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.

Spoke with a Bradford fan at the weekend and it seems that all his weaknesses from Rovers remain. Rotating the team when it doesn't need to be, (remember Brown for Gestede?) Giving the opposition too much respect. Centre mids who can't / won't cross the half way line. A centre mid who is in the team regardless of being dire. Defensive post match interviews. That Bradford fans are so fed up despite being in the playoffs shows he really isn't going down well in Bradford whatsoever.

Don't disagree on Ince and yep typo for TM. Am sure you were advocating to give Coyle more time and TM has been on runs worse than Ince and yet is still a firm favourite. Just seems a bit inconsistent. Shearer has very little managerial experience and would be even riskier than Ince. Can't see how that could be a good move. I'd have gone Laudrup too.

Absolutely. Couldn't agree more. Its a damning indictment that when Mulgrew left we somehow didn't improve as we didn't replace him! That said my reservations are twofold. Firstly the enforced nature means that there is a lot to do before we can even tackle issues such as squad depth and quality. 2 replacements in defence and we are still paper thin even if the quality has improved. A better striker thank Graham is great but bar Armstrong the rest of them are still pretty duff. We've a hell of a lot of work to do - and we struggle to do much in the transfer window anyway - before we tackle the squad depth issues. Will we even get all of this done is a big worry leaving us even more stretched. Secondly I've little confidence we will improve on these players. We knew Raya was going for ages yet his replacement is worse. We've tried twice to replace Graham at great expense and failed. Given at best TM has a 50:50 transfer success record that is a rather scary prospect of us not improving the squad. So yeah for me 6 needed changes is a terrifying prospect. It could be an opportunity for a new man though.

Yet Coyle and RM get loads of time from you and you regularly say managers should get the season/longer. Double standards perhaps? Ince was a disaster but had 2 prior successes on his managerial record. Can't remember the last manager who had 2 previous successes being appointed under Venkys. Perhaps Lambert multiple promotions with Norwich. Aside from that where's the multiple successes? (My point is not that Ince is good. Quite the opposite. But if there's duff managers with a couple of successes under their belts it makes you wonder why we shop in the one hit wonder manager brigade at best.)

I wouldn't disagree with any of that and would add in a second keeper and another striker if Bereton goes on loan. My main thrust was that these are 6 players who have to be replaced regardless of ability levels, as they are either a) not here or b) might as well not be as they physically cannot do what is required to do that role. Forget improvements needed (of which there are a lot) the first problem is we have half a dozen places where by absence or physical limitations the players can't do what is needed. Don't get me wrong Bell is useless but he is physically able to actually play left back. An exceptional manager may even get him to be ok (although that's a stretch and warrants the manager of the year award.) However contrast this with physical limitations and the manager can't get a player's legs back. So before we do any improvements imo there are six enforced changes on us...

What astounds me is given the huge job we need to do in the summer - and that's just to stand still - you would have thought the club would have tried to do something towards it, even if it is the more peripheral stuff due to budget constraints. In the summer we will need: A new (and hopefully decent) first choice keeper. A new left back to trace Cunningham. 2 Centre halves to replace Tosin (loan returned) and Mulgrew (if it is devatable if he is any use this season there'll be no doubt next year) Johnson is getting on a bit and not pulling up trees anyhow. Once his legs fully go we have someone making Smallwood look good. From what I've seen this isn't far off. Graham - legs are going can't see him lasting another season. So that's 6 players who need replacing before improvements, upgrades or any outgoing activity. We're really fortunate Downing has turned out so well and can last another season otherwise that's 7 who would need replacing. We're coming to a log jam of a paper thin squad (to mix metaphors) and don't seem to be doing anything to sort it.

Totally agree. Said it before and will say it again. A big reason we won't get promoted is the easier games where we are comfortable favourites we struggle with. From Plymouth at home with their 4th choice keeper (I think) to Wigan without a win in an insane number of away games (and without a win in any for quite a while) throw in some expectation and we crumble. TM seriously struggles and cannot handle being favourites. Its no wonder he tanked at Celtic with this as an Achilles heel.

This. First he was dropped for Caddis and then Bennett and only when both proved inept over a lengthy run of games that Nayambe was included. Being dropped after every mistake and being called out publically can't help either (especially when it was a different standard for other players.) Along with Lenihen he has bags of potential to be a very good player at this level but the manager seems to be doing all he can to stunt it.

You know the opposition has had a bad day at the office when Gally scores. Whenever the crowd seems to turn TM digs out a result and what a result it was. There's still a ton of issues, not least Gally on the wing, but nevertheless this is still an excellent result. It shows again why we're mid table - hard to see in our barren runs. Holtby is a quality player, we aren't a bad team and showed it today. The goal will do Gally's confidence the world of good and the manner of the win is much needed for the belief of the team. A 1-0 scraped victory Vs 10 men would have been far less encouraging. Good to see the goals shared around as with little.transfer funds we need everyone to up their game if we are to cover for Dack, especially if funds are limited. Still don't rate TM or our chances next year but an excellent result and am a happy chap tonight.