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match report https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2026/january/26/report--rovers-under-21s-5-0-birmingham-city-under-21s/

He isn't a "youth player", he signed a pro deal in 2024 His contract expires at the end of the season, and he is apparently not being offered a new one, so will be a free agent then. Youth trials are pretty common, its the parent club doing right by the player and trying to get them fixed up elsewhere. We did the same a couple of years ago with Tom Bloxham from Spurs in the second half of one season before signing him in the summer

Kamara would be a great pick up for future. How does trial work for a player under contract at Arsenal? Is he still a youth guy or expiring?

And you'd imagine it IS coming soon.......

Question is how many of the squad post summer 2026 will be on a "championship" wage even if we are still in the championship? Pears, Cantwell, Pickering, Wharton and maybe Carter (though historically own products have been on the lower end of the pay scales). We know who they are trying to shift through the door - add on transfer fees for Alebiosu and possibly Gudjohnsen (if he continues his scoring record) and suddenly the losses aren't so bad (maybe even a net profit if Adam Wharton gets a move and Alebiosu deal is structured with a fair amount up front)

I think we overestimate the desire by the club to stick to the 3-5-2 formation; players like Cleary and Jorgenson offer some flexibility in the summer when we inevitably overhaul the squad again and decided 4-3-3 is the new formation... Short term we clearly need a big CF to compliment the smaller guys like Ohashi, or wider forwards like Jorgenson. Even Gudjohnson is a bit soft for his size, more a poacher than target man. I miss the days of Danny Graham and endless knock-downs for our smaller forwards to play off (Arma, Dack etc).

They had done on quite a few of them but we have to remember a lot of them were on big long contracts unlike now, allegedly. They got rewarded with one year contract extensions on promotion which probably was part of the deal when exercising the reduction clauses so they didn't really lose out long term.

Sorry i do disagree ...the owner Mr Pasha and the Signboard Vs do want relegation .. as low this club will go ... then declare bankruptcy but not administration ...awaiting favourable climate in India for write off of SBI Loans....i hope i'm wrong but it's the only way everyone involves walks away unscathed .... i pray to god i'm wrong but all i'm seeing is managed decline

Is it possible that last time they hadn't put massive wage reduction clauses into players contracts for relegation to League one? But that this time they have? Still have the loss of revenue to factor in, as you say

They had bounce back first time in mind last time though and even though wages dropped they were still double figure weekly pay for a lot of that squad. Plus they spent a bit with promotion in mind. The weekly wages of these players is no doubt in the main significantly less than last time and presuming they weren't going all out for an instant return there'd be a net transfer scenario rather than a minus one. That might well balance any initial shock to the losses column and depending on what they do with the academy after the first season costs could be pulled more in line with established lge 1 clubs. A load more variables offer themselves up as well, bin the training ground and move everything to the academy to save rent. The academy would probably be bookmarked to provide most of the lge 1 playing squad moving forwards so that would need maintaining but not forking out for transfers and bigger wages balances that a bit. Shelve work on the ground and pitch as standard required are lower plus areas of Ewood could be mothballed etc etc. Scary stuff but Indian accountants thousands of miles away won't give a shit about all that.

Trains with Arsenal first team.

Has to. TV income would be down £6m or £7m on it's own now without anything else being taken into consideration.

Osman Kamara 19 year old from Arsenal on trial.

Surely a potential buyer with any sense would approach the owners directly.

Pretty sure that what is done in these cases is that there will e different loan fees and/or wage contributions payable if the player features in over or under x% of minutes he is available to play during his loan spell, with less payable if he hits of exceeds the threshold

Suhail will keep any news of a potential sale away from the owners. From his POV, he’s unemployed if they sell up and he’ll never have it easier in his life than he has here. That’s what we’re up against, IMO.

Last time we dropped to League one our operating loss for that year was £16.7 million. This was with our wage bill falling by £5.2 million (to £16.8 million). Turnover fell by £5.9 million. Maybe they’d cut harder and faster this time but I think significantly losses would still occur.

The Academy is the only thing this club does well - clearly they're just given a budget and the likes of Gestede stay well out of the way.

You know what, that's OK. If they actually start accumulating talent and spending money, then I'm not going to be critical. We're not 1 or 2 pieces away; we are 7 or 8 pieces away. Get talent in the door and work from there.

Normally I wouldn't put anything past Rudy/Pasha/Venkys etc, but, he had zero appearances when he signed that contract and whatever his wage may go up to, would probably still be less than the 25-50% share of Cashin's wage we are paying Also, I is my understanding that if there was wage increase linked to appearances, it would by more likely to trigger once he had made the 10th appearance (so would already be in effect), not once he had surpassed 10 appearances

Lewis Capaldi - A Cure For Minds Unwell

Yes the loses would only really be a massive hit if you continue to try and run on a Championship budget without the extra income that league brings. If costs are immediately brought in line after relegation then so are the annual loses. Far less budget is needed to tread water in league 1 than be a top contender for promotion or a championship ever present.

Hearts dominated pretty much the whole game. Celtic scored two very, very good goals but did very little else. They were truly wasteful on the rare occasions when they had the ball. The only glimmer of light for them is that their new centre forward looks a decent signing. It’s terrific stuff, it really is. You would have got long odds back in October on Rangers being in a title race this season!

Agreed, which I think is more or less what they did in 2015 when the penny dropped with the top dogs that this was going to keep on costing the family a ton of cash, so they took a step away and Balaji and his mates sidelined Bowyer and got control of things again. The top dogs then got a grip on it again after relegation - bypassing Pasha and summoning Mowbray to India for face to face talks - and because of Mowbray's skills around the table 'wonderful human beings' routine he tempted them back in - they liked him and his talk so agreed to throw their weight behind him on the basis he'd get us back up and in the mix. But then they lost faith with him after a couple of years of big losses and decided they'd had enough again, probably for good this time. The only other element to this arrangement was Waggott, who had got himself set up here with the top dogs in similar fashion to Mowbray - a seat at the table in Pune and audience with Madame - and by virtue of that was untouchable to some degree - allowed to carry on with his hefty salary and some autonomy, including on recruitment (Eustace) and signings / expenditure. This was a problem for those in control now because he had the ability to act as a counterweight and carried some clout, which they wanted rid of. I'd be intrigued to know how his departure came about and whether he saw the writing on the wall and got out before the real trouble came or whether those in control now finally managed to get those upstairs to get shut of him. I keep on thinking back to Pasha talking about a new CEO and how that would be something he would find out about if/when it happened from India - that's because appointments of that nature have always been reserved to the top dogs and I don't think he's acting on their instructions any more. He'll find out like the rest of us if/when they ever get involved again.

This. Every day of the week and twice on a Sunday.