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I’m old enough to remember having to clear the dinosaur shit off the pitch before we could kick off. The recent events reminds me of the time when Ken Furphy came in. We’d had years of treading water before eventually being relegated to the old Div 3. Furphy came in and began a massive clear out of players who’d been at the club a while who’d obviously become disenchanted with football. Some were fans favourites - Eamon Rogers, who was like Travis only he could play football as well. Billy Wilson - a really good tenacious full back, Malcolm Darling , a decent striker. All of these were good players but they’d become jaded by being at a club that was in the doldrums for years. They were treading water and weren’t playing to the best of their ability. There were others that I forget now that left the club but players were coming in and going out on a daily basis. The famous Bobby Bell deal being just one. Some of these deals worked out, some didn’t. Some young players were brought back in that went on to be household names like Faz and Mecky. But at the end of all the upheaval we had a team that looked like they wanted to play for Blackburn Rovers and they wanted to be out there. He laid the seeds for the eventual promotion out of the dungeons of Div 3 and back to the relatively sunny uplands of Div 2. Let’s hope this turmoil results in a similar period of success ! Come on you Blues !

Eh? This is how the academy should work, right? We develop players in the hope of finding a Wharton. When we don't, we sell them to lesser teams for pure profit. In the meantime the players that are good enough come into the first team and challenge or provide depth. It seems a mad stance to take to being annoyed at selling academy players for profit. What that profit is used for is an entirely different argument.

First part, of course. Went on running costs. Second part, agreed too. Let's hope the conveyor belt is still running.

I guess it makes sense in a "we have taken them as far as we can" perspective. Whether they are backing the academy will come down to if the younger lads do get game time.

Not many do these days Tyrone. Travis is another who accumulates lots of yellow cards but the majority are for petty, technical offences.

Good edit 😉

It's brought in what, £25m+ (Wharton, Raya, Travis, Buckley, JRC, Leonard) in the last few years? This is not them positioning themselves to shut the Academy down. This is simply them selling assets they don't think can help us (and falling out with Travis).

Yeah agreed. Always want Rovers academy players to do well, but saw very little from Leonard that would suggest he would make it even if fit. Someone like Buckley made a much bigger impression but struggled. Would love him to kick on at Posh, but him leaving does seem the right call.

I get that those at the club aren't liked but this comes across (to me at least) like misdirected anger and frustration. JRC & Buckley were going backwards else they would have gotten better moves. JRC was on the bench for Charlton & no one wanted Bucky who failed at Sheffield Wednesday. We got fee's for them to reinvest. Leanord may well have wanted to leave for his future, which is what I would have done personally. It's not like we've decided to scrap the academy (yet).

These transfers have paid for the Academy for the next 3 years, easily. That's not even factoring in the Raya / Wharton money. Buckley, JRC and Leonard (surprisingly) have been deemed not good enough and sold for a healthy fee. That's how the system should work.

A reminder came up on my FB recently from around 15/16 years ago where I've said "get Eidur in you fat bastard" After getting getting over the cringe factor of it, it just made me feel incredibly sad

It's almost as if the Academy will be surplus to requirements...but for another day and another thread maybe.

Back on the wind up Earlier in the window you were waxing lyrical about Swansea's moves. They have signed some lad from Sweden who has a handful of goals; some 20 year old from Kilmarnock and a defender who spent his time mincing it in the lower leagues. Everybody else has interesting and ambitious signings - us, they are cheap, underwhelming and punts. I suppose if you always start with such low expectations nobody can call you out for being wrong like you often do with others eh.

Maybe that will buy some tins of paint for the ground.

So after being preached to for the best part of 10 years that we need to use our Category A academy more, use home grown players rather than pay for them from elsewhere, pathways into the first team blah blah blah we spent the whole summer doing the complete and total opposite of that and are now selling our academy graduates to the likes of Derby, Charlton and Peterborough after putting in years of development. It's almost as though we're just making it up as we go along.

It's absolutely fantastic 😁

Not really no.Brentford and Brighton are not flogging off their best players for peanuts or allowing players to go for free or selling them to keep the lights on. A clue---they're successful.

Equally, it could be the worst transfer window we've ever had. Far too early to say either way.

What did you see in his game thst gave you that impression ? I alway think that if I’m playing against this player what do I have to look out for ? What I saw was a player who wasn’t a handful physically, not particularly big, not particularly tricky with the ball at his feet, not particularly quick, no real “ hold up “ play to speak of, and when he eventually got a chance he usually fluffed it. I think £1 million is a great deal for us. They must have signed him going off memory because when did they see him play ? Obviously I respect your views mate, so we’ll see who’s right before too long.

Michalski and/or Goddard if Toth gets injured. And there are other youngsters who could progress as the season develops.

Is this not us following the Brentford/Brighton model but scaled down? Buy relatively unknown, youngish players for lowish fees in the hope some are a huge success and sold on for multiple times of their cost. As much as was said otherwise it does appear fees received are being to some level re-invested

Don't think the possibility that Lowe has made a long overdue departure is being queried more the fact that Suhail was seemingly unaware he was leaving or had left and apart from Ismael saying it, all other indicators are he's still employed by the Club.

Time and results will tell. Look foward to 7th or above. Certainly saved on wages. Matchday will be interesting - so many permutations and changes. Going to be fun.

I think a lot depends on when Leonard's started to stir. We were in for one striker before Leonard's exit became public so if Leonard's transfer has dragged on then we probably have that wage earmarked for the one. But if the deal has come out of the blue possibly there is enough for two wages. Please note how Ive not included the fee as we all know the fees dont effect the transfer budget.

Mm, I wouldn’t call that a gamble. I’m pretty sure how that will pan out.