Getting worried about our ability to stay up. Not that I blame JDT at all. I was worried prior to last season with the squad much reduced, key players still not replaced and an over reliance on youngsters from the academy. This year has seen that but in even starker fashion. At least last year we replaced the three who went on frees with players with championship experience. This year we lost yet more experience, and haven't replaced a single one with any championship experience. We've lost striker after striker and not replaced or replaced with very green players. It's got all the hallmarks of disaster. That we are still in games, picking up points and having some good performances is impressive, but the absolute neglect of the squad is only seeing us go one way. Our squad players are now key men, which they have proved they can't be. We're on barrel scraping and punts on the unknown - some of which won't pan out. It's only going to go one way. Venkys are pure scum for what they have done to this club. To think we shouldn't have been relegated from the Prem, and now Championship future looks sketchy.

Agree. Just because he plays "nice" football he's hailed as some hot prospect in management. Never mind the fact it didn't work at his last 2 clubs, and unsurprisingly isn't working at Southampton either. Bizarre that style over substance allows him to get gigs in the game.

In fairness they wouldn't be able to charge much for lodgings anyway...

"You should judge football on the performance level of the team but we don't, we get judged by results. The results are not very good but the performance level in both games has been pretty good." TM at his finest after yesterday. The man is deluded. Only Sunderland won't put up with it.

Oh I agree entirely. But then as I said the top clubs not playing each other in certain weeks has been around since inqas a lad - which can solely be an entertainment thing - so its not new. Doesn't mean its right though.

I remember reading am article when the fixtures were done by a person not a computer 90s, early 2000s?) and the guy was very open and transparent that it wasn't particularly random. There were all sorts of deliberate changes. I think 2 teams in the same city not playing at home the same time, avoiding other sporting events and top teams avoiding each other in the last week. And those are just the ones I remember. So it doesn't surprise me that criteria like this could be added in, nor do I think they are really promoting it as coincidence either.

Did we not play Walsall in the league under Kidd years back and end up with 9 men? Or am I having a senior moment? As for the game, not sure we have any reserves to play! Feel a weakened side would lose and be overpowered, a full strength team even with current issues would have more than enough to best them.

Absolutely bricking it before the game so a win vs a good championship team is very much appreciated. All the more so considering how thin the squad is. Delighted with the win but more than ever am aching that our owners aren't backing decently our best manager (bar big Sam) of their tenure. The squad is still paper thin and needs experience and cover as others have also pointed out. With that we could really go places - the desire is there, so is the effort, but we need more. Hopefully now a few sales have happened we can invest and go places.

What strikes me about the relegated teams is that all 3 have significant risk to them. Southampton have gone for a manager who is the definition of style over substance. Given that and the spineless way they went down - that culture may be hard to get rid of - despite some talent I definitely wouldn't be backing them to get back up. Leeds seem to have let everyone go out on loan. (Strange that.) As you say the squad is far from sorted but they seem to have shed a lot of talent. Feels like it's a starting again job. Likewise with Leicester. Add in that assistant managers don't always make good managers and it's a heck of a risk. Big difference between assisting at City to leading at Leicester. Mind you Kompany did OK so it can work. All the same though seems risky to me.

Well after a summer off from football and the mb it's back to another season and one that's seemingly stacked against us. A lot of experience has been lost and whilst I think the wages could be perhaps used better from what we'veosr, we've hardly strengthened the squad. Operation depend on the academy continues. Beyond depressed Pears has been chosen as first choice keeper - form is temporary and all that. Still very worried by our lack of striking options. Honestly was last season not enough of a clue we need options up top? Positives, last season I thought we were goosed with so many players gone and was pleasantly surprised (and depressed at the same time) by Rovers finish. So despite feeling like we are up against it again, there's potential and history there to show we can buck the doom and gloom. Plus whilst not a top manager JDT is fsr superior to the previous incumbent. Mind you one of these years the lack of investment will come back to haunt us even more than it has. Onto the game. Eek. West Brom are a good outfit and seemed to have brought and built on last season. They have some very good players who on their day can be deadly. So not at all optimistic about this one. A loss I feel beckons. 2-0 to WBA. Oh and adding to the Waggot debate. If anyone thinks he's competent and a good guy they are off their trolley. ALL the evidence from keeping the previous manager in place despite death spirals through to the January transfer window debacle that was beyond gross incompetence, through to y'know basic A level business principles he doesn't get points out he isn't fit to run a bath much less Rovers. Along with our owners another reason we won't get promoted.

Agree. Call me naive but the performance metric that matters most is wins and losses. Another tool who is passing off failure as success. Agree we need a decent squad but I'm not against stuff like this. It costs relatively nothing and if it improves our limited set of players then overall its money well spent. We have to get the maximum we can from the players we have. Mind you if the attention is on this over securing a squad then yes it is a poor way to run things. As an addition alongside a squad its a good move imo.

What annoys me is the stupid short goal kicks. Inviting unnecessary pressure. It's odd what constitutes the "right" way to play these days

Well done Luton Shows that with an ounce of competencein the board room or ownership we could have been back in the prem, even without parachute payments

The Coventry handball should not have mattered as much as it did. We left ourselves vulnerable to chance and injustice, just like the Huddersfield reserves the season we went down. If we had just turned up for one of those hiding, had a marginally better conversion rate, turned up before he last 10 mins vs a fragile Stoke, heck even just managed the Preston game better then the Coventry injustice would not have mattered. If we had got the basics right in recruitment, even just submitting paperwork in on time, it would not have mattered. Sure its a fine margin but we left ourselves totally and needlessly exposed to that.

The delight in TM failing isn't because of the job he has done at Sunderland which has been pretty impressive. You do feel Neil backed the wrong horse going to Stoke No the dislike is due to Him constantly lowering expectations and taking down about our club, his insulting the fan base, his ignoring big elements of the squad, its his arbitrary reset of the project 3 years in, the idiocy of playing players out of position thinking he's a managerial genius when its plainly stupid, it's playing Walton a whole season and questioning if Raya is a PL goalkeeper, it's encouraging our backroom staff to go to other clubs, it's based on 4 years without playoffs, it's the death spirals, the never taking responsibility. Apart from that I struggle to see why supporters may dislike him.

Delighted that the only manager - and there's been some right duffers and dodgy ones - to say Rovers fans expect 95 hasn't gone up.

Given none of the clubs in the playoffs had parachute payments, and given Rovers and Millwall almost did it also sans payments I don't think that this is the case.

In isolation one of the most entertaining games I've witnessed and cracking entertainment. However I do feel its a sticky plaster over some big wounds. For starters even before considering the wider context of the season no team will succeed giving 2 suicidal goals away. They were terrible terrible goals and don't speak well of the players manager. The Dutch disease is in full swing whilst it reinforced that the weaker keeper is starting. As did the Wharton starting and JRC in midfield leave you feeling why didn't this happen sooner? Brereton shows what he can do when he puts in effort. Shame he couldn't be bothered for the previous half dozen. The biggest thing it showed for me is that due to the neglect of the squad a lot of players are being asked to do roles that are beyond them. Travis useful squad player and does a role, but midfield enforcer and guy to grab the game by the scruff of the neck - definitely not. Pickering OK at full back but really isn't first choice material. Not that this aspect is on JDT, Rome wasn't built in a day, he was left with a hovel to start from and got no support in January. Still there are positives. The academy continues to churn out an array of talent. that should geberate income and allow well spent resources to be spent on good signings allowing us to mount a promotion push without parachute payments. And the team showed there is some fight and ability meaning we can look up instead of downwards. There's lots of work still to be done and everyone including JDT should learn from this season. However if we were this close with all the issues we have, if we can improve on some of these playoffs should be doable.

Well it's eventful...

Agree with the first 2. Which is enough in and of itself to ask the manager what's he thinking. why do we keep on playing substandard ez boro keepers when they drop to third choice at our rivals? Not sure this team has 3 goals in 3 games in it much less in a half Said to my wife today that results would go our way and we would mess it up

We're an elephant away from a circus . Two of the worst goals I've ever seen

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65498068 Lamport getting his excuses in. Although whichever way he cuts it and no matter what excuses he makes ifs still an abysmal run. When you do markedly worse than your predecessor excuses ring rather hollow imo.

The third sentence clearly isn't a fact, especially when you consider his general composure in front of goal. Equally that both teams equalised is also a fact. So I don't think facts support that it was the right decision. Bare in mind too that they can only score - lucky or otherwise - if they are near our goal! Our third of the pitch. So if they hadn't been sitting so deep inviting pressure they'd have struggled to get lucky.

The reason the relationship hit rock bottom was Tuchel wouldn't let the owner and a bunch of friends into the dressing room at half time! That's just sheer lunacy on the part of the owner driving out a very good manager for the sake of his ego. That's a massive criticism and idiocy by the owner who deserves everything he's getting for such incompetence. That can't be held against Tuchel at all.

Excellent post. One of my main worries. Clearly something JDT has inherited but equally something he hasn't tackled. Perhaps unfair to sort in one season, given its deep rooted nature, but how long should he have? Had hoped for improvements in this area but in fairness it's a big ask to change a culture in a year. If it's not tackled over the summer and a marked improvement seen by the halfway point of next season I'd be worried he can't change it or hasn't seen the danger.