Certainly does look more dicey next season, I will give you that. But was our squad better or worse than Boro or Reading or Cardiff for example. I'd say better than all of those. Travis, Elliott, the City defender whose name temporarily escapes me, Nayambe, Kaminski, Lenihen, Armstrong, Rothwell. All good championship level players who can perform well at this level. Then you have talent like Holtby when fit, Gally is useful when used properly (and has done ok as a plan B for us). Warton looks comfortable at this level and of course Dack although neither in the first list due to injury. Heck even Williams is ok back up at centre back and Johnson can have occasional good days. So for me this season even with the transfers we did that squad should be finishing about 7th or 8th. And if a manager could have got them all performing or over performing slightly then that's playoffs for us. So even if not promotion material we should have had a huge crack at promotion. And that's with what we had. Just think had we recruited just a bit better we would have been massively stronger. Had we not wasted money on Ayala - practically any other CB would have had more of a positive impact - then the squad would have been even better equipped for top 6. But I am digressing into transfers. The squad really should have been in or around top 6. Next season though, like you I am more wary.

Can't see Rotherham winning. Shame as they have been dealt a bum deal with Covid. When TM complains about Covid challenges people should point him to Rotherham's situation and highlight that's what a Covid impacted season looks like.

Thing is @Bigdoggsteel whilst not a guaranteed top 6 team if you look at a couple of the teams that are in it, our squad compares favourably to Barnsley and a lot of the chasing pack too. So definitely underperforming imo.

Armstrong and Kaminski are the only 2 candidates really. Hard to see any of the others launching even a vague challenge. (Elliott maybe?) Poor do that when you consider that there were 3 or 4 strong candidates the year we got promoted or in any other year of success.

Blimey if the players needed to acclimatise after a season in league 1 then they are very delicate wall flowers. It's total bull. Raya had experience of playing in 2 seasons of the championship. Lenihen and Nayambe had some, albeit limited, championship exposure. Mulgrew had a year of championship with us and then had played for Celtic before that. Bennett and Evans, a number of seasons in championship with us. Evans at Hull before that in the, erm Championship. Graham hadn't played league 1 since Carlisle after stints in the championship and premiership for years. Armstrong had played for Bolton in the championship, whilst Bereton was also at a championship club. Dack Bell and Smallwood yes, had come up from league 1. 2 of them were (I think) in the League 1 team of the season so in theory wasn't a huge jump. However 3 of your core 15-16 players is hardly a bunch of newbies who have no idea what they are getting into. Also how on earth does Covid affect us and no one else? I mean, on what planet can that be said with a straight face? And even if it did affect us badly how come smaller clubs like Preston, Reading and Barnsley have out performed us in these circumstances?

Evans going is brilliant news. Excluding the injuries - which have been a ridiculous amount - and the piss take of being fit for internationals, he isn't very good. In fact he only looked good in league 1 which is about his level. Poor player. Tin hat on time but I would have rather kept Smallwood than Evans. Not saying Smallwood was great but at least he can tackle. Evans looks very busy but actually isn't particularly good at any part of the game. Holtby - disappointing but the right call. Heck of a talent but too inconsistent and injury prone. As an individual case he's worth letting go, but questions need to be asked why very few gambles come off for Rovers, especially when there is talent there. I'd prefer us to keep JRC and Nayambe and think we have extensions to protect us for another year. As for the rest none are a great loss and certainly aren't value for money. It does have shades of Bowyer's last year all over it however which is a tad ominous.

On Holtby he's certainly got talent and can put in a cracking performance but far too injury prone and inconsistent. Problem is that both criticisms can be leveled at too many of our other players too for it to be coincidence. Which means we are either appalling at recruiting or not getting enough consistency out of players. Either way it's a managerial failing.

No arguments on Rovers focussing on developing others' talent over our own. I appreciate what you are saying on Elliott and I think there's a fair bit to it. My counter would be if he didn't have those weaknesses he wouldn't be on loan, certainly not in the championship, and we wouldn't have had him if he were more of the finished article. A lot of players in this division have weaknesses. Good managers compensate for them and ensure they have the least effect possible on the team. TM really didn't do that well with Elliott in that regard, especially when played as one of a midfield three rather than front three. In either position with what Elliott was adding, it was far more than his weaknesses. Had we a better set of midfielders covering for example, his weaknesses I think wouldn't have been as noticeable. It's only when factored in alongside an immobile central midfield (bar Travis when fit) and a lack of physicality from strikers that it becomes a bigger problem. As you say though, there are still areas to work on his game, and ultimately Liverpool are the winners in this. Far from being the final pieces of the jigsaw to push us into playoffs, our loan signings are essential for us functioning. Not a healthy way to run a club whatsoever. Also TM managed to nullify his strengths as well as not compensate for his weaknesses with his false 9 guff. That takes a special class of manager.

Indeed, that makes things even worse. Even if we do get 24 million for him - which we really, definitely, won't - that would still work out as about 14-17 million (depending on whether it's a sell on on the transfer fee or just profit). Good but still not in the same league. More likely, with my most optimistic calculation of a £20 million pound sale, we'd be looking at 13 million, and if it's my more realistic calculation of £16 million we'd be looking at around 12. And 12 million as we have discovered, does not buy a decent striker round these parts...

As usual towards the end of the season (as well as at the half way point) I often start a thread evaluating how well, or badly, we have done in the transfer market. This is my thoughts on this year's incomings. Kaminski - 9 The chap has a huge advantage in following Walton, on whom a traffic cone would have been an upgrade. Even when dialling back the enthusiasm for having a keeper who doesn't drop a clanger per match as per the previous incumbent, he's been pretty good. There's been a few errors and erratic moments of late, which isn't great, but when you factor in his fee (£700K I think) then he is still hugely value for money, even with a few erratic moments. Another positive is that he suits our passing style, which is only marred by the fact very few of his team mates also suit this style... Pears - 3 Given we haven't paid a fee in three years for a defender (Pickering counts for next year) it is head scratching that we paid a fee for a reserve keeper, a player who doesn't play often. What makes it even worse, is from the games he has played he hasn't looked that good. The icing on the cake is that he's on a 4 year deal. And the cherry on top is he's keeping a Greek lad who on paper looks very promising out of the picture. Am not sure it could have got much worse unless he was our number 1 keeper. Why do we persist with buying Boro third choice keepers? It never ends well. Douglas - 3 Whenever there is even some debate as to whether Bell is better than you, then you know that a player has seriously underperformed. No pace, lots of defensive errors, and his main asset of whipping in crosses is as useful as a condom machine in the Vatican given we only play players who are comfortably under 6 foot as a number 9. What a waste of a wage, and a liability. Also seemed injured a lot, which is negative points as well. Only redeeming feature is that he was on loan. Ayala - 2 Because if you have Williams and Lenihen as two of your other centre backs you really can't afford to have someone injury prone. The most notable thing about him is he's been injured more than the aforementioned centre backs which is perversely impressive. A three year contract adds to the appalling nature of the signing. And, it may be my memory playing tricks on me, but he looked pretty ordinary on the rare occasions he played. Terrible signing. Braithwaite - 4 Bonus points for being a centre half and staying fit, as neither are a requirement to play centre back for us. As it is, we did Everton a huge favour in playing him. He looked very limited and awkward to me, and whilst we needed centre backs I really don't think he was the answer. His inexperience showed. If we are to gamble, there needs to be a bit of a chance it works in our favour. Harwood Bellis - 8 Aside from a stint in the "I'll play everyone I can there before Nayambe" position he looked fairly solid at centre back. Still part of a defence that leaked too many silly goals, but overall i think he looked ok and did fairly well as cover, especially for what (I think?) is his first loan stint at this level. Trybull - 6 Apparently we're paying peanuts towards his wages which is a big plus in the transfer column. Personally preferred him to Johnson and Evans and thought was an improvement on both of those, but not quite good enough to cut it in the first 11. Useful without being good, he improved on what we ad which is a positive. Sadly that wasn't too difficult and he both managed to achieve this distinction and not really make a huge impact. An inoffensive signing if ever there was one. Elliott - 9 Pace, trickery, class and a heck of a lot of assists. Started doing too well, so TM moved him about until he found a place he was ineffective as a false nine. Well done Tony, that takes a managerial genius to stifle such a talent. I think the lad did everything that was asked of him, and if not the finished article by a long way, what he contributed to the team should have made much more of a difference if the rest of the team had done as well as him. Dolan - 8 Rated so highly not on impact but upon his potential, talent and the fact he was a bargain basement find. Gives us much needed energy and excitement, and although raw has the attributes to become a very promising member of the squad. Given he cost peanuts, that's a very good piece of business. So there we have it. Didn't rate the Greek lad as he hasn't played. Nine players with an average of 5.8 which is far from stellar. What makes it more frustrating is that average aside the signings either seem to be boom or bust - very good like Elliott or Kaminsiki, or dire like Douglas or Ayala. What's even more worrying is that very few of the good signings are permanent ones, leaving us very little to build on in the next window. These are my thoughts, but do others agree?

Not going to happen. As in there is no way it's going to be 24 million as a transfer fee. Go to a Premier League club , quite possibly, but not for that type of fee. Firstly I'm not too sure he's worth that. It's been a good 12-18 months for him but it's really only in that time he has shone. Given his weaknesses, his wastefulness and struggles with one on one I can't see him being worth above the £20 million mark. More significantly he's in the last year of his contract which easily knocks a third off his value minimum. Admittedly fag packed maths but you look at all last year of the contract sales and it is significantly less than their one value, so assuming a third is knocked off is not an unreasonable assumption. So let's assume that he is worth 24 million (though am not convinced) being in his last year that would garner a fee of around £16 million. Heck to get £24 million in his last year of his contract he would have to be worth well north of £30 million which he clearly isn't. Even if we generously allow for depreciation of a quarter for final year of contract we are still looking at him being worth over £30 million to get a £24 million fee. And that's a heck of a stretch even with blue and white tinted glasses on. So £24 million really isnt going to happen. In fact I'm pretty sure the fee will be under the £20 million mark.

Think this is a great point. There is a lot of players who aren't playing to their full potential. Very few players seem to live up to their promise. Outside of Dack and Armstrong which players have really progressed?

A meaningful game and normal service resumed as we fail to win. Of course Rotherham must be pretty shattered after so many games in such a short space of time, so a point reflects better on them rather than us. Not much interest in how the season peters out. We always seem to have a bit of a lift once there's no pressure (just as we always do badly when there is pressure.) In light of this there's little to get excited about for next season. Mind you most of the team won't be here, or shouldn't be, so it's difficult to maintain interest.

Mate that's not a birthday present, that's a birthday, Christmas, Easter, Hannukah and sod it I'll treat myself present all rolled into one.

I have two memories of Grella playing. One Vs Boro home where he actually looked rather good. Can remember my Dad saying he's pretty good if he can stay fit. Sadly he never did. The other was Hull away where he injured himself taking a shot. That summed up his time with us completely.

Why I think he might go: 1) there are a number of rumours floating around. 2) he must realise he is doing crap and I think his pride might mean he goes before we get in the relegation zone thereby keeping his reputation intact (don't agree with the latter but can see him thinking like this.) 3) the scheme of decision and delay to implementation is very Venkys. 4) Selling off the training ground has stalled. Why I don't think he is going 1) Results, poor transfers etc would have got him the boot long before now if they mattered. It did for GB and Coyle. 2) He is trusted by them. 3) His mate is CEO 4) He is in full self preservation mode which wouldn't be necessary if he were going - like is arse licking article the owners are brilliant people. 5) Our owners don't get any decisions right - so can't see him being forced out. Blimey if only we were a normal club! I'm honestly not getting my hopes up he is going. The only faint hope for me is he is so prideful that he might not bare to see us in the bottom 3 and that is a certainty next season if he stays. My hope is his pride is greater than his avarace.

Did I read this right? No excuses says TM, whilst not shouldering the blame (why would he?) BUT the second half of the article is full of excuses - that the excuses come and go, relegated teams have too much financial muscle, the schedule (which only hinders us apparently) the pitch. No excuses apart from the truck load of excuses he goes on to offer. And then of course there is the best excuse yet - the one that both highlights his inability as a manager and is cringe worthy on a Super League scale. "Some teams haven't had the season we expected" ie they have done better than we thought. The vipers! How dare they? I mean how low can Total Mess sink when he complains of the opposition performing well? What. A. Plank.

Ignoring results for a moment - which very much seems the way things are done at Rovers - it's still stupid he is here. We need TM to do a rebuild because of TM's previous rebuild job. I mean on every level that is illogical. You wouldn't go to a mechanic to fix your car, which needs fixing because of what the mechanic did before, you wouldn't use the same builder whose last repairs lasted such a short period of time. The fact we need a rebuild after four years of TM speaks volumes of why he shouldn't be given the rebuild job and what an utterly crap job he has done all round.

It's a thought. I mean we know it's not based on ability or performance. Which means it has to be something else.

Totally forgot about this game on the day, not that I cared much, but it seems vintage Rovers. The tombola came out, we didn't score, TM made a ton of excuses that don't stand up to scrutiny. The fact that 4 years on Evans can get a place in the team makes mockery of the idea of a journey or standards. That Bennett played right back can be considered gross negligence. That a poor Wednesday side without their manager managed to beat us speaks volumes. Results like this show us that the Derby win was the anomaly and that we are a poor team who are struggling badly. Another black mark against Total Mess.

Not much in it for City. If anything the current model benefits them far more. As I said fear and greed and City have little need for either. It's why I am surprised Juventus have signed up and why I don't think PSG and Bayern haven't as they already dominate their leagues.

This is why I think it had been pushed. Even with the current model being in their favour many of these clubs aren't getting the success that they want. Rather than earn it they want to sneak it in. Money and fear, that's what this is about and there is a lot of fear involved. After all how many plastics will stay if they continue not to win or be in the limelight.

The way TM is carrying on, I've a horrible feeling that TMs successor is possibly getting his first professional contract as a player...

Another win to show TM is a managerial genius. Wednesday are poor and don't have their manager there. We have no pressure, they need wins. All set for a win that proves TM is the right man for the job and that that 15 game stint was just a minor blip where we were unlucky. Expect rotation, expect excuses regardless of the result. Now we are not going to get relegated my interest is at an all time low for these games under the odious one mk 2.

Just to point out Brentford - that massive club we one day aspire to be like - have got through 3 managers in their revolution. Warburton, Smith and the current chap. If Brentford are such a food model then surely that shows losing the manager isn't the be all and end all of said identity and chances. Why does no one in the media pull him up on his drivel.