11 minutes ago, martonrover said:

I certainly haven’t described Eustace as a “Messiah”.

He has a lot of work to do next season, and probably in difficult circumstances once again.

I’m crediting him for a job well done in retaining Championship status.

Fair point. We were definitely in free fall under JDT, results and performances were grim. I’ve not been impressed with the football under JE, but he was dealt a poor hand and he still achieved what we all hoped for.

We were relegated in similar circumstances under Mowbray and with time he made us into a competitive side, so I’ll give Eustace a chance for next season. Fingers crossed he’s backed in the same way Mowbray was and he can get us further up the league next year. 

20 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

i love sammie,nearly as much as tugay,hendry,jansen and garner❤️

Seconded. I’m really going to miss him. Great professional and a very good player at this level. Saving us from League 1 isn’t the most exciting achievement but in effect it’s like winning a cup final imo. 

1 hour ago, Paul Mani said:

GK - NEW / Pears / Leo 

RB - Brittain / New (Loan) / JRC

LB - Pickering / NEW 

CB - Hyam / Carter / O’Riordan / Wharton / New (Mcfadz - Free)

CM - JRC / Trondstadt / Travis / Buckley / Garrett 

Forwards - Hedges / Markanday / Siggy / Leonard

Then - SS (unlikely) / Gally (Hopefully not) / Dolan (probably not) / Telalovic (hopefully not) 

So we need 4x forwards (2x wide players and 2x Strikers) 

In total - 4x New permanent cash signings. (GK, LB, ST, Winger) Think Hyam and Szmod esque, Championship experience. 

Then 4 loans / Free (RB, CB, ST, Winger)

Disclaimer - I am not saying we WILL do this or that we WILL spend the following amount, but after the Wharton sale, Raya cash and expected £15m for SS we SHOULD be spending £10m+ on fees this summer.

 

I think we need a replacement for Hyam plus a squad CB. Hyam has been absolutely awful this season, he has single-handedly lost us about 3 games off the top of my head and possibly more. IMO we also need a better GK, and a good striker as well.

I don’t think we can rely on Hedges, Dolan, or Gallagher to keep us above mid table next season and they need to be replaced if we have any thoughts of improving our lot. I always thought Dolan and Gallagher would be good players for us but neither of them have the footballing intelligence to succeed at the level we should be aiming at.

 Really we should be spending far more than £10m after selling the Crown Jewels and spending nothing last season, and I would be excited if I didn’t know the script for next season already (I wonder which Brighton youth prospect will we get this time). I don’t know whether I’m optimistic or naive but I agree with you that £10m+ should be spent which means there is a lot of work ahead for the transfer team. If we mess up this season and don’t splash the cash then we might as well all give up. 

13 hours ago, 47er said:

Carter?

Good point, forgot about him. Is he injured?

6 minutes ago, superniko said:

I fear for this squad if we do stay up. £0 will be reinvested we all know that (well all of us except one individual).

Szmodics, Tronstad, JRC from the starting 11 are probably the only 3 of true quality to start if we had any ambition moving forward. 
We need a new GK, whole new back line, 2 wingers and a striker on a £0 budget. 

Szmodics will not be here at the start of next season and JRC is a crock! But I’d add Pickering and Wharton to the list of decent championship players. Other than that we are not up to it at this level.

The Raos have allowed our squad to become weaker in every transfer window and now there is practically nothing left. I’m with you - there are very bad times ahead. 

52 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Again, why would protecting assets with sensible contract management be affected by what random fans might think?

The time to do it was during the covid season when he became a decent player but prior to his real breakthrough as a goalscorer. Maybe it didnt happen due to the owners cutting back during covid. So plan B should have been to accept the bids that came with a year left on his deal. 

I think it’s more that nobody at the time would’ve thought it was a good idea to extend his contract. Nobody cares what supporters think but neither supporters nor management could’ve predicted that BBD would become such a good player. Hence “the vast majority of posters here would have been up in arms if we’d offered Brereton a new contract” 

Or to put it another way, the vast majority of people would have thought it was a bad idea to offer BBD a new contract, ie hindsight is a wonderful thing and accurate foresight is extremely rare. 

Just now, yankfan said:

No need to Ferk around at the back. Not our strength. 

Came on to say this! Thought the days of tippy happy at the back were over, not a fan of it at all. 

7 hours ago, Tom said:

Billy was an enigma alright. A weird hybrid of brilliance and insanity, the way he totally lost play for Pears double save was bizarre then he had some sublime touches 

It was maybe nerves? First appearance for us late on against a prem side in the latter stages of the cup. I was concerned when he came on and raging when he somehow lost control. But by the end of the match he looked like a good acquisition. If Pears hadn’t pulled out a genius move then we might all be calling for Koumetio’s head now. Fine margins….

Also if the fan who keeps asking trippier to show us his fingers is on here, keep up the good work 👏 

Brilliant first half. Best I’ve seen us play this season. I think Gallagher has been good. He pops up everywhere, 2 headers from our own box helped out too. So close to being in front but I agree that relative strength of the benches might see us in bother if anyone has to go (looked like Gallagher had a problem late on). 

Dolan, Buckley and Szmodics have been premiership quality. For Newcastle Guimaraes has impressed me but we’ve matched them and have had the better chances. 

1 hour ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Jameson and EFL initiative to promote "sip wisely". Yes, of course that's what Jameson wants....

Ads across the EFL and on Sky

"the creative will run across stadium screens, digital boards and video-on-demand across Sky Sports, the EFL and the websites of its 72 members clubs."

“Sip wisely” imo means pour the Jameson down the sink and get a bottle of bush 🥃 

Sorry to hear this. Hope he makes a full recovery. 

3 minutes ago, Bethnal said:

Warren Lucy has said it right: “avoidable.”

Definitely masters of our own fate here, which I hope is highlighted at half time. A great start stymied by a loss of composure/lack of concentration at set pieces. Some kind of mentality issue there, we just fall apart. A real shame considering the defending had been stout in open play.

Every chance that we can come back out and hurt them early again, but we need the composure to be there.

Generally good performances, although more attacking players have been the weak point in defensive situations. Garrett looking slightly peripheral, but not unreasonable being subbed on that early. Difficult to be fully in the mindset for this kind of game.

Better than Tuesday, but more needed.

💯 

Frustrating as I think we were very impressive in the first half hour and looked good going forward. I agree that it has to be a mental issue but I’m encouraged at the performance today compared to the abomination vs Birmingham. 

Bloody hell. Two corners two goals. 

Hyam has been good today as well after being a weak link for a long time. 

Took it well tbf. What a game. 

1 minute ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Credit where credit is due. He was awful against Birmingham, but he's been a menace today. 

Might be that he suits a more direct style. I’ve always appreciated his commitment and work ethic. If he can chip in like this on a regular basis I might be able to relax and enjoy the rest of the season. 

This is reminding me of why I love football. 2-0 up away from home after 25 minutes against folk who hate us. I’ve almost forgotten all the crap that’s been going on in the background ❤️ 

Big Sam playing a blinder so far. 

I feel bad for him but why did we sign a player with such a bad injury record? Looking forward to seeing more of young Garrett now. 

Get in!

lovely pass from big Sam and finished well by wee Sam. 

1 hour ago, NeilInBristol said:

Marlon Broomes... Wow

What a player (on championship manager 97/98)

He was no John Curtis. I was actually excited when we signed him based on how good he was in CM97/98. Not for the first time as a Rovers fan I was bitterly disappointed. 

17 minutes ago, KentExile said:

 

 

He also struggled with a debilitating sweetie addiction when he was with us

Just now, yankfan said:

McGuire must be praying the appeal is denied. No way he has any interest in joining this sinking ship. 

Yep. I thought it was a bit rich that our plan was to arrange a pre-contract deal for next season if the appeal is turned down. Why would he even consider signing for us after this clusterfuck?

Back on topic now - Waggott out! Farewell JDT, you were too professional and demanding for our dysfunctional club. 

Results haven’t been as good this season and we’ve gone backwards if anything. I don’t think it’s JDT’s fault though as his hands are tied through lack of investment and watching the squad be dismantled. Don’t for one minute think that poor results mean that his departure is justified.

If he’s gone it’s not because of poor results but because he isn’t happy about the conditions he’s working under. Let that sink in and wonder who exactly will come here next - who can we attract with no budget, a half-built squad and absentee disinterested owners? And who would be willing to work under those conditions? It’ll be a chancer or a no-hoper.

For the first time in years we were able to look up with JDT. The last three transfer windows slowly sapped my optimism, and now we’ve sold our best player, loaned out our captain and potentially lost the best coach we’ve had in thirteen years. If he’s gone it’s awful news and nothing to celebrate.