interesting that we beat a team on a good run at home then can't beat a team with a poor away record. Seems to be the story of our season really. My biggest reflection would be we've a very talented squad but we've not got it quite right in terms of balance and seem to be a piece missing. Bereton is a case in point. Chaddy has said he's not a target man but given how the system is set up that way to play a target man with Dack behind it seems to be an odd purchase. Regardless of fee - that's another discussion - he's clearly a decent player as shown by the assists in the last 2 games. But having to adapt a whole new style when Graham needs a rest, seems a bit counter intuitive to me. Attacking midfielders are another case in point. None of the options look that comfortable in the wide positions of the 3 behind Graham. Dack obviously takes the central but none of the others really look too comfortable there leaving us with a lack of nous and cutting edge. Are they good players - sure, can they do a job there - definitely, but to push on I think we need at least one specialist for these positions. Imo that'd be a left footer as the challenge for our attacking mids of being on their weaker foot in a not so natural position is another barrier to overcome. Don't get me wrong - we're ok as is. We work so hard and have enough quality to make sure we're competitive and get points. And the squad's quality as well as attitude is remarkably better than our last stint here. The thoughts are more given how close we are to playoffs and how competitive the league is, what can we do to get us to the next level (realistically that is!)

perhaps a lower league big lump of a forward would have suited our tactics more with the likes of Dack, Armstrong, Palmer et al behind him? Can't wrote Bereton off yet but you have to think that for such a big investment for us he has to be contributing more.

Makes me think a centre back in the window and a big lump of a striker to hold the ball up (which is a contribution Graham does that is as invaluable as his goals) is needed. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, although the centre back situation wasn't that surprising.

Think this will definitely be a point gained if we hold on, despite dodgy starting line ups. All the cards been stacked against us in this one.

Feel this is a little harsh - not just cause it's Rovers, when the keeper goes off injured after all 3 subs made. If it was a sending off, fair enough that's part of the punishment, but we seem hard done to here. TM has us competing with the best teams in the Championship which is wonderful. He also seems to have handled the whole back up striker to Graham poorly though,

Sums it up well to me. Having Mr Self Interest as your number 2 is asking for trouble. I'm sure we can all write the script now - question is whether it happens in this season, next or the one after that. Talk about turkeys voting for Christmas, Smith agreeing to Terry as assistant is an equally daft idea. And that's before we even consider his competence or lack thereof. His credentials for assistant manager really aren't that great either, excluding his suspect loyalties.

Yes that is the crazy thing, Preston too have only won 1 (I think) yet are not down and out either. People talk about the excitement of the Premiership, but manure and dingle struggles aside it's pretty much as you'd expect and not that entertaining. Contrast it with the closeness of the Championship and the most entertaining league in the world claim rings rather hollow. (Not to be confused with the quality/talent of the individual footballers, just the unexpected nature and intrigue of the championship is far superior.)

It always surprises me (even though I'm aware of it) how competitive the Championship is. We've not had that many wins yet we're equal on points with play offs. I've also been struck by the number of games we should have either won or lost that have ended up draws - it's a very tight league. The fact only 2 teams have won over half their games is further evidence of this. In light of the current conversations re: Villa this means they're really going to have to get it right, there's no margin for error. Forget missing out on going up, a wrong appointment and any team could find itself near the bottom. Even the teams I thought were much weaker than us have been picking up the odd win of late. Any Championship club this season is a bad appointment away from getting relegated imo.

Wasn't aimed specifically at you, although it seems as though we're of similar opinions of Armstrong. Of course if we had more creativity than Dack, or better retention of the ball - leading to more creativity - perhaps Armstrong's limitations would be less evident/problematic. If a couple of players were capable of sliding it through for him, emphasising his strengths, I'd imagine his performances would increase a lot. Similarly for Evans and Smallwood on that point. Had they a different partner capable of driving forward or passing (as many people including me have said), their weaknesses would be a lot less problematic for the team. Perhaps TM should be focussing on this when working out his best 11.

Bit soon to write off Armstrong imo. Perhaps not our best player, or an automatic starter, but to me a very valuable member of the squad. On the wing, against weaker teams in the division I think he could be a real handful. Up top, probably less so due to his lack of physicality. But with clever balls through from Dack and Palmer (if Palmer ever gets smart about what he should do...) and he could be a decent option - especially if we were playing 2 up front, say chasing a game or against a weaker team. Also given our lack of pace, that alone, makes him a very handy option to have. Either way he's a huge step up from Antonsson, is a better option out wide than Conway too, and has time and talent on his side to improve. IF Armstrong does improve, say gets a bit tougher, or improves his technique a bit more, then we could have a very good player on our hands. For the fee given his potential and current ability Armstrong was definitely worth a punt.

An unusual line up. Hopefully TM has a cunning plan although I don't see it myself. Really need to get back into winning ways, especially after a week or so of the weaker teams picking up points.

Quite a lot of surprising results that'd get Rovers looking down rather than up the table. Wins for a lot of the weaker teams or those who've been struggling - Hull, Reading, QPR and Rotherham. Shows it's not an easy league to predict.

Tough one to rate really without the benefit of hindsight. One injury to either of our centre backs, or possibly our right back, or alternatively teams defend very narrowly against us exploiting our lack of width in attack costing us points and we'll be focusing on the areas we didn't strengthen. Having no natural wingers, a suspect second keeper (although he got rave reviews at his last place before us, I recall) and Nuttall and Travis being squad players rather than first team players in league 1, all seem like missed opportunities to me. Likewise, with Samuel's injury, we're still not much further forward in terms of striker numbers and options, and should Graham get injured the pressure on Bereton becomes immense. There's also the first real possibility under TM for a transfer to really go south in the bad apple of Rodwell. The potential to have a better window is clearly there. That said we've undoubtedly a better squad than we had last season. Not just as they've gone, but even had they stayed the likes of Whittingham and Caddis would be a lot further from the first team. Messers Rothwell and Reid, clearly improvements. I'd also like to think Antonsson had he been our player would get nowhere near this first 11, ahead of Rothwell, and even Palmer. We've more creativity in the squad, a variety of tactical options in centre mid, and have signed some young players - Bereton and Rothwell - with a lot of potential. Having Armstrong back offering pace in a number of positions is also a highly valuable asset. In fact other than our big striker signing, all the players (who've played) already look value for money and solid investments. There's also the potential for a masterstroke in Rodwell, although I doubt it, but if he can rediscover some of his early talent and attitude, Rovers will have a heck of a player. It's a gamble, but if it comes off, it comes off big time. So having externally processed to a message board I'd say yes, overall the window was good. We're better than we were, but there is still work to do and gaps. Not just wishful thinking, every little thing covered gaps, but serious gaps in the squad. Apart from those worries, however, the squad does look a lot stronger and better. So overall because there are significant improvements, coupled with not losing anyone key I think it can only be called a good window. Was it good enough, time, and potential injuries, will be the judge of that, but undoubtedly like most of TM's reign it's been positively solid if not spectacular. Against a backdrop of Venkys chaos, could we have realistically asked for more? One last thing of note - last year's transfer deadline day, (the summer one) I was pleased that TM addressed the 3 key weaknesses in the squad - lb, cb and cm. Of those only Downing turned out to be a good piece of business, with Hart and Harper flopping. It's worth noting that covering positions, isn't always the same as getting in good enough quality. Perhaps that has influenced TM this time, where he has gone for the quality/standard he wants, perhaps over covering all bases.

Given some of the guys we've thanked for their "services" to Rovers in the past, I don't particularly begrudge Caddis thanks for his. Not that they amounted to much, other than knocking a month or two off Nayambe's development, but he wasn't a frauster/complete waster we've had like many others. He just wasn't any good...

I'd imagine the 90 minutes was a bit of a sweetener to get Caddis to agree to a termination of contract, by putting him in the shop window. Can't say I'm at all sorry to see him go. Poor player.

Fun topic. My biggest one was why do we need that American keeper when we've got Filan and Kelly... Was disappointed when TM became manager. Also, no matter how for or against or indifferent any Rovers fan was to Kean or Venkys, I'm convinced no one had an idea of how bad for the club they would be. I think their levels of incompetence and underhandedness went beyond what even the gloomiest Rovers fan expected to happen. In a way Kean and Venkys took everyone by surprise.

Fairly strong analysis but it highlights one big problem in the squad: wingers. Bennett isn't really a winger, and is pretty ineffective ou there. He's much more of a central midfielder, and can more than fill in, in that position. He doesn't create that much out wide whatsoever. That's fine in a more defensive type game, but less so when we're trying to stretch teams. With Conway finished we've very short on natural width as Palmer and Rothwell both will have a tendency to drift in, and I'm not too convinced by Samuel as a winger. Hopefully Reed can be a good right back, otherwise the options there are very shaky. Lenihan will always be needed at centre back, and Bennett seemingly everywhere in midfield, so unless Reed is competent there, that looks to be another hole in the squad. A few posters commented that he can/does when I raised the issue of concern for Nayambe's cover earlier, so hopefully that's sorted. But compared with other areas of the team, it still looks a bit thin to me. Without Bereton which seems to be dragging on, we look a little thin up top too, especially if Samuel has a long term injury. Hopefully that deal will be done soon, and if Armstrong is also fit again soon we should be ok up front. Hopefully ok enough to send out Nuttall on loan too so he can develop more.

Is no one bothered our back up right back is Caddis? Unless Bennett plays there, but he seems to be needed in most of the central midfield positions too. A good quality rb would be my shout allowing Nayambe to slot into cb if needs be. Along with Downing and Williams also able to play there we should have enough at cb, assuming we have cover for Nayambe. Also not one of the wide players in the squad is a winger type who can cross and have a bit of pace.

Didn't see the match but from the reports on here and elsewhere it seems like Rovers got the point through their work rate and effort rather than their ability. It feels from the reports that a draw would have been a fairer result, but after edging the last 2 home games vs Millwall and Reading and not getting the points despite edging them, I wouldn't consider this a "lucky" 3 points. These things even out over time. It's really good that we can work so hard - there will be a fair number of teams where we'll need to take this approach. It also shows that there is a key role for Smallwood in these kind of games, whilst it is very gratifying to see Raya and Lenihen put in good performances, getting the Reading game quickly out of their system. Worries are that the squad is far lighter than it should be. Personally I'd have Nuttall and Travis nowhere near the team - not due to a lack of talent, but as a year of more regular football in league 1 could be the making of them. It certainly was the making of Nayambe, and feel both of these should be on loan to follow a similar development. Factor in the likes of Whittingham, Caddis, Conway etc. in the squad and there's a lot of reshuffling to do to the squad or injuries could really hurt us. Most of all the game shows me how close and tight the championship is - we dominated Reading and couldn't win, Brentford arguably were the better footballing team and couldn't win, this is a close, close league. The rest of the championship results this week also showed this with a number of weaker clubs getting victories. With this in mind, regardless of where we finish, as another poster said, these points are gold dust and set us up nicely for a bid for survival/or charge up the table. Getting the home league win off our back too, will also be a positive. An unexpected but welcome 3 points. Long may it continue.

Bare in mind IF he is a centre mid he's got to be better than Evans - in his best Rovers form ever - Bennett and Rothwell, and potentially have more fight and steel in him than Smallwood to be preferred to him for some games. Personally I don't see that happening. As a centre back it makes more sense squad wise but has he really even played there? Also bit harsh on Downing given how he performed over last season.

I get the £14 million is too much in part as explained above as it's the whole budget (or at very much most of it) and as we both agree we need at least 3 other players. But mainly I don't think £14m is feasible because we a) have £129 million of debt, b) it comfortably smashes our spending record from both when we were a well run club and when Venkys were releasing funds in the early tenure of our championship existence (personally I think they made more than that on fees out but I digress). 14 million is a huge jump and that we've not done so before in a range of other circumstances suggests it's not feasible. C) there's financial fair play which with our attendances and income streams we'd run foul of with a £14 million expense, even over several years. D) The risk - I don't think we'll be relegated but the possibility is there - burdening the club with £4 m + for the next 3 years doesn't make us resilient to that and E) because Venkys net spend over the last 3 years has been very limited, and certainly not to the tune of this size imbalance whatsoever. On top of all these (hopefully) well reasoned arguments my gut reaction too is we can't afford it. I think from many others reaction too £14 million seems a risk too far.

Not sure we can afford 14 million, and am equally sure that if we could we shouldn't be spending it all on one player! Let's say the budget is 8 or 9 million, given the cost of the likes of Dack and Rothwell, surely this money would be better spent on improving the whole squad rather than 1 player in 1 position. Very much an all the eggs in one basket. By my reckoning we need at the very least we need a couple of wide players, a striker and a good right back (as cover and competition). Spread "even" £8 million on those players, say deals of £2 million per place, and you can get some very decent players in and a very competitive looking squad.

Thanks for the info albeit a depressing read. If he is that bad perhaps this is payback for them taking Steele...

Yes, I commented on this in another thread that perhaps Evans and Smallwood are too similar to be playing together. I think the reason we look so good with Bennett in the central 2 is that he offers something different to Evans and Smallwood in that he drives forward a lot more, which makes the midfield a whole lot more balanced. I said in the other thread that whichever of the 2 stayed on in the 2nd half would have looked better and had a better game as they had Bennett in support of them. (That said Evans was excellent second half.) I'd imagine this'd be the same in most teams, even with much higher quality players. I wonder if part of the reason any combination of Tugay/Reid and Savage looked good was because they had very different abilities which complimented each other. How Tugs would have done without Savage getting the ball, or vice versa Savage without Tugay to do something with it - doubt either would have been quite as effective. And yes, I appreciate it's not a total like for likeness - Savage and Tugay were in a different class, but I think the principle is sound: chose a team that compliments each other. I imagine that's what TM was hoping for with Whittingham and Smallwood last year actually, which didn't really work out. At a lower level, the dangers of having 2 similar players in the 2 was probably less apparent in a more forgiving league, too.

Great post. Alternatively if we start taking our chances or getting a final ball in a bit better, that's another way of negating the fact we're a bit soft defensively. However, I imagine tightening things up at the back and getting back to basics would be an easier and more realistic fix.