Both sides going 4-4-2. Only Rovers change: Savage for Reid. Our midfield looks a bit soft if Liverpool press.

Well done to Paul and all involved in getting the BRISA going. Don't forget the personalised embossed invitation to the 'drog.

From the BBC: "Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 4th Lowest could fall: 12th" So Champions League here we come! Don't worry- its not going to happen, read through loads of forecasts and they are unanimously predicting a very comfortable win for Liverpool.

I haven't felt this confident about a Rovers win since Newcastle at home... Crouch hattrick then.

Never mind a Home Nations Group, getting Germany, Ukraine and Israel would be, as they say, challenging.

Malta secured another creditable 1-1 draw, against Bulgaria this time in a game they dominated at times and were unfortunate not to win. Great night out and no Croat morons dismantling the stadium. On the thought about Rovers players at the World Cup, compared with recent Finals, this is going to have little to no interest for Rovers' fans. Just MGP flying the flag in the Norway play-off and Vraty needing the games of his life for Slovakia against Spain. I think we can forget about Bert and Lucas making it to Germany- Uruguay are a little bit better than the Solomon Islands. Of course, Sparky might sign Fateh Tekke.... or not...

I think its worth putting some indisputable facts on the page. - Levels of Co2 in the atmosphere are at an indisputable high level. - plant and tree growth, ice cores and even river sediment are indisputable sources of data on historic atmospheric composition. Every year going back over 500,000 has effectively been analysed. - ozone holes are real - rising sea levels are real - hurricanes are real

Billy, I might be wrong but I think Andy is German so your riposte is 120 degrees in the wrong dirction.

Ireland- another country with a good crop of players and a terrible manager.

Fair points about Germany and Brazil last time round but I simply cannot see Sven turning this round for England. This is four awful tactically-inept performances on the bounce with the best crop of players England have produced since 1970. How many do you reckon Poland have to beat us by to secure Sven's dismissal?

"If Crouch plays for England, so can I" was being sung in the bar I was watching the game- at least it lifted the tedium of yet another utterly inept England performance.

Listen to it live on the BBC World Service.

The Academy won the inaugural National Competition last season and are doing a Chelsea in the Northern Section so far this season- and that's with a few well under age players in the squad. It seems that the calibre of youngster being brought to the club is not at fault based on that evidence- we are still gatting the cream. Whether any are good enough to progress further is the $64,000 question. After producing some gems- Dunn and Duff, it seems that we have generated a group of players good enough for League football but not the Prem in recent seasons. Players like Barker and Garner are the ones I am hoping will burst through at the highest level in the near future.

Rovers have rejected Preston's approach for Jansen so he's obviously part of Hughes' plans, even if only as 4th choice striker.

Thank goodness Ferdinand is being dropped. Not sure about Crouch but it looks like we are going to have two games with him to prove himself and get injured before the Rovers' game, or flop.

Going off into AESF territory but here's a list of all the different sorts of squirrels in the world. The Japanese Pygmy Flying Squirrel is oh so cute whilst the Black Giant is a multi-coloured monster you wouldn't want in your back garden! Anyway, there are no reds round Blackburn- they are all nasty greys. I was amazed that the sweet little reds are native all the way from Portugal to Japan and that there are flying squirrels in Finland. Easiest and most humane way to kill a squirrel. Wear thick gloves and drop trap with squirrel into water which covers the trap. Takes about a minute. Don't mess with them to do it a more humane way if you value your own skin and blood.

280 million Americans consume 25% of the World's energy. 2.8 billion Indians and Chinese together consume a little more than half as much but the disrupotion in the markets has come through their consumption doubling in a few years (from a very low base). Some interesting statistics on the USA

Give it a rest 'drog. It is a total non-runner.

Football clubs engaging advertising agencies. I really like the Man City campaign. Clever, clean and will make the Sky Blues walk tall over their sliding Glazered Manc neighbours. Great stuff for winning over a new generation of supporters and perfect for youngsters to argue over. Problem for Rovers is that we don't have a target market of any significance to advertise to. PS There is a public access programme on TV Malta in which clubs and associations can promote themselves. The Malta Man United supporters were on last night- they must have more clobber in their enormous club premises than in the Man U Superstore.

Sales of SUVs have slumped 43% in the USA last month. Obviously the rise in "gas" prices is drumming some sense into the American consumer.

There's a defender called Jelleyman at Mansfield- who are bottom of the football league.

In England: Sheffield United and Wednesday Manchester United and City Liverpool and Everton Nottingham Forest and Notts County Aston Villa and Birmingham City London- every club except Barnet Are you allowing Leeds City (went bust in the early '20s) and Leeds United? I forgot Bradford Park Avenue and City (Bristol Rovers and Port Vale have never been in the top flight and Blackburn Olympic didn't make it into the football league) In Scotland: Dundee and Dundee United Hearts and Hibernians Queen's Park, Clyde, Partick Thistle and Third Lanark (and two others in Glasgow)

Particularly as we all read it when it was posted yesterday.

It could be an extremely good sign that Hughes has convinced every player, Bellamy included, that his place is at risk if he doesn't/isn't able to perform and other players take their chance(s). Todd certainly is finding that out. When fit again, Matteo, Gresko, Amo and Tommo are facing the same problems, probably starting with the Liverpool game if noises from the treatment room are accurate in predicting they will all be available.

The difference between Chelsea and Liverpool at the end of the day was Drogba. Very few forwards can destroy Hyppia like that. Kuqui certainly won't and I'd stick with Dickov and Bellamy up front if Bellamy is fit with Kuqui to offer something different later. This will be a massive game for Liverpool. If we can frustrate them (and that includes attacking them at their end which will erode their confidence even quicker), we might get something out of this game. Will be interesting to see which duo (trio?- I suspect it will be a duo with Hughes sticking to 4-4-2) out of Reid, Bentley, Tugay and Emerton gets the nod alongside Savage and MGP. Brad will have to be at his best but despite his heroics, I think it will be Liverpool 2 Rovers 1