DE.

Ah, some classic forward thinking by the Rovers Brain Trust. No need to spend any money next season if we've already signed a team ready for League One.

Might be loaning some utility player Brum don't need.

JDT saw the writing on the wall too. Nobody with any serious ambition would stick around for this. The end result is obvious and you'd only be managing here if nothing better was available for you.

If it happened earlier in the window, fair enough. Last year of contract and we aren't willing to pay the going rate for a decent, experienced Championship player, so it is what it is. Now, though? Disgraceful and just proves it's all about cutting costs, pocketing cash and arrogantly assuming Ismael will emulate JDT and Eustace in performing miracles - despite a shit win percentage thus far, 4 defeats in 5 to start the season and a significantly less experienced squad than his predecessors. Either total idiocy or managed decline. Take your pick. Choose both if you're feeling especially fiesty.

No point loaning him out unless there's a better loanee lined up to come straight in as a replacement.

Can't say I have any strong feelings towards Ismael one way or the other. The problems at Rovers run so deep that focusing on the manager seems pointless. He's come in with the remit to turn chicken shit into chicken salad, if he can't do it then all ire should be on those who decided to downgrade a team that was previously comfortably finishing top half in all but one of the past four seasons. I just feel nothing about the guy at all. Absolutely nothing. He's just a name to me.

That's why my remark was a question and not a judgement. It's quite right to have those questions when we've lost four of our first five games, including to lower league opposition.

I don't think we have to worry about effort from the squad - the majority of them will put in a shift. The question mark is over their quality and their ability to gel as a team, particularly when you have so many different nationalities not just coming into the team as new players, but coming into English football in general as new players. It's a lot to ask in the short-term for them to all be on the same wavelength. When the core on-pitch leadership of the squad is pushed out, you lose that central point which new signings can anchor themselves to as they adapt to being part of a team.

Trav should have been sent off today, never mind booked. Blatantly kicked an Ipswich player in the face.

Stings watching the EFL highlights and seeing Brittain directly involved in all of Boro's attacks.

I think they're genuinely convinced they can continue to slash costs and stay in the division. False confidence brought about by JDT & Eustace performing miracles with a squad that was continually being downgraded (albeit the wheels fell off for JDT towards the end). Their 'strategy' was only ever one managerial change away from disaster, and we may be there. Neither JDT nor Eustace were willing to see the core of the team replaced by cheap, unknown alternatives, knowing the consequences, and so both ultimately found a way out. Ismael is seemingly on board with it, and I can only see it ending one way.

Hull game aside, we've averaged 2 shots a game in the other three league matches. 1 against WBA, 2 against Brum and 3 today. For me that is not OK, we can't win matches with such a low amount of shots hitting the target and our current attacking options being what they are. Particularly when, Hull game aside, we've conceded in every match as well. We simply have to do better at the opponent's end of the pitch because, even if we are in games, those fine margins will likely continue to go against us.

At the moment I'll reserve judgement on most of them, but I'm not optimistic either. My concern is more that, even if some of them improve and the team gels into a more cohesive unit, we may still be fighting a losing battle if confidence is low and we've lost a lot of matches by the time that happens. We cannot afford to keep losing games whilst waiting for the team to gel. They have to start picking up results, and if they're incapable of doing so whilst adjusting, then we're going to be in huge trouble and it will have been a mistake from Suhail and Gestede to initiate such a destructive transition.

I think it's still too early to make definitive judgements either way, as we do need to give the team time to gel, considering the amount of change... but early signs are very mixed for me. Alebiosu looks promising. Miller should be solid enough. McLoughlin has been OK but cost us today. Tavares looks like he has flaws, but may improve. Henriksson underwhelming but limited game time, so not enough to go off yet. Think De Neve would struggle to be useful in our u23 team, honestly. Feels like there's a lot riding on Morishita stepping up. Baradji too, but who knows when we'll see him play as we have apparently signed him injured. Of the remaining players from last season, massive question marks over many of them, especially in the forward area of the pitch. I'm not convinced we can rely on Kargbo, Ohashi and Gueye to step up on a regular basis as serious attacking threats. We know Hedges is not a serious option as a first teamer. I think we desperately need to sign a good striker at the very least, and then pray he stays fit for most of the season. The thing is, whilst it's perfectly reasonable to say the team needs time to gel, we can't afford to get into negative momentum so early in the season. We can't keep losing home matches - at the very least we need to snatch some draws. If we continue losing then confidence is going to drop and having lost so much Championship experience, that may be very difficult to recover from.

He can't really strike a ball properly 85% of the time, which is going to limit anyone playing as a striker.

I would assume it's just the hardcore attending these days anyway? Hard to imagine our attendances fluctuating that much based on isolated results. I would only expect significant changes for midweek cup games against lower league opposition or conversely cup games against a PL team.

Grim.

Is it unlucky to cast off huge amounts of Championship experience, replace them with cheap punts and then find results aren't going your way?

Better forward line and we would have at least drawn here against a very underwhelming Norwich side. Decent striker needed to avoid a frustrating and potentially disastrous season, I fear.

Agreed, but I think last week would have been much closer in different circumstances. It stands out massively from all of the other matches we've played this season.

They're bang average and will finish mid table at best.

If we're this shit against Norwich we're in huge trouble. Hull result was blatantly down to the majority of their squad being unwell.

Wonder how long Sheff Utd persist with Selles? Dire results and performances in every match so far. Think he could genuinely relegate them if given the entire season.

The funny thing with Graham is that he was crap at Sunderland, came here and was pretty solid, then went back to Sunderland and was rubbish again 🤣