Sounds like we have similar thoughts. Difference seems to be you seem a bit more sanguine/forgiving than me for the symptom that is TM.

Are you seriously trying to say TM doesn't shoulder any blame? Or at least a decent proportion of it? I mean I am with you, the owners are a much bigger problem - it's the reason the clown is still in post for starters - but to say TM is not really culpable is a stretch. I don't think Venkys forced TM to move Elliott to false 9 when he had been so effective elsewhere, or stick with Walton as gk no matter how poor he was. It is TMs choice how he uses his budget - irrespective of level - and whether to direct any of that towards bringing in a striker. It's TM with the tombola. It's TM who has been on the horror runs. Of course Venkys are a much bigger problem - TM is a symptom not the cause. But my word he's not half an unpleasant symptom of a terrible regime and has made a ton of mistakes.

I mean this is beyond stupid. With people leading busy lives online is a very quick and easy way of doing it. Another barrier to lower sales. It's almost as if they want to reduce the number of fans coming.

Let's not forget the other collapses here as well.

It's a good question and one that ties into our previous chat about whether the runs we go on skew opinions on the manager. Tbh I think it does make a difference as extenuating circumstances help show how good or bad - or perhaps even lucky/unlucky - a manager is. For example I don't apportion too much blame for our relegation to TM because of circumstances. Likewise if we just scraped playoffs now after the position we were in at the turn of the year - a bit like with the negative runs - I think it would show some negative elements to TMs managerial ability. It would suggest he's a one trick manager, some tactical inflexibility and the inability to utilise a transfer window. We were in a stunning position at the start of 22 and we look to be throwing it away.

Strongly disagree. The point is that the issue should not be solely judged on whether it was "got away with" or not. The point also stands that no one in the right mind should or would do it. See above. And yes some credit should be given for rectifying it, but more scrutiny should be given to the idiocy before hand because of how unprofessional it was. Neither of whom were signed. Attempts and achievements are different things. And goodness it's not like they didn't have time to provide a whole list of potential candidates. Fact is despite it being obvious Armstrong was going we didn't get in a replacement.

I guess if I was driving you/family members and I did two terrible and dangerous pieces of driving that you wouldn't be so sanguine if it were only moments or if we got away with and didn't crash. Likewise with these situations. It shows he can't be trusted as a manager. Added to which if it goes down to goal difference would we regret that first half Vs Derby? (Unlikely scenario I know.) Plus there are many instances of other poor choices of playing players out of position albeit not quite as odd as these. Nonsense? Hardly? Not sure how else you would interpret his comments. Also worth noting on Armstrong there was no attempt to replace him even with a free transfer / loan / lower league punt. Hampered by budget, possibly. But blatantly ignored the issue too.

Brilliant post. Post of the Year imo. Few minor tweaks in my book to an exceptional summary. Firstly the club was chronically underfunded under Coyle who well and truly made the mess even worse. With no windows to rectify it and having (one of?) the highest points totals ever for going down, whilst TM is culpable there's far too many mitigate it. In my lifetime I can't remember any manager who saved us from relegation starting as late as he did. Also there were some positive changes on that season under him so I struggle to apportion too much to blame him for that. That said when you see Warnock pull Rotherham out of the mire in harder circumstances or some of Big Sam's escapes you realise that he's not a top tier manager. Secondly the Diaz situation - contraversial but I am not sure how much of a success we can count it. It's hard to factor in opportunity costs but how many clubs can wait 4 years for a transfer to come good, and one who was their entire budget at that? I've said it numerous times but that £7 million invested well giving more of a contribution in any of the last 3 previous seasons could have made a gigantic difference to our success. You are dead wrong about Walton. Average was aspirational for the chap. He was absymal making the swap even worse. Another negative of TM was he never once dropped him even though he clearly was in terrible form. Both aspects of this were criminal. Maybe it's me - you do mention it but it really grinds my gears - but a huge negative has always been that we lurch from one player recruitment crisis to another throughout his tenure. Dack wasn't properly covered in either of his two lengthy injuries (despite multiple windows) and a rediculous shortage of defenders year after year leaving us playing kids and Johnson there. Armstrong wasn't replaced. It's really poor - at least try and replace them. Substandard recruitment is one thing. Not trying is something else entirely. So yeah a 5 at best EXCEPT then there are his comments. Anyone whose comments could be mistaken for Kean is pretty scummy really. In near 30 years of supporting Rovers I have never ever been accused of expecting a 95 rerun. That's disgraceful for a manager to suggest it. Then there's the inciting fans to action against those who criticise the team amongst a whole load of other bull. Knocks him down at least one mark in my opinion. Then there's the playing players rediculously out of position. All managers do it apparently but none, utterly none not even clueless ones like Ince and Coyle would play Gally at right back or Johnson as a false 9. It's so common with him and it's beyond basic - a 12 year old Rovers fan wouldn't do these kind of mistakes. What might have been had he not been so stupid? Factor in all of this and he gets a 4 at best. As you say "some journey"

Not great at all. That said we might be forced to play Nayambe (assuming he is fit.) It's getting sunnier so Ayala should be able to cover at CB.

That is the easiest play off chasing run in that is possible. All mid table bar 1 Vs weakest club in the division and only 1 Vs top 6 opponents. Realistic we couldn't ask for a better run in. Forget it being criminal we didn't secure playoffs from where we were at the turn of the year, that run in is as kind as it gets and it would be criminal to not secure it based on these alone.

On point 2 Gav you are missing the point. If as you say it's not a fair comparison between us and the parachute clubs, what on earth makes Man City a fair comparison to us given there is an even bigger disparity between them and us? No strikers is the modern way? I'd probably class Salah, Mane, Jota and Firmino (or at least some of these) as strikers. Chelsea have Lukaku and Werner. Kane at Spurs. Manure have Ronaldo and Cavani. I'm not sure this really stacks up and is a good defence for us not playing strikers on occasions. Also whilst Gally may have been played there, how many games has he been shunted out wide? Far more than as a striker. It's a bit of an odd one to defend TM on really.

Sadly not as flimsy as our recent scoring record. Also given you often talk about how we can't compete with parachute money (which I also disagree with btw but that's for another day) it seems a bit odd to then compare us to City.

Good point but there's a fair few other differences as well. Back then no one thought playing a DM whose legs had gone as a false 9 was a good idea. Back then we didn't have 4+ years of totally falling away in utter freefall post Christmas. Back then the owners knew something about football. Chalk and cheese really.

You also have to factor in Coyle got shafted funds wise in comparison to what TM will get to spend (even based on this season's current more limited funds for him.) That makes it a hell of an achievement.

Given the amount he has time he has had with us, the youth set up he has inherited, the money spent and lack of pressure on results this is in itself a stunningly impressive feat.

Clutching at the thinnest of straws I think Millwall and Coventry are slipping out of the hunt for playoffs. They both seem to have stalled form wise. Indifferent form and a lack of games left let makes me think they will struggle to get ahead of us. The negative. Boro and Forrest can easily dump us out of playoffs. Worst still we lost a game to Paul Ince, an utterly incompetent manager in charge of one of the weakest teams in the division. Paul sodding Ince. He's zero managerial acumen and somehow he's managed to beat us. Terrible, terrible stuff and a new low for Rovers.

Spoke with a Bournemouth fan yesterday and he thought Parker was a good manager! Mind you given he compared Parker to Tindall and Woodgate I can see.wherre the favourable comparison comes from. That said I was still a tad surprised he thought so highly of Parker, who despite a big budget and a good squad in a poor league seems to be making it as hard as possible to get promoted.

I struggle to convey how bad the Johnson gaff was and how that makes TM a liability even though he has his plus points. Using a building analogy. He knows how to build a wall. He can build a decent if not great one. But you have every chance he will use pritt stick glue instead of mortar. It undermines everything he does Contrast with the likes of Coyle who would struggle to create said wall, but would never confuse mortar and glue. His mistakes are that bad.

And surely responsibility must be taken for Johnson as a false 9? I mean that's beyond stupid. A kid wouldn't do it. No other manager would either. This is why I find it so hard to like him and give him credit because he does things no other professional manager, no matter how substandard, would do. It's hard to praise a recovery - impressive as it was - when his unprofessional errors cause the need for said recovery.

Vital, vital 3 points. Without them we were certain to slip out of the playoffs. Now although it still depends on what other teams do to an extent we have given ourselves a bit more breathing space. We, or rather TM, doesn't half make it hard for ourselves. Dack may not be ready to start but you cannot line up with Johnson as a false 9. That's beyond stupidity and almost cost us. Three goals will do the world of good to the teams confidence and to the individuals who scored them too. It breaks the pressure of where is the next goal coming from which is going to be crucial to the run in. We need to build on this now and keep grinding some more points out.

A random thought on the Johnson debacle. If TM did want a tall physical presence in the middle, if only there was an alleged striker with attributes to fill that role. Madness...

I mean, was Johnson a bit too comfortable at centre back? No one, absolutely no one, would start Johnson as a traditional no 9 much less a false one. No matter what he's merits, these moves which a child simply would not do, are gross incompetence. No, gross negligence, and undo any claim to good work he can make.

We may win because: - We don't concede many. That may keep us in the game, and a goal can come from anywhere - like the QPR keeper error - even if undeserved. If we keep it tight a Derby error/stroke of luck/bit of brilliance could be enough to win it for us. - Derby need the points. They will have to come forward and attack which plays into our hands and allows us to counter attack. - They have a small squad that must be tired and combined with the off field problems and their herculean efforts and still being in trouble, you'd suspect they may be a bit jaded. We might lose because: - You still need to score to win games. And relying on errors from opponents or brilliance isn't the greatest strategy. If we can't score, we can't win. - Derby will be much more up for the fight. The front half of the team don't like scrapping. - TM is guaranteed to do something monumentally stupid to make it harder for us. Playing Giles at right wing, Lenihen at right back, playing Gallagher. Our manager can turn the margins against us with his idiocy. So with all this in mind I reckon it will be a draw. We should win this type of game, we often lose them but I think we will keep it tight enough to get a point.

That's one of our favourite strategies...

Goodness me TMs front knows no bounds! Maybe it's me but the most crucial factor in winning games is y'know scoring goals. Maybe if he focussed on that we night win a few more games...