better service when sparky has bedded Bentley into the team. Jansen and Bellamy at their best leading the Rovers front line is a salivating prospect.

Asking rate of 7 an over if Australia skittle the last three next over. I think we've won the Ashes.