Just they think they're bigger than they are

My main take from the opening weekend was that the 3 relegated sides are nowhere near as good as in recent years and certainly won't all be storming the League with 90 + points. And that we have major problems. Terrific summary by the way - well done - hope you keep it up!

It was a but frustrating to not recognize the play style from pre-season. We seemed to lack energy or we were on half distance for way too much of time.

Why do you have a thing about Newcastle? Id rather see them win a few things than the usual suspects - especially Man Ure. I wish when Liverpool had come in for Isaak (sp?) the FFP and PSR rules had permitted them to flex their financial muscle, tell Liverpool to fuck off, and put a £250 m counter bid in for Salah on a £1m p.w. tax free salary just to piss them off. And then if Salah said yes, pull out at the last minute. Isaak's half way through a long term deal. He'd be grateful for the security of that contract if he picked up a bad injury. If Newcastle dont want to sell that SHOULD be the end of it.

Not saying it will improve (and I share your foreboding) - but we are only one match into the new season, with a number of players to bed in.

He does, although Michalski did have a contract to 2027 before that renewal But yes, I expect we will see a few if the up & coming youngster signed up for as long as possible to show how our contract woes are behind us, at least until they are not 😉 What are the chances of Tyjon, Dunn & Silver Eze also within the next month?

Thought it was a lot more than that - someone published a table a while ago from a season or two back where our TV revenue was c £8m as opposed to about £1.5m the season we were in League 1. There was a massive increase in the TV money for Championship Clubs before the start of last season wasn't there?

Here we go, young lads on the fringes signing new contracts. What contract problem? Montgomery will be next seeing as his deal runs out this summer. (think he might have an option though).

Come off it, there is no plan other than to cut costs as K Hod says. What is V trying to do? Trying to build the most toothless team with the most turgid and least entertaining style of play of all time? There's only one reason we're bringing in cheap "athletic" types from inferior European Leagues - they're cheap.

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2025/august/12/nick-pens-new-rovers-deal-/

It’s depressing that either of these two would have any say in our transfer dealings. Mental set up at our club

Yes I came here to post this. Aggregating over oddschecker with the most generous odds for each outcome: Rovers win - 2.6 (to 1) Bradford win - 2.9 Draw - 3.55 I mean come on. I know the cup is a leveller, there is the potential for (both sides) to rotate squads and they're in better 'form' in the limited game time so far...but we are a whole league above them and at home. I do think we could potentially slip on a banana skin here, but I'm a bit insulted those are the odds!

Would love to one day, but we are away this week. Another time,yah ☺️

Yes Vi Ball with one shot on target in the 90 mins is far more entertaining!

Pears did for a bit, tbf. As much as I'm not a fan.

We can sit down with fans and fall out attack them though, without too much of a problem though. I never thought I would see it, but to have a backroom team, who hold the fans in such contempt is outrageous.

The extra revenue from Sky in the new deal really isn't all that much. It's an increase of between 500k to 1.5 million per club. Meanwhile more games are televised which means lower crowds. The EFL are terrible negotiators.

That team would get beaten for sure. And possibly heavily.

When Travis went out on loan to Ipswich JDT came out and said he was one of our highest earners and that’s why he’d loaned him out to free up budget for other players.

Owners with no money but a plan, ambition, and a brain would still have used a small fraction of the £40 million brought in to support an overachieving manager and help him retain his solid squad. They wouldn't have needed to use personal wealth to fund contracts. Maybe use some of the millions extra in TV revenue Sky have provided that gets forgotten about? Billionaires with lots of money but no plan, ambition or brains have chosen to gamble away the club's future by not doing any of those things.

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.