aletheia

Pal for Yuki? Commercial opportunity? And a good player? Would allow VI to say he doesn't always pick giants 😉 Edit £2mill? They'll want Trav and others out the door then...

Can't resist but can only think of 4:- Rovers top 5 priorities 1. No adverse publicity for the Raos or the Venky company 2. Reduce overall expenditure – ideally any expenditure (general running costs and player recruitment/wages) to be funded by selling assets 3. Avoid any revelations re the operating of the club for the past 14 years and the takeover; keep nose clean with EFL 4. 1-3 to be maintained by a cabal at ground level for appropriate remuneration

Amended -thanks Herbie, TS. Exiled -indeed, just suggesting that figures indicate more player sales very likely and that the 'mega' sale(s) of the past (which was never spent on players of course) have dried up. Incidentally and of no great importance really, the Tavares figure was from, as I said, transfermarket and subject to al kinds of variables. More than happy to up the figure (which was mine) for Brittain.

So, revising, and given all kinds of variables: All the following based on transfermarket (yes I know) and all subject to other factors: In Sidnei Tavares 23 –midfield –Portugal euros 2m Lewis Miller 24 - right back –Hibs (Australian) euros 860k Dion de Neve 24-midfiled –euros 759k Ryan Alebiousu 23 right back – euros 576k Sean McLoughlin-28-centre back-Hull euros 575k Axel Henriksson – 23- euros 860k Total expenditure = Euros 5.63m (£4,906,290) Out Joe Rankin Costello 25 charlton euros 870k Tyrhys Dolan 23 espanyol –free (wages saved)? Andreas Weimann 33 derby free (wages saved)? Danny Baath 34 derby free (wages saved)? Callum brittain 27 Middlesborough ??? Jordan eastham 23 free (wages saved)? Cauley Woodrow end of loan (wages saved?) ACD wages saved Beck wages saved Dennis wages saved Sanderson wages saved Euros 870k plus whatever Brittain brought in (shall we be generous and say euros 3m?) Total income = euros 3, 870,000 So we need at least euros 1,760,000 for evens If Baradji is to come in, say euros 2 mill? Then we need euros 3,760,000 Therefore, some outgoings required. Trav, Pears, Buckley? Netting say (be generous) euros 4m. And voila a tiny surplus for some light bulbs. (Not factored in all sorts obviously eg. SWAGs salary, reduced player wages…)

That's a good question -what are the club's top 5 priorities?

Paradox? None really. Rao’s couldn’t give a flying –other than bad publicity for the firm Pasha/publicity gang/agents and those on the ground do –gotta keep the gravy er, rolling.

D'Or? I'll get me coat...

All the following based on transfermarket (yes I know) and all subject to other factors (and I know others far more aware of such matters will correct me) 🙂 In Sidnei Tavares 23 –midfield –Portugal euros 2m Lewis Miller 24 - right back –Hibs (Australian) euros 860k Dion de Neve 24-midfiled –euros 759k Ryan Alebiousu 23 right back – euros 576k Sean McLoughlin-28-centre back-Hull euros 575k Euros 4.76 Out Joe Rankin Costello 25 charlton euros 870k Tyrhys Dolan 23 espanyol –free (wages saved)? Andreas Weimann 33 derby free (wages saved)? Danny Baath 34 derby free (wages saved)? Callum brittain 27 Middlesborough ??? Jordan eastham 23 free (wages saved)? Cauley Woodrow end of loan (wages saved?) Euros 870k without Brittan fee So we would need euros 3.870m for him to make it evens. If Henrikkson and Baradji are to come in, there have to be more outgoings for cash. Trav, Pears, Buckley?

On transfermarket, there would appear to be a rumour about Colin Rosler, a centre half from Malmo.

Rovers, experience, precedent... Of course all football fans live in hope 🙂

I look forward to all the new replacements -of course, time will be needed for bedding in, adapting to the new project and transition - and then I look forward to significant expenditure in January for reinforcements for a definite promotion push that will propel us into the top 6 -it's been coming for some time now (apart from league 1 of course)....

And so it goes on… ….transitional phase (again)… …scapegoat blamed –it was previous regime’s fault re contracts etc (ie. Swag)… …new scapegoat in place (smirking and able to spin with a straight face like Keane)… …expensive players offloaded and cheaper replacements brought in… …new narrative in place (ie. it’s all about youth)… …we have signed 5 new players (likely to be 6), not to mention possible loans, be grateful… …shadow man, still in shadows successfully manipulating the narrative for the hard of thinking… …Rao’s still…can’t be bothered to type a list of ills…

Smart man and obviously not desperate. Trav next.

All allegedly Leonard..;-)

The board, the manager and Gestede are on the same page… (accepting we have a functioning board)… Well yes indeed, record of failure, incompetence, ability to be economical with the truth with a smirk, ability to accept a new orthodoxy at the drop of a hat (it’s now cost cutting masquerading as promoting youth), ability to promote a narrative on social media and elsewhere that Stalin would be proud of, and some would say connections with an agency similar to Keane.

I didn't and don't presume anything with this lot (actually I do -incomptence). I certainly do think they should have a net spend, within reason, like many clubs. Speculate to accumulate and all that which has been discussed plenty of times on these boards. I was just thinking that given expenditure is most likely to be cut again, that any possible incoming would require sales of player assets. Although I take Kent exile's point. If I need to take some sort of 'side' here, then I am certainly in the camp that thinks matters on the field will not be improved by summer activity. But cue the 'let's' wait and see' club. 😉

Am I right in thinking this is the extent of the transfers thus far? In Sidney Tavares Dion de Neve Ryan Alebiosu Sean McLoughlin Out JRC Danny Baath Tyrhys Dolan Andreas Weimann So, given the expenditure perhaps exceeding income, as far as anyone can make out, (not taking into account wages saved), we will need to sell to either a) balance the books as they stand b) before we think of bringing anyone else new in. That would lead to the conclusion that there will likely be selling of assets ie one or all of Brittain, Travis, Tronstad. All guesswork of course.

Looking forward to the women tomorrow. No predictions here but surely we have to play better. Low block? 😉 Spain most of possession? Who knows? On a side note one thing that irritates. Spain and ‘Pep’ football, (which of course is ubiquitous here now in other teams) obviously highly successful and highly skilful. But…. …take an old fashioned ‘English’ full back challenge on a winger –honest attempt to get the ball, gets it badly wrong and of course it looks horrible and (nowadays) yellow card ensues. The one that irritates is the ‘Pep’ foul – so called weaker side gets the turnover only for the ‘classier’ side to stop the breakaway with what looks like an innocuous foul (the sneaky trip, the push, the pull of shirt etc). This stops breakaways and potential goals – Fernandinho the master – doesn’t look spectacularly bad and often no punishment. You can rotate the person doing the ‘innocuous’ foul too. Anyway, good luck lionesses.

"Perhaps we are discovering the limits of Wiegman’s staunch loyalty to her class of 2022, her stubborn persistence with players and patterns that have long since been decrypted by the rest of Europe." Some truth in that and for large parts of games we have been dull. But it has made for great cliffhangers. Agree that we cannot possibly ride our luck for a third time....can we? And I'm likely to throw something at the TV/radio if I hear another pundit say : "But they found a way through."

Lucy Bronze -loved the penalty. Having seen the previous tame misses, seemed she just thought "I'm not having that "and smashed it straight down the middle. Job done.

Just checking in after getting a life 😉 So… Lowe has gone, the disgraceful approach to the women’s team has deepened, we still don’t have a new CEO, Tronstad and Trav have not signed new contracts, Brittain will leave, existing signings are paraded as new signings, JRC has gone, Dolan has gone (but not signed anywhere else yet.) Court case –long grass? Club spin and nonsense on all of the above continues (‘we did all we could’, ‘we are communicating’, ‘we are moving forward with youth’ etc. etc.) as does a gullible fan base who swallow said nonsense. Likely outcome, relegation. Have I missed anything? And yes, I will be going, sorry upside. Madness indeed.

Star-studded.....Whigfield....LOL

Times today Jeremy Wisten’s mum messages me when I score — I get survivor’s guilt’ Blackburn’s Tyrhys Dolan, who was best friends with former Manchester City youngster who took his own life, on coping with loss and the perils of academy system For young footballers, rejection can bite hard. Tyrhys Dolan, a gifted winger at Blackburn Rovers, discovered that when he was released by Manchester City at 15. It was removing the club’s name from his social media accounts. Being at school with the other academy players, at St Bede’s College in Whalley Range, only to be left behind when they went off to training. Dolan landed at Preston North End and a year later his best friend turned up there too. Jeremy Wisten was in the year below Dolan at City but eventually he was confronted by the same crushing disappointment, with the coaching staff informing him that he too would not be receiving a professional scholarship. He could continue his education at fee-paying St Bede’s, as part of the commitment City made to all their youngsters. But he would have to play football elsewhere. Preston offered Wisten a trial, and in a training session that represented his one opportunity to make an impression he found himself directly up against Dolan. Wisten was at right back, Dolan on the left flank. Dolan liked Wisten from the moment he started chatting to him in the players’ canteen at City’s academy. Then aged 13, Wisten was warm and funny, and the pair shared a passion for fashion and music. They also both lived on the south side of Manchester and it was not long before Wisten’s mum was regularly dropping him at Dolan’s family home in Broadheath. They were inseparable, hanging out together on Dolan’s estate or jumping on the tram into the city centre. When it came to that trial at Preston, nobody wanted Wisten to succeed more than Dolan. “I looked out for him like a big brother,” Dolan says. “I said to him, ‘Show me the left side and I’m going to go to the right, and you can take me down.’ He was easily good enough to play at Preston but I wanted him to impress the coaches, even if it meant making myself look shit.” Did he nail the tackle? “Oh yeah, he did me,” Dolan says with a smile. Sadly, it was not enough. Preston passed on Wisten and so did the other clubs that looked at him. “I think he went to Swansea after that but he struggled after being let go by City,” Dolan says. “It really knocked his confidence. Wisten instead took a job in a sports shop at the Trafford Centre but he and Dolan remained the closest of mates. “I was on £125 a week at Preston and sometimes I couldn’t afford to put petrol in my car,” he says. “Jeremy would end up giving me money.” On the surface, at least, Wisten remained in good spirits. They organised a night out for Wisten’s 18th birthday at a smart Italian restaurant in the village of Hale Barns. Wisten, Dolan and two other friends. “He wanted to go to a nightclub but it was in Covid time so we were limited as to what we could do,” Dolan says. “But we had a great time. It got to midnight and the other two wanted to go home. Jeremy was like, ‘Nah, Ty, we need to stay out.’ We ended up booking a hotel so we could have a couple more drinks and enjoy ourselves. “He seemed really happy. He was always the life and soul of any party. He made everyone laugh. Everyone loved it when he turned up because he had this good energy.” Yet two weeks later Wisten was dead. An inquest determined that the teenager had taken his own life. Dolan starts to shake as he recalls the message he received from Wisten’s sister; then the telephone conversation he had with Wisten’s mother. “I remember that morning so clearly,” he says. “I’d signed for Blackburn [three months earlier] by then and my mum was making a cup of tea before I left for training. I was looking at the weather out the window. I said it’s going to be a lovely day. And then I got the message to call his mum … she was trying to be strong and thanked me for being his best mate.” Even now, almost five years on, Dolan struggles to process what happened. “He just seemed like he was OK, which is scary because it just shows how good he was at masking it,” he says. “But clearly behind closed doors he was really hurting; he was broken. “For me it’s tough because you then start to question yourself. You think, ‘Well, if I was a good friend I should have seen that.’ But you also don’t want to beat yourself up. I didn’t see it. His own family didn’t expect it either. I try to be thankful for his friendship.” We are in a café not far from St George’s Church in Altrincham, where Wisten’s funeral was held. Dolan was among the pallbearers. “I also wrote a poem but I honestly can’t remember reading it during the service,” he says. “I don’t really remember carrying the coffin either. “It’s weird but it’s like the trauma has just made me forget it. I’m still close to all his friends. I still drop in and see his mum for a cup of tea. But at the time I really struggled with anxiety. “Everywhere I went, I felt like everyone was looking at me because they knew I was closest to him. I felt it at the funeral too.” Dolan dealt with his grief by trying to do something positive. He became an ambassador for Go Again, a mental health sports charity for children and adults. Part of that involves making himself available for counselling, and talking not just about his dear friend but also about the challenges he has faced on his own journey through football. “I’ve spoken to a few players, giving advice to lads who have been released by clubs,” he says. “I do think football could do more to give players a better understanding of how hard it really is. And it could maybe do more to help players who are released. The PFA does this really good thing with its summer camps for out-of-contract players. I wonder whether there could be something like that for younger players too.” He reflects on his departure from City. “It was tough because you’re proud to be a City player,” he says. “Everyone knew me around the area as that. And coming from Manchester, it’s massive. “So it was obviously hard to then tell people that you don’t play for City any more. Taking Man City out of my social media stuff, that was upsetting. I’ve got friends who no longer play football, who left ‘footballer’ on their social media stuff for ages because it was so hard to take it down.” Dolan was in a talented year group that included Cole Palmer. “I’ve always had quite a good mindset,” he says. “I can bounce back from things. But it was difficult at school too. “Again, you’re no longer one of the City players. You’re seeing the boys go to training, just watching them leave. You’re embarrassed.” Preston represented a significant change. “I went from being at the CFA [City Football Academy], the best facilities in the world, to training at the University of Lancashire, with people walking their dogs and the academy manager having to chase kids off the pitch,” he says. “But at least I was enjoying my football. At City I hadn’t been playing much and that was the only thing that mattered. I don’t really need glitz and glamour.” He spent three years at Preston but ran into another roadblock at 18. With no under-21 set-up at the club at that time, he either had to be deemed ready for first-team action or he was out. Preston let him go. Scouts in the region were nevertheless aware of Dolan’s talent as a quick, skilful, attacking winger who could score goals and possessed impressive levels of endurance, a product of his commitment to extra running training under the guidance of his dad, Matt. Covid added a further complication but a door finally opened at Blackburn, and in July 2020 Dolan signed his first professional contract, worth £325 a week. A training session involving a mixture of first-team players and youngsters proved a turning point. “Tony Mowbray was the manager and he said, ‘Who’s that over there,’ and the academy manager told him they’d just signed me,” Dolan says. “He said, ‘I’ll bring him up with us and see how he does,’ and I never looked back. Some of the older players said they couldn’t believe I’d been released by Preston.” Dolan made 37 appearances in the Championship during that 2020-21 season, and has been a first-team regular at Ewood Park ever since. In the most recent campaign he made 44 appearances, scoring seven goals. Along the way he also secured two caps for England Under-20, which included a goal against Germany. This, however, is stuff he often struggles to talk about. “If I score a goal Jeremy’s mum will message me straight away,” he says. “And the mates I have who are no longer footballers, who are now doing normal jobs, will come to watch me play. Jeremy was buzzing for me when I made my first-team debut for Blackburn. He was the first to message me. He was so happy for me that I’d made it. “But sometimes I get that survivor’s guilt; where you’ve made it but you really want your best friends to have made it with you. They’re watching you living your dream but it was their dream too. They love to support me, and I really appreciate that. But sometimes I don’t even like speaking about it, as sad as that is, because I don’t want to glorify it too much. I just know how much it would have meant to them to be a footballer too.” Dolan has now arrived at another crossroads in his career. A new deal is on offer at Blackburn but he has allowed his present contract to lapse in the hope of securing a move to a Premier League club this summer. “I’m very grateful to Blackburn,” he says. “I’ve been through some of the worst as well as the best times in my life while being there. The club means so much to me. I made my professional debut for them and they helped me so much when Jeremy died. “But it’s a short career and I’ve always wanted to play at the top level, and at this point I’m a free agent with the belief in myself to perform anywhere.” He owes it to himself to at least try, knowing that nobody would have encouraged him more than the one very special person with whom he once shared a dream.

Is there a ratio (or is it a constant) between the number of pages of this thread, the number of names mentioned and the players actually signed? 🙂

No love for City but under Pep Premier League x5, Carabao x4, FA cup x2, Champions League x1, EUFA super league x1, Club World Cup x1.