Blue blood

An excellent test of our promotion chasing credentials. Reading are a decent side, doing very well so it will be a challenge. However as others have said they seem to be performing above their ability and it isn't a team to massively fear. So not an easy game but one which is winnable, and will say s lot about how serious we are for a promotion push. Personally predicting a draw, as we are a decent side and just as good on paper, but not good enough I think to beat the divisions in form team.

A few thoughts: Huge win. We were on a losing streak and we know these can be there to stay at Rovers under TM so breaking that was massive. It also means the positivity and some momentum from the early games, along with the self belief will have got a healthy boost. A win means we can put a few disappointing results behind us and imo mentally changes the perception of things. The scoreline reinforces this. A ,1-0 win would have still been good against 10 men but not sure whether that would really boost confidence or help the team focus upwards rather than downwards. The new formation suits a lot of players including our midfielders and attackers. It has imo made Bereton into an asset rather than a liability, enables our young attacking talent to shine and suits our current crop of midfielders. On that I much prefer the new lad from Norwich to Evans. Early days but seems to have more about him. Speaking of Rovers villains what has happened to Williams?!?! Much stronger performances. Another high scoring win shows we have the potential for playoffs. This is why the losses are so frustrating. There's still some.strong hints of why we imo won't make playoffs but could. We're a tad wasteful up front and make stupid decisions like Gally on the wing. Sure he scored but overall it looks flawed. Things like this hold us back. Reading will be a better test of how good we are. I think the squad could break top 6, the talent is there, but unsure whether the manager can get us there. Now that sounds familiar.

A good player can look rubbish in the wrong system, whereas any player can perform/do a job and thrive if they have the right formation and role. I suspect that is what is happening with Bereton now. I'll be honest I think there's a large element of the formation suiting Ben- which neither of the previous formations did - in his upturn in form alongside individual improvement. But that's a good thing given the formation seems to favour the squad we currently have, and many other players benefit from it as well as Ben so long may it continue. I worry that the new formation might not suit Dack which leaves an almighty conundrum and a difficult choice. But at least the current set up means we are getting something from our 12 million presently which given we won't be getting a return from Gally on the wing is even more positive.

Thing is Dreams I would LOVE for you to be proved right, I really would. Honestly I think it's hard to justify his time elsewhere - or the last two years here - as reasons why he will get us promoted. It all hinges on this year's better squad. Well perhaps not all, but a lot. How will this squad do. Very early days admittedly but the first signs are pretty average. Agree it will take a few games to see this. Some of the credit you give him on the squad I feel is overkind given he made some of those problems. The left back situation and keeper situation were both of his own making! Especially the keeper one. (And in doing so cost us horribly last season.) The squad is miles better than the one that he inherited, albeit Coyle had no money to spend. Whilst raking back over past mistakes be they errors in signing (our strikers) or omission (the defence) it does suggest that whilst we seem to have had a good window, i perhaps don't rate TM as highly as you do when it comes to transfers. Certainly for me past evidence makes me more cautious when considering this window, which I think looks a good one, given the patchiness of his previous recruitment. On the scouting network the keepers are a good start but I was disappointed they didn't bring in any outfield players. As it is we seem to have done ok without it but I wouldn't say it's a rousing success. Perhaps there's an element of it being half full or half empty depending on your view. But to me in part that's the point. It's clearly half not mostly full. TM is decent no doubt about it but I have real reservations that he's actually good.

Fair question, my answer is as follows. Firstly, referring to his past history, yes he has had previous promotions, but only two of them. One of them with us, he had quite favourable circumstances for doing so (our budget and player quality were markedly higher then most other teams). That's not to say he doesn't deserve credit for it - he certainly does - but it does give a bit more perspective. Certainly it's not a similar situation getting promoted from this division with our squad, which as you say has been mid table, compared when we were strong favourites. Certainly don't want to do him a disservice and say it isn't to his credit, but it's not overwhelming evidence that he will do it again. In fact he only has 1 promotion from this division. In fact his record isn't amazing. He bombed at Celtic - which is hard to do - and Coventry. He didn't get Boro promoted or that near to it either. Looking at his history elsewhere I don't think one long-ago promotion paints a compelling picture that he will do it again. Heck, even Coyle has a promotion and 2 good years with Burnley, and Ince had a League 1 promotion, so his record I don't think indicates a likelihood of success. In fact quite the reverse, of staying mid table, not over achieving at all. Then there's his time at Rovers. The only thing consistent in his time here has been inconsistency. We put on great runs but we also put on bad runs That is a fact and suggests he doesn't have the consistency to get us promoted. That record seems to extend into this season - won two, drawn one, lost three. That's absolutely average. For the last two years his runs have shown he will have mixed form. Then there's the bottling it repeatedly. Last season for example, post lockdown we were poised to make playoffs. We then didn't capitalise on it, after a promising win vs Bristol (?) and we thought the chance was gone. The teams above us then fluffed it for a few games, and we again didn't capitalise on it. Same with pre-Christmas coming up to the Wigan game. Same with this season. We were in the playoffs (albeit after 3 games!) after a really encouraging start and then bottle it by getting 1 point from Cardiff and Forrest. Bare in mind Forest for all their new manager hadn't got a point, and the Cardiff game finished with them having 10 men. The games were there for the taking. There is very little mental strength in this team to take advantage of these situations. Also if you've spent the vast majority of the last 2 seasons outside the playoffs, it's pretty suggestive that it needs a hell of an improvement to hold down a play off place. There's other things as well. He's loyal to players for too long, which has been a repeated theme. As has the baffling players out of position. We continue to have Gally on the wing that just doesn't work. Again basics like this suggest that we will never get promoted because we are handicapping ourselves. We also struggle to break down weaker teams. That's been a challenge in all 3 full seasons of TM, even in our league 1 campaign. I had hoped we had broken this issue with our Wycombe and Derby wins, but 10 man Cardiff suggests this issue still hasn't gone away. I don't want to have an anti-TM rant. He's done a lot of good too. The squad is better and we are now a solid mid-table side, as oppose to the relegation certs he took over. I'm also grateful he got us promoted too. However, to me, the evidence from both during his time at Ewood and his previous career suggests he is not the man to get us promoted.

Think this game will favour our attacking team. Please no Evans Johnson combo. In fact no Evans full stop. Where's Rothwell as he looked very comfortable in cm? Assuming he is injured. Need more dynamism and consistency in cm. Not a fan of Bereton but feel after a goal it's hard to drop him. That said I think it's the kind of game Dolan would do well in as well as Elliott. Good problem to have I suppose. Defence still looks thin. Williams and Bell don't strike me as ideal choices so hopefully Douglas fit and ready. Also with Lenihen not in great form we really are struggling for options in defence which could be our undoing. That said I think we will outscore them and win 3-2 or 2-1.

After checking the Rovers score twice on Tuesday evening completely forgot about the game on Wednesday. In light of my Rovers related amnesia, I won't comment too much, other than to say scoring can only do Ben the world of good, and the result seems to confirm my suspicions we are a mid-table side. Promotion winning teams get something from that game. Think my Watford for promotion prediction (which I nabbed off someone else) also looks strong given we are a good attacking outfit and they saw us off by a comfortable scoreline.

TM is clearly the best manager we have had under Venkys. The evidence strongly supports this. TM also is clearly not good enough to get us promoted. The evidence strongly supports this too. That both statements are true generates much of the debate on here. As does the fact that leaving our inept owners and their pet agency to choose a new manager is riskier than skydiving without a parachute. Were Williams and co here TM would have been long gone for not being good enough. As it is we are stuck with the cluckers so TM is here until the cows come home (whatever that means, I think it means a long time which is apt.) So we will continue to drift along midtable, with moments of optimism and fear intermingled with a solid middle of the pack finish.

It's almost like if you get the defence right the rest follows. Build from the back might be a cliché but it's also very true.

Armstrong reminds me a bit of Benni MacCarthy in that sometimes be doesn't do much but pops up with a goal from the one chance he has. Nothing wrong with that sort of player but it does mean the others really have to be on their game. Evans strikes me as a fair weather player. I've never seen him have a decent game unless we are well on top. Even then I don't think he is really good at anything, just not terrible at anything either. Didn't Johnson have a good start last season before fading? Think he is an inconsistent player equally capable of pulling a 9/10 performance or a 3/10 performance. Makes it a hard dilemma as to.whether to pick him or leave him out. Just a few thoughts.

Hmm. Same old Rovers and why we aren't going anywhere under TM. Gally still wasted on the wing. We still struggle to break teams down. We still get a nosebleed when we get in/near playoffs. We are still gloriously inconsistent. Played 5 won 2, lost 2 drawn 1, is utterly typical Rovers form. The good news is it is better than any other chancer we ha e had since Venkys rocked up, the bad news is it will never get us promoted. We'll go on a few runs that will get our hopes up, and a few that get us nervous, but I don't think we will trouble either end of the table too much.

So, so much wrong with this. Look I'm happy with this window but Saint Venkys it is not. There are so many factual inaccuracies in this. We were always going down? With Big Sam as manager? With a 10th place finish? With the squad we had? No money with the new TV deal that came in? Blimey all your evidence leads to the opposite of what you say! Also even if we were to go down - which we really, really weren't - that is NOT the same as the chaos that followed and years in the wilderness. Relegation is not akin to 5 years of chaos and Kean and Coyle as manager. Just don't get why you would want to deny the blatant truth that Venkys destroyed a comfortably premiership team... Since TM it's been great you say. Well even if we somehow ignore the first 7 years (which in principle we don't do, think how someone would respond to my later charity work after murdering a relative of theirs, I am not sure they would be too enamoured), it's not been all great. Promotion contending team? The last 2 seasons we have hardly been in the playoffs. It's a stretch. Not done anything wrong? Other than losing streaks ignored, the manager appointing a mate as his boss, very late budgets, having to go to India to talk to them, the state of Ewood park. A lot better than it has been but still not good. What makes it even worse is we know what a great owner looks like in Jack Walker. And yet people are happy with these chancers. Madness.

Yep. Noticed him going on loan and think JacknOry sums it up. Utter show pony. One of the most unimpressive of the TM era. May have some technique but my word he really hasn't the brains or nous or application for the game.

Well surprising sums up this window but for once it's maybe more positive than negative. Firstly the negatives - i'm really not sure why Pears signed. I mean it's going to be detrimental to either his or the Greek lad as only one keeper can be number 2 so not sure what is going on there. The only consolation is that given Kaminski and the Greek lad both are from overseas and therefore carry a bit of risk of not adapting (although I like what I've seen and heard about both of them) I guess you could say it's an additional security of having a keeper adapted to this league. Still seems a bit like a favour to a mate though. The other negative is it's a lot of loans, which means a potential reset next season. I get it was a hard one of either one in permanently or a couple on loan, and we had a lot of spaces to be filled so I can see why they went for that option. However I do feel it means there's a fair bit of rebuild next season. The positives. We've hugely improved on left back. Exactly the quality needed, a top 6 Championship left back. Excellent move. It gives us a pretty strong back line and first 11. Exactly what was needed. Also I said we needed numbers and we got numbers. I felt we were short of defensive cover, centre mid and on the wing and two of those three were filled. Ok I guess all three were but I would have liked an extra defender on top of a left back. However, this is a minor gripe as all three positions that were identified as weakness were addressed. Again, that's a big positive. The Liverpool lad I feel will either be a big flop or a huge success. He could however be a masterstroke and wildcard. So long as it's not your main option (which I don't feel it is) a wildcard like this may be the difference between playoffs and not. Certainly compared with Chapman I think the Liverpool lad may turn out to be a stronger option and we certainly could've done with that X factor Vs Cardiff. I'm pleased we now have that wildcard option. No idea about the Norwich chap but a midfielder which was needed, and seems to have decent pedigree so may be an astute move. That said Evans got promoted with Hull, so no guarentee of success, but again it seems like a solid move. Overall I think it was a good window. Not ideal but with no money could we have done better?.I'm not sure we could have. It seems a nice mix of youngsters and experience with few ageing players which may improve the success rate of TMs transfers. Not getting carried away but feeling much more pleased and optimistic than I thought I would.

Yes it's one step away from proposing that clubs outside the big 6 are not allowed to shoot or tackle. Perhaps they should add in fines for scoring against the big 6 too. How anyone can look in the mirror whilst suggesting these changes is beyond me.

My project restart (which wouldn't be called that, operation sort out the crap is more apt) would be. Champions League for winning your league only plus last year's winners. 2nd, 3rd and League cup in Europa League FA Cup winners go into the reinstated Cup Winners Cup. Limited squad sizes so big clubs cannot hoard all the players. U23 teams cannot play in league trophy tournament (thereby defeating the tournaments purpose.) Agents paid by players not by clubs. Agents cannot have any mixed interests, for example "advisory" roles in running clubs. Fit and proper test to be revamped to actually do some good. FA Cup games to be shown on normal TV. Limited KO times, no 6 pm on a Sunday nonsense. As an aside I find Arsenal paying 45 mill for a player whilst laying off 55 (I think) staff is disgusting. I'd look for rules to prevent this sort of thing too.

Excellent post. And then I hope America gets a hold of it, uses.their extra financial muscle and makes them the paupers. That would be a dose of their own medicine.

Agree. No wonder I hate the big clubs. It's an attempt to ensure those on top remain that way forever. If it goes ahead, which at some point I think it will, I really hope it crashes and burns. Destroying what skewed competition remains would put me off football I think.

It's interesting that you arbitrarily draw the division line at 2018. It's an unusual place to put it as it's well after the chaos of 5 managers and the Kean era. It seemed then there was a change in tack with how things are done, albeit with the next 3 incumbents we were still badly run and gave us no success. So I'm a little bit at a loss as what operationally has changed since TM came in, as oppose to under Lambert or Bowyer that warrents such a divide. Even if we do accept such a division you still have to ignore the previous 8 years. The fact is they are the same and are responsible for those 8 years. You can't just imagine it away or wash away their responsibility for it. Not the consequences of us as a club experiencing the effects of those 8 years. Our league position , our finances etc are all a result of their tenure. Such a division doesn't really exist practically. Getting over those two obstacles I still take issue with the couldn't be better since TM. Still plenty of issues. TM getting the gig in part because of the agency he is with - having such a limited pool of candidates isnt healthy. having his mate as his boss. Form not counting for anything (12 without a win for starters.) Delays in telling him what the budget is. Ewood falling into disrepair. No re-engagement with the lost fans. Whilst positively philanthropic compared to their early efforts it can't really be seen as good in an objective sense. Still far too many problems from our owners, who are seen in a positive light only because of how fire they were previously.

Forest have a good manager and along with a talented if underperforming squad become more of a threat. Barnsley without their manager look a lot weaker and more likely for relegation. Just goes to show how important the right manager is at this level.

How many strikers do they need? Mind you they've had so much talent over the years and still not managed promotion. Can't imagine this lot will be any better, whoever they bring in.

Well that makes me feel a lot better. Was it just the European one that shut then? I guess that means no more taking advantage of the European scouting network. As I said I feel there is still a lot to do, so it's good that the window hasn't fully closed.

Hmm another window goes by and this may be controversial but am a tad disappointed by it. The plus is the keeper situation seems really sorted with two promising keepers. Given we started with none to have this locked down for years is a big step in the right direction. Would have preferred Tosin to Ayala both stylistically and reliability wise, although appreciate wages may have made Ayala a much more realistic target. That said with a fee of £2 mill surely there was room for a bit of enticement from Rovers, a signing on fee, a low release clause for a premiership club etc. However we do have a dependable centre back which is a positive too. Dolan also looks a steal and an unexpected bonus. He plays wide as well which is also good given our squad balance. Given his age and experience however we can't rely on him too heavily. The negatives for me are still mostly in defence. No first choice left back - and though free agents are available it's a much smaller market. We are still a player away (maybe two) from a top 6 team. We also bemoaned last season having only 3 centre backs and unless Warton' makes a step up that's still the case. Especially given one centre back is also covering left back and all 3 have somewhat sketchy injury records. I've banged on elsewhere about a cm so won't repeat myself except to say I feel it is a need. And up front we have lost Graham and Samuel and haven't improved upon Gally and Bereton, which strikes me as rather risky. Another decent attacking player could have made all the difference, especially as neither Gally or Bereton are high scorers and the Gally on the wing experiment seems set to continue, hampering us. We've had a decent start. When we play well we are a good team. No surprise though imo we had a poor result as soon as we are in the playoffs. And I can't help thinking just one or two extra players, a few different options, could have made all the difference Vs Cardiff. And I suspect that might be the case in many other games this season too.

I brought a car as a long term investment. Doesnt mean I limit its use to once a week. Wrong message imo. Teams always should be looking to improve. Contrast this with what Kenny etc have said - it's a different mentality and a more successful one to be looking for better than you have. Would never have signed Bellamy, Samba, Nelson, heck or the Shearer or Cole with that attitude. That said I think looking for a left back is giving him a bit of a kick up the arae and improving his performances.

Hi no problems with you quoting my post or disagreeing in parts. That said we both hugely agree about the left back and keeper issues. The disagreement centres on a couple of positions. I don't think anyone is saying the squad is wafer thin but needing strengthening in a couple of areas. Bit of a difference. Personally I think the two areas mentioned do need strengthening. You list who is out, and therein lies the problem. Travis is out for a while, months. Evans is out regularly. Therefore there is a significant thinness to the central midfield options. Their being injured supports the point I was making! Especially when you factor in Holtby and Johnson's fitness records. I will admit it's an availability rather than a numbers issue, but the effect is the same - we need another body in there. Of the players you mention I don't know about Butterworth and Vale but neither have really played so perhaps wouldn't be relying on them. The bigger thing for me is how few of those injured, certainly those proven in the squad, can play wide in attack (properly!) Again this suggests that we are thin out wide in attack. I'm not saying there's no depth, that a whole revamp is needed, but rather that certain positions look thin, either due to numbers or the reliability of those to be available.