France were poor through most of their run to the world cup in 2018. Portugal drew every game until the final in 2016. No one really remembers how they got there

I believe the plan is for 4 kits, home, away, 3rd and then the retro one to be released mid season.

It's online now.

It's online now. Just kidding it's 9:57am.

Southgate record was semi final at world cup 2018 and 4th Euro 2020 runner-up World cup 2022 knock out by finalist France in a very even game that could have gone either way Euro 2024 runner up Do you think Tuchel can get us to the last 8 and I'm not sure he knows what tactical set up he wants or his starting 11 should be? I can name my starting 11, can you?

Always a hero here. He played competitive matches and scored as well, before leaving.

I think they'd prefer to stay at Championship level and will try simply because it adds more value and the execs are on good wages which will no doubt be cut in lge 1. However they absolutely know the pitfalls and know without substantial regular owner money it is inevitable we'll drop we nearly did 2 years ago. So i think those on the ground here are definitely preparing for that kind of future and probably advising the owners 'we'll manage if it happens it's our natural level now just think of the lower cost base and less input needed. We'll grow a team to go back up then consolidate whilst its book value increases, then sell it'. These owners ultimately call the shots but they clearly rely on what gets fed to them from this end.

Think the new TV deal that started last season is a bit better for league one/two clubs than it has been previously. Plus we will have zero high earners on the books, so that would offset that to a huge degree anyway. Academy lads will be on what a couple of grand a week at best? I'm not even sure they would be on that. I believe that's there plan, plus in league one you are even more out of the spotlight than you are now in the champ, especially with "huge clubs" like Wrexham and Birmingham coming up that we couldn't possibly dream of competing with.

I'm not actually sure it is cheaper to fund a League 1 side. Didn't someone post a table the other week showing the massive hit in TV revenue you take if you get relegated? Difference was just over £1m instead of £6m or £7m from memory. What they would probably ideally like is to stay bobbing about in perpetuity in the lower reaches of Championship using academy kids and cheap loans. Unfortunately that won't happen as other Clubs have ambition and try to improve instead of treading water or regressing at a rate of knots like we are.

Haha fair point. I'm in Italy right now so technically it is

Probably because it's not 10am yet?

Nothing on the Roverstore yet as far as i can see?

Strikes me as having neither nous nor gravitas. IMO, Gestede should simply not be in that role, novice or otherwise - he is fathoms out of his depth. and there you have it - IMO, 3 footballing nobodies and the dumbing down process to all things Rovers is further entrenched. There is absolutely no doubting the club's ambition. The one factor that might just hold them back is their manager Phil Parkinson. A decent track level BELOW Championship level but he's failed to cut it as Championship level with other clubs. Would not surprise me if Parkinson is not an early managerial casualty as the ownership want success and quickly - they aint interested in 'consolidation' or 'projects'.

Maybe at 10?

More like the guy in the bobble hat ‘Int Rovers brilliant, blue and white kit, brilliant, no contracts, brilliant, expensive season tickets, brilliant!’

Agree wholeheartedly! If the colours aren’t reversed, it’s not a Rovers shirt

So where's this 10am online launch then 🤔

Yes, and it's exactly what they all want, and as I have thought for a while, it's all completely by design. It's much cheaper for our billionaire owners to fund a league one club run on academy players, plus the odd lower division journeyman and a few foreign 2nd/3rd division players, than it is to fund a middling/top end Championship side that needs experienced, competent 26-31 year old players as the core of the team. There's a reason we're not signing anyone up to new contracts anymore despite all the talk of willing to do this, or willing to offer that. Fact's are that no senior players have signed a new contract since December 2023. Our only contracted players past June 2027 are Connor O'Riordan, Tom Atcheson & Dion De Neve. One or two will have options too (Pickering, Ohashi & Gueye from memory). I believe that the club is gearing up to be a league one side by the 27-28 season at the latest, using 90% academy players as the first team squad. In reality it will probably happen before that.

Have no doubt that Wrexham will be fine in the championship this season, just unsure they will be as high flying as some seem to think.

Haven't even bothered with that this year. I do agree that the shirt looks fine for what it is, but the lack of quarters really irritates me.

Cash flow, how else they going to pay the leccy bill for June?

Got a few theories as to how this kit release is going to go. Quite a lot of people are grateful for the early release, but I think this was part of the plan as they decided to pull their finger out to help get more sales. Get the home kit released early, gives more time to separate between that one and the away kit and the third kit. I am expecting the third one to be more of alt home shirt with a retro design. Could possibly wear it for the home match closest to the 5th November but if they get the home shirt sales in first, then released the retro shirt, they can get two or even three shirts sold for some fans. Thoughts anyone?

I'm really not that hung up on having a different badge, for 34 years of my 40 we've had the current badge and the 6 years prior to that we had a Tudor Rose. Our quartered shirts are our badge in essence, some sort of heraldry or scroll would have been nice. As I've said, nice shirt in its own right I just think it's stuck being neither modern nor retro, design is a nod to the 60's but with no other retro elements

Not bothered by his admission. Let's not think the club for one minute didn't want to cash in on him either and wouldn't want him injured... it's like the 'not available due to injury' line before a player sold. Always gave it on the pitch. That is what counts.

And the one who goes shopping…that’s Rudy isn’t it? ”Did you get the new centre back, midfielder & striker that we desperately need dear..?” ”Even better than that…I got a candlabra, a new cordless drill & a meat pie…”