Yes... I think there is an obvious ceiling on what we can offer, and the quite a few players now have made the assessment that it's worth more to them to leave on a free than sign it. It seems short sighted as I guess it would take an extra £5k a week to sign them, which over two years is £500k. To not take on that sort of liability we are letting players who are worth £3M+ walk out the door. Again sort of thing that an owner close to the action would find a way to navigate. But Venkys are distant and disengaged, and they seem more comfortable creating an arbitrary line in the sand and sticking to it, even if it is madness from a long term planning and financial management perspective.

What is VI trying to do anyway but avoid relegation? Anyone think there's some great plan. "make do and mend " would sum up his Mission Statement.

Spooky Tooth-Evil Woman

Spot on, true story. If the club wanted to keep him it would have offered him a new improved deal last summer, when Eustace was pushing for it. They refused and now we pay the price. Their choice as it has always been.

This baffles me. Maybe I'm oblivious but I've seen nothing at all to suggest that he 'wants' to leave or that he hasn't 'bought in' to what VI is trying to do. He has been forced to leave by virtue of the club doing nothing to try and keep him until recent weeks and then if we are being realistic probably giving him an offer that isn't worth the time of day to a player of his ability and importance. That is all on the club - failing to sort contracts out, failing to make competitive appropriate offers and actively inviting interest in key players as a result. He, like the fans and like countless other players and staff members, has been mucked around and taken for a ride by the owners and their stooges. What he wants doesn't come into it any more than what me or you want. It's what the owners/their stooges want that is the source and cause of all our problems.

A lot of talk of Travis not wanting to renew his contract. I'm surprised nobody is considering that the powers that be don't actually want him to renew his contract. He' presumably over the 10k mark as it is and he's not exactly going to renew for less is he. Suhail is probably more than happy to get a couple of million quid for Travis and replace his 15k a week for someone on half of that. As club captain I'd imagine that Trav is pretty annoyed about the situation which should have been sorted months ago.

This post needs printing out and slapping the face of everyone who says "just be positive" Building on what we had/have - nar Slam a wrecking ball through the squad and start all over again - yeah!

It's not even really about funding... if we had owners with less money, but were engaged and invested and could sit down with our managers and players and articulate a vision, address concerns, show a long term plan we would be able to at least have a chance on retaining our talent. But we can't do that...

Im personally not sold on Eustace but its damning of the behind the scenes shit show that a manager is willing to walk out mid season to a team that could have been playing league one the following season

And I'm surprised I'm beating our eagle-eyed Exile to this one (although just had a look in the outgoing loans thread as I typed that and of course he's popped it there), but Charlie Olsson was sent out on loan yesterday to Oldham for the season. They play in League Two after promotion from the National League last season. So I'd say that's a good loan for him, though I imagine they're expected to struggle (drawn both games so far though), so there probably won't be much tolerance for a fairly inexperienced kid learning the ropes. He'll have to be on it from the off. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cj6yypglzpzo

Not to mention losing the manager, who had us in the play off positions. At least we know we have people at the club, who won't know when we have the next good player in the youth team, so we won't have our heats broken again, if we sell him for half of his real value. What an absolute mess.

Smashed it! Well done lads

At the full time whistle at Sheffield United after just missing out on the play-offs all the talk from the commentary team at Sky was about Rovers learning lessons, addressing issues in the squad and going again this season to try and go one better by building on the solid base that we had. All logical, it could be done for relatively low cost simply by keeping the core and replacing some of the loans, maybe signing a couple of quality players. It was widely recognised that we had the foundations of a very competitive side that perhaps just needed some adjustments/a bit more quality. Instead we've demolished the core and spine of that side and replaced with cheap unknown foreigners and kids. The complete and total opposite of what we needed to do and what a side that finished 7th should have been aiming to do, But hey, the Venky stooges have personal financial targets to hit and reputations to forge by 'unearthing' gems and selling for profit so that's all that really matters.

That is not the fear that they have.

Very good depth? Only Carter and Cantwell are competent first teamers unavailable to start these first 2 games, I know the latter will be on the bench. If we was to change 11 tonight, our 11 would be something like Michalski, Miller, Atcheson, Wharton, Pickering, Montgomery, Tavares, Mullarkey Matthews, Tyjon, Kargbo, Gueye. If you think that is very good depth, especially considering the inclusion of 5 youngsters with a combined 1 league start between them (in which he was sent off) then I suspect youll be in for a rude awakening as the season goes on, if we dont strengthen.

Former ingrate - sorry sorry, former Rovers youth product, Rory Finneran, explains why he buggered off without a care for the club that developed him: https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/ex-rovers-youngster-finneran-explains-095808095.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALoW4t9ACw8mY0MEny2-ha0MzMLmBrrvMshr5KhabcWUkaX3rLGdmkAQ0Je3MKhvltM02tpD6Ta3_9Bby-fPa80X2EE6dpOXzRbsZOQBy0mbnTbg7G3n37WJaQg81DyefYq-PF6B-KycQKH1wwBgD5RNM_OxBXvs2U0XsZSBPqEl

I agree that we missed Cantwell. The thing is Trav and Tronstad both came deep to collect the ball. We then played out to Ribeiro or Alebiosu and then inside to Axel, De neve or Ohashi. Hedges was never involved in the play and slowed down most attacks. We didn't have the creativity to play the pass which opened up the defense. Looking back we actually came to several good crossing positions from both De Neve and Alebiosu in the first half, but the ball didn't end up where we wanted. Its early doors, but besides the low intensity press there was several positive signs from Saturday.

It's ridiculous to say we lack depth. I will say we have very good depth except RW and to an extent Striker.

Agree. And JRC. We look far worse than last two seasons. I'm not convinced about this manager. Anyway, early days. We can only hope things improve.

Also backs up the "fear" of giving new long-term contracts. Not a single one of them delivered after the new contract.

We shouldn’t be in a transitional period though we came 7th last year and a goal away from the playoffs in normal run clubs they look at that and go ok we have a team here capable of competing at the top end of the champ so we’re going to go for it lock down key players - failed (2 have openly stated they want/wanted to stay) invest in the areas that we fell slightly short on last season ie winger/striker - ultimately goals but instead we have stated we aren’t paying our key players a wage satisfactory of their role/importance so we are going to sell them or lose for free and then replace them with unknowns now some of the unknowns could well be good or come good but to do so many in the one window it’s very very clear it’s cost cutting as opposed to ambition.

No we don't and it's only transitional because the owners won't fund the club properly. There is no long term plan, only to cut costs.

I’ll be honest. At this point I think we should take the money for Travis and move on. I love Travis, and by no means want him to leave. But at the same time, he clearly does want to go, isn’t going to sign a new contract and isn’t bought into what VI is trying to do. Unlike many, I can see a strategy to what VI is building, and while I think we may suffer in the short term, we need to accept that this year will be transitional for us. For that to be successful we do need players bought into the long term plan. ATM that doesn’t seem to be Travis and it may be better culturally for the club to take a fee and move on. I really struggle to see how we can keep a captain who doesn’t want to be here.

Cheers. Selling Trav is a huge mistake in my eyes. I hate the clowns that run this club.

Suspect it will a team selection that highlights our lack of depth.