He has been much better this season, and maybe I am sceptical because of his history, but he doesn't inspire me with any confidence. Eustace has organised the back 4, Pears is benefitting from that (Hyam too). He doesn't gather enough balls. He's good at tipping efforts over and wide (he had 2 today) but struggles with shots straight at him. His distribution is also iffy. I too thought that Hedges played well today.

I commented the other day that Travis should score more. He didn't score but set one up and was trying to play more attacking football. It was good to see. How many passes for the first goal? 30+? Most of them were 5 yards sideways and backwards before Pickering switched it but it was a long possession.

I concur with all of that. Rovers thoroughly outplayed Cardiff and should be more than 1 up. Pears does some daft things. His slide then parry, a booking for timewasting, and more than one ball to nowhere.

I'd say the opposite. Those stats point to another bad midweek performance.

Travis must also shoulder some responsibility. He rarely scores or assists. Tronstad can be excused as he plays a deeper role.

Does anyone else think that Gueye should have been sent off for elbowing the Sheff Utd defender? He got away with it if you ask me.

In the second half especially Rovers were outclassed today. Sheffield Utd were better in every department. Rovers final ball was awful and could not get anywhere near their goal. As we all know it all goes back to Venkys. Proper funding would negate performances like today as there would be better calibre personnel available. Instead we get to watch Cantwell, a class above the rest, try to play with 2 new strikers who are starting to look out of their depth and "skill" players Dolan and Hedges who produce nothing.

Rovers are a JRC mistake away from 0-0. Sheff Utd have size and pace, something that Rovers do not, and it shows. They can play as high as they like defensively as Rovers have nobody who can run in behind. It's a good job Beck is on Rak-Sakyi's side. He'd run Pickering ragged. that half also summed up Dolan and Hedges. Early on Dolan has the chance of a break but isn't fast enough to get away, so spins around and loses it. Hedges misses another sitter.

Man U have their next manager; ESPN: Amorim to Utd He's been touted as the next big thing for about a year now. There were articles linking him with Liverpool last season, and more recent ones having him take over from Guardiola next season. He has to wait a month before he starts. I think that he will improve them as ten Hag was certainly not up to it, but they have a mediocre squad that will take time and money to shift. Speaking of ten Hag ESPN ran an article yesterday articulating his stay; ESPN: why ten Hag failed If the stories in it are true, and I've no reason to doubt them, he should have gone ages ago.

I've only missed watching 2 Rovers matches this season. Saturday will be the 4th game in a row on US TV. It's purely selfish of me but 12.30pm UK kick off's are perfect. The game is over by 9.30am so I still have my whole Saturday ahead of me. Yes, I am fully aware of the inconveniences it puts on those who attend matches and have other commitments.

Me too. Not to worry though, it will continue under new packaging. As us Rovers fans are painfully aware, owners matter, and until the Glazers sell up us non-Man U fans will be treated to this recurring spectacle. I can't name 1 player that Man U have who would get into City, Arsenal, or Liverpool's first 11. Maybe a fully fit Luke Shaw - but that is an oxymoron, and Roberston getting roasted time and again by Saka yesterday is fresh in my head.

Their "review" of ten Hag in the summer looks like a pointless exercise now. He was never good enough so why did Ineos go through the process only to bin him after 9 games? They've named van Nistelrooy as interim boss. My guess is that performances will pick up in the short term, the fans will get excited and hark back to the glory days, then it will all revert to type as their substandard players go back to normal.

I can't argue with that. I should have said "never look like scoring".

He also tried to clear one late on, scuffed it, and put Rovers back on the defensive. You are right, he's not going to be dropped after another clean sheet but his next clanger is not far away.

Correct, but it was a bit of a fluke wasn't it? It was hardly a well executed set piece. Dolan pinballing it off either their defender or Gueye then past the keeper. I don't see much invention or set up at all. I'd love to be proven wrong though.

0-0 was about right. Their subs made a difference. In the last 15 Swift and Johnston got on the ball with regularity and pegged Rovers back. I'll not change my tune that Pears is a liability. Nobody has any idea what he will do. Someone posted yesterday that not 1 of Rovers starting 11 is nailed on. I think Owen Beck is. He is very good, and a massive upgrade on Pickering. Cantwell would be too is Eustace moved him inside. Rovers are a lot harder to breakdown but aside from that it's same old Rovers. No pace and will never score off a corner.

There was one before Salah scored that should have been a pen as well. I agree that the Jones somersault over Sanchez was not a pen. Liverpool look decent. Cheslea are getting better, and although Jackson scored they'll only go so far without a real goalscorer. Colwill was booked for the same foul that Saliba was sent off for on Saturday.

Not much enthusiasm for this game by the looks of it. Only 2 pages in with 24 hours to kick off. I'll be watching. Rovers are back on US TV after a few weeks off. Hopefully Eustace has arrested the brief downturn in performances and Rovers get back on the winning trail.

I'm a strong no on Lampard. The FA's youth programme should be the envy of the world with the amount of money they bring in. It's criminal that it isn't. Progress has bene made, but it needs to keep going and start lower down the pyramid.

No way. On form Dolan is a solid Championship level player. Unfortunately for him on form is about 10/15 minutes once every 8 games. The rest of the time he blunders around, makes bad decisions, and seems not to have the necessary stamina to last a full 90 minutes.

It is and it will continue. Me too. He has pedigree, has won trophies, managed star players, and understands the English football media. He also has time to get acquainted with the role before the World Cup qualifiers start. His first task is to beat Greece next month. Carsley had no appetite for the job. He wants to be out of the spotlight.

It really is awful. As I said earlier it's a byproduct of the Premier League being a global brand. Only a third of the players in it are English so why would clubs predominantly owned by non-Brits take their time to develop English managers? Especially when the threat of relegation is hanging overhead. Until coaching levels catch up with Spain and Germany English managers will be second rate. The best 2 mangers around at the moment are Guardiola and Ancelotti. Both were excellent players, and both started their foray into management away from the spotlight. Ex England players tend to get fast tracked into top jobs without the qualifications or experience to handle the role.

It does not bother me at all where the England manager comes from. I just want them to win a Euros or World Cup. I don't like the fact that English candidates are thin on the ground which points to a larger problem within the game that will be hard to solve as long as the Premier League continues to be a global brand. The last English manager of a top division winning team was Howard Wilkinson in 1991-92 with Leeds. The first non-British manager to win it was Arsene Wenger in 1997-98. Spain has something like 5x as many UEFA qualified coaches than England.

I think that is something the entire message board would agree on. Until it happens all we can do is comment on what is seen on the pitch.

Good posts, with both pointing the reality at BRFC. I'd say that only JRC from @DE. 's list should be playing with any regularity. The rest can put in a good performance now and again but cannot sustain the requisite quality over any length of time. Replacing 9 players who can contribute to a first team is hard work. Rovers lack of pace, lack of quality both defending and attacking crosses is not new and will curtail any hope of a top 6 finish. Not coincidently they are intrinsically linked to the personnel available and who have been for the last few seasons.