I got the impression from the article we would look at the keeper situation regardless of if Walton stayed. That's how I read it. It doesn't say if Walton goes back we will look or we will look in case he goes back but that we will look for someone in January (the inference being Walton hasn't done that well.) It speaks volumes about a keeper that the best slant on the debate is he hasn't been as bad as some have thought! It really shows that we have a very limited keeper as our number one. (Contrast this with how we talk about Tosin or Downing.) Again this doesn't reflect well on the club. If we knew since April we had to get a new one in and still couldn't find one of a desired calibre then it shows the club in an even worse light. I also think this shows Raya was thrown under the bus a bit for our defensive frailties last year.

Interestingly he says we'd address it again in January. That one fell flat. Seems like we were unfortunate in 2 keepers turning us down, but shows the risk of getting rid of players before replacements are lined up. Walton though again seems polar opposite to what we wanted in every sense (according to this article) so it's a very odd back up plan to have. Not sure this puts TM in a good.light.

Most before my time (bar Mimms) I think but yes, we have had a rich history of keepers. In fact the only bad one I can think of prior to Venkys was Fettis and in fairness he was 3rd choice brought in because of bad look with injuries. Since Venkys we have had Steele, Kean and Walton - makes you weep. Incidentally on this had we had better keepers since Venkys and good management perhaps Raya would have had a few more loans out and ironed out his mistakes elsewhere before becoming a top keeper for us, rather than becoming the first choice keeper by virtue of not being appalling. Perhaps not but not occured to me. Good to know we were after better than we got but begs the questions as to why we sold before we had one lined up and why we deviated so much from what we wanted when our original targets said no? The Walton deal seems as far away from what we wanted as possible and makes no sense. Am sure there must have been other experienced keepers out there too, even if just a loan.

The bit in bold does sound a bit huffy! Am not too sure where to start on this as it is a mega piece of deflection, again. Ok, let's start with opinions: He gives 3 or 4 reasons why we won't go up - facts you ignore or have no comeback to. Now - and this is key - just because someone has an opinion doesn't make it correct or valid. I might have the opinion we're going to get relegated or I'm the next Alan Shearer football wise. Now just because I have these opinions doesn't mean they are correct or valid or particularly likely. (Neither of these are btw.) So just stating this is my opinion doesn't make it correct or in line with reality. For example my "we are going to get relegated opinion" - people could point to the number of points between us and relegation, our form, the number of teams below us and their form and so on - all showing that the huge likelihood is we aren't going down. My response of "well that's my opinion" doesn't make my opinion any more credible. Do you see what I'm saying here? At least in your last post you used a fact. Ok, it doesn't answer the issues put to you why we won't get promoted but it is a fact and shows its possible for teams to come from nowhere. My response - engaging with this point -is yes teams come from nowhere so it is technically possible. In fact I think one team will come from nowhere in, and often does so it is one piece of evidence for us possibly making it. However there are still the 3 or 4 issues highlighted going against this fact/Villa case study. Also factor in Villa changed their manager (we haven't) and brought in a couple of key players like Mings (we brought no one) which were the catalyst for this change/promotion push. Given we have neither of these factors to give us a boost I would suggest it is unlikely to see us make a similar upward charge. Hopefully the above engages with your point and shows my thoughts on it. Apologies if this is a bit passive aggressive - not the intent. What I am trying to show is that just stating an opinion doesn't make it valid and that people's points need to be engaged with.

I said it before and I will say it again. Regardless of the disputed level of Raya, this only benefits us if we have a better keeper in. We don't and he's not even ours so it's hardly a cause to celebrate if Raya drops clangers at Brentford. Really hoping we don't sign Walton but get a solid (if unspectacular) keeper who has a bit more experience and consistency. Goodness to go from Flowers, Filan and Friedel in my lifetime to this...

Apart from that though it's going great! The wider context of Ipswich shows Lambert isn't doing that well at all. When you compare McCarthy had them midtable-ish and you think that they have fallen a heck of a way in 2 poor managers. Lambert looking less like a manager with each passing year. Thought he was a good one when we appointed him but actually over time his overall record is rather poor.

That's not particularly fair Chaddy! You ask why not. He gives some reasons why it may not happen. Apart from answering your question (the one you asked!) in a very well reasoned and friendly manner he also used facts- not "attitude" or "opinions". This is why people dislike discussing things with you. You get in a huff when they disagree, you call facts you don't like attitudes and opinions so you can ignore them, and don't engage properly - as in you twist their points, misinterpret them and deflect - with what anyone who disagrees says at all. Really poor do to have a huff when someone dares to disagree with you in a thread all about discussing whether we can get promoted!

Yes it is far from ideal. However Holtby who I really rate as a talented player is however a sicknote and its no surprise he is injured. I don't think that's luck so much as par for the course. The bad luck is Dack's injury. The Rothwell type ones you are always going to pick up over a season but to get such a serious injury to your talisman is a huge blow and very unfortunate. Cunningham likewise was stunningly bad luck as he looked to improve us defensively. Losing him for the season too is a kicker. Heck 2 season ending injuries in one season is horrendous but for them to be to arguably the two most iriplacable players is very bad fortune. TM has made a raft of mistakes but on this can be counted as unfortunate. That said we have had Lenihen for more games than I thought we would and having no cover in defence but few longer term injuries (bar Cunningham) has also been a bonus. Having only 3 centre backs for the first half of the season and one of them covering left back too - we got away with that one. So swings and roundabouts albeit with a negative slanting towards the unfortunate and costly with the 2 long term injuries.

Disagree. Think Walton gets a lot of praise when he has done well (Wigan sticks in my mind.) He also gets a lot of stick when he does badly. Perhaps there would be more patience if he were a long term project but as it's a season long loan we need him consistently good now. As for the game didn't follow so can't massive comment. That said it seems to sum up our season - initially looking like a very promising score but ends up merely a decent result.

Terrible mistake no doubt about it. Walton has just as many mistakes in him though, with less talent at shot stopping, and isn't ours so future improvement is irrevent. Not sure this means we should be pleased with our current number 1 whatsoever BUT the best case scenario with Raya leaving us is it's fine if we get a better keeper in. We haven't so even if Raya is dodgy (still think he can become a good keeper mind) we're no better off. Hardly cause to celebrate.

Oh I wouldn't disagree with any of that! A terrible window. That said I know it can always get worse for us - think of Coyle's first window where he let go of both our good championship level centre backs and got a paltry £250,000 to replace them with. Think of the number of dodge deals we have had from Portuguese no marks to Stokes and Goodwiilie. Think of Bowyer getting no money under ffp. So yeah it was appalling and yet I fear it could have been even worse. The centre back situation is an interesting one. Perhaps Mulgrew is 3rd choice or maybe it's Williams. Everyone said there was no issue with letting Mulgrew go, but that he needed replacing or we would be worse off: something better than nothing. (I agree.) We are now back to something rather than nothing albeit the most underwhelming something we could ever have. So yeah, a marginal improvement although it shows how low the bar really is that that's an improvement. As for your other points I was thinking mostly of JRC who I think could come good and needs the lack of options to get through. Others, less likely to I admit, but feel we may have a gem in JRC. As for the playoff stuff am right there with you. There's so much wrong with X off the playoffs. 1) it means you aren't where you want to be. 2) it assumes we will push forward rather than back which is problematic as our winless runs and past history indicate we would be just as likely to drop further away and 3) it assumes all the other teams around us do badly, especially the ones in and around the playoffs. Relying on that many clubs to do badly is clutching at straws. Another factor I didn't mention, nor yourself, is the huge summer rebuild needed. It would have been nice to start on that. So yeah don't think things are rosey at all and was disappointed with the window. But as I said it could have been worse through loss of a key player and hopefully gives us another Travis like youngster development in JRC.

Positives: We didn't loose any of our best players. A defence bereft of Lenihen would be scary, ditto a midfield without Travis. Not sure how we'd do without Armstrong's goals either so these chap's staying is an encouragement if nothing else. Perhaps outr lack of incomings and injuries could lead to a second Travis situation, who got his chance due to suspensions. Perhaps JRC will go the same way... We actually have a 4th centre back who isn't a kid who is not good enough to go out on loan. Negatives: We didn't improve the team whatsoever. This was especially poor in the blatantly obvious positions that needed strengthening. We didn't massively improve the depth either. We do have another centre back which is better than nothing, but only just. I mean how limited can an improvement get. Better than nothing is both a positive for us and a terrible indicement of how thin the defence is. Its not a big step up at all. We're also one injury away from a creek without a paddle in a number of positions. Bereton didn't go out on loan. Apart from him being poor he ain't going to improve at all with limited cameos on the wing. A loan away even if we paid all his wages would have been better for Rovers. So yeah, the positives are few and far between in a bad and disappointing window. However under the clowns I know it can always get worse, and we've still a decent team, so that's a step up and positive from some windows. All in all though combined with long term injuries it suggests the second half of the season will be a huge slog.

If we want to talk about 10-12 games there's a little run of games in the second half of last season I'd like to mention. You'd probably accuse me of cherry picking but am not sure it's different to what you are doing. Needs time... Apart from half the team won't be here next year through age or loan returns. Doesn't seem a long term gelling to me. Also 3+ years to get a team going seems a somewhat lengthy lead time in any line of work. Hughes and Big Sam had us firing within/after one season or closer to home comparisons see Rowett at Millwall and O Neil at Stoke not taking 3+ seasons. Results are proving? We're marginally better off than last season - not huge improvement at all. Especially compared to the above managers. A good job?? Transfer wise has seen more flops then successes, we had a run that was the worst in living memory for me, every positive change is spotted months in advance by the fans before he makes it. Don't get me wrong he has done a decent job or we wouldn't be where we are but good imo is laughable and missing out a whole load of info and the situation.

They also had a minor thing called ability.

How unprofessional can we sound? A few comments to calm me down. 1) only add depth?!?!? Other than it being a u turn it's also stupid to do when on a limited budget rather than using what you have to improve. 2) that said I think that translates into I won't get anyone good so I will move the goalposts (which happens a lot here). 3) the response of integrity is to get the best deal for your employer's Blackburn Rovers in the transfer window 4) why is he even doing it not someone higher up? Oh I give up - we are so unprofessional and a shambles. For those who say Venkys are doing it right or the current management is doing it properly this interview shows in so many ways that's a load of bull. We might not be the soap opera we were but it's still a circus at Ewood.

Yeah it's not a guarantee by any stretch. But it is relatively easier to get promoted again if a year in the Prem and parachute payments are used properly.

Agree that this is the only scenario in which we can get debt free. The biggest challenge is part 1 getting up. That's the nearest thing to impossibility - I can't see the current management getting us up. (And even then it is still technically possible.) Once that has happened it's a lot easier to build a squad for the second promotion using a fraction/proportion of the premiership money windfall and some parachute payments, with the allure of a year's prem football included too. That's what Burnley did so successfully, and I think a large number of clubs have also bounced back within a season or two. So I think the hardest part of the plan is stage 1 going up first time. If you manage to stay up a second season like Hudds, then providing we don't spend crazy in either year the debt would also be wiped off this way too.

Bauer? (The ex Charlton chap.) Put the loan fee to a signing on fee and I imagine Tosin's wages will be more than his, or at worst comparable. Bauer is doing well in this league too, and even if slightly worse, we would be better off in 13 month's time (when Tosin's loan expires.) Failing that, I don't really know, but centre backs aren't that expensive. Different level but Nelson, Todd, Neill for starters were all comparatively cheap for Premiership defenders so it's not like - other than top quality ones - they aren't the most expensive players. Yes I know it was years ago and a different league, but I think the point still stands. More to the point we let the lad Sullivan?) go to Sheff Utd on a free and he's now doing it in the Prem. So yeah, I think there will be options. Great point. In fairness Downing could occupy one of those slots and it is debatable if Evans could too (i disagree but there's a case) so it's not as dire as it looks. But it isn't good, and it's not even thinking about the squad levels.

Not sure I agree on the lower range of the spectrum for this one BDS. And 5+ is a fair whack of talent to have to replace before any other unenforced changes occur. Last season we needed a successor to Graham, a potential upgrade on Bereton, an upgrade on Mulgrew, another centre back, a left back, and a defensive mid at the minimum. Firstly we need the same again. Not sure where the 3 a manageable number comes from other than PR spin. We've 3 loans to replace before we start looking at old age catching up with our players! No way is it a very reasonable 3 which is hyperbole in itself. Secondly the fact we may need the same this year - bar Gally being an upgrade on Bereton - shows we have done the sum total of nothing of note in the transfer window this season. It shows we have wasted a whole year. Thirdly you could argue it is worse because we need a keeper as well after a year of having a substandard keeper with no long game in it for us either. Fourthly there's the quality as well as quantity issue. Graham has been our best striker for years and he needs replacing. Similarly Tosin is a first choice centre back and we all know how vital a good, or even decent, keeper is. This isn't tinkering with the squad but core positions. Likewise we haven't replaced Mulgrew's much needed goals. Quality wise as well as numbers it's half the spine of the team that needs replacing. I really rate your posts and opinions but think you've missed the mark on this one. When we came up I expressed caution that 2 of our best 3 players - Graham and Mulgrew were getting on and their huge influence would need replacing. We're heading into the summer 2 years later with neither of them having a viable succession plan. So yeah in terms of quantity and quality transfer wise we've a hell of a job before us.

My take on things too.

Thanks for putting this nicely and clearly. This is my frustration too.

Mainly because you don't engage with any points that show TM in a negative light...

Apart from the 4 promotions suggest he isn't without ability. That's 2 or 3 than a number of the incumbents we have had of late...

Whereas the run with Wigan Brum and someone else low down over Christmas yielded very few points. Getting the unexpected points is BD the battle and from.a promotion pov totally undone by not being able to best the weaker teams. Bare in mind our winless runs are quite common and you can see how any fan gets uneasy. This year though we are safe as houses with a shambles.of 3 clubs in the bottom.3.

I thought that too. TM does more tinkering than Bowyer but his midfielders are a bit more adventurous. But I was struck by how similar the complaints were - especially players out of position and the feeling they could be doing so much better.