24 minutes ago, LDRover said:

I'm sure Waggott said the egg didn't fancy Szmodics?

Doesn't matter. He still signed him.

3 minutes ago, Bohinen1983 said:

How did Telalolovic look? My son said he produced a promising performance

Not for me. I don't see it with telalovic. I thought we'd have been better off with Leonard on.

3 minutes ago, LDRover said:

There needs to be more of a spotlight on this so called DoF and his recruitment.

If he didn't really want Szmodics last year then what are his successes? The 2 he has brought in so far this transfer window look unimpressive so far and, added to the shambolic summer recruitment, his overall performance on that front is pretty dire.

JDT is hardly covering himself in glory but the tools at his disposal (and I use that word deliberately) are hardly helping. It's about time the mute bald headed shithouse found his voice and communicated the plan, if there is one.

Nah you can't just take away szmodics from him. Give him stick cos some of these signings aren't upto it at all but he pulled the trigger on szmodics. 

I thought JDT got it wrong today.

He's changed the shape to make us harder to beat and get a bit more athleticism in the side. It worked until Carter went off and they suddenly it all looked off.

It felt to me that the change of shape didn't make us more defensively sound and took away a lot of our attacking movement and ball rotations (the one thing we do well). I thought that was partly to blame for the poor performance of the usually reliable tronstad who didn't seem to know who to pass to today. Ironically of all the goals we've conceded recently today's was the least offensive, cracking ball in from Thomas (where was that last season!). It just frustrating it was another corner.

From where I was sitting, it was only some really poor finishing from huddersfield that got us a point. I said before the game that if we won today it would set up an okay 2nd half of the season. I must say I'm worried now.

If the manager can't get work with what he's got or isn't prepared to work within the austerity project, then he should resign. He's missed a trick not doing so in the summer. I remain a fan of his but I'm not convinced he's the asset he was in our current situation. 

I don't think we need 2 centre backs we just need one good one.

We need a starting striker.

We need a right winger (allowing us to move markanday on)

We need a reliable keeper. Which can't have been part of the original plan but would be top of my list.

I think we will win today, I also think we will win a few of the next 3 home games after this one also. A few reasons for this: 

We are getting bodies back in, Gallagher and pears (neither who I rate) undoubtedly strengthen the side. JRC likely off the bench strengthens us. If the villa lad on loan is half decent it gives us an extra option. Suddenly your bench options are looking stronger and we can afford to make more than 2 changes.

We've got a week between each game, allowing more time on the training pitch and less fatigue issues.

The run of games we've got are very favourable. I know our home record is poor but if you'd asked me to pick a run of games to get us out of a bad run I'd pick this. 

This is the first consistent bad run we've had under JDT (end of last seasons run of draws the only other, but that was mainly through lack of goals). I think we will revert back the mid table side that we are, starting with a win today. Can we continue to keep defending this badly? 

However if we don't win today I will be very very worried. For both league position, the managers position, the morale of the fan base. Its a big game for us.

9 minutes ago, Ossydave said:

We've become accustomed to poor runs of form in the past few seasons for sure. Under TM you'd usually expect a turn of fortunes due to a change of tactics or personnel though.

Jon's options are limited in terms of personnel, he MUST look to change up the tactics. Indications suggest he ain't up for that though, the stubborn approach is wearing incredibly thin now.

I'm really not confident at all I'm afraid.

The only hope really is Szmodics plays out of his skin and bangs 2 or 3 goals in, no way we'll keep a clean sheet.

Worrying and depressing times, not helped by news off the field, but we've had years of that so it's not exactly a new concept.

Disagree with what you say about Mowbray. When we nose dived during his last season that was in part due to him religiously sticking to the same shape despite not having the same personel available and form continuing to drop. Culminating in the famous Bradley Johnson up front at home to Derby.

Really disappointed this has been moved to the Monday night. Will rovers see any of the TV money for this or not?

You've got to think this will have a big impact on the attendance which is a shame as I was looking forward to this one. 

Hopefully SW doesn't go silly on the ticket pricing.

14 minutes ago, Ghost7 said:

In fairness to Gallagher we didn't cross him a ball for about 3 years.

 

He'd need to get himself in the middle for that to matter.

7 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Twenty games to go and a ten point buffer from the relegation zone. Will have to hope that's enough as if we drop into the bottom 3 at any point I don't see this squad having the bottle to get out of it.

Could be a close run thing on current form. Can't see anything for us at West Brom so the gap could be shaved a bit more.

I think relegation talk is very premature.

2 minutes ago, gazza1981 said:

There wasn't one Blackburn player who didnt look out of their depth in that match.

Adam Wharton didn't look out of his depth.

41 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Bit of a stretch to call Hyam "a very good signing" - we paid a substantial fee for him, he had a good start to last season but I thought he was fairly poor in the second half of last season when the team as a whole tanked and this season he seems to be getting worse and worse and turning into something of a defensive liability.

Last year's player of the season.

I though the substantial fee was £1.5- 2 million. Not that substantial. 

14 minutes ago, BankEnd Rover said:

I can comment too much on Telalovic yesterday as I didn’t go, but looking at his movement and first time ball to Carter, to setup the first goal, looks promising…Creates an option for Garrett who looked like he was struggling for options.

Still very raw but there’s a players to work with there - I prefer him to Ennis. 

I disagree tbh. I don't think there's anything other than a lower league striker there.

I'm very skeptical about some of SW's claims regarding GB as told by GM. 

Parts of the new model make sense and are in place at pretty much every successful club. Wether we have the money to do it and if GB can make more good moves than bad the jury is well and truly out. SW (or the previous model where he had more power) taking credit for most of the decent signings we've made comes across as snide and jealous. Some if it may be true but GB still pulled the trigger on those deals and seems to have been said to discredit GB, whose record without some of those slips well into the negative. 

Let's not forget the way the previous system worked. Players collected at random with little short or long term thought. Assetts allowed to walk out the door for nothing. A uncritical relationship between the ceo and the manager. We weren't very well run before and recruitment was similarly hit and miss, which happens when you don't have as much money to play with!!!

14 minutes ago, unsall said:

Heard Leonard off to Oxford on loan tomorrow 

I'd say that's a strange move unless we've got another striker coming in.

31 minutes ago, Mercer said:

 

Is there any official news on Sammie's injury - is it a groin or a hammy (heard it's a hammy issue)?  Poor game management by JDT - Sammie should have been off after 65 minutes (at the latest)  when we went 4-2 up.

 

I didn't notice any szmodics injury other than the dead leg he got on his hamstring early on. Hopefully it's just the kick he got.

Overall it was a largely enjoyable cup tie where we dominated and creates plenty of chances. Ultimately it should've been more than a 3 goal margin but our deficiencies were on show again. 2 really poor goals, one from a set piece and the other started with poor defending from a throw in. We also missed a lot of chances. 

Some other random thoughts:

We were playing well before he came on but the team improved drastically when tronstad came on. I really like him. Whoever on the transfer thread said that they didn't rate him because he doesn't get goals and assists simply doesn't understand football in my eyes, he reads danger really well. 

Adam Wharton is a joy to watch. I appreciate that he tries those killer balls even though they don't always come off.

Moran I thought was poor 1st half and a bit better second half. He recycles the ball well but other than that doesn't offer enough for me.

I don't see it with Telalovic at all. There's a reason we don't know if he can finish, he doesn't get in the right positions and at his age it's hard to say that can be taught into him.

Leonard on the other hand, misses chances but gets them because he's got it between the ears. He works harder than ennis and his link up play is decent. I think he's the best option of the 3 available (not that it says much).

Hyam as I've said somewhere else in this thread doesn't look right to me.

Szmodics has proven to be a bargain. Where would we be without his goals.

1 minute ago, pick32 said:

The decline started when Hyam came back

He doesn't look right to me at all. It looks to me like he's not putting weight through his ankle properly or is some kind of discomfort. He's not moving right. I wonder if he's been rushed back if she should've had that ankle surgery.

Trying to work out these moves by Broughton as on the face of it ain't looking great, he's had the following forced upon him:

Hill recalled against rovers wishes - screws with the squad balance, frees up some wage money

Buckley loan cancelled against rovers wishes - he's injured, screws with wage budget

We lack some quality, experience and depth. We can't afford proper quality even on loan, we can't afford the wages of proper experience so perhaps he's thinking what he can do is bulk out the squad slightly with cheap loans. Add the young crewe cb who fits the model. 

Travis making a fuss wanting more games in his natural role so they use his wage to free up some incomings with perhaps a small loan fee going towards the cb. Maybe we wouldn't be able to replace hill properly unless we could get one out.

Or what I think most likely is happening is he's been handed a big bag of nothing, he's a relatively inexperienced director of football who wants to do something so he's player trading for the sake of it and is potentially making a bad situation worse. As always time will tell but I'm not optimistic.

1 hour ago, Polky said:

I was surprised that Spurs didn’t loan Phillips back to us for the season.

Hasn’t play a minute for spurs during their injury crisis. Albeit he did pick up an injury as well.

FA Cup match tonight and they play a RB at CB and he’s sat on the bench…🤷🏻‍♂️

Has been injured through it all only been back a week or two I think.

Where is there any evidence to suggest Travis is being left out for financial reasons?

To me he's not played much because tronstad and Wharton are both better suited to this system and Travis at full back is a last resort. We were wide open with Travis and Wharton in cm earlier in the season. 

I don't see anything nefarious there.

Iverson from Leicester is available this transfer window.

If they believe the funding issues / Raya money will be sorted in the summer a loan to buy deal would work well, fixing us both short and long term. 

It was never the plan to be in the market for another keeper this window but things have changed and they have to correct the mistake. Get one in and loan/sell either which ever one gets some interest.

2 hours ago, LDRover said:

How many of our cash buys could we actually sell now at a profit? 

Szmodics - possibly

Hyam - maybe

Markanday, Pears, Wahlstedt, Brittain, Pickering, Gallagher, Telalovic? Not a chance. And before these we had jokers like Edun and Davenport who made no impact and disappeared out of the club.

It's piss poor recruitment and it's been going on for years. When you're checking the back of the sofa for loose change you can't afford this many mistakes.

Szmodics - 100% absolutely, even at 28. He's the top scorer in the league for f sake. We could get more than couple of mil we payed for him, undoubtedly.

i Get your point though.

If you wanted any game to break a bad run it would be this one, with their poor away record. Changes are going to have to be made but I'm not entirely convinced about who go's out and who comes in.

With JRC, hyam and Wharton unavailable the back 4 picks itself. I'd like to have dropped brittain who isn't playing well and I've come to believe he unbalances the team (compared too hill). I don't think Travis at right back would make the team stronger.

In midfield, szmodics fitness permitting if a guarantee. As probably is Sigurdson on the left after 2 assists vs Hull. I believe tronstad and Wharton as a pair are pretty good. Whether they've got the freshest of legs after this period of football I'm not too sure. Personally I'd get find a way to get Travis or garrett in there to give us a bit of energy and perhaps help stop counters especially down the right hand side in the gap left by brittain. This pulls szmodics out of his 10 role but until we can get a couple of bodies back I'd look to shift him into the front 3 on the right hand side where he finished the Hull game.

None of the other attacking mids / wingers are showing anything atm. Striker wise I just think JDT has to pick the striker he thinks can get the most out of in the long term. Telalovic did okay vs Hull but so did ennis off the bench. I'd go ennis. In summary I'd have something like this: 

              Leaky Leo

Brittain.  Carter.   Hill.   Pickering

      Trav.      Tronstad.  Wharton

Szmodics.    Ennis.     Sigurdsson

Subs: Hilton, Gamble, Duru, Garrett, moran, Markanday, Leonard, telalovic, +another academy lad who won't realistically get on the pitch. 

Unlikely to stay 11 v 11 this is the referee is handing out yellow cards for every foul (that he actually gives!).