joey_big_nose

Asante's goal scoring record is not that brilliant - 1 in 4 at Salford and West Brom, and now dropping to 1 in 25 at Coventry (!!!). Admittedly across those 25 games he's only played about 900 minutes so I guess more like 1 in 10 if we are being generous. WhoScored.com is not that generous with it's assessment....

He signed a new deal after a year at Rovers (https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2021/february/new-deal-for-dolan/) and that he has resisted signing a new one since suggests he is probably on decent money.

Yeah unfortunately due to our messing around with contracts we have created a community of players who have made a huge amount of money running down their contracts. Dolan will know Lenihan, Diaz, Rothwell who each will have made hundreds of thousands from letting their contracts expire. I am sure he will have a Whatsapp exchanges with them to discuss the best way of getting the best deal.

Ah so the coaching staff don't think he has an attitude problem? But you, me and everyone on this board does?

I I am curious about how both the bits in bold can be true??

I'd say he can tackle and press quite well - that was one of his major assets when he got a good run a couple of seasons ago. He would win the ball high up the pitch nicking it off opposition players. He has lost that for some reason. Hopefully he can bring it back. In terms of shooting and goal scoring his numbers are equivalent to any other centre midfielder we have had (i.e. pretty abysmal - Travis, Rothwell etc good for 2 to 3 goals a year which is where Buckley is at over a full season). And I would say he can cover a decent amount of ground for a midfielder too... He has looked demotivated and off it, but he's got those ingredients imo.

Team for me : Pears Britain Batth Hyam Beck Buckley Tronstad Cantwell ACD Leonard Wieman A small innovation I would make is change from a 4231 and turn it into a 433 with Cantwell on the left side of midfield. Kind of how we used to play with Rothwell on the left of a three under Mowbray. He wants to play deeper anyway and isn't much of a goal threat so let's use him in the midfield to dominate the ball with the other two. He's actually pretty good off the ball so I don't see a defensive or workrate issue in this reconfiguration. Tronstad would hold and Cantwell and Buckley expected to get forward. Also I think that sort of 433 setup will suit Buckley better too, think his best season was when he played in a midfield three with him, Travis and Rothwell I think in 22/23?

Yes... we've never really produced strikers, and those that we have that have had decent careers we have moved them on to do so elsewhere (Beattie, Garner etc). I always really liked Paul Gallagher as a number 10, such a clever player. Looked like he was really going to make it in the prem but then had to drop down.

Baker has got the nod over Buckley, but my feeling is it has was quite a marginal call, and that we have gone for a very low cost option to replace Baker and keep funds for attackers suggests to me that he thinks Buckley and JRC can cover the role. We'll have a better idea about if it was the right call or not in 4 or 5 games, as it stands Buckley hasn't had enough game time to judge. Often us as experts on here come up with definitive opinions hat players are not good enough or finished or that Rovers will get relegated etc and it turns out quite different (in recent times writing off Pears, Hyam, Szmodics, Pickering, Travis, Britain, JRC, Brereton-Diaz, that we are near the playoffs now when most said we would be in a relegation fight etc etc) Obviously everyone will have opinions, me as much as anybody, all I am doing is making the point that as often as not they are wrong... I am hoping we will be looking back in a few months and Buckley will join that esteemed list above.

I'll reserve judgement on Buckley until he gets a run of games. He's only played 134 mins for us in the Championship this season across 8 very short sub appearences.... and last season only played 500 odd minutes. He's got a chance to come in and make a big impression over the next few games till Travis is available, so looking forward to him making a big impact. I think Eustace is interested in getting the most out of him, that is why he was made captain in the league cup games.

Yeah... I personally think Travis has come on so much he might make it in the prem. Carter and Tronstad maybe too at a stretch. But that's about it.

Yeah, I think JE is a very good manager so while on paper this looks very underwhelming its reassuring that Eustace knows him well.

I am not sure I would swap Travis or Tronstad for him. Would swap Cantwell based on what I have seen so far which is a shame as so much was expected from Todd when he signed. Edit - what I mean obviously Shelvey on form was a great player, but so many of these swan songs just don't really work out. Murphy or Etuhu at us for example. Happens all the time across the Championship. Travis and Tronstad have not only proven themselves in this league, they are also getting better and better both having brilliant seasons this year. That is better than taking a player from a higher division who may not be motivated, fit, in the right headspace etc...

A mere 29 players!

Don't think so really unless they are injured or genuinely fatigued. Neither have looked like that to me, but obviously Eustace would have the best view.

I wouldn't read too much into it. He managed to get Cantwell so it's not like we are not trying and succeeding to get established names.

I would stick with the same system we have been using if there isn't a compelling tactical reason to change it. If we were looking to use 343 in our upcoming league games it would make sense to try it out, but if we are changing it just to accommodatea Fadz who has played virtually no minutes this season nor looks like he will in future and then bin it again what's the point? I'd just make a few changes but keep the core of the team as per our normal squad and system. Let's have a look at Litherland and see how Leonard and Gueye work as a two. Pears Brittain Baath Litherand Beck Buckley Tronstad JRC Leonard Dolan Gueye Subs : Toth, McFadz, Batth, O'Riordan, Garrett, Hedges, Wieman, ACD, Tyjon, THere's enough subs for wholesale changes if needed.

I think this could explain why England haven't won anything.... too many Spurs players! Also very surprised West Ham aren't on that list. Don't think their fans would like to see that Rovers and West Brom have had more England internationals...

Given Morton isn't on loan anywhere and has only played 3 times for Liverpool feels to me like he will be on his way somewhere. Would be a bit weird for him to come back here at the same club but different manager. I would have thought they would prefer a new different environment just for the change. Also the Liverpool loan team aren't daft - they will see that if Travis, Tronstad and Cantwell are fit Morton won't be starting like Baker wasn't. I am sure their number 1 criteria will be who will put him straigth into the first XI like he has been at Rovers last time and then Hull. So I can't really see it.

Yeah maybe thinking about it we didnt even bother registering him? If so that would free up a squad place. Ah we didnt register him.... https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/24568348.blackburn-confirm-efl-squad-list-stance-free-agents/

Based on the above I wonder if we are looking at moving players on to create space in the squad as we literally don't have the room to sign the 3-4 players we want. Until I just looked that up I had no idea that squad sizes are so tight.

Tin hat on - that's a first team squad of 24 players (not included Gilsenan as I would view him more as a U21 player). That's near the maximum for a Championship team I think? Indeed the maximum squad size for the Championship is 25 players + as many non-loaned Under-21 players as you like (only Leonard could come under that I think from the above diagram). So we are only two under the limit, and it would have been one before Baker left. From https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/what-are-the-efl-squad-rules-for-202425-loanee-limits-home-grown-players-and-how-many-subs-are-allowed : " Championship clubs can have squads of up to 25 players, of which a minimum of 8 need to be home grown [see below]. you're allowed an unlimited amount of under-21s on permanent contracts without registering them, but you would need to register any loanees among your 25 players, even if they're under-21s. For home grown : a player to be considered home grown by the EFL, they don't necessarily need to be British (they can be any nationality) or to have been trained by that specific club. All that is required to qualify as home grown is to have been registered with any club affiliated to the FA or the FA of Wales for at least three seasons or 36 months prior to their 21st birthday (or the end of the season they turn 21). We can't see anything to say loanees are excluded from counting as home grown players."

Ooh good question... Id say current is just about better I think. Probably would only have Kaminski and Brereton out of that. Maybe Rothwell over Cantwell but its close. We have a better bench (though not much better) now too.

Hmmm.... Not sure I trust that... Look at Travs salary!

Why do you say second highest earner? Is Baker our second highest earner? According to what source?