Yeah without Szmodics we could go for a proper 433 which will suit Travis. I guess team could be Leo Hill. Carter. Hyam. Pickering Travis. Tronstad. Wharton Markanday Ennis. Sigurdsson Not the most fearsome forward line...

Had a listen - really liked it! The watford guys seem like a nice bunch. One of the best things in recent years imo are the growth of fan podcasts. Great way of feeling connected to fans across the game. Any plans for BRFCS or other Rovers fan podcasts to do a similar sort preview with opposition fans?

Thinking about the shopping list I would just go all in on a striker. We can just about cover every other position. Full backs are light but we can get away with JRC, Hill, Carter, Travis or Garrett filling in if needed. We have 4 CBs which is doable for half a season. Quite a few centre mid options, though I do worry if either Tronstad or Wharton get injured as we lack on the ball quality without them. But I cant see how we pick up a good technical mid for the money we would be willing to spend on a non-starter. Maybe get one on loan? Probs bring back Buckley of his injury isn't a season ender. Sigurdsson, Moran, Szmodics, JRC, and Hedges are decent attacking mids. Getting a winger is pointless without any strikers. If we have any money for Raya or elsewhere we have to spend it all on a striker with at least a 1 in 3 scoring record in the top two divisions of the five big football nations (England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain), or the top division of the Netherlands, Sweden etc. Also with a minimal injury record... Cant be hard right?? Sign that one player and I will be happy. Think we can loan two more players too so get some bodies in where necessary.

2002 - we had three players who could have graced the Champions League final in Duff, Fredel and Tugay. And two who, though past their best, had recently won it in Yorke and Cole. Feels like a long time ago now, even if Hughes brought in some top players a bit later. Wonder when we will next see a player of the quality of Shearer, Duff , Tugay, Freidel, Cole, Bellamy, Santa Cruz. Since we've got relegated I think the only player who has played at Rovers and gone on to play CL football is I think Raya, and then just since he joined Arsenal this season. Adam Wharton is a fabulous player at our level, and will go on to have a great career. But I think it will be a bit more Tom Cairney than Paul Scholes.

Think how we setup will be interesting. Given the state of our squad this run of four games in nine days is a big stretch. Travis, Garrett, Markanday, Ennis and Telelovic are all going to have to major role to play. For what it's worth I would maybe go \; Leo Hill Carter Wharton Pickering Tronstad Wharton Garrett Szmodics Sigurdsson Ennis

Yeah.. we're playing in a high risk high reward sort of way... When it pays off it looks great. When things start going against you very quickly starts looking like the wheels have come off. A very minor plus is every one of these results puts the notion that anyone is going to take JDT off us further away. These frequent losses and high number of goals conceded is going to drive suitors (and I dont think there are many to be honest) away. JDT needs Rovers to be successful if he wants to push on with his career.

I've got a vague feeling Sigurdsson may play number 9. Hes got the physicality for it.

Met up with some friends in Covent Garden last week in a standard Nicholson's pub - so nice but not somewhere particularly premium or anything. £7.50 a pint!

Interesting call... we do have a full weeks rest next week so I think it's likely Szmodics will be play this one. Moran might be dropped as he had such a bad game. Despite everyone being knackered I will be quite surprised if we make any changes except maybe Hill coming into the side and Brittain playing right wing to make us a bit more solid. Once we get into the mad run from Watford until Rotherham New Years day (4 games in 11 days!) I think we could be moving more towards more unsual setups. An issue for us is the mids on the subs bench (Travis and Garrett) JDT obviously does not want to play as pivots picking up the ball from defence, presumably as he is concerned their control is too poor to hold onto the ball. It seems if they play they need to either fit in further up the pitch or at full back. Which basically means there is no cover for Wharton or Tronstad. So Adam and Sondre are going to be playing a lot of football.

I guess we can watch next game and see if it continues. But for me we're passing to marked playes way too much for them all to be mistakes. And to be fair to the recipient they usually handle it well. The Moran goal was a poor one to concede, but considering we play like this every game its quite rare it bites us.

Might be our best goal of the season so far for me - defence splitting pass from Wharton, lovely round the corner layoff from Szmodics, beautiful take and finish from Sigurdsson. From a match littered with poor control and misplaced passes it was a real gem

Well.... I don't think the suicide ball was an unintended mistake. We play that pass into marked midfielders quite frequently. The burden seems to be on the receiver (usually Wharton, Tronstad or Moran) to take the ball, beat the marker and make a pass. Or if they are under too much pressure bounce the ball back to the defender with a controlled touch. So in the way we play not sure Carter would have been perceived as doing anything wrong.

Yeah - I think not sanctioning around £5M for Lassana was the last straw for Hughes and he started actively looking to leave.

Well, depends how the Wharton family have instructed the agent. My guess is probably he and family isn't chomping at the bit for a move ASAP. He's playing at his boyhood club, one of the first names on the teamsheet, getting lots of development in a side that is setup exactly for how he plays the game, presumably well rewarded with a new contract. He's only 19, and he will be familiar with a lot of players who moved too early and then disappeared without a trace. From his perspective it's quite easy to see why he would not insist on clauses and just want to focus on playing. He's in a nice place for Rovers were he is obviously a very good player, but not setting the world alight. More David Dunn than Damian Duff. So I think we will be able to hold onto him until he does start looking Premier League quality. That could happen this season, next season or season after. Once that happens someone will pay enough to get him irrespective of release clauses etc.

He was very poor today, but think thats really harsh on Moran. Hes not quite Harvey Elliott but hes been a very good attacking mid for us. Really rate him.

I watched how we pass out quite closely. I think we are deliberately playing into a central marked - sometimes double marked - midfielder. I guess the idea being to bounce a one-two off them to draw the opposition players in then look for the pass wide / pass through. Does seem a bit unnecessarily mental. But we did it several times in the game, culminating in the goal from Moran.

Thought Scott Wharton was very very good too. He's been a bit of a liability last couple of seasons but today was really solid, scored a goal, and made a lot of great defensive headers and challenges. Really pleased the keeper looks the real deal - you can see as his confidence grows he has all the elements to be a top at this level. Wharton and Tronstad are a first class central midfield pair. Sigurdsson back to his original quality. Pickering playing the best football of his career. Thought Brittain and Carter did well also. Only downers were Moran (who has largely been excellent for us) being well off it. We really need him so hope it's just a one off. And while Ennis and Leonard made good runs neither really convinced that they are going to get on the end of a lot of chances.

Everyone has played pretty well except Moran who has had an absolute shocker.... As I wrote that he just gifted them a goal through another (maybe his fifth?) really poor touch (though why he was passed to there can be seriously questioned).

On Ennis its hasnt quite worked for him but you can see he is getting at the defenders a bit.

Sigurdssons gone back to looking like he did in the first few games. Oozes class.

Very very very interested to see how Ennis looks with a full start. Hope he looks the part.

Been a few articles about him, tipped as a top future player. Got way more press than Ash Phillips or Adam Wharton did at their age I think, or thats my impression at least. Seems to be physically way ahead of a typical 15 year old. https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2023/june/30/finneran-shines-for-club-and-country/

We have a pretty good first XI imo, except for striker and - to a lesser extent - keeper. I haven't seen a single game all season where any of our CFs (Leonard, Ennis, Telalovic and Gallagher) and really looked like a threat. I think we may be at the point where we just let Ennis start and see what happens as he is the one we know the least about. We can always swap him for Leonard later in the game if we need the legs. Watching Ennis recent cameos I am not that encouraged though as - like Telalovic - he doesn't seem to be finding much space with his movement and as a result barely gets the ball. While Leonard has got good movement but lacks physicality. I guess the hope is Ennis has more to him we have not seen yet.

I dont think Dyche was dropping down to the Championship for anyone, let alone a team on our budget. Dont think this is a stick that the board can be sensibly beat with. Dyche knew as soon as the sacking season starts he would get plenty of prem offers. Why earn a fifth of the salary, have no money for transfers and risk destroying your hard burnished reputation in a single Championship season?

JDT wanted a keeper better with his feet... JDT preferred Pears. Dont think we had anything to gain sales wise by putting him on the bench.