Tim Southampton Rover

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!

Dodgy goal to concede too. Not his fault though, the player seemed to use his hand to control the ball and the goal counted 🤷🏻‍♂️

I'm fuming there was no chicken.

Just out of curiosity. Does anyone know how many actual shots have we've had on goal since V.I appointment?

Carsley's played on a wet and windy night in Stoke many times and has captained Rovers too. He gets it. Tough guy, a thinker too. We've had a lot worse! 😁 He's handled the top young players of our nation and we have a good young team that's respectful and need a challenge and opportunity. Personally, I see this as a fresh start for the team (not the board/owners). We're currently in 6th. The team has no expectation to stay in the play offs after what's happened so if we can have a bit of hope and get behind someone who has something to prove then I can't think of a better time than now. Saying all that, we'll probably end up with Paul Ince 🤣

If that happens then surely some genius can create a 'BlackburnEnders' theme tune 😆

It's surprising that some people aren't keen on Lee Carsley. He holds a lot of respect in the football community, has strong connections in England, and has experience in developing young English players. His attacking style of football is exciting, and he brings fresh, new ideas to the table. Personally, I'd prefer to take a risk on someone like him, much like we did with JDT, rather than hiring another manager who is likely to regurgitate the same instructions/tactics/methods they've used at all their clubs that more than likely ended up with them being sacked for underperforming because everyone's figured them out.

Great listen again chaps. At least Rovers provides you with great content every episode...