2 hours ago, Torgeir said:

Mulgrew is the current Scotland captain, but many Rovers fans don't think he's good enough. When was the last time Hanley was even called up?

Robertson is the captain now isn't he?

Where has this Jake Cooper talk come from? Not seen anything about him being linked, apart from someone mentioning him on here as someone 'we should' be targeting. Don't make him the next Marcus Maddison please. You're only going to get everyone riled up when we inevitably don't sign him. 

If we can bring in Hanley (or similar/better), I won't be bothered one jot about us losing out on Bauer. You've just got to hope we've got some good available options at the top of our list!

Just now, arbitro said:

I was being lazy hoping somebody would remember. I checked Wiki and found:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Marrow

I remember him playing in the cup game against Carlisle. Completely overshadowed by our other new boy at the time... Tom Cairney.

Just now, Wing Wizard Windy Miller said:

Wonder if it's Mark Bunn?

Think that would be a great signing. Genuine competition for Raya.

1 hour ago, Angry_Pirate said:

If our first signing is a U20 PL loan, or an ex M'Boro, WBA or Coventry player, I'll be annoyed.

Same. Probably an absolute banker as well.

It's hardly inspiring, but we could do worse than Morrison. I'd probably rather him than Downing. 

Just now, ChrisPriceBaldSpot said:

Sam Byram from West Ham.. Same bloke that has said about Hugill is saying we are interested in him too. 

Wouldn't mind those two coming in. 

 

Think they'd both be decent signings. Most likely loans due to previous transfer fees/wages. 

2 hours ago, JoeHarvey said:

Hopefully not a revelation, but Ben Brereton doesn't pick the side. To put the fact he played here and there over others as a bad stain on him is odd?

Love the sniping, but it's really not necessary. Chill out. 

It was evident from his performances - however few or short - that he wasn't ready to step into our first team last season. Although he didn't do anything necessarily 'bad' during his appearances, having him play meant that we lost a presence and goal threat up front.

It says more about the current gulf in class between him and Graham more than anything. But also that we struggled to adopt a different style of play whenever our target man (Graham) was replaced by a more mobile forward (Brereton).

1 hour ago, JoeHarvey said:

Didn’t say he was more hit, I said he didn’t do “more bad than good”. He was average. But “bad”? Bollocks.

Bennett is average. Brereton was worse than Bennett last season.

Just now, JoeHarvey said:

I really fail to see how Brereton did more bad than good with the time he was given. Odd one.

QPR (sub) won Penalty which won us the game
Preston (away) and Bournemouth (away Cup) he scored in both but unfairly ruled offside
First home start v Bolton, scores a great goal.

What bad did he do?

The 'bad' would essentially be him taking the place of someone in the team that would've contributed more at the time.

I don't think he looks a terrible player, but he does seem to be on a different wavelength to the rest of the team whenever I've seen him play. 

A full pre season of him and the team getting used to a new style of playing could be just what he needs. He should be better equipped to show what he can do next season.

3 hours ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Those 5 - 6 players, did they get contract extensions and improvements early last Season and now we expect them to just walk away?

Football doesn't usually work like that.

Some of them will have done and the merits of that have been debated before. You can't expect anyone to walk away from a contract and I'm not saying that. What I was discussing with Tomphil is Mowbray's apparent lack of ruthlessness when it comes to our potentially game time limited players. He's said himself that he'd rather leave a player to decide whether they stay or go, insinuating that he's not actively looking to sell said players.

You might not be able to sell everyone you don't want in the squad, but you can't argue that his approach is the best way to improve the squad.

2 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

We don't have 5-6 players mulling over contract offers. 

Every club has squad players. You have no idea that we lack either urgency or wiggle room. 

I didn't say we did to be fair. It was a comment about players - most of which are indeed in contract - who will likely have been told they will have smaller parts to play next season. Albeit framed in a conversation about Rodwell and whether or not he is likely to stay. Sorry for the confusion.

Fair enough, the last line is a punt in the dark. However I don't think it's too far a reach surmising that if we operate a soft stance on potentially unwanted contracted players - as Mowbray has evidenced via numerous interviews - then you aren't going to have the same urgency and potential wriggle room (i.e. freed up wages, on top of any agreed transfer/wage budget) to sign up new players, if you already have players contracted in that position.

2 hours ago, john.leigh said:

But what if their basic wage is relatively low, with top ups based on games played? 

As we don’t know details of how players wages are packaged/ incentivised it’s futile to speculate. Good fun, but futile.

But what if it isn't?

You've essentially just summarised the limitations of a football messageboard there. Assuming the vast majority of us aren't ITK, isn't it all just speculation and opinions. They serve no purpose other than to entertain us, as they more than likely won't ever influence those in charge. We're all presumably here because we enjoy talking rubbish about the team we love, albeit some more coherently than others.

1 hour ago, tomphil said:

Spot on because at some point we'll be told a good player we were linked with went somewhere else because they offered a few grand per week more yet it's like we have to carry loads until they sort themselves out because we are nice like that.

It wouldn't be too bad if it was just one player, but if you evaluate our current crop, there are probably 5-6 players in a similar position. 

That's a lot of wage taken up by squad players. We lack urgency and wriggle room for negotiations while we wait around. 

Just now, tomphil said:

But our manager should be turning around and telling him straight we want you to stay but we want a decision by mid June at the latest we've a squad to prepare.

Mowbrays attitude to it all seems too relaxed for me telling everyone stay if you want, go if you prefer but either way it's up to you. How the hell is that supposed to be proper planning ?

Think you've hit the nail on the head there. Using Smallwood as an example (assuming he's one of the players that's been told he'll play less next season)..

Mowbray is essentially saying that the player has been told that due to us looking to progress, they won't get as much game time anymore and are free to find themselves another club if they wish. That means that if they don't decide to look around, they'll be sitting on their wage with very little game time. 

In reality we should be doing all we can to flog that player to another club if we've deemed them surplus to requirements. He's just taking up a wage and a spot in the squad, when we should be signing someone else that's better.

1 minute ago, Mellor Rover said:

Not sure I’ve seen him suggested on here... but if we’re after saving a few quid, Ritchie de Laet released from Villa. Good competition for Nyambe in my opinion and absolutely rapid. 

Obviously don’t want us to deal only in freebie’s but I think he would be a decent signing. 

I've heard worse suggestions. He was on loan in Australia last season and scored a few goals. Apparently he played a few games on the wing and up front. Very strange. 

Just now, Bbrovers2288 said:

Stats don’t lie fella, out goals against column last season wasn’t good enough , goals in the last quarter diabolical 

Keogh isn't the answer. And Mulgrew isn't the only reason we did so poorly at the back last season.

1 hour ago, Bbrovers2288 said:

Sorry but he is a better defender than mulgrew. Not one I would pursue as age isn’t on his side but let’s not get over protective of our own instead of being sensible 

Nowhere in that comment am I being over protective of Mulgrew. Just my opinion that Keogh isn't as good as a player a lot of us now consider to be a liability.

37 minutes ago, Bbrovers2288 said:

Most of the champ centre backs are better than those two, doesn’t mean we should look to sign them all. Has to be the right fit for the club 

Looking at players at other teams with rose tinted glasses and chastising our own, isn't exactly being sensible.

1 hour ago, rigger said:

Is he better than what we already have?

No, in all honesty, he's not. Anyone who thinks he's better than Mulgrew - who the majority of fans feel is a liability - is a sandwich short of a picnic. 

1 hour ago, arbitro said:

I didn't think he did dive Andy. I watched it several times in slo mo and he accidentally clipped his own heel. The Arsenal player was in real close proximity and my reading was that Pedersen genuinely thought he had been tripped.

One thing I'm sure we could agree on though is that Pedersen was a genuine, honest bloke so it seemed out of character.

He did punch the ball into the net against Newcastle at St James' Park as well. I do agree though that generally he did seem a genuine, honest bloke.

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

Ah, no he hadn't. He had played 2 seasons in the Championship over 4 years ago. Since then he bounced around hardly playing in the Premier league.

One of the most over rated players in England. I just don't get why some on here always go back to him as an example for a good Championship striker. It makes no sense! He has had 1 very good season and a couple of ok ones. 

 

I think I pretty much agree with everything you put on here, but I think that's a little harsh on Bamford. Before his loan spell at Palace, he'd more than proved himself at Championship level, in terms of goals and his work rate. Admittedly he's gone a bit quiet since then.

1 hour ago, JacknOry said:

Absolutely and for 7 mil I think we could have got him - what did he go for in the end? I think he was always going to go to a more established Champs side no matter what anyway.

Marriott went to Derby for just over £3mill apparently. You'd have to assume there are add ons built into that deal though, as that sounds quite cheap. 

For me, the only way this makes sense (us apparently entertaining enquiries for Raya) is that we've sounded out a couple of experienced goalkeepers and we've found out that someone that's a definite upgrade is available and keen to join us. 

Mowbray goes over to India to see what funds he'll have to work with and in the meantime has opened tentative talks with Brentford, knowing that any decent funds from Venky's would enable him to sign this upgrade and displace Raya (who he's openly criticised despite backing him as his number 1).

Just spitballing.

A year ago I thought we'd have Premier League interest in Raya at this stage. At least tentative interest anyway.

The fact it's Brentford initially enquiring and we don't seem time shutting it down, IMO shows how far his stock has fallen within 12 months. 

I think everyone expected him to kick on after the League 1 campaign, however he's been disappointing.

Personally I wouldn't sell him but I'd be looking to bring in competition to push him on a bit. 

Bauer showed exactly why we shouldn't and probably won't be after him during that Donny equaliser. Beaten in the air by someone about a foot shorter than him. Too busy trying to claim a foul.

I've been impressed by Whiteman so far. Quietly going about his business but his passing looks accurate and he does play it forward a bit too. 

3 hours ago, Leonard Venkhater said:

Well Conway sends all the wrong signals for me...

I get the argument for moving on and that he could block the pathway for any youngsters in that position. However if these lads can't get in ahead of him, then they probably aren't good enough. 

If it's a question of him being selected ahead of them regardless of form and quality, then that's an issue with our manager and staff, not Conway. Which is a much deeper issue than signing on a squad player for another 12 months. 

I've no issue with Rodwell and Conway being in talks for new deals. Rodwell can at least compete at this level and is a decent option for us in CM. Conway, although not at the level he once was, still proved this season that he can fill in and do a job when called upon. As a squad player, I see no issue with him as long as we are offering reduced terms. 

Leutwiler and Gladwin are the funny ones. Leutwiler staying surely kills off any need for a new GK. Why would we pay 3 senior GK's.. Even when fit, I can't imagine Gladwin getting on the bench for us, as we've seen nothing from him so far bar a horrendous miss against Plymouth.