BEFORE I talk of the events of Saturday and the Wolves game I feel I must make a final comment on the Damien Duff situation.

I've likened his departure from Rovers to being dumped by a particularly attractive girlfriend but then I had the fortune/misfortune to catch the Chelsea match against some Slovakian pub team last Wednesday.

Now, his great performance in that game and the obvious pain felt by myself, and I'm sure every Rovers supporter watching, could be likened to that very same attractive girlfriend cavorting with her new handsome boyfriend in your local right in front of you a couple of weeks after the split!

Anyway that's in the past now, what about the present.

I woke up on Saturday morning with the usual high level of optimism and anticipation you always have on the first game of the season. Are the new boys Emerton and Amoruso any good? Will Yorke and Cole deliver after a disappointing last season? And can the Blackburn End drummer get any more annoying?

The game itself was superb from the start with Rovers playing at a particularly high tempo. What impressed me as much as anything was the work rate when we didn't have the ball. We never allowed Wolves to settle and when we did win the ball back, our passing and movement had the opposition chasing shadows.

Another difference I noted was that, while we did have a lot of the ball in games last year, we played sideways a lot and didn't penetrate teams. On Saturday we looked like we were going to score every time we had the ball.

The man on the ball always had options and the way we played one-touch football at times was breathtaking. In fact, at one stage we were creating chances as frequently as Brian Jensen makes blunders!

Amoruso looked the part and was a big threat at set-pieces. Tugay's passing and vision was different class, especially in the final third. Emerton is bristling with pace and power and his goal was a great strike, and Cole looked hungry, sharp and most importantly motivated. Let's all hope this is the season when the real Slim Sulky does stand up.

Last, but certainly not least, I must mention Matt Jansen. He may not have scored but his movement and awareness of those around him gives us hope that he is over his troubles. He looked to have recovered the sharpness that I never thought I'd see from him again and I only hope he maintains that level because having him back is like signing a new player.

We may have only beaten a poor Wolves team who will undoubtedly struggle this term but you can only beat what's in front of you and beat them well.

Remember last season and the well worn comment of 'we never play well against the lesser teams'? Well maybe we can put that to rest this term because if we can and maintain this level of performance, we are a match for anyone. There's certainly a lot to look forward to.

So, sing it loud and sing it proud, we may only get one chance so make the most of it: "We are top of the league, we are top of the league!"

And even you can join in, Mr. Drummer.