Anyone who wants MGP needs their head tested.

The only problem we got from paying Rhodes £40,000 I believe it was, was that we actually signed someone to score goals..wait that's not a problem actually, is it? No we don't know specifically, but we can make estimates. It's gas how you use the "we don't have evidence" line when it suits you, but then you proceed to throw out guesses, speculation and estimates yourself on a daily basis!

Nice poem that ?

Sure he’s been good, but we really don’t need any more old and slow midfielders....

Jones, Gennoe, Friedel, all well into their 30s and at the top of their game playing for us. Keepers don't (generally) get worse with age. Many keep getting better

Were we 2-0 up with 10 minutes to go?

Amazing win. I’d given that up after day one then going into the last session 5 more wickets seemed a tough ask. Our first win in Cape Town since 1957 and only the second team to beat them at Newlands since they were allowed back in 91. Hand down best cricket venue I’ve been to. Would highly recommend it. Love coming back here.

At Championship level Armstrong has a career record of 1 goal per 7 games. This season its 1 goal per every 4+ games We have 20 games left this season and it's a huge ask to expect him to suddenly transform into a 1 in 2 game goal scorer, even if playing alongside the now aging Graham. The only way to replace Dack's goals is to buy/loan a proven goal scorer in this window. We have no one on our books who can do it. I have to say that Armstrong is looking a quite decent player for us.

Play Offs is unrealistic unless we have an amazing window and get in 4 top class players - a striker, keeper, centre back and left back. A few reasons why: - We're missing Dack, our best player, and top scorer, who also creates a fair few goals too. - No one else looks likely to step up and increase their goal tally to replace Dack's lost goals. In fact step up is a bit misleading, get a big ladder and climb would be more appropriate, as Armstrong aside Dack has triple the number of goals any of the other players have. That would mean a couple of players would have to double their goals, or someone triple their goals, which is highly doubtful. You could argue Armstrong will become our pinch hitter, and replace Dack's goals, but even in that unlikely case - he has blown hot and cold since we brought him - we'd still need a player or two to double their goals to replace Armstrong's contribution as the second scorer. Again, this is unlikely. - Squad wise we have a threadbare defence with poor reserve defenders - Bell, Williams, Bennett. When injuries invariably occur, we don't have the quantity or quality to compete and maintain a strong level of ability. - We have a keeper who has dropped a number of clangers costing us points. Even if this continues at the same rate, it'll mean a fair few points dropped. - TM constantly plays players out of position and rotates the team, weakening cohesion and limiting players. He has shown no indication of stopping this unless the pressure is very high, and so will in all probability continue to do this costing us points. - Our form over 2019 was generally poor and we didn't over the course of the year get anywhere near enough points for playoffs. Even just taking this season we're not in the playoffs having had two poor runs already. The odds of another one or two costing us a fair number of points are very likely, when we consider this season and last. - Finally we are outside the playoffs half a season in, meaning that we have to improve in order to get into them. What are the chances of that? Do we realistically look like we are improving? Are many of the players? All in all, I can't see any reason to be optimistic unless TM is potted and we bring in players in the 4 above mentioned positions who are actually of a good standard, which isn't going to happen.

Agreed. It's like when people wanted Bentley back, then got their wish and he was rubbish. Nostalgia clouding rational judgement I'm afraid. As far as Maddison goes, I wouldn't mind him on a free but also think it's valid to point out that he's 26 and still in League 1. He had a £2.5m release clause and if nobody felt that was worth activating then that says something. It's not like WBA or any of the other teams supposedly interested in him couldn't have afforded that.

His legs had gone when he left at the end of 12/13 season and struggled to reinvent himself centrally. Hes 38 now and just got relegated from the Norwegian second division. Pass

Downing

That's Fantasy Island stuff mate. We'll never score two ???.

I mentioned him in 2014 so nerrrrrrr

They are some fierce stats. 15, 16, 17 assists, plus 8 or 9 goals. Yes its league one but taking him on a free, or a small fee in January would certainly be worth risk.

You're doing him a serious disservice. Just the League stats: 2015/16 - 11 goals, 13 assists. 2016/17 - 9 goals, 17 assists. 2017/18 - 8 goals, 16 assists. 2018/19 - 8 goals, 15 assists. 2019/20 - 9 goals, 6 assists (so far). I don't know if you think he's a striker or something, but he isn't. Those goals are at least primarily from midfield. Attacking mid (in what I assume is a broadly Dack-like role) and RW. I think he has been moved around in the past, CM, LW, occasionally striker I think. I think continuing those stats in numerous different positions over a season is even more impressive. The goals might not be Dack numbers, but he's an assists machine. 'A few assists' is like saying Dack scores 'a few goals'. That many goal contributions over the last four-and-a-half seasons is definitely lighting up League One. As for why is he still down there, his contract has a 2.5 million release clause and Peterborough have been insisting on it being met. Fairly sure he has been transfer listed since last summer? But 2.5 million is still considered a lot to gamble on a League One player. Players do move out of there for that kind of money or more, but there aren't too many. Point of reference, we paid 750k for Dack. If I remember rightly he had been available for about 1.5 million the season before after winning League One POTY and nobody bit. Since the summer, he has only had a year left on his deal. See Bauer for how clubs deal with League One players on the last year of their deal. If the fee is fairly big, they'd rather wait, as they know the player will step up in the summer for free now they know higher league clubs are looking. Sure we can all agree that Dack and Bauer are good enough for the Championship, but neither we nor others were willing to pay in the millions for either.

Well he's a left winger so worth a go if it's a cheap loan i suppose we've nothing to lose. Just have very little faith now in this manager and his avenues of recruitment. Any coincidence that the best player he signed wasn't an old boy or one of the usual supply lines as far as i'm aware.

2 from open play in the last 4 without Dack would suggest to me that we can't score enough to get near the play-offs. Hope I'm wrong though.

We won’t make top 6 without Dack. Wouldn’t make it with him either, we always get stage fright when we get close.

9 goals and 6 assists in 21 games. In 211 games in the League, 52 goals and 76 assists. West Brom have loads of players that score and assist. Phillips, Diangana, Pereira, Austin etc. We have/had Dack.

I dont know how much substance there is to the bad attitude rumours, although didnt Dack have a similar image? The question you ask yourself is, do you want a player with a "bad attitude" who consistently contributes with goals and assists or a player like Bennett with a "good attitude" who doesnt contribute anything?

Smallwood doesn't need replacing, he was already replaced and hasn't played, he should have gone in the summer it's just been delayed.

There's more than a touch of irony to it that a club that makes no effort to extend its reach beyond town boundaries, makes no serious efforts to tap into foreign markets for players or income and cuts corners in virtually every aspect of its operation simultaneously has the brass neck to complain about the price of new players, small crowds and all the rest of it, without any acknowledgement that the first part above directly causes the second part. Aim low, get low.

Chaddy you keep posting stuff like it's fact. We're not privy to what actually goes on.

Doesn’t stop Stanley putting some effort in for 2k...

God, you make it sound like he's made one bad signing and lots of brilliant ones, not one brilliant one and lots of terrible ones. It won't just be the Brereton signing that comes back to haunt him (and us) it will be his appalling recruitment overall. You can carry out your research on a player's character and find out what you want to know without him having played for you before. I remember reading that Man Ure did their due diligence on Chris Sutton whilst he was here and decided against signing him due to his excesses off the pitch. I also remember joking a while ago that to be a target for Mowbray the player must either have played for him before, played for Boro, or both (Chapman) I was joking at the time but it seems it's not that far wide of the mark. Combined with his reluctance to move on, or improve upon, his existing players and it's no wonder his recruitment is so abysmal.

Very much ticks the Mowbray boxes Played under him before land is a north east lad

Preston have permanently signed Scott Sinclair. Excellent signing and one showing ambition. Would have loved him here.

Mgp, Whelen, Berra and McKenna - ohhhh dear lord, these are all off the scale terrible Maddison, Jones would be pleasing

Even if Armstrong does step up - which I agree is a very tall ask and unlikely - whose going to replace his goals as the second scorer? Not as big a challenge as replacing Dack's goals but given Armstrong has double what anyone else has there still has to be a step up into the second top scorer's role and that's still a big ask for our team. Armstrong has 7 goals (I think) and can't see any of our players getting 7 goals in half a season. I can't even think of a couple who will likely get 5 in a half season to alleviate this problem. (maybe Graham if he plays more but his best link up is with Dack...) Goals are a problem whatever way you look at it. Incidentally part of the reason Armstrong is looking a decent player is the fee we paid for him. His performances for a 2-3 mill player are decent / good. Had we spent 5 or 7 million on him it would be a different story. As it is, this is beginning to look like a good move from TM.

Player of the year: Downing Players player of the Year: Downing Supporters Player of the Year: Downing Disabled Supporters player of the Year: Downing Newcomer of the Year: Downing Fittest player of the year: Downing Most Intelligent player of the year: Downing Stonesrick player of the year: ? Not quite made my mind up yet ?

Impressive stars. A level below but still. Seems like he could make an impact.

This is what we've lacked in the squad for years, another actual striker who's consistent. Maybe not a 15 a season player but someone who you know regularly scores and sets a few up besides your key men. Armstrong had a few in league 1 and he's managed the step up, inconsistent yes but he's still only about 22 himself isn't he ? These are the types worth spending a few million on at our level. It's beyond stupid to lay out the huge money we have for strikers with no real goal scoring pedigree. Then they stand there on the side lines scratching their heads and thinking up every excuse in the book as to why they aren't scoring. Football genius !

Mowbray has struggled to get the defence right in almost 3 years now, I wouldn't hold my breath for it to happen this window. Can't see him replacing Walton either. We might sign a left back, but if we sign a centre half it will still be Lenihan and Tosin at the back. The biggest worry for me now is where will the goals come from. People need to start chipping in No, sure Gallagher would go there. If we got a good one in that would be great, but it's unlikely. More than likely a loan who Mowbray will be hesitant to put in for X, Y or Z reasons

You don't have to. Just accept that you opinions will not go unchallenged.

Evans playing alongside Travis is far from the weakest part of our team to be fair. Evans has shown competence there, whereas we are lacking up front, in net, at left back and then at centre back and out wide. Central midfield is potentially our strongest area! To be fair, we shouldnt have gone near either player. Both dreadful!

So we only signed 6 players that Mowbray. So about 20% of his signings in total. Hardly news breaking Maybe Wigan wanted to see what funds they got or whether they can sign. No thanks. Far too old.

What's your problem Paul? Someone happens to love/support rovers just happens to be involved in a high standard of junior/youth football, thinks that his team who he supports don't do enough in-depth local scouting, what's your problem with that? Why do you try mocking, cant fathom you out. An example, our 13s are playing this Saturday v Preston Schoolboys. 30 of the best schoolboys in the preston/south ribble area all on one pitch at the same time. I've got 2 scouts coming.....Bolton and Everton, not me chasing, them asking me where/when. Why are rovers not there? You can mock all you want but I know the truth and we are getting beaten locally to the best kids.

Not sure that is a fair comparison necessarily; Robinson even at his peak often had an issue with long shots but that was made so much worse following his long spell out following complications with a back operation he had, subsequently getting a blood clot and putting on quite a bit of weight. Somewhat of a unique situation. I am not sure that Walton is a particularly good shot stopper to be fair, Raya had good reflexes but I dont think Waltons compare.

Massive clown. Has the man management skills of David Brent. On another note; I had a really vivid dream last night. We lost 8-2 against Preston following which Mowbray walked......maybe its a premonition?

The fee is biting us just like plenty said it would at the time of the daft gamble.

Money plus Dom samuel for Ivan Toney- a player I have long made pleas for. Not a rumour btw just wishful thinking

Phil Jones on loan might be in our price range after tonight. ?

Here’s the thing: we all thought he couldn’t miss. Any of the Three Stooges get a similar opportunity today and we’d all expect it go for a throw in, a counter-attack that puts us 1-0 down or into the River Darwen.

not really into stats tbh,i see week after week(apart from 3 games before christmas)that we are far to easy to play against,teams walk through us,we can`t defend set pieces and have 5/6 players who are in a league above their ability

i don`t doubt he`d be a decent signing for other clubs,if he lands at ewood he`s most likely to end up treating the halfway line like an electrified fence with mowbray telling us he`s not big enough and he has`nt learned our style???probably get a perenial place on the bench with the odd 10 minute cameo

This deserves a ban

Patrick Bamford cost £7 Million, same as our boy Ben. He has 19 goals in 47 appearances for Leeds....

Score or you’ll get a fag end in your eye!