By my count that's 16 wins in 90 Monday-Friday away Championship games since 2012.

Still trying to work out which bright spark decided to agree to bring forward the game to this week, just 24 hours after an inevitable last minute transfer deadline and knowing that we had 4-5 key players out injured.

Making out like Eustace has got everything / more than he asked for with SIX new players. Whoop de doo. Some, myself included, would read that and think that Nixon has an agenda to praise that slimeball Waggott and make anyone unhappy about our business to be unreasonable, Eustace included. It almost suggests that Eustace has been given more than he could ever expect or ask for therefore if we slide away it is nothing to do with the 'supremo'. Sickening stuff. Of those six two Eustace publicly admitted we signed because they were cheap squad fillers and replace two outgoings arguably of at least equal if not better quality in McFadzean and Baker (definitely in the case of Baker). One Eustace admitted in public that it was a club target and suggested that it was nothing to do with him in Kargbo, who certainly doesn't fit the experienced proven quality requirement. Same goes then for the LB.

I think we have entered a new era from that we had pre-2023. Back then when we lost people like Lenihan, Nyambe, Rothwell due to contract expiry I think it was probably at least in part due to inept management and poor organisation, trying to force those players into accepting lesser terms and leaving things until the last minute. Then Broughton came in and to be fair to him he went about renewing those contracts that needed sorting and we also signed a few on reasonable term deals - Hyam, Szmodics, Brittain. Since the 2023 change however I think we are firmly into new territory. Not only are we unable to renew terms but I genuinely think there is an instruction from the owners down to not offer medium to long term deals and to drastically cut the wage bill. We can see indications of this in our recent transfer activity. With the exception of a few very low cost people like Kargbo (who will have been on relative peanuts in Italy) there are no proper contracts being handed out. So rather than this being down to typical Venky/Waggott delay/poor organisation I think they are now following a clear plan - let the contracts run down, get the wages off the books, don't have anyone tied down beyond a maximum of 1-2 years, no long term 3,4,5 year deals, no wage increases. It is deliberate and planned. So every summer we are going to at best be in the loan market and adding people on 12 month contracts. The 'core' of the squad that has excelled this season will be out of here.

I don't believe the club has any intention or even desire to retain people like Brittain, Hyam, Travis, Tronstad or Hedges. They would only do it if those players agreed to substantial pay cuts, which isn't going to happen as they will all be looking for their final 'big' contracts and certainly the first four could walk into most other Championship clubs and get a better deal. The clue is in the fact that all were signed / contracted before the 'change' in the summer of 2023 when they overnight slashed the budget and the legal issues came to light. Since then with one or two minor exceptions, such as new deals for Szmodics and Wharton so they could be swiftly sold off, and a few of the academy lads, renewals have totally dried up. There's an iceberg up ahead and the club won't or can't do anything to avoid it. The happy clappers who ignore all this and pretend everything is wonderful might think they are 'super fans' but they are going to be in for a rude awakening when we are stripped bare of all our remaining quality and assets within the next 16 months.

What % of our squad is out of contract / loan in the summer? Must be over 50 now.

I was actually referring to posts on Twitter a couple of which spring to mind, one explaining how Rudy has managed what Broughton couldn't do and another saying that Venkys had come up with the cash when needed. Laughable really so fits quite well with our transfer business.

Quite incredible to see some of the reactions to this, people talking about 'happy days' and even one or two applauding Venkys and Rudy. At best we've signed 2 more loans/short term deals who are going to be here for 3-4 months and 15 games. They've taken over a month since the January window opened to get this 'proven experienced quality' and here we are, 11:30pm on 3rd February, not even certain both have joined and people making out like we've just climbed the north face of the Eiger, not potentially got two short term deals over the line with 2 clubs desperate to be rid of them. Dismal stuff.

Maybe he will be astute but he's only going to be available for 15 league games then he's away again and we've to rebuild our left hand side in the summer.

I keep coming back to Eustace's comments after signing Sanderson and Forshaw. All about it being a means to an end as it reinforced the squad at basically next-to-no expense therefore allowing us to concentrate our resources on getting our main targets and 'proven, experienced' quality in the door in the more pressing positions. Since then we've had an unknown from the Italian lower divisions and, allegedly, are close to signing cover at LB on loan (I'll believe it when I see it). Eustace has made it quite clear that he had nothing to do with Kargbo and even if he had it clearly in no way shape or form suggests proven experienced quality. I'd be surprised if he had much at all to do with the LB loan. If that's about it then it's clear to me that they've played him for a fool just like they did JDT and the rest of us. People don't like being lied to or taken for fools. It breaks trust and can be impossible to recover from. As a coping mechanism some delude themselves into thinking that its all fine and normal or that things will change.

But but but it's a hard window to do business in! Middlesbrough must not have got the memo about money in from sales only coming in instalments making it impossible to spend anything on new signings. One club that tries, another club that couldn't give a flying fcuk about what happens, the gruesome twosome's jobs are secured with Championship status.

I suppose the loons trying to defend this shambles will point towards 'no big sales' and not giving our captain to a rival club as a step in the right direction....

What irritates me is Jackson stating we 'pushed very hard' for Danns. He doesn't know that. He has been told that by a club employee. Some of them are liars and have arse covering to be doing as the inevitable January failings become clear. Yet Jackson putting this sort of thing out in the media helps create the 'poor us we tried' impression. It just isn't good enough and isn't acceptable, no matter what sob stories they spread.

'Didn't progress' basically means that we rang Liverpool up and asked what % of Danns' wage they were prepared to cover in return for him coming here and playing regularly. The minute other Championship clubs come along and inevitably offer far more then commercial reasons will see him go elsewhere. That's the end of it. Our interest amounts to a hope and prayer that come deadline day the parent club will cave in and allow their player to come to us as they'd rather take a financial hit in return for the player having game time as opposed to being sat around their training ground playing academy football for another 4-5 months. That's our transfer policy in a nutshell. Sometimes it comes off, often it doesn't, but the less and less we are prepared to contribute the harder it is and lower quality the player that arrives.

So where are Eustace's 'two or three' quality experienced players coming in?

The hastily and insanely rearranged QPR fixture and preparations for that meant that there was insufficient time / opportunity to concentrate on getting deals over the line.

See Waggott's 'update' from the other week. Take your pick from: It's always a difficult or slow window to do business in The current players have done so well and deserve the chance to finish the job, it wouldn't be fair to bring in others Other players could disrupt team spirit and camaraderie We'll only sign players if they are the 'right level' and 'right fit' Injuries are returning so there's no real gain in signing more now and then having 'too many' players We've only got space in the squad for one more so we can't add plenty. There's just not enough time left on deadline day with agents, clubs and players changing demands all the time.

My prediction is we will get one Premier League academy loan, possibly Danns although if Sunderland are even slightly interested they'll beat us to that one, or another option in desperation, and then we will big that and Kargbo up as serious transfer business. Laughably bad if so, and only more evidence if ever anyone needed it of the urgency with which we need rid of the rotten regime and charlatans working for it.

I was saying last night to a friend that what ought to have happened at some point in December or early January is that one of our 'wonderful, kind, generous owners' who 'never refuse to sign a cheque' would have phoned John Eustace and applauded him for the job done so far, wished him all the best for the rest of the season, expressed a wish for him to extend his deal, and then offered to support him in January with an increased budget to allow him to buy or loan 3-4 top quality players this month. Such a conversation would have taken 5 minutes. That's all. Not a lot to ask of them at all, but it could make all the difference to the club's future. I don't believe for one second that such a conversation has occurred or that the owners will even know or care about our league position and it is clear by the tightrope we are walking on incomings and outgoings that the budget is maxed out and we are shuffling around trying to free up wages by offloading one or two here and there. It is totally pathetic. There's no chance on earth of us finding the required cash to pay someone like O'Brien and we are being used and conned again. The only leverage we will have is the hope that Forest eventually agree to us paying something daft like £10k a week of his wages on the understanding that we play him every game and this puts more value into him than him being sat on a bench somewhere. It's not even a gamble at this stage because worst case we miss out but we know they'll be selling whoever they can in the summer to recoup cash anyway.

So less than 48 hours from the window closing and it seems nothing is happening bar we are probably the most likely destination for another Liverpool loan (if they are being generous and don't prefer to send him elsewhere) and still 'attempting' to sign another couple of 'big name' players on loan who we know won't come because we won't pay enough of their wages.

I'm convinced they are just playing games with the O'Brien one. Even if our interest was genuine I'd be amazed if he would even entertain coming here unless Eustace can talk a very good game and persuade him to do it. The scars of 2023 will still be there, he will know what sort of amateur outfit he's dealing with. What should have happened of course is that if he was such a target that we are prepared to contribute heavily on wages he should have been in the building in the first week of January so he was able to play in midfield over the last 4-5 games and make a difference ahead of Forshaw.

Ask yourself the question of why a bloke, 71 in a few months, apparently based down in Kent, with zero connection to this area, continues to put himself through the stresses and strains of heading up an organisation like Rovers. He's working for horrendous owners, having to oversee and implement budget cuts, has overseen countless transfer window and contract debacles, a filthy crumbling stadium etc. Why do it? He can't need the money or stress, he's well past retirement age. Most people his age would have had their feet up or be enjoying golf, he's spending his retirement years running this madhouse. The only logical explanation for this of course is that the gig isn't a bad one at all, infact it is a fantastic position to occupy for someone with no pride, ambition, drive, because you can just keep things ticking over year on year, meeting your targets, collecting your salary and 'handling' the fans and media with 3-6 monthly 'updates' which are basically just attempts to make excuses and kick the can down the road until the next time comes. People in far less 'important' or 'senior' roles - for example cleaners, drivers, maintenance staff, catering - would have jumped into retirement with far less cash behind them than he has years ago. My view is that, just like with politicians, the gravy train is too good to give up voluntarily and the job is nowhere near as stressful or demanding as they would have us believe.

I'm glad others can see what is going on here. They really aren't daft with their soundbites and media approach, but they certainly think the fanbase are. Of course they put Travis on media duties, he'll be 'like a new signing' now he's back fit after 5-6 weeks out. Earlier this week it was about how Gueye is now up to speed and getting better 'like a new signing'. Next one up will be Sigurdsson if we ever see or hear from him again it will be all about how he's ready to help the team and play his part in the run in. They're playing games but I think slowly but surely the bulk of the social media engaged fanbase are waking up to the scam.

So the bloke who kept up a sinking ship last season and on buttons has turned it into a play-off chasing team in the space of 6 months, who has worked in professional football and coaching for the last decade and earned acclaim for jobs done here and at Birmingham has to play second fiddle in selecting his transfer targets to Rudy 'work experience' Gestede who has never occupied a similar position before in his life (and wouldn't have got this job at any other Championship club), and Adam Owen, whoever the hell he is. Make it make sense. Still when Eustace jacks it in and moves elsewhere at least the immovable ones will be further entrenched in their positions

They've probably already spent the majority of it on their flurry of activity last week. That's what you do when you've got a serious and ambitious owner who accepts there is a need to sell from time to time but will do his best to respond to that by reinvesting and backing his manager with proper signings at a crucial stage of the season. Might work, might not, but at least they've tried. Scratching around for cheap loans and foreign punts a month after we needed immediate reinforcements with proven quality as identified by our manager sums it up.