Dear Mam,

Hi, it's me, Jason. Sorry for not writing sooner since I moved to Rovers but I've been busy with our relegation battle. Blackburn's a lot like Liverpool really, except the locals talk with a funny accent.

Ewood Park hasn't quite got the atmosphere of Anfield, but at least I'm

getting a game every week now. Scored me first goal the other week, but

there's no sign of a Michael Owen at the club so I might have to score some more. (On the upside, at least there's no-one like Incey here!)

The gaffer's been good to me so far. He doesn't let the fact that he's a Manc and I'm a Scouser get in the way. He backs all the players 100 per cent.

Even when we're rubbish, he never sends us back out after just five minutes at half-time, like they do at other clubs in Lancashire.

It's been a bit like a war zone here recently, being surrounded by so manywalking wounded. The gaffer had this bright idea of a survey into why we've had all these injuries at Blackburn and there's been researchers all over our training ground. Billy McKinlay fell over one and Jeff Kenna slipped on a stray survey sheet, so those two are both ruled out for the season.

But I'm sure the findings will be interesting when it's finished.

They seem to go in for posher names up here compared with Liverpool. I mean,we used to give Dominic Matteo some real stick for his name, but now I'm alongside Ashleys, Damiens, Christians and Callums. They must like Darren Peacock round here though, 'cos they call one of the local towns after him, like.

The first team coach is Brian McClair, another old Manc. I though he'd lost his tracky bottoms 'cos he wears shorts even when it's really parky, so I asked if he wanted to borrow me spare shell suit. Turns out he likes to wear shorts all the time to show how hard he is. He got mad and I had to say "calm down, calm down", you know, just like I used to in Liverpool!

Have to go, Mam, the gaffer's deciding his team for tomorrow's match against Everton. We all have to walk towards him across the training pitch at Brockhall and anyone who can make it in less than 10 minutes without getting injured is in the team.

Will write again soon.

Love, Jason

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.