Tim Southampton Rover

I keep reading comments on social media saying we shouldn't play Tyjon over Gueye because he isn't ready, and I understand that, however, i'd rather Tyjon come off the bench and earn experience and given a chance as well as potentially signing a new contract than playing Gueye, who isn't good enough, and then see Tyjon walk out the door. Ideally, we wouldn't be relying on a recently turned 17 year old or a league one level forward but that's the cards we have. I'd gamble on Tyjon because I don't think he'd give us any less than Gueye would playing V.I's system. Even at 17, he's a smarter player and we've seen in pre-season that he is able to time his runs and can hit the net.

Makhtar Gueye is offside so often, if he boarded a flight to Turkey, he'd probably end up sitting a row ahead of his assigned seat

Whatever you make of his time at Rovers - brilliant, frustrating, somewhere in between - I genuinely hope he does great in Spain. He always came across as a great guy who respected the fans and had time for them. And if he shines over there, it reflects well on us too. Come to Blackburn, prove yourself, and who knows? You could follow Dolan to La Liga or join Wharton and Raya in the Premier League.

On paper, Wharton’s only shortfall is the lack of goals and assists - the kind of numbers that inflate transfer fees to dizzying height (that I hope a large figure will come our way). But on the pitch, Palace and any club with sense will gladly take his class and composure over flashy figures because he will only get better with more experience in the Premier League, Europe, and hopefully England (if TT actually calls him up!).

Which still sounds a better holiday destination than Burnley.

First Ronaldinho, then Beckham, and now Jesus Christ. At least the club isn't afraid to dream big. Pros: - Creative - Produces miracles - and we need a few! - Lots of followers - will be good for the socials - Should qualify for a Minister of Religion visa to keep the ESC slot open Cons: - Not a right winger - Can only play on Sundays - Is he as good as his Dad?

If there are no bidders for Pears by the closure of the transfer window then it's a no brainer to keep him as number 2 and loan out Michalski until the January. I thought Pears had a pretty decent season considering the many clangers the year before. He showed a lot of mental strength to come back better. I'm not suggesting he's on par with Toft, who I add hasn't won me completely over yet - that will take games and how he responds to a mistake - but I do think Pears is a useful member of the squad who could come in and perform if needed. Ideally, we would sell him and bring in another experienced goalkeeper who is happy to be back up, but if that doesn't happen then i'm fine by that.

Depends on what's in his contract. Imagine if we played him for 1 min just to free up a slot and it costs us £1m. At the end of the day, if he was good enough or the manager rated him, he wouldn't be leaving. He might have been called a hotshot but if he didn't prove it, not much else can really be done.

Had the Mafoumbi signing taken up the final slot, i'd then agree with you. However, correct me if i'm wrong, there were other slots available at the time so in order to bring in a potential talent, they gave him a slot. Had we refused and a rival club came in and done the same and Mafoumbi went on to become a big talent, we'd be frustrated at the club for not giving it a go. The situation now is that he was given a chance, it hasn't worked out, we're releasing him to make the slot free. I don't really know what else the club could have done in this situation other than what they've done.

We don't know that for sure but had Lee Williamson been playing then that second goal definitely doesn't happen 🤣

Alan Nixon reporting that Liverpool will receive a percentage of any Travis deal. No idea if that’s accurate, but if he left on a free to another English club, while being under a certain age, then it sounds similar to the scenario we hoped for with Dolan. Unfortunately, we missed out - Liverpool won't be. Anyone else want to put a boot in on us while we're already down? 🤣 UPDATE:

I think yesterday's late defeat shows the importance of having experienced players on the pitch when defending a lead - as soon as we made those subs late on, I felt they weren't the right players to see out the game and unfortunately, we collapsed quicker than Birmingham players did when they got touched! We need to be bringing on the likes of Hedges, not subbing them off. Saying that, mistakes have cost us in every game, so I'm not too downbeat over the results. We made WBA and Birmingham look average for large periods of the game. The important thing is that they recognise those mistakes and what is preventing us from winning games. I think we're 2-3 quality players away from a decent first team. At the very least we need an experienced striker, a creative winger and attacking midfielder who should all be commanding a first team place. Obviously, when Travis leaves, we'll need a first team player to replace him too. We'll see what fun this week has in store for us!

I'm not sure if I'm joking or being serious but I think Shearer could easily get in our team

From what I've seen so far in the transfer window, I'm hardly blown away by any Championship club and their signings. A lot of clubs have lost players too, so maybe we won't truly see who the real standout teams are for a good number of weeks. I live in Southampton and watched a few of their matches. They look so disjointed at the moment and the fans are quite worried - especially after the disaster of last year. I'm sure I've read the same about other teams too. I think this season could be about assembling a squad that’s cohesive, tactically aligned, and has a clear understanding of what they need to do to win games. When every player knows their role and the team operates as a unified unit, that’s when performances become consistent, momentum builds, confidence grows and results follow. Based on what I've seen so far in pre-season, we tick a few of those boxes. It's just a question of whether we're strong enough as a team, in terms of depth and quality, to maintain consistency. We definitely need a few more players who can improve the team, but I'm pleased with the signings so far. If we do well, then perhaps key players will believe in this new project and sign extensions. It's also pleasing to see some players from last year grow in confidence. I expect good things from Yuki, Cantwell, and I wouldn't be surprised to see an improved Gueye now he's settled in England, has some French speaking players in the squad. He will grow and could become a surprise to us all. As to who we should sign, I still go with what Mark Hughes once said. You should sign players to improve the first XI. Let's hope V.I and Rudy can do that....and check the fax machine still works!

The final round was incredible. Top work, guys!

1. Winners of the Championship Southampton 2. Automatic promotion (runners-up) in the Championship Ipswich 3. Four Play off semi-finalists in the Championship Sheffield United, Leicester City, Coventry, WBA 4. Three relegated sides from the Championship Portsmouth, Oxford, Charlton 5. Where will Rovers finish in the Championship? 9th 6. First Championship club to change manager (after the season starts) Nathan Jones (Charlton) 7. Winners of the Premier League Arsenal 8. A notable wild card prediction of something that will happen in the Rovers universe during the season (e.g. Donald Trump visits Ewood Park) A consortium will be linked to Blackburn Rovers and Venky's will not be our owners by the start of next season.

At this stage of his career, due to his past injuries, I think Leonard needs to go on loan at a club that will guarantee him games each week - even if that is as low as League Two or the National League. He's too far behind Ohashi and Gueye at the moment to be getting regular 90 minutes. He doesn't need to go out and prove anything, as we know he's capable of playing in the Championship, but he just needs constant games and momentum. Getting quite a few goals would be a bonus in my view just for his confidence.

Just a guess - Kwadwo Duah - Born London, plays for Switzerland national team, currently with Bulgarian club Ludogorets Razgrad. Good goalscoring record according to our friend wiki. Edit: Signed in 07/19/2023 for 3.5m and contract expires next year. I'm guessing his market value is probably around £1-1.5m based on contract length.

Of course they'll move to a stronger league when it's ranked 43rd. The reality is that they don't join the very top leagues very often. They come to the Championship or leagues of similar ability. Yes, you'll get the odd good player leave i.e. Matt O'Riley to Brighton but it doesn't happen as often as you probably think. Most end up in decent European leagues or back to the Championship (or below). Just go back through their transfer history and you'll see that. I appreciate the opportunity to play in Europe and agree that could temp players if opportunities are limited but more often than not, you don't move to Scotland to better your game, you escape the Scottish league to do that.

The Championship is ranked approx. the 11th strongest league in the world. The Scottish Premier League is ranked 43rd. If your dream is to play in the Premier League then you don't move to a weaker league.

I think the unknown isn't as unknown anymore due to the technology and sports science that's involved in the game. These players are monitored daily so any minor drop in performance is found straight away by the analysts. It helps a lot when it comes to extending players careers and predicting when the decline will affect the team. I also think players experience, positioning, and professionalism helps too. I've noticed in sport in general that a lot of players who take this seriously end up playing longer than those who perhaps don't. Obviously, injuries can play a part but that applies to all ages. I do think you're right though, clubs do still fear players over the age of 30 whether that's injuries, decline or perhaps these players have reached higher salary expectations and I'm sure Blackburn will be thinking this too. Sometimes though, clubs just need to trust the data and go for it.

This is where I'm at with Dolan. If he signs for: A Premier League team = Fair play A yo-yo Premier League/Championship team = OK, I understand - they can sell the dream Blackburn = Tried to get a top move but you love Rovers and you're willing to sign a new contract and push on for that dream move in the future. An average Championship team = You played the best football of your career under V.I last season. You're signing for the money. Celtic / Rangers = Signing for the money Foreign club = None of the above want you or you think you're better than Blackburn = Signing for the money

Tugay was 30 years old when he signed for Rovers and he's arguably one of the greatest ever Rovers players. I'm not saying Tronstad is as good as Tugay but it's laughable when fans rule people out when they hit the big three zero. Tronstad is quality at this level and could easily stay at a great level for the next 3-5 years.

Can't think of many better signings in the Premier League era. Top class guy.

After listening to the likes of Paul Merson slag off Rovers fans over their over the top reaction of Steve Kean and the goings on at Blackburn, I take anything from pundits and journos with a pinch of salt. Judging on a few of the comments i've read from fans of the team he's leaving, we've got a player who is hardworking, wants to improve, and a decent person. Seems like qualities I want in a player at Rovers. Let's hope our coaching staff can work their magic and turn him into a gem of a player. Fingers crossed!