EXCUSES, excuses, excuses.

Blackburn's FA Cup semi-final clash with Arsenal is the club's biggest games in years, and all I've heard over the past two weeks is melodramatic moans and excuses from so-called fans on why they're not going to Cardiff.

Let's get this straight. I applaud every fan who has already bought their ticket or intends to make the trip to South Wales. Rovers haven't been in an FA Cup semi-final for 45 years, and they will enjoy the experience, whatever the result. The core support which Rovers enjoy - home and away - will get behind their team two weeks on Saturday, and they deserve their moment in the world spotlight.

But I'm struggling to get to grips with the number of fans who can't be bothered to set the alarm clock on April 16.

During the past two weeks, I've asked dozens of Rovers fans (who I know to be dedicated supporters) if they are travelling to Cardiff.

And I've been astounded by some of the responses and excuses from people who have followed Rovers since the 1980s.

In fact, I started noting them down:

* It's too expensive. I'm saving my money for the final.

* 12.15pm kick-off! That means getting up at 5.30am!

* I'm not going all that way just to see us beaten by Arsenal.

* We won't even get there in time for a pint before the game. It's easier just watching it down the pub.

* I'm not going all that way to see us play eight at the back like the Liverpool match.

* I'll lose a day's wages at work!

* It's only a semi-final, isn't it? It's not the actual final.

* I would have gone if it was at Old Trafford or Villa Park.

* Cardiff's a nightmare to get to, so we're looking at a 15 hour day.

These are all genuine reasons given to me.

Firstly, Blackburn Rovers are in the SEMI-FINAL of the FA Cup.

Yes, that's the club these people have supposedly supported all their life in with a chance of reaching the final of the most prestigious cup competition in the world. Only Lancastrians over the age of 50 will have had the chance to experience that before. We see Halley's Comet almost as much!

Secondly, fans of all four semi-finalists knew beforehand that both matches would be held at Cardiff. Whether that's right or wrong - and I personally think it's a ridiculous decision - that's the reality! It's no good bleating about the venue just to ease your own conscience.

The FA's decision to stage the game at 12.15pm was also a incredibly stupid one, and was made with TV executives in mind rather than football fans.

But again, any true supporter wouldn't think twice about getting up at 5.30am to see their club in its first semi-final in 45 years against the current Premiership champions. I get up at that time every day to make sure these sports pages are completed on time.

In fact, I'd happily miss three night's sleep if it meant watching my club in a showcase semi-final. I've lost count of the number of times I've got up at the crack of dawn to travel to London to watch a Charity Shield match - a game with as much credibility as Jonathan King.

In Newcastle, the club has received 31,000 tickets for their semi-final, and has had 33,000 applications from season ticket holders alone. That means that tickets will not go on general sale, and several hundred season ticket holders will also miss out.

Of course, you can't compare the fan bases of Blackburn and Newcastle. But you can compare the attitude of some of the fans. Newcastle kick off at 2pm on Sunday, April 17, so that means a similar 5.30am start time, with a possible six-hour journey.

But according to the press gang in Newcastle, you won't find a single Geordie unwilling to give up a few hours sleep to see their side take on Manchester United.

It seems ironic. When clubs reach the big finals and semi-finals, the criticism is that fans crawl out of the woodwork. In Rovers' case, it seems that too many are crawling into the woodwork!

The reality is, after watching an under-strength Arsenal beat Rovers comfortably at Ewood Park a few weeks ago, Mark Hughes' side face a mammoth task to reach the cup final.

But if they do pull it off, it will be one of the greatest days in the club's modern day history. The fans who made the effort will be able to savour a special moment. For the ones sat in armchairs or in the pub, they will have missed a piece of Blackburn history for the sake of a few hours sleep.