Didn't someone from WATR say that Venky's quite literally told them they don't need or want to hear what the fans think?

Probably adequate for a 2nd/3rd choice midfield backup, and we are assumedly not breaking the bank on him wage-wise. Just a case of whether he's happy to be that far down the pecking order. I don't think Buckley's a bad player - he's just developed into a very average player, with the exception of his passing which can be excellent at times. As an aside, reading the posts on this page I was baffled by the positive comments about JRC until I realised they were from April 2024. Some fall that lad has had.

We hear all of the time how charitable our billionaire owners are. Apparently not charitable enough to support women and girls trying to make their way in a game dominated by men since its' inception. Let's be clear - any loss being made by the women's team is peanuts to our owners. They could easily choose to support Rovers women rather than abandon them. It wouldn't hurt them in the slightest. Hopefully Glen is making that point in his communications to India.

Assuming Sunderland progress they've been solid this season, despite putting their feet up at the proverbial beach about a month before the season ended. Won't matter if they can flick the switch and start playing well again though - aside from the fans who wasted their time and money going to watch those pre-playoff matches, obviously. Still, I'd expect them to give Sheff Utd a game in the final. Bristol City and Coventry were always going to be rank outsiders simply based on how low their points totals were. Sheff Utd and Sunderland can, at the very least, both legitimately claim they were better than the majority of the division over the course of a season. The other two were very marginally the best of the rest. If either somehow snuck up through the playoffs they would, much like in a hypothetical scenario where we go up under Venky ownership, be absolutely annihilated in the PL. If clubs weren't so desperately in need of the coin that the PL provides, staying in the Championship wouldn't be so bad. From a fan perspective at least, it's no fun getting completely wrecked every week. The Ipswich fans around me have been utterly miserable this season, arguing amongst each other as they see the team get battered repeatedly and paying a lot for the privilege.

And yet one of them will be playing in the Champions League next season. I would say it's a farce but they got there fair and square, so you can only conclude that there is a ridiculous disparity between the PL and other European leagues, when the top two in those leagues are removed from the equation.

Lowest points total in many years to get 6th, so not surprising. Everyone below 4th is very average at best, and even Sunderland had an atrocious end to the season. Unless Sheff Utd lose their nerve in the final (which can certainly happen) the playoffs are theirs for the taking. It'll be interesting to see if Sunderland can start playing properly again now that they have a reason to. Coventry only finished the season one point ahead of Bristol City, but if they beat Sunderland over two legs then they'll go into the final with the wind in their sails and anything can happen in a one off game.

A very good signing for what we paid, and I think if not for injury he would have gotten into double figures.

If they hire an experienced manager with some level of past success then you can understand the decision. It's ruthless but if they're doing it out of an ambition to give themselves a better chance of getting in the playoffs next season then fair enough. How many other Championship managerial posts would Cleverley get?

Same as usual, top half or mid table. There will be teams worse run and worse assembled than us, as there has been the vast majority of our seasons at this level, and we still have enough in the first eleven to get enough points to be comfortable. With that said, if we sell a lot of the players whose contracts are due to run out in 2027 and our replacement strategy is frees, cheapos, loans and youth players then we could be in for a rough time.

The only thing I want to hear from them is that they are actively looking to sell the club or have agreed a sale.

That's why we need new owners, rather than talking about players who should stay or leave. We're in purgatory until Venky's are gone.

People say Hyam needs an experienced player beside him like that's acceptable for a 29 year old. If he needs someone to hold his hand at this point then he's not that good.

Interesting to see a lot of people tipping Luton to win the division. I don't remember having a strong opinion about them either way at the start of the season, but as a parachute club I would never have expected them to go down. I'd have assumed they'd be around the playoffs at the very least. I don't think anyone would have anticipated City's struggles either. You'd have thought they'd have the squad depth to cope with a couple of key players being injured, but seemingly not. With that said, I expect they'll be back in business next season.

I imagine he'll have plenty of interest from many Championship teams. Derby may appeal if he had a strong bond with Eustace and enjoyed working under him. If Eustace gets backing in the summer then there's no reason he can't do with Derby what he did here and at Birmingham. I suspect it'll come down to a combination of club reputation/prospects and money. I don't expect a parachute club will necessarily come in for him (not guaranteeing first team football, anyway) so the offers aren't likely to be too far apart.

An interesting group of teams in the League 1 playoffs this season. Stockport, Charlton, Wycombe and Leyton Orient. Charlton were last in the Championship in the 19/20 season. Stockport have spent much of the last decade in the National League, and only came up from League Two last season. They've had some pretty hefty financial support, losing £7m in their League 2 season - but seem to have gone under the radar a bit. Outshined by the Wrexham story. Wycombe have the most recent Championship tenure of the playoff teams, having been in the division in the 2020/21 season. Leyton Orient just about pipped Reading to 6th. They've spent much of their time in the last decade either in League 2 or the National League. Of the three relegated clubs from last season's Championship, only Birmingham bounced back. Granted they spent a silly amount of money to do so, but if that expenditure is on players that can be utilised in the Championship as well then it may be seen as a sound investment over time. Huddersfield finished 10th and lost their last 6 games. Ouch. Rotherham even worse, finishing 13th. It used to be practically a guarantee that Rotherham would come straight back up after being relegated to League 1, but looks like that's no longer the case. Bolton were in contention for the playoffs but then lost 4 and drew 2 of their last six games, and that was that. They finished 8th, 10 points off 6th spot. Wigan finished 15th. Our once great rivals Shrewsbury finished bottom and will be playing in League 2 next season. It ends a decade-long stay in League 1 for them. The season they competed with us was pretty much a total one-off. From 2015 to present, excluding the 17/18 season, they never finished higher than 12th and were more frequently in the 17th - 20th range.