Sky's ratings

Why we should be glad attendances are falling! Some interesting developments- the relegated trio of last season have been replaced by Arsenal, Chelsea and the Mancs on the attendance working party. The fall off in away support has meant that OT has not been full at every game so far this season except the City match. The dilemma for the Mancs of course is that OT is a snooze zone if the away support is not singing. Rovers' 1,000 came over loud and clear on the live coverage for much of the match yesterday. John Williams seems to have got changing the division of Premiership monies onto the agenda (which is probably why the big three have joined the attendance committee). At present, 50% of the Prem money is divided equally, 25% goes in prize money and 25% for TV coverage. It is possible that 14 votes will be mustered for a shift to 80-10-10. A very level-headed piece from Norwich City about building attendances. Of course it helps to have a vast un-footballed hinterland which Rovers don't have the luxury of enjoying. This bit about the unpredictability of the Championship is being over done. Sheff U are already 9 points clear of third place and 18 points ahead of Norwich- makes the Prem look competitive! In France, the league has pulled off a more lucrative TV monopoly deal than Sky ever dreamt of in England and the EU hasn't batted an eyelid. (Perhaps the Prem and Sky should just stick the French agreement through the Google translator and shove that in front of Brussels?). However, the game is going to pot over there as the fall off in goals scored is even more dramatic than in the Prem prompying a national task force to look at the crisis. Attendances are unsurprisingly well down.

This Manc - loving BBC report on the game really is a pile of ignorant garbage. Sky has a much more balanced report- look at the shots on target statistics. Edwin (sic) was a busy boy. I was referring to clubs. There's a whole bunch of squeaky new grounds and ex=non league places we have never won at (and some we hope we never will have to in the league!)

We've broken all the away jinxes now! (Just wait til Luton get promoted- we've never won at Kenilworth Road!). Eddie, I won't say we will win at the Bridge but judging by the fright Villa gave Chelsea today, it might happen....

Woohoo brilliant fantastic- pub full of Mancs (who never thought they were going to win- Mancs toothless this year) SWEET Seriously though, Christina thoroughly warranted Gamst's full-on boot in the face- had a Rover viciously elbowed the way Christina stuck one on Gray, he'd have been straight red instead of the pansy yellow Christina got given. So Christina's face should have been in the showers instead of on the pitch for Gamst to get his own back with a richly deserved kicking. Sav's fifth yellow wasn't merited either- clean claim of a ball there to be won but the theatrical lunge at it obviously sold the ref a dummy. Well done Sparky all faith restored and boy did he look calm at the end (but he couldn't hide the smile altogether). 4-4-2 with Tugay one of the midfield 4 looked, to say the least, suicidal. But Sparky had obviously worked out the Mancs were there for the taking and take them we did. The stats are pretty good- we had 7-6 shots on target in our favour at the end of the first half and whilst the Mancs probably shaded the second half, it was no procession. Gamst- two very good strikes- and he played a full 90 minutes with passion and presence- let's have more of the same. So on the day Chelski wrapped up the Prem title (Villa on the other TV screen really gave them a going over at Stamford Bridge- if ever Chelsea were going to slip up, it was in a game like today), how sweet for Scholes to start repaying his debt to Rovers. Another 4 or 5 results like today and I'll call it all square with the Mancs. PS I hope waggy enjoyed watching fucum.

Mancs are without Neville G. Rovers have doubts over Todd (flu) and Gresko (knee).

I agree Alan. Of all the column acres being written about falling attendances, this article hits the nail on the head. Football is about suspension of reality and being entertained in the process. Both those franchises are being removed from the Premiership. Here's to Rovers winning at Old Trafford and dreaming returning to our national game.

Another outspoken attack from the scientific establishment. Hurricanes are the smoking gun of global warming. What is currently a minority American viewpoint.

Thanks blue blood for articulating those thoughts. Yes, I'm concerned about the start to this season, yes I saw how Wales stagnated and fear we are seeing a repeat at the Rovers, but deep down I think we are OK and in good hands.

Probably more Captain- it was Wigan's record crowd. The BBC have another go at explaining the drop in crowds. Rovers' decline looks bad on the bar chart. There's a 30%+ drop in goals scored at this stage in the Prem season compared with three years ago.

Interesting comments from the Mancs.

There is also an affectionate use of the term which because the offensive usage also exists, tends to be used amongst people who know each other and therefore actually makes it a term of warmth and camaraderie as they know the offensive usage is NOT being employed. Similar words in usage: "sausage" applied to a man in the same way Greeting someone you know with "How are you, you old bugger?" I am sure there must be American equivalents- you have had over 200 years to nuance the language!

Very interesting line up tonight: Friedel Neill Nelsen Zura Gray (why not- a tricky third division winger will test him) Emerton Savage Tugay Bentley Bellamy Dickov

I can't remember the exact terminology but let's say attempts at goal. I think it was 7 blocked, 7 off target, 7 on target. In the first half, Given dealt with at least four efforts which had the virtue of being on target but were otherwise hopeless, plus the free kicks. Second half, there were four efforts I can remember which had real threat- Reid's blast blocked for a corner after thirty seconds The shot that passed through Bellamy's legs too quickly for him to get a deflected touch (off target) Tugay's blast from the corner where he attempted a Fulham repeat (off target) Jansen's header cleared off the line (on target). Plenty other less memorable moments.

Huddersfield have a tricky winger and a forward who knows where the net is. On the other hand, they leak goals at the back and apparently have all their regular centre backs out injured. If this isn't an invitation/neccessity to play it in the opposition's half, I don't know what is. Hughes has said that Bellamy definitely starts and it will be a strong side he puts out. Players involved in last night's reserves won't be involved which only rules out Lee and Johnson amongst the players who might see first team action in the near future.

Paul, there were 21 shots on goal when I watched it again but at least 12 were utterly lacking in any conviction or confidence. Also it is worth mentioning that after a slowish start when we allowed Newcastle far too much possession (I wonder whether that was a collective reaction to the early booking for that ridiculous Neill challenge making all the players reluctant to challenge vigorously- we got no more bookings yet Newcastle had a card fest and were very lucky Carr wasn't straight red and Taylor didn't go earlier), we were totally bossing the game right up to the moment Neill climbed all over Owen. The Welsh comparisson is haunting me- I had thought about it before Sunday but Sparky got tactics all wrong in his last few games for Wales and definitely carries the can for the Newcastle defeat in my opinion. We should have terrorised Taylor- one thing about Souness was he was a bully when it came to identifying a weak link on the opposition and mecilessly destroying him. If Kuqi had a role on Sunday, surely it would have been to reduce Taylor to a quivering wreck and disorienting Boumsong. Newcastle had a defence which was there to be totally disrupted and what else are Kuqui or Dickov good for?

There is a more recent post from me at the time the window was closing saying Liverpool were a bad pick by me as they got their transfer activity wrong.

Incidentally, my step son is an Everton supporter- now imagine how they are feeling. 2-0 to the Arse HT (both Sol Campbell goals). Possession- a mere 68% in favour of Arsenal.

Sidders. We played 4-4-1-1. The 'drog says that it was obvious so thee and me are blind. Sparky was way too cautious on Saturday and thereby he saved his predeccesor's career. He hasn't put his career at risk yet but he is a misjudgement closer to it being so. I watched the replay and yes we did have 21 attempts on goal to Newcastle's 4. The fact that 12 of them were rather weedy means we need Deano back to show the boys how to shoot.... or maybe not. There must be a phrase for middle aged men seeking instant gratification from a life time's endeavour - ah yes, Blackburn Rovers supporter 2005/6.

An interesting revelation from Lee on the official site. We did not play 4-5-1 yesterday. It was supposed to be 4-4-1-1 with Bentley in the "hole".

One day we will win at OT. We have broken voodoos at every other ground- St James' Park and Elland Road in recent seasons. 1-0 to Rovers and an outrageous piece of daylight robbery at OT. It's got to happen one day so why not Saturday? We're owed it there big time given the luck they've had against us over the years. I wonder if Hughes saw that Ferdinand Rio saying that Dickov is the player he hates playing against more than anyone else? I wonder if that was a Sky ploy to get folks to watch next week's game?

The advantage of playing Mokoena just in front of defence is the way he picks up the second ball so well. I'd have gone 4-4-2 today despite the very good points by 'all you need is duff' for the simple reason Newcastle were playing 4-4-2 and we should have been able to match then beat the players they had on the park. I'd have gone with the Axe, Sav, Reid and one of MGP or Bentley swapping wings where necessary. What happened in the end was we gave too much fear/respect to Shearer and Owen by playing 4-5-1 and they repaid us handsomely. We should have been giving their defence far more headaches by having a second striker pulling them apart. This game was set up perfectly for the Jansen/Bellamy partnership to start to blossom but Hughes bottled it (then got bottled for his troubles).

Yes he will. ...and the Geordies will still not win anything. This afternoon was bad for the Rovers but a calamity for Newcastle.

Just looked at the Sky stats and it gets worse. If you add blocked shots attempts on goal were: Rovers 21 Newcastle 4.

Huddersfield will come to Ewood and give it a really good go. They will outplay us but will get unhinged by lady luck who found Souness a strange bedfellow today.