4 hours ago, islander200 said:

Championship players were brought in then and those players did the job they were brought in for to get them promoted. 

Parker was 100% right to call out the board on their lack of spending this summer.Relegation is a certainty with the squad of players they have.

I don't think Parker is a good manager but certainly think he has been hard done by getting sacked so early with minimal investment after succeeding in his objective of getting them promoted last season 

I agree with you.

Why did Bournemouth bring in half a team to get promoted, then do nothing when it happened? 

He was going to get the boot at some point anyway, the surprise is that it happened so early. He lasted fewer games than de Boer at Palace a few years back. 

He'll get another job soon enough. 

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

I think Lampard will have them mid table which I think is a good season for them in Lampard first full season. I rated Lampard as manager. 

 

You do have a soft spot for Everton. They'll struggle. They need Calvert-Lewin but he's turned into glass.

Although swapping Gordon for Broja and Gallagher will help. Barmy that Chelsea would think about letting Gallagher go. Chelsea have Ziyech, Pulisic, Sterling, Hudson-Odoi, Mount, and even Havertz who all play like Gordon. They need a central striker. 

50 minutes ago, oldjamfan1 said:

Duncan Shearer came with a massive reputation and scored with just about his first touch of the ball on his debut at Barnsley. We went on to lose that game and he very quickly nosedived at Ewood then went on to play for Aberdeen. His name was still being chanted for a few years afterwards for some reason 😉

My take has always been that Rovers bought Duncan Shearer to supper Swindon. 

He was flying for them. Came to us, scored one (maybe two) then didn't play much after that.

I have a memory of him in a suit at Wembley, not even a sub.

Here is the full draw;

Group A Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, Rangers

Group B: FC Porto, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Club Bruges

Group C Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Viktoria Plzen

Group D Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham Hotspur, Sporting Lisbon, Marseille

Group E AC Milan, Chelsea, RB Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb

Group F Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic

Group G Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, Copenhagen

Group H Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Benfica, Maccabi Haifa

Mods; can we amend the thread title to "Champions League" with no dates?

Liverpool came into it toward the end of the half. 

van Dijk has been bad, a sentence not uttered often. He was too slow to react to Rashford's initial run for the goal, then stood there whilst Sancho shot.

TAA conforming to the criticisms he receives too. He fits into Liverpool's system but isn't a full back. 

Man U have played well. Can they keep it up?

I didn't see much of Saturday's Prem games but yesterday's were superb.

Leeds blew away Chelsea. Tuchel needs a striker quickly. I also don't understand why he spent oodles on a left back when he has a perfectly good one in Chilwell already there. 

Newcastle-City was a cracker. Newcastle could have had 5 but were hanging on by a thread at the end. Howe has done a good job, and bought some decent players, however, they are a bit thin and will struggle if they get a few injuries.

Hopefully today's game keeps up the momentum.

15 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

casemiro keen on a man utd move,i bet he his,everyone on the old trafford gravy train,earn a fortune in the man utd retirement complex for washed up footballers🤣

Modric and Kroos to McFred. I guess that we'll find out how good he is.

It reads like April 2022 on here. 

Rovers won't win them all. 

17 hours ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Liverpool way off the pace.

It reminded me of their 2020. Injuries, loads of pressure yet no clear chances, concede on the break, Nat Phillips playing. They were miles better after Nunez got sent off. 

Joe Gomez looked very good when he came on. I've always rated him. He would have played for England in World Cup 2018 but got injured. He has a chance to play for the next few weeks, I hope that he grabs it.

16 hours ago, Tom said:

Goes without saying it’s stupidly early but Liverpool 4 points behind City already isn’t ideal for them especially with 2 games they’d have expected to walk through 

I agree. It's not outlandish to say that Liverpool may have to beat City twice if they want to win the league.

I finished the Orr podcast yesterday. I don't know what to make of it. It would have been much better for Rovers fans if Brown and Parkin asked a few decent questions. The other lad (Chris?) is from Bolton, he would have known more too about Rovers situation back then and could have been a bit more probing but didn't either.

I read the last few pages to see if any of my questions could be answered; games he played in etc.. 

I thought the last part was the best and probably the most truthful regarding football being full of self serving unethical chancers.

His point on clubs and youth players is absolutely spot on. There needs to be a complete overhaul on how players who don't make it are treated. There is another ex-footballer trying to change it too. I can't remember who though.

9 hours ago, Gav said:

Mrs says a visit to Georgetown is a must if you’ve got the time, she was there a few years ago. Pubs, restaurants, museums, waterfront, cobbled streets, bit like Blackburn 😉 great place by all accounts.

Nice one Gav. I've never heard Blackburn and Georgetown comparisons before. Georgetown is very nice, worth a trip. 

The Smithsonian offers loads of free museums, but they close around 5pm, which if you are working is a bit of a pain.

eScooters are everywhere too. They aren't cheap to rent but you can really see everything quickly on them. 

Liverpool were woeful yesterday, yet still should have won. Chelsea were pondering against a very iffy looking Everton.

Spurs tore Southampton apart, although doing that is hardly a barometer for success. Adam Armstrong was worse than bad and got hooked at half time.

Man U were terrible. Lallana and Welbeck tore them apart. Maguire spent all day getting flustered. His new partner is 5'9". The McFred midfield partnership wouldn't look out of place in the Championship. Fred can't pass wind, and McTominay is a dirty so and so who also has little creative ability.

Sancho, Rashford, Fernandes, Ronaldo (when he came on) didn't do much. Then Ten Hag made some odd substitutions. 

Long may the chaos continue. 

4 hours ago, Ricky said:

I’m probably going to find somewhere to watch the Sunday Prem games next weekend. Any suggestions of bars? My hotel is pretty close to the Whitehouse so that’s the area I’ll probably be wandering around 🙂 

Pretty much any bar you go into will put games on if you ask. Games will be on early though; 9am and 11.30am. Chelsea v. Spurs is the big Sunday game next week.

This place will be busy; Ireland's Four Courts (irelandsfourcourts.com. It's across the river in Arlington. The White House and surrounding areas are very much business first and won't be as busy during the weekend. 

I was there in April and watched a game in a place called the Queen Vic. It was full of Liverpool fans. It had good food, good booze, and a good atmosphere.

32 minutes ago, Ricky said:

Do you guys get to see any Rovers games on TV or is it just Rovers player (or whatever it’s called now). I’m in Washington DC for a week and Rovers are playing at Reading midweek when I’m there. Wondering what the chances of watching it in a pub over there are? I’m guessing slim to f all!

Your assumption is correct. Not much chance at all.

ESPN have the US rights to the Championship. They show games via their ESPN+ streaming service. Rovers were on loads after Christmas last season, but no games listed so far. 

There will be plenty of places showing Prem games though. DC is a cool place. 

16 minutes ago, Oldgregg86 said:

I hope he stays . The more poison in the chalice the better 

If the reason for his strop is that he really wants Champs League football this season he has to leave. Although he knew in May that it wasn't going to happen. However, he is under contract at Man U so they have the upper hand. Yet, who wants a sulking superstar around? 

I'm all for this carrying on for a while though and aiding the continuation of the lack of success.

3 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Considering how poor their other attacking options are, they would be crazy to pay Ronaldo off.

I think that Rashford has the potential to be a class centre forward, but just like everything else at Man U, he's been mismanaged. Klopp would turn him into a world beater.

Outside of him do they have anyone else who can play up the middle? 

2 hours ago, DE. said:

ETH called out the players who left before the end of the pre-season game, although I think his comments were mainly aimed at Ronaldo, as none of the others were in the match day squad. 

If he thinks the club will ultimately back him over the players, though, I think he's going to be disappointed. Just like pretty much every manager since Fergie left, the players will undermine and force him out if he doesn't do as they please.

Terrible situation for them to be in. Never mind though.

I doubt that Ten Hag will win a standoff with Ronaldo. I was talking to a Man U supporting mate of mine yesterday, he was very dismissive of Ronaldo and wants him out of the door. Yet 12 months ago he was hailing him as the man who would fire them to Champions League glory.

I would give Ronaldo his wish and let him leave. He doesn't have as many options as he though initially. 

Ultimately, like Rovers, until Man U get new owners - or the Glazers decide to change their style - they'll continue in their current iteration.

7 hours ago, Herbie6590 said:

The inaugural PL season is now 30 years ago…here’s Saturday’s opponents at Ewood

 

 

 

Per the commentator Shearer's goal was his 17th of the season (cups too). It was November. He would have scored 40+ if he didn't get injured, and England would have qualified for World Cup 1994.

I also thought that Chris Price had left Rovers before the start of the Prem season. 

1 hour ago, joey_big_nose said:

Well we could have said the same about JPvH last season - he effectively blocked Carter. But he was dead good.

I guess it's about whether Morton is a JPvH/Harvey Elliott or a Clarkson.

Klopp raves about Morton but the crafty so has form for talking young lads up, but I'd have him in your first camp. He is a good player. However, playing central midfield in the Championship as a youngster requires a lot.

I'm going to put this here as it's as good a place as any.

I had the opportunity to return to the UK a few weeks ago. I'd not been since before Covid. I always find it fascinating as it's the place I grew up but doesn't quite feel that way now.

Some observations that I noticed;

Johnson's time was clearly up. 

Far too many cars - that hasn't changed. Cars park everywhere, without regard for clogging up roads. Accidents cause major major delays. I was a 15 mile traffic jam on the M6. Another half an hour lost on an A road due to a fender bender.

The Ribble Valley is beautiful. 

Food and beer selections were excellent. 

The government needs to sort out airports. Manchester was a mess. It was filthy, disorganised, and looks like an office park with a runway in the middle. Nearly all USA flights leave from Heathrow now. How is that good for leveling up if all transatlantic embarkation starts and ends in the capital?

People were much nicer. There were more smiles than normal. Shop staff always willing to help out. Strangers talking to you. Very odd, but pleasant nonetheless.

Loads of small supermarkets everywhere, Tesco Express types. The Bull's Head in Wilpshire is now a Co-op. 

At less than $1.25 to sterling I made out. 

47 minutes ago, Silas said:

Fair points. 

I wouldn't know how many players transgress through for other Countries though. Germany, France, Spain, Italy etc.

Would, say, 6 or 7 from a winning youth team all end up playing together in the senior team?

Would be interesting to know. For some reason I feel like it's quite common for players to excel young but then fail to make it at top level. (Jason Lowe.) But it's a total guess on my part.

Just remember all the talk about England being crap because our youth structure was crap. But last few decades we've done much better on that front. Cause for a bit it optimism. 🤞

As I'm doing nothing else on a Saturday afternoon I looked up a few prior tournament squads. 2 to 3 seems to be about the average for players who get a full cap. France had a good couple of years just prior to 2018 with Mbappe, Pavard, Coman, Lucas Hernandez, and Marcus Thuram all featuring. 

There are usually one or two more who make it but aren't full internationals, then a lot who disappear off the face of the earth. My guess is that many lads are still growing at that age and those who are done may be the ones who fall off. It's certainty the case with younger lads.

2012 was a good year for England; Euro 2012 u-19 squads

Johnstone, Dier, Coady, Keane, Barkley, and Kane all have caps. With Chalobah, Redmond, Berahino (for a while), and Lundstram all playing in the Prem.

Yet Tom Thorpe the captain never made it. He played half a season for Bolton, and now plies his trade in India.

6 hours ago, Silas said:

Indeed. There was a time there was a lot of talking about grass roots and lower age foundations being needed. Follow the German and Spanish models.

Now we've won 2 in 4 Euro tournaments at U19 no-one seems to care.

Probably because the senior team has actually got quite decent. 

The shouting about it was back when we could barely win a knockout tie. 

We must think the job is done. 

Although an achievement worth celebrating the primary purpose of the u-19's is to have players move up to the full national team. The last winning team included Aaron Ramsdale, Mason Mount, and Reece James who are currently in Southgate's set up. I Looked up the squad; England Euro u-19's 2017

Edun and Brereton were also in it. As is a lad who now plays for Southport.

If the 2022 team can have multiple players break move up then the development team continue to do their job.

From what I read Chukwumeka (sp?) from Villa was the stand out player for England.

I wonder what the Man U hierarchy are thinking today; ESPN - Pochettino sacked by PSG.

I'm sure that they have wanted him for years. They could have waited a month and got him for nothing. Instead they are pinning everything on ten Hag.

Either way they aren't catching Liverpool or City. Chelsea and Spurs are better than them too.

19 hours ago, DeeCee said:

That and tartliners in Ossy.

Tart, tit, and baby were used interchangeably in my neck of East Lancs (Accy/Blackburn). Although baby lining was the least popular of the 3.

Looking at it through 2022 eyes it would seem that goal poaching was seen as unsporting and thus to try and pressure the alleged offender into not doing it fellow players intimated that only babies and loose women did it.

1 hour ago, Oldgregg86 said:

Going to probably get pelters for this but I’d have maguire starting for England . Abit like the Pickford debate, he had never let his country down and I do believe he his a good player who’s had a bad season at a toxic club.

If judged on performances he's lucky to be included as he has been crap, but Southgate trusts him and as you say he has always performed for England. 

I wonder if the manager is using this England outing to try and restore his confidence. Unless there are marked changes in the next few months I assume that Maguire and Stones will partner at the back in Qatar. I actually think the back 5 will be the same as the Euros - pending Shaw returning to fitness.

His team mates Sancho and Rashford haven't been afforded the same treatment but with England having a good few options in the wide roles it was an easy decision for Southgate. 

2 hours ago, Darrenbot said:

Maguire still in after having a nightmare season at United

He is very lucky to keep his spot especially as Eric Dier has played very well for Conte. But unlike many in previous generations he tends to play better in an England shirt. Mings had a bad season too and missed out.

TAA, Trippier, Walker, James, Justin - all right backs although with no left backs available I think Justin and Trippier will play on the left.