The FA Cup died years ago when the top PL clubs started fielding reserve teams. The argument that it’s necessary to scrap replays to reduce the fixture schedule is not the true reason. The reason is that the European Super League is being brought in via the back door. 
 

58 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Wharton definitely looks very comfortable at that level, but he is something of the flavour of the month and a lot of the praise is a bit overboard. Even yesterday, he played well, but he wasn't that involved and really should have been part of a Palace side that lost by 5.

I wish we had kept him for a bit longer - although I think Wharton and his agent had more to do with that move than they are given credit for - but he still has a long way to go in his development until he is the player this thread would make him seem like.

Let's also not forget, much like the Duff kissing the Chelsea badge, Wharton has become incredibly active on social media with a lot of 'up the Palace' stuff.

But, he didn't want to leave, right?

I seem to remember you didn’t rate him when he came into Rovers side in the Championship. Well, here he is playing every game for Palace  and impressing almost everyone, central midfield, in the PL, at the age of 20.  Not many do that Eddie.

Brilliant!

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

Same with Allardyce and Lambert. Never really liked from the off by a large portion of the fanbase and many glad to see the back of them, whereas St Tony, whose first act was taking us down to the third division, should have been given the job for life and will be yearned after for years to come.

Looks like Eustace falling into the same bracket. A dismal run of results so far with no end in sight and yet I can see it playing out now - blame JDT for everything, nothing to do with Venkys, Waggott, Eustace, lets all pull together and rebuild in the summer.

With regards to big Sam, fans should learn there’s no such thing as crap winning football. If you’re winning games you’re ultimately defending better than the opposition and scoring more than them. You can’t continually win games by playing bad football. It’s what every manager is trying to do. . It’s all that matters.

and don’t mention selling Wharton at the first opportunity.

Can anyone give me “anything “ to look forward to under this regime. Even next season, whichever league we’re in, holds nothing other than fear.

2 hours ago, arbitro said:

That was another aspect of the Broughton interview that annoyed me. He said that Palace met their valuation of Adam. However that didn't mean we had to sell him but they got him on the first train to London the following day. There was no clause about clubs meeting a certain fee, it was Rovers and Rovers alone who decided to sell him. And right now that looks like a decision that will pretty much cancel out the fee given what the cost of relegation will be.

Venkys needed the cash, got an offer and that was it.

No thoughts of his future value or his current value as a player in a squad threatened with relegation. 
 

Just the cash. I loved the lad but sad to say he’s better off away from here.

Tough on Rovers today. Nothing at all wrong with JRC’s “goal”.  Smodic interfering? If Smodic had been in the stands at that point Rovers would still have scored that goal.

On a general point, even though we played well in parts, the weaknesses in the squad caused by awful managerial decisions in the past seasons are still there to be seen. That’s why we’re where we are. It’s a long way back.

To become a sustainable Premier League club requires at the very least, having competent people in charge. 

It can be easily demonstrated that we don’t have that. They can’t even get through a transfer window without calamity.

17 minutes ago, roverandout said:

Wharton promoted to the under 21s

Yeah, but we made our valuation and sold him the minute the first bid matched it.

Whats wrong with that?

Never seen such negative football from an England team. So poor tonight.

“We got an offer that met our valuation, so we had to accept it and we had to put it to the player”

BOLLOCKS.

I originally thought Arbitro was talking about an incoming loan.

Im far from convinced that the player recruitment is either set up correctly or has the right personnel involved. It seems as though the manager has no say in player recruitment. Of course scouting players in modern day football can’t be as it used to be. No manager anywhere can be expected to know everything about who’s available, at what price etc. He can’t be expected to know everything about every player.

To me though, it seems that the manager here just outlines the positions that need filling and the player just turns up. Well at most clubs they turn up - but not necessarily here. 
 

Im not convinced that the system is set up right to get the right players in, nor am I convinced that Waggott/Broughton and whoever else have the experience needed.

You have to look at the people responsible for things being this way. Ultimately, the owners.

It looks pretty obvious to me that whoever issued that statement doesn’t know what’s going on either. There is just nothing to be taken from it.

Making decisions like deducting points from clubs at this time of year stinks.
 

About time they scrapped these ridiculous rules and allowed clubs to run their finances as they wish.

Yep, I reckon we have him to look forward to next season as well - managing whatever is left of the squad. Should have fans licking their lips.

15 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Huddersfield have just gone one up against West Brom. Right now they level on points with us (there are four teams now on 41 points). 

Good luck to them. They know what they have to do and so far are deservedly doing it.

Watching Huddersfield vs West Brom on telly and every time I think of Huddersfield I think of this guy.

Allan Gilliver signing for Jack Marshall in 1966.