Yeah Beck was certainly better than those 2. He was really good, not only going forward but defensively. His main issue is injury proneness and I dont think he is fit now. The 2 we have now are average Championship standard I would suggest. Not a position we need to look at though. Beck is top end when fit, would be very difficult to get someone as good.

Watching Leicester - Fiorentina now. Leicester are miles ahead off us. What a squad and A. Fatawu is going to rip the Championship apart if he can continue like he has done today.

i prefer to follow what i see on the pitch ,ribeiro is a good player but beck is better in every dept,he is injury prone but that because of the way he plays

Stats would suggest similar levels and similar results - it’s ok if you prefer a player over another but there’s no direct correlation in rovers form or results with beck in or out of the team. hence me saying as we have cover there it’s not a massive loss

I suspect what he says in public and what he thinks in private are two entirely different things.

Sore foot?

At the minute, and I'm including Pears, Buckley & Leonard and just replacing Brittain for Miller, we would need to register 22 of the current players in our first team squad. We also then have the likes of Goddard, Michelski, Duru, Atcheson, Litherland, Batty, Montgomery and Tyjon on the fringes who don't need to he registered.

We've been "close" with several now have we not? Failing for one reason or another to land decent to good players but always managing to land the dross without incident or hesitation. Things that make you go mmmmm.

john ismael valerian beck,he`ll be leaving the grass long in the corners and making the lads have cold showers before kick off😁

We looked a much better team with Beck in it and Beck is a better player than Ribiero

We do Venkies don't. You and I both feel the plan is relegation this season. Let's see but I think it is going to be a dismal campaign. Got me debating with myself whether I want to bother with the subscriptions to keep up.

Gestede credit? He will have known for months we wouldn't be offering contracts that our better players would sign on for It is a week before the season starts , we have lost 4 from our strongest 11 and our 2nd top scorer and bar 1 signing(and even that signing was playing for a team nearly relegated last season)none of us know wether they will be any good in the Championship With respect credit would come if these players turn out to be Championship standard and we don't end up in a relegation battle

No drop off in our performances/consistency wins/losses without beck he was covered by picks and ribeiro - the rest I agree

I think it's both. There is a very, very clear profile of player being targeted - athletic, tall, and fairly young. I think our crappy budget has necessitated expensive players leaving, and little money to spend on replacements, but Ismael has clearly said he wants a certain type of player.

God help us. Expecting a heavy defeat, anything at all from the game will be a bonus I think.

Partly maybe but also with explosive pace it’s difficult to keep that up, my main worry with him is his hamstrings exploding at any moment

Where have you plucked this information from? West Brom have had a good window with Heggebo/Philips/Campbell. They haven't lost anyone of note either. Added to that, Dike is injured and turning into a right crock, so scrap that part of your post too......

Last time we totted up, are we on about 22 if Brittain goes and 23 if Miller comes in?

They won’t engage properly. They don’t want to. Fans opinions are a hinderance to their aim of cutting costs and cutting ambition. Mike Graham spent years telling us we needed to keep engaging, and look at his speech as the outgoing chairman at the last Rovers trust meeting.

Won't be many if.any loans the squad is Pretty full.

Despite the stick he gets on here, Pears is average championship keeper standard I would say. His problem is, with a week to go to the new season all teams surely have a first choice keeper sorted now. I doubt he wants to play second fiddle, so he's not in an ideal situation..... I can see Buckley going to league 1 or even 2 purely on loan though as his wages will be a stretch for most teams. He will sulk about the place wherever he goes, if anywhere.

Perfect response! And but for Szmodics we would have been relegated. And he's not here anymore. IMO the squad is lower in overall quality than either 1 or 2 years ago (assuming Brittain and Trav leave). Will depend on any new signings as to whether squad has more depth. E.g. Are two ok RB's better than 1 good RB with a U21's player as cover,?

I dont see it as a change in the style of play so much as a concerted drive to replace slightly more expensive players with cheaper ones all over the pitch. I'm still not sure how VI thinks it can possibly work as I don't believe he's naive or stupid.

More a “let’s stop letting them have the ball” issue.

No, this was how he was vs Wolves. Had a great start and was then worked out/faded. Probably why he's primarily coming off the bench.