I know it’s all opinions, but Henchoz over Nelsen/Samba is quite some take.

This is a touch dramatic. You don't stop a boxing match with one boxer winning by a round or two after 6 rounds. James starting was foolish. Certainly need to get higher up the pitch but there's plenty to be played.

When it comes to beating players nobody comes near Dougie.

Amoroso in and no Nelsen ?

Completely agree with that team. I’m going to go a different way and give my favourite X1 (not best, just my favourites): Friedel Emerton Samba Amoruso Warnock Thompson Tugay Flitcroft Duff McCarthy Jansen Managed by Sparky ofc.

brereton and gallagher,not the wisest investments imo,defenders are coming was tonys phrase🙂

Really hard one to call. I might change my mind now you’ve said that but Fred was another really top player. More skilful than Shearer but not as tough and hard to play against.

When you say compete do you mean towards the top or towards the bottom? I think if we don't get at least 3 players in who can hit the ground running that we're in a bit of trouble. Especially a striker and a winger.

Of course but he was excellent last season given he played for 6 months in Japan before coming here cos this is Championship thread where you discuss championship stories or comments

Haaland doesn't score the goals Shearer did outside the box for us back in the 90's the best Rovers team in my lifetime would be Friedel Berg Hendry Nelsen Le Saux Ripley Sherwood Tugay Duff Shearer Jansen

Under two weeks before season starts. Next week should be busy. Just 3 more and I think we can compete.

If it was a boxing match they’d stop it. They’re playing the game with all ten out field players in our half. When we win the ball we’ve 75 yards to run. When they win it they’re in the last third. They fitter, faster, winning most of the 50/50 balls. We look tired. Playing James was a bollock, she was obviously not fit. The coach will have to earn her corn now.

Paying the bills. When was the last time Vs sent big money that we know about ?

I think it depends on your definition of ‘best’ footballer. Of those I’ve seen live: Most effective? Shearer. Talent on the ball? Tugay. My dad says ‘Douglas wipes the floor with both’.

I've read about 20 posts on here from the last 24hrs debating whether the squad is slightly weaker or slightly stronger than this time last year and it seems to be pretty much a dead heat, very little to choose between, people making arguments either way. How the squad is only marginally stronger (at best) when we have brought in tens of millions over the last couple of seasons is criminal. Where on earth has that money gone?

The early miss was criminal. No panic though. Spain have been good but not great, this is within grasp

Yep, very sad one this. Was lucky enough to see them on their The End tour back in February 2017, though of course that was without Bill Ward, and I have done the pilgrimage to Mapledurham Water Mill near Reading for no reason other than that is the artwork that launched a music genre I adore. Probably the only helpful thing to have come out of the 2022 Commonwealth Games was the renewal in public awareness it seemed to give Sabbath after Ozzy and Tony performed at the closing ceremony, which embodied itself when the bull mascot was saved from scrap, renamed Ozzy by public vote and now resides as an utterly huge monument to him on the concourse of New Street station. After that came the Black Sabbath bench on the freshly-named Black Sabbath bridge on Broad Street, and, in the weeks leading up to the Villa Park gig, a mural right by New Street station, which was bedecked in flowers, photos and even a headstone when I dropped by after work last week. A particularly touching element was all the handwritten notes, some from countries thousands of miles away, paying tribute not only to his character, but the impact Sabbath, and the community of the genre they created, had had on them. It is very easy and indeed fun just to think of Ozzy and all his quotes and capers, but we should never forget the unfathomable influence particularly those first four albums had on music. I am happy at least that he survived to see the manifestation of that at Villa Park only a few weeks ago.

They price theirs well, sell 16k in league 1 and also still offer a flexi ticket once the full ST sales have maxed out. Here meanwhile they hike most prices, sell a measly 8k despite finishing just outside the top 6 in the Championship then hike the prices again once sales have maxed out. Idiots doesn't begin to describe it.

What hope. We all expected a load of underwhelming foreign cheapies that nobody wanted. That’s predominantly what we’ve got. I still expect 2 of the 3 contract expires to depart.

Quite probable they will cash in on Travis before the window shuts but I think Tronstad will be here for next season. Ismael said that Tronstad doesn't want to leave this summer and he ran his contract down at his previous club so I think he will give us one more season and then look at his options

the club is devoid of any ambition or will to succeed,it illustrates what a complete shambles it is when they let good players just run their contracts down and leave

Was always going to happen when we keep missing chances

It's hard to compare era to era, due to the quality of the opposition. Better coaching, diets, lack of smoking & drinking, etc. Either way, we certainly haven't seen anyone close to Shearer's levels in my lifetime, in that position. A one-off and we were lucky to have seen the best of him at Ewood.

That is true, but we have positions were our current first choice isnt very strong. It would make more sense if we then sold say Travis, or we then spent more on the attack as well. As it is, this conversation becomes hypothetical as I suspect he wont sign.

The White Stripes - Blue Orchid