tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80287522007-06-27T17:32:44.879+10:00James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1124974525540041392005-08-25T22:54:00.000+10:002005-08-25T23:00:48.526+10:00

Blackburn Rovers midfielder Robbie Savage is the "supporter on the pitch". I remember Blackburn Rovers manager Mark Hughes saying at the time of the Robbie Savage signing that he bought him not only because he thought him a good player, but also because he observed that he is a player who very much play to the crowd. That observation could not be more than apparent last night against Tottenham

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1124924090097688212005-08-25T08:55:00.000+10:002005-08-25T09:18:29.820+10:00

The English Premier League fixture between Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur ended in a 0-0 draw at Ewood Park in front of a crowd of some 22,000 fans, which will be remembered for the controversy on the pitch rather than the quality of play. If there is anything that must be said about this match from a Blackburn perspective, it must be said that Rovers could have easily earned the three

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1124884232403770882005-08-24T21:50:00.000+10:002005-08-25T02:23:04.120+10:00

The coupling of Newcastle United and Graeme Souness is a match made in heaven. I am often amused, and bemused, by the lack of respect that some sections of Newcastle United supporters give their manager Graeme Souness, although I do acknowledge that he has performed poorly so far. Having witnessed his period at Blackburn Rovers, I know that he is a good manager. He did get the Rovers promoted to

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1123957139769504472005-08-14T04:18:00.000+10:002005-08-15T05:08:38.270+10:00

The situation for Blackburn Rovers at the moment looks very depressing, but there is no reason to panic after only one English Premier League game just yet, according to this Rovers supporter. Watching today's game English Premiership game between Blackburn Rovers and West Ham live on television from "Down Under" I was, like all Rovers supporters, jumping for joy when captain Andy Todd put us in

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1120850304938343092005-07-09T00:00:00.000+10:002005-07-10T23:34:39.900+10:00

Blackburn Rovers' signing of Craig Bellamy adds to the ever-increasing Welsh contingent at Ewood Park, and that has this Rover dancing to a happy tune. The only way now for the Blackburn Rovers Football Club is up, up, and up after the latest signing of 25-year-old Welsh forward Craig Bellamy, who adds to the ever-increasing Welsh contingent at Ewood Park which started since manager Mark Hughes

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1119278533654372802005-06-21T12:00:00.000+10:002005-06-21T00:46:38.383+10:00

UEFA President Lennart Johansson should be making positive steps to enable women's football attract better sponsorship, instead of idling with a silly idea. "There are so many companies who could make use of the fact that if you see a girl playing on the ground, sweaty, with the rainy weather and coming out of the dressing-room, lovely-looking, that would sell well," said UEFA President Lennart

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1119258411551164512005-06-21T00:00:00.000+10:002005-06-20T19:24:14.880+10:00

No. 7 is proud of the fact that "his man", John Aloisi, has shown his worth for the Australia national team during the Confederations Cup campaign so far. For a long time now, I have wanted Australia national team head coach Frank Farina to give Spanish-based Osasuna striker John Aloisi a proper chance to prove his worth on the international stage, and that has finally happened in the

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1118076934249899972005-06-07T12:00:00.000+10:002005-06-07T02:55:34.273+10:00

Any solution that leads to Liverpool's UEFA Champions League qualification for next season while not compromising Everton's place is the correct solution. Liverpool will find out within the next two days whether they will be given a UEFA Champions League place for next season by the Union of European Football Associations executive committee, since they are European champions yet in the

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1118070439894878962005-06-07T00:00:00.000+10:002005-06-11T05:06:44.213+10:00

No. 7 is back after an absence of two weeks to rant about Chelsea's arrogance. And no, he does not have an opinion of Blackburn manager Mark Hughes' decision to put promising striker Jonathan Stead on the transfer list... at least one that he wants to share with us. I must profess that I do not see anything wrong with arrogance. It is a wonderful thing to see the likes of Graeme Souness ask a

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1116845066190050792005-05-24T12:00:00.000+10:002005-05-27T03:23:29.300+10:00

Newcastle United is already starting to bear the fruits of manager Graeme Souness' labour. Appointed in September of 2004, he has seen to a poor finish of 14th in the English Premier League table, although that was not helped too much by the poor start under former manager Sir Bobby Robson, as well as the inevitable ups and downs that comes with a change in managements and coaching staff.

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1116843405333077352005-05-24T00:00:00.000+10:002005-05-23T20:27:35.936+10:00

Well, kind of. Arsenal showed the world in the English FA Cup final on the weekend at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff exactly how Blackburn Rovers' tactics are supposed to be played. Rovers, who took a media barrage after their FA Cup semi-final encounter against the Gunners for their defensive and aggressive pressing style of play, were copied by an unashamed manager and employed by Arsene

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1116240682397032542005-05-17T12:00:00.000+10:002005-05-16T20:57:07.103+10:00

"Any club at the bottom of the English Premier League table at Christmas is a certainty to be relegated by finishing in the last three places at the end of the season," would state any football fan, as if it was a holy truth. However, West Bromwich Albion has proven that truth to be wrong, with Bryan Robson taking the manager hot seat in November 2004 and leading them to safety on the last day

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1116238855696537802005-05-17T00:00:00.000+10:002005-05-16T20:57:54.043+10:00

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. On Wednesday May 11 at Highbury, the Arsenal delivered a telling message to all English Premier League followers. In what was a match between second and fourth place in England's top flight, the Gunners went on to demolish Everton by 7 - 0. In a very important way, it is a very sad result for all concerned, because it tells us that the gap between the top three clubs

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1115702987009404392005-05-10T00:00:00.000+10:002005-05-10T15:29:47.186+10:00

As the end of another English Premier League season draws to a close, it is time to reflect on the misfortune of Blackburn Rovers. The 3 - 1 loss to Fulham at home on the weekend exposed the fact that Rovers is thin on real quality at the moment, and it could not have come at a better time, because it has shown that after confirming top flight status for season 2005/2006, a mental "switching off

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1115032640036300012005-05-03T12:00:00.000+10:002005-05-03T03:11:32.410+10:00

Chelsea has won the English Premier League this season and they do thoroughly deserve it. There is no denying that they have been the best team throughout the 2004/2005 season, with defending champions Arsenal and Manchester United performing poorly in comparison. However, that congratulations comes with plenty of bitterness, because it was their manager, Jose Mourinho, who was the one who

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1115031112257382762005-05-03T00:00:00.000+10:002005-05-03T03:14:19.733+10:00

There is much fuss being made over the UEFA Champions League places for England at the moment, with Liverpool in with a chance to win the trophy, but there is also the chance that they might not qualify for next season if they finish fifth in the English Premier League, which is just one spot outside the automatic qualification for the financially lucrative tournament. In fourth place at the

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1114511403845019732005-04-26T12:00:00.000+10:002005-04-27T21:28:40.146+10:00

Australian football pundit Les Murray might think that the clubs for Australia's new A-League (to start in August) generally have unimaginative recruitment policies, which is all very well and good, but the big name signing of former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke, which he specifically points out as imaginative, is certainly not a standout from the crowd. This is a player that does not

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1114505502160156472005-04-26T00:00:00.000+10:002005-04-26T20:12:59.490+10:00

What is the difference between the Blackburn versus Arsenal FA Cup semi-final and the Everton versus Manchester United English Premier League match-up? Well, in the first match there was thuggery by Blackburn, and in the second match there was some foul play by Manchester United, but nothing too malicious. At least that is the report you would get and have been getting from the media. However,

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1113892569824443172005-04-19T00:00:00.000+10:002005-04-19T16:36:09.830+10:00

For the first time in my lifetime, I will be hoping that Manchester United will win against Arsenal, and I speak specifically of the English FA Cup final between the two teams in May. And why is that so, I hear you ask? Let me take you through the whole ordeal of the semi-final on Saturday between (my team) Blackburn Rovers and Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium in Wales which ended 3 - 0; before

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1113488827896367762005-04-15T00:00:00.000+10:002005-04-15T00:27:07.896+10:00

Former France captain Zinedine Zidane has ended speculation that linked him to a possible return to the France national team who are somewhat struggling in their World Cup qualifying group, standing at two wins and four draws. It is a sensible decision by Zidane to reject any thought of a comeback, considering the toll that extra international football in addition to club football can have on a

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1113238024771944582005-04-12T00:00:00.000+10:002005-04-12T02:47:04.773+10:00

It is an absolute travesty that fans from places such as London and Manchester in England will have to travel to Cardiff in Wales for the FA Cup semi-final encounters at the Millennium Stadium this weekend. To host the English FA Cup final there is all very well, since it is a momentous occasion that should have as many fans on stadium seats as possible, but making four sets of fans travel

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1113110965987332602005-04-11T00:00:00.000+10:002005-04-10T22:12:04.666+10:00

Blackburn Rovers, derided in the media as "boring" and "unfashionable", has shown that they can thrill in their 3 - 0 English Premier League win against Southampton at Ewood Park on Saturday. Mathematically, Rovers could yet still be relegated, but that looks highly unlikely given that they are nine points above the relegation zone with six Premiership matches remaining. The Southampton result

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1113029152548944822005-04-09T00:00:00.000+10:002005-04-09T16:45:52.550+10:00

Watching some ten minutes of the Chelsea versus Bayern Munich Champions League game midweek, I was a little surprised by the way the Blues were playing. You see, they were hoofing the ball up to their forwards in those ten minutes, rather than the short passing, silky Chelsea that I had witnessed in matches earlier in the season, and I found myself puzzled as to why this had not been pointed out

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1112870988188672952005-04-08T12:00:00.000+10:002005-04-07T20:49:48.190+10:00

Chelsea defender John Terry was very unhappy about Bayern Munich's Michael Ballack diving in the penalty box after the game on Wednesday night, which earned a penalty in a 4 - 2 win for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He said that it was a terrible decision by referee Rene Timmink to blow the whistle for a penalty and that quite a few of the other Munich players were diving all night. While diving

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8028752.post-1112718265023766452005-04-06T00:00:00.000+10:002005-04-06T02:24:25.023+10:00

Retired Wales international Robbie Savage has said that Wales national manager John Toshack should be the one to pick up the telephone, say that all is forgiven, and that he has been recalled to the Wales squad. "I've got nothing to apologise about. I told the truth, I've always told the truth, and I do feel I was good enough to get in the 24-man squad that lost to a team [Austria] who are below

James No. 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/01162389123319614238noreply@blogger.com