Now let the real

battle commence A WEEK of contrasts, then.

The excitement of giving Bolton a second mauling, followed by an equally thorough Highbury hammering. A rousing night at Ewood, followed by a sleep-inducing stroll in the capital.

I've often felt that going to Arsenal is a bit like visiting a stately home. A magnificent old structure that leaves you feeling overawed -- and I don't mean Tony Adams!

Contrast too the euphoria of Wycombe's win at Leicester with what we saw from Rovers.

Sanchez's team produced an unlikely victory out of honest graft and a consuming desire for glory.

Souness's team delivered, dare I say, a half-hearted effort that showed their attention is firmly focused on other battles in other wars.

Overawed they may have been. Unlucky they probably were, especially with Jason's 'goal' disallowed and Marcus's volley' rebounding out, rather than in. Outskilled and outpaced they most certainly were by Arsenal's own League of Nations.

There are two really tough things for Rovers fans to come to terms with. Firstly, the realisation that, while we have floundered for three or four seasons (until now), the Premiership has sailed off to a distant land.

It will be a long, hard and expensive voyage for us to meet the likes of Arsenal once again on a level footing in a competition that matters.

The second, and perhaps the unkindest cut of all for the travelling army of Rovers fans in London, is that the FA Cup doesn't really matter. While Arsenal were happy to do just enough to retain an interest in this season's competition, Rovers' minds were already concentrating on the League.

On semi-final weekend, we can now lock horns with QPR, instead of being distracted by the chance of a weekend break in South Wales the following month. Contrast the euphoria of Wycombe's win at Leicester with what we saw from Rovers.