A Notts County perspective on the FA Cup of 1891 which produced Jimmy Forrest's never to be equalled fifth FA Cup winner's medal. A personal note, when I was a child, our next door neighbour was Jimmy Forrest's daughter-in-law. The old lady was never particularly talkative and her husband had died many years before I was born but I do recall the hushed and reverential terms which were used by her for the "greatest Rovers footballer". He was remembered as a gentleman.

Simple. Buy a ticket and go watch.

The sacking of Tony Parkes means that Sparky is very much his own man doing his own thing with his very own Tafia. He's certainly making sure that he and not Souey gets the blame or the plaudits from here on in. Meanwhilst we can count the successive defeats suffered by Newcastle.

I know this emotional but since when was following a football club an exercise in Cartesian logic? I feel gutted. A huge part of why I support Blackburn Rovers died with this sacking. Tony Parkes is Mr Blackburn Rovers. He is someone who made our club different. An all round nice guy who showed that nice guys have their place in modern football. Tony, you are a hero. Thanks for all 34 years at Ewood Park.

I for one will be very disappointed if this were true. Even with a new broom, the knowledge and experience of all things Rovers that Parkes has is still invaluable. As things stand at the moment, The Sun is on its own with this story. It is over five hours since the "news" broke. In this electronic age, that seems a long time for them to be maintaining exclusivity, especially as it has been a slow night for football news (the only big stories are Mandaric's denying Redknapp is at risk and the possible collapse of the Leeds take over,- the other 50+ news items to hit the wires since the Sun published are either pure speculation or previews of Saturday's games). It seems odd to be firing the Reserve Team Manager when the Reserves are doing so well (are they top of their league?) and just after we lost their coach Rob Kelly who took up the first team coach position at Leicester. However, perhaps TP is taking early retirement as Sparky completes a total reshuffle of backroom personnel and processes. Let's see.

Linny8, Will et al. Great. Support the lads. But will the Rovers supporter sat behind you be able to see the game?

Plumped for Forrest because of his unique achievement of FIVE FA Cup Medals and the fact he was an automtic England choice for five seasons- only Douglas and Clayton can better that length of representation for England. I believe it is important that we recognise the first period of Rovers' domination. The time when not only the Rovers but Blackburn was a major force in the World. When Forrest was playing, over 50% of all the manufactured cotton goods in the world were originating in the mills of Blackburn- a staggering thought.

"tough tackling"? I think the rest of the article is a bit of a Rangers dream as well. Aren't Managers supposed to get into trouble for unsettling players at other clubs? Anyway, I'll repeat what I've said elsewhere, Ferguson is class and key to the Rovers surviving and thriving in the Prem. However, there will be an awful lot of money (not much of it at Ibrox) chasing not a lot of players in January and we are gooing to have a huge fight to hold onto Ferguson and Emerton.

A fan supports Blackburn Rovers and all it stands for. For the last 30 years this has included having the best behaved fans in whatever division we have been playing in. A true supporter encourages as many people as possible to support the club and helps make the collective experience of going to the match to support the Rovers as exciting and as pleasant an experience as possible. No propper fan of Blackburn Rovers would deliberately obstruct the sightlines of other fans or be abusive or threatening towards other spectators.

I had expected Newcastle to have two excellent seasons under Souness before everything started falling apart. Make that two months. We had the good fortune of getting him unemployed and down on his luck- he had to rebuild his self-belief by rebuilding the Rovers which he did before his ego started to destroy us. Newcastle have the misfortune of getting him full of his own hubris and feeeling totally self-justified now that a "massive" club have come in for him. There is nothing to make him realise he was managing us to relegation so he is carrying on doing the same at Newcastle with a different set of players. Newcastle will not realise it until its too late. All the screams coming out of St James' (assuming he's not so stupid that he alienates Shearer) will be put down to him disciplining the gobby hoodlums masquerading as players and he will be aplauded for his destructive bullying.

Assuming we don't suddenly discover our Boro and Chelsea "form", this is a banker draw. Could be the sort of dull as ditch water sterile 0-0 clubs in our sort of situation often get before turning things round properly. Or it couldbe a comedy turn 3-3. I'm plumping for 1-1.

A plea to include Duncan McKenzie in the list. The contributions on this have been brilliant. Much as I liked Tim Sherwood personally and as a player, the contributions of Forrest and Latheron were much greater in terms of putting silverware on the Rovers' list of honours (five FA Cups and two Championships respectively). Both were automatic international choices and undisputed best in their position in their era. For all Tim's value to the Premiership side, those are not attributes Tim posessed.

Gosh this sounds familiar! Just delete Newcastle and insert Rovers and apply to Brum in the Cup, Liverpool away etc etc.

Is cuidad MGP? He has always maintained that he is MGP's trainer and mentor. Is cuidad, sorry MGP, injured by cuts received in the reserves game against Wolves? In which case, he could not play yesterday anyway. Did MGP play badly against Wolves reserves before being substituted? In which case how could he have deserved the shirt yesterday even if he was not injured? Cuidad, do you at least acknowledge that MGP ws unconvincing to say the least in his Premiership starts for Rovers? If you are able to look at the video of his performances and help him improve, then you will be doing MGP nd Rovers far more good than just having a rant. Having now seen the game at Norwich, Reid and Emerton did OK, particularly when we were down to ten men. It is not impossible for MGP to be better than them but based on his performances to date, MGP would not have had the bottle and brain to help Rovers get that point yesterday.

Just ten points off UEFA Cup qualification and more than two thirds of the season to go.

Yes Parker and Shepstone. Two complete non-footballers. This something the old giffers undoubtedly have the edge on the young'uns. Ostenstad would have been the best player on the park in quite a few teams the Rovers put out in the '70s and '80s!

Well done Tris. It is desperately important that this minority should be rooted out immediately. The Rovers have long had a fantastic reputation for excellent behaviour nd it hasto be kept that way.

I shouldn't let rover6 irritate me but he does. From the Radio commentary/statistics, Norwich came out steaming today. And before anyone dismisses the Rovers' achievement in holding them at 0-0, remember Norwich gave Arsenal (when they were flying at the beginning of the season) an almighty fright and pegged Everton back frm 0-2 to 2-2 in a twenty minute spell. In fact after 20 minutes today, the possession stats were Norwich 68% Rovers 32%. The Rovers turned that around so much that just before Norwich scored against therun of play, the possession stats were Norwich 49%, Rovers 51%. In other words, Rovers must have had close to 60% of the play over the following 40 minutes including 15 minutes without Bothroyd. Not condoning Bothroyd who was n absolute idiot but the commentary team were observing that Rob Styles had missed several bad fouls on Rovers players and his linesman had dropped a couple of clangers in flagging Rovers offside. Sadly Bothroyd's moment of madness cost us a win and very nearly caused a wholly avoidable defeat. The good news seems to be Ferguson and Emerton playing to the very considerable best, Tugay doing well (yes rover6) and McEveley, Todd and Nissa operating as a pretty effective unit. Neill seemed to be pretty clueless gainst Huckerby. Anyway, I look forwards to reading the comments of those who were there. Well done for making so much noise.

For once, I will be extremely happy if there are no team changes this Saturday but will be watching the bench to see if Thompson and either MGP or de Pedro are included. Make no mistake, this is a six pointer. For Rovers, it is a huge MUST NOT LOSE game- not losing away is as big a psychological leap for Rovers as winning would be for Norwich. Whatever happens on Saturday, there will be one less 0 on the Premiership League table. I am with jim, I have been impressed by Norwich from what I have seen of them on TV. They scrapped well for their point at Citeh, survived a howler by arguably the best young British keeper around and rode their luck well. It is not only Rovers who do not get given blatant penalties as City found out. Norwich looked to be as toothless away at City as Chelsea were and look how Chelsea discovered how to score goals against us in their next match! In their previous home game against Everton, Norwich built an impressive head of steam and probably gave the Toffees the most uncomfortable twenty minutes of the season so far, scoring twice in the process. If they can do that to David Moyes' well ordered players, they are capable of ripping Rovers apart. McKenzie and Huckerby can go past our defenders for fun and will do so on Saturday at some point. So, I will not be surprised by Norwich 4 Rovers 0.... Just bitterly disappointed. However, it is the result I am predicting if Sparky adopts 4-5-1 containment tactics and a must not lose approach even though a lot of logic would point to that being the best thing to do. I desperately hope that he sees the need to isolate the Norwich speedsters by keeping Norwich on the defensive so they cannot throw several players forwards together. However, if the 4-4-2 team Rovers put out against Liverpool turn up, tightened by another week of intensive fitness and tactical coaching and prozone has been put to good use, there is no reason why Rovers should not win this game and quite comfortably at that. Emerton and Ferguson should enjoy themselves and the Norwich defense is poor enough for Dickov's industry and Bothroyd's strength to yield goals. If Rovers secure more than 50% of the possession, make that Norwich 1 Rovers 3.... Time to sit on the fence. I expect Norwich will score early in the second half yet again meaning that Rovers conceed early in the second half yet again. Even though, man for man, Rovers are the better team for once, a surprisingly entertaining and good natured game will end frustratingly: Norwich 2 Rovers 2

TV viewing figures are down dramatically as well. Football is losing its appeal in every conceivable way. Match of the Day is crud and its only redeeming feature is that its not the vomitorium otherwise known as ITV's Premiership. On Sky, Stelling has become a sanctimonious prat, Marsh is a bad self- parody, the rest of the Sky pundits have been at the juice and the "formulae" are looking as tired as George Best on an iffy day. All I can say is lets pray for Everton and Bolton to finish first and second to rescue the Prem from becoming as boring a non-competition as Formula 1. The only bright spot is that Man U will not qualify for the Champs League which will make everybody a lot happier.

Interesting read that den. One point I would take exception to is the comment "make no mistake, Blackburn are a poor side." I don't know what the people at the ground felt but on TV it looked like Rovers were as classy (or not as the case maybe) as Liverpool. Certainly there was a gulf between this performance and the Rovers at Chelsea and an even bigger gap between Rovers v Liverpool and Leeds v Wigan. The fact that we looked comfortably the equals of if not better than a Champions League team for 85% of the game is I am sure the reason why this MB is so much more perky since Saturday evening. But for McEveley's moment of idiocy, I doubt Liverpool would have fashioned a draw from that game.

Nothing scientific about this post- just a few rambling reminiscences. Someone somewhere in the last eight pages said we have been badly served for central mid-fielders. I disagree. Many of my all-time favourite Rovers players have played there but I own up to being unmoved by most of those operating in that area during the Premiership years- Yes, super Atko is iconic and was an excellent clinical finisher in front of goal (his supporters have over looked that aspect of his game), Batty the ultimate enforcer, Flitcroft has played a lot of games, Fergie looks promising but only Sherwood makes it into the pantheon for me. Back to my younger days, Vernon and Dobing had gone before I sarted watching Rovers but the awe with which they were referred to showed what good players they were. Eamon Rogers (don't even know if I spelt his name correctly) was a star. Scruffy, unshaven, unkempt, he looked like a tramp had got a game but what a brilliant dribbler. One of the best I've seen in the blue and white. Stuart Metcalfe- very nearly a one club man for his native Blackburn. Useless left foot but his right foot was one of the best in the game during the '70s. Had the uncanny knack of making space, he could go past players with dazzling unpredictability despite being so one footed. He could score goals too, brilliant accurate screamers against Chelsea and Palace come to mind not forgeting the juggling og he potted at St James' Park when he returned to Rovers for his final appearance! Micky Speight was really a Sheffield United hero but he was marvellous for us in two seasons at the end of his career. Tough, uncompromising but a reliable passer and could score- how we need one of his ilk this season. Also a hero elsewhere but magnificent for us at the end of his career was Howard Kendall. Great leader, steel and class. He scored a stunning 30 yard drive that almost ripped the net off the Darwen end in a League Cup game gainst Bury and a fabulous header at Bloomfield Road against Blackpool. Mark Patterson was a home grown player who was not as talented as the others mentioned here but was a great favourite. A 35 yard volley to win and enliven a dull game against Boro in front of a sub-5,000 crowd stands out. Simon Barker was a great talent and why he did not go onto really great things at QPR following his £250K transfer to the then First Division glamour team was always a puzzle. Simon was a complete midfielder, good in the tackle, vision, organisation, passing, excellent composure on the ball and able to beat several players on the run; he too scored memorably spectacular goals. A very quiet unassuming lad off the field as well. Tony Parkes- how could we write so much about midfielders and so little about TP. He was Mr Blackburn Rovers even before he hung up his boots after 500 odd games for us. TP never looked an athlete- there was something awkward about how he moved- but he was 100% effective. Scored some cracking goals- a volley at Mansfield comes to mind- but his 100% never give up attitude was summed up by the last minute equaliser against the great Forest 1980 side when he overlapped the forwards to get onto a cross and cooly chip an onrushing Peter Shilton. Suffered a bad broken leg which kept him out for about a year towards the end of his career. I always used to believe that any Rovers' greatest team had to include Duncan McKenzie. What a magician and supremely gifted player he was. For younger supporters, think of Lars Bohinen at his best then imagine that sort of skill and wizardry being produced regularly and sometimes for a full 90 minutes. McKenzie could dribble, dance round a standing ball with two opponents too scared to move, throw outrageous feints, receive a pass with the back of his thigh, hit driven volleys with a back heel flick and jump higher than any player I've seen. His goals were stunning- the 30 yard bender against West Ham, the over head flick from a ridiculously tight angle at Mansfield, the glided volley against Sheff U and so on. His destruction of first division Coventry at Ewood in the FA Cup was one of the best individual performances I have ever seen from a Rover. But along came Uncle Jack and King Kenny and later the good part of the Souness era to remind us that football is about winning things as well as about supreme entertainers. So I will be divided when it comes to voting for the second midfielder between three outstanding candidates: Forrest who more than anyone put five FA Cup trophies into the Ewood Park cabinet- half the number of senior competitions we have won in our entire history. Latheron the lynchpin of the Championship winning sides before the first War. Sherwood, captain of the Premiership winning team and a truly complete midfield player with no small amount of skill (remember the swivelled flick at Elland Road which prompted the trvelling Rovers fans into a mock self-deprecating chant of "Blackburn are boring"?) For the first vote, the winner by a country mile is Ronnie Clayton. I won't add to the praises already heaped on this giant but if you get to be taken round Ewood by this lovely man, just ask him about playing against Pele.

The signing of MGP after we had signed de Pedro was one of the strangest pieces of business transacted by Souness. A second international left winger really was a high priority given we had headaches all over the park. I always saw MGP as a risk in the same way as Reid was. Stead was a blind leap of faith which worked magnificently and no doubt will do so again. But the gap from Tippeliga and Div 1 is proving a longer term hurdle for the two midfielders. Reid is finaly coming good and no doubt MGP will do too. My reading of MGP's Prem appearances for Rovers was that he hadn't got his mental approach right. Against Man U he was like a kid running round a giant sweet shop and effectively left us playing 10 against 11 (plus ref) all game. MGP has just got to face it. He was given the opportunities by Souness, Parkes and Hughes and he didn't take them. Yes, they are good excuses as to why he didn't but they are still excuses when the Rovers desperately need performances. Jansen blossomed and faded. Now Emo and Reid are taking the chances given to them and Thompson and de Pedro are pushing hard for their opportunities, not forgetting Gresko and Gray must also fancy the left wing slot if McEveley plays them out of left back contention. Yes, MGP has a good record for Norway but I venture to suggest that Emerton, de Pedro and Gresko's international careers are the more substantial and that MGP would not get as close to England selection as Gray and Thompson have done if he were English. Nor has MGP been nominated for the UEFA team of the season as is the case with Emerton. Even Reid and Douglas have full international caps. I am delighted MGP is impressing in training. I really am- we need all 30 senior pros to be burning up Brockhall in training if we are to move above the relegation battle. When MGP gets his next chance for Rovers (as he surely will) he had better not blow it again or he will be finding himself behind a Souness-inspired unneccessarilly long queue with Jemal Johnson also coming into the reckoning.

I think this piece in the LET explains a lot. Sparky complains that the Rovers plyers are a "quiet lot"- and that coming from one of thequietest men in football. What happens when you have an aggressive bully at the top? All the creative, intelligent, gifted people leave and you are left with a demoralised, heads down bunch of yes men with no self-respect. Thankfully Villa and Liverpool games have shown there is fight and good football in the ones we have got left.

I think this appearance fee thing is a load of cobblers. I saw MGP in two televised games playing for Rovers and he was so far out of it, I would have contributed as much had I played even though I don't wear VO75 or even breath it. That said, MGP looked much more promising against Slovenia for Norway. His big problem is that he is probably third choice equal with Vratty for left wing. Emo seemed comfortable on the left yesterday and with Reid and Thomo now available is perhaps unlikely to go back to the right. De Pedro being fit and playing well has the huge advantage over MGP of eleven seasons' top league experience behind him and more knowledge of many opposition players than most Prem players given the influx of Spaniards this season. I hope MGP breaks through because I think he has promise (statement of faith rather than reason) but to get into the Rovers team he is going to have to displace some well-seasoned internationals which is how it should be at any decent Prem club.