So hang on.... If I'm reading this right. They've offered one of our senior players exactly the same money, for what is essentially an extra 12-months on his current deal. I bet him and his agent were flabbergasted. Who in their right mind would sign that, when in 12 months time he'll very comfortably get a move to another championship club, probably on improved terms as there would be no transfer fee. That's not a contract offer, that's just idiocy.

Unwillingness, not inability.

Long contracts on decent wages were also given to Adam Wharton, Szmodics, Travis, Hyam, Brittain.. before Venkys pulled the plug You win some, you lose some, and if we look on a purely cost/benefit basis, I think overall, they are well up

150th year and it appears our Club is falling apart.

The Venky’s fire sale is well and truly started. Admittedly only small scraps of wood left to throw on now but looks to me like they’re cashing in on all remaining assets…

This Idea is better than boycotting completely.

Can you bulk up?

Mid you the two of you look like someone had mischievously just told you that Venky's were selling up!!

They will be at least a couple of goals up before we even look like creating a chance.

Honestly, I do see a relegation team. Even more so if Travis and Hyam leave. There just isn't enough reliable Championship experience. Aside from that I think we massively lack in creativity, have no real goalscoring threat and no squad depth whatsoever. If we stay up then fair enough, Ismael will have done well.

Be more there defending them than getting angry at them anyway.

Even if those 2 cretins do show up at the Jack Walker memorial it is vital that they are ignored and nothing said to them. if the memorial turns nasty it will give them the perfect opportunity to blame the fans again

Axel Henriksson got 4 years if my memory serves me correcly. In hindsight giving out those contract deals was a big mistake and I can understand owners/management being reluctant and trying to learn by past mistakes and try to avoid the same hapening. The problem is that it is NO WHERE IN BETWEEEN! Either its Ronaldinho coming, splashing cash, giving out new contracts like drunken sailors or complete misery and full stop Mismanaged and poorly run football club.

Agreed, we all have a decision to make at some point along this winding road which ends with a cliff-edge as to whether we can in good conscience continue to throw our money, time and energy into such an organisation. A limited, honest poor, struggling club, poor standard of football, lower leagues I can accept. What I cannot accept is a lack of effort, pride, lies, disgraceful mismanagement and conduct. Some continue to live in la la land but for me the way this regime has treated the fans, its staff, players, the women's team, Eustace, JDT, the signings that we pulled the plug on at the 11th hour - all abhorrent shameful episodes presided over by charlatans of the highest order

It’s been the case for years that we have always opened negotiations with our established players by offering them the exact same money for an extended period. Was the case with Lenihan and Nyambe, both of which were declined but further negotiations didn’t happen “because of covid”. Then it became too late. It improved under Broughton as Suhail was too far removed from the process, which he won’t have liked. It went Broughton - Waggott - Babu. Broughton actually got some deals done (although one of the main reasons he was dispatched with was he was seen to be too generous with contracts. Wahlstead was nearly our highest paid player, Jake Batty was on several times more than all other youngsters, JRC got a huge pay hike). Reckless spending, or bringing our wage structure up to the going rate? With Broughton gone things initially went Waggott - Babu - Suhail, then simply Gestede + Suhail. Last summer there were attempts to get Szmodics to stay by treating him as an exceptional circumstance and obliterating the fairly loose wage structure. He was certainly open to discussing it, but too much dithering from Venky’s end meant the Ipswich move became inevitable. Before the end of last season there was an idea to offer Dolan a hefty loyalty payment - basically a big (million plus) signing on fee to incentivise him to sign on lower wages than he could get elsewhere. Dolan and his Dad were open to this - the offer was never put in writing. Travis and Hyam will all have been given contact offers a while ago - extensions on the same money. No follow up will have taken place after the initial rejections so Rovers can say “we offered them a deal”. This is Suhail 101. Gestede was always a Suhail man, but he further ingratiated himself with the signings of Ohashi and Gueye. Yuki took a pay cut to come to England. Gueye came from the notoriously poorly paid Belgian League. Between Suhail and Gestede they have now decided that there is no need to pay more than 10k a week for a player with those two as their proof. 11 “A” players on a max of 10k. 11 “B” Players on a max of 6k. And 11 Young players on a max of 1k. Any exceptions will be phased out.

I understand Rooney being upset with Brady's words and his portrayal in the Birmingham promotional series. It was a bit cowardly to do that without giving Rooney any chance to put his side across. From the "documentary" we have no idea why Rooney was hired or what he was attempting to implement, nor do the owners show any real understanding of their culpability beyond Brady's brief remark on changing too much too soon (and then proceeding to blame the players anyway). Rooney saying he inherited a mess is baffling, though, considering they were 6th and had won Eustace's last match there comfortably.

Ian Dury and the Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick

Was more geared towards, we might have a shit start but our season will turn eventually it has to. I don't think out team will send us to relegation? I think there's enough there to keep us afloat but can't see us going for a playoff spot either

That looks more in line with what Lutons accounts indicate, but will again, like all of these sort of sites, be an educated guess (at best)

Don't think we'll have a choice tbh, as even if we shopped him around for free I'm not sure he'd have many takers. Haven't heard anything about interest in Pears either. Need to get someone at Man Utd to remind Amorim to get that one done soonish.

"Losing Travis, Dolan, Pears, Brittain, Hedges, Hyam, Batth, Buckley and Leonard doesn't bother me one bit." (Below Average Fan) What the club and (some) supporters need to realise is the prices of British players are ridiculous (which Rovers will not pay). Shipping out over ⅓ of last years squad - all of whom are British - will severely bite when they realise only a maximum of 1 more foreign player can be brought in (Mafoumbi leaving first). Its an absolute disaster. A Burnley fan playing Football Manager couldn't do a better job at sabotage.

When we offered Buckley, Garrett et al new deals we had a competent Director of Football and thought we had a reasonable Championship budget. We were securing assets - whether for our first team or to sell to someone else. Hyam had just been signed and Travis had multiple years on his deal. Now we're clearly trying to stretch a miniscule budget as far as it can go, with absolutely no guarantees that any more money is coming across. Hence the short term contracts to new signings, a £10k a week salary cap and selling anyone of value to fund the transfers (i.e. Brittain and JRC's transfer fees will have more than covered any outgoing transfer fees).

This lot will make it an impossible job to replace him. Look at the replacements of the lads who have left so far. Might as well keep him though, as we'll be at the lower end of this division this season, I have no doubts about that the way things are going.

Hyam joined in 2022 not 2021 as Jackson states. He could at least get his facts right. He then says the deal offerd is 2 years when actually it's only 1year from the expiry of the current deal in 2026.

Caught the end of an item on 5Live this morning where Rooney was talking about Birmingham. He claimed the club was in a complete mess when he joined them! Wasn't challenged in the interview but when the presenter (Rick Edwards) came back on he queried that and said something like "I thought they had been doing v well under the previous manager and it was controversial when they brought Rooney in" Love how people can spin their own story on national radio!