Was it? I don't think there's much in it to be completely honest. Szmodics is leagues better than anyone who has come in under Gestede, with the exception on maybe Beck, but he's not our player.

At this point the players not being paid would be a blessing in disguise. Though I'd be seriously questioning why not being as even without Venkys we should have the money from Wharton/Szmodics/Raya etc to pay them. If it were the case I'd also be asking why Waggott gets such a big pay rise. I mean, I'm asking that anyway, but especially so in that instance.

The results aren't even the worst part, it's the performances. Even at our worst under Eustace, there wasn't the petulance we're seeing under Ismael. In addition, Ismael seems to have no interest in motivating the team whatsoever, sitting on his ass scribbling on his pad. Under him we play with no intensity, create nothing offensively and have regressed significantly at the back against some of the worst sides in the division. He's got 2 weeks now to show a significant improvement, but I just don't see it. This has a Gestede power play written all over it and he shouldn't be at the club either.

They'll fly past us next season if he keeps them up.

Don't forget Captain Coyle being what, 3 or 4 down at half time on his first game of that season? I imagine that turned quicker! That said, I reckon that Coyle team would have battered what Ismael put out there last night. Him talking about the second half being better is utter delusion - I don't think I've ever seen a team look less arsed about attacking.

Their keeper literally made 2 saves and did nothing else the entire game. The game was just so bad in general and they had to give it to somebody. We had no attacking threat. In fact, we arguably created more for Stoke than ourselves.

That's all well and good until we inevitably start badly one season and still collapse after Christmas

When did that happen?

We will be lucky to get 15 points under this manager next season. And Ibtell you what, every signing in January is worse than what we already have. Ismael out. Gestede out. Waggott out. And most importantly, Venkys out.

Yet another game where we've been behind for ages and I could not tell you a single spell where we have threatened in the slightest. Utterly pathetic.

Gallagher wanting to shoot on sight - he clearly understands Pears had a howler in him.

Every single one of them is acting like a child and putting next to no effort in. What the f has happened to this team?

Cantwell and Dolan having more of a positive effect on the Stoke attack than ours

The petulance and body language has been appalling. This is a team actively not giving a damn.

Both him and Hyam absent unless there is someone more experienced next to them.

Remember everyone... "significant investment" This is league 2 level football, and that's being generous.

There we go. Ismael out.

Poor lineup, even worse performance so far. When has a back 3 ever worked for us?

You know the score, another few weeks of shocking results and then once we're just far away enough for it not to matter, we'll string some results together against teams we shouldn't. Regardless of how poor I think Ismael will turn out to be, Rovers have been mentally pathetic and predictable in this regard for at least a decade now, and until the owners change this will forever be the same. Can't expect the players to give a damn when the owners actively sabotage us on a seasonal basis and won't give them any future guarantees.

Eustace was taking over a team in freefall, Ismaeel is taking over a team that was (albeit falsely) in the top 6, that had won 2 of 3 under the caretaker. This is our "easy" run of fixtures, with some much more difficult games to come, and we're putting in some of the worst performances we have all season. The players look lost and we're just lucky we have points on the board, because I'll be very surprised if we don't proceed to get battered for the rest of the season.

Seen enough already, get him gone. How you manage to go backwards from Eustaceball I can't even fathom.

Absolutely zero pride or accountability in the entire club

If Eustace keeps Derby up this season they will finish above us next season, even if it's 23rd and 24th.

Hardly surprising - could barely get a game at one of the worst teams in the league.

He won't build anything, he'll get a bunch of cheap crap of Waggott and will have to make do, and at the moment he's not showing anything that suggests he is capable of doing anything .