JHRover

I think the Telegraph are doing the clubs bidding here. An almost daily reference to Armstrong, now they've started with the 'bids' in but rejected. I don't believe them. It is in Rovers' interests to keep this in the limelight for as long as possible. Zero information in that article beyond what we already knew. They're trying to bring interested parties out into the open. Normal clubs would be pressing ahead with recruitment and planning for improvement next season, the focus here is on cashing in. Shameless.

Well strictly speaking isn't Venus now Mowbray's boss? I'm confused but I'm sure at one stage Venus was Head of Football or something. Maybe he's taken control. Mowbray likes to let Venus manage which is why some games he makes a point of sitting down or upstairs all the game not moving and leaves it to Venus. Weird stuff but a quick look at the Coventry stuff suggests they've form for it.

I predict that there will be such a turnover in players (much of it brought on ourselves) and so many new faces to integrate at once that Mowbray will baffle himself and everyone else with all sorts of experiments and theories on how to play. Sad part is that swathes of the fanbase will buy his BS when he talks about developing a new team or system to move forward with. He has no idea on a system or what he wants which is why we've had various through his time here and lurched from one to the other. We know that when Armstrong departs (which I reckon Mowbray wants) he can then buy himself another 6-12 months of muddling around trying to develop an identity and system without him. He'll talk the talk and the Telegraph will print it every week and the laptop gurus will fantastise about tactics and systems and Mowbray will act like he's Rinus Michels. Next one will be that he needs to develop a system of being less reliant on one goalscorer and spreading the goals around the squad more (ignoring that finishing in a relegation battle with a 29 goal striker proves managerial incompetence). But he'll get away with it. "It was always going to be a summer of transition after Armstrong was sold" "What is Mowbray meant to do when we are under FFP restrictions? No manager could do anything other than aim for survival" "There's been a pandemic. Once that's out of the way we will be fine" "He's using the younger players and he deserves chance to see them develop" (whilst their contracts run down and they get taken away).

I see that Forest are expected to appoint Dane Murphy as CEO when his contract at Barnsley expires. A club that learns lessons after a crap season and takes steps to sort it out. Compare and contrast to the defeatism and cronyism in place here.

Probably never given our lowest numbers were in the early 80s at a time when the above were often down in the 4th division.

Depends which side of the owners are making decisions. Could be the stubborn side - Phil Jones and Jordan Rhodes - by all accounts very stubborn and not willing to sell on the cheap Or it could be the firesale grab whatever cash we can side - Tom Cairney a notable example - in which case it will happen whether the player wants it or not.

A lot to respond to but here goes. I've already explained why we need more than 4-5 signings. We've lost around 15 from last season. We need a minimum of 4 CBs to call upon. One of them has barely featured because he's a crock (Ayala) and it would be suicide to plan on the basis he is going to remain fit. Wharton is out until AT LEAST September with a serious injury. It goes without saying I want him back and fully recovered asap but that is taking a chance - he might have a setback, he might not get back to where he was. Too many IFs and Buts with that sort of injury - same goes for Dack. We've lost 2 in HB and Branthwaite and also Williams and Mulgrew who were experienced options. So we need 2 to come in. It isn't wasting money if having depth to the squad saves us from relegation. That's called being sensible and pre-empting inevitable injuries. I honestly think some people would sooner we never spent any money again and saved on transfer fees and wages - but you'll never get promoted or succeed by scrimping and saving and cutting corners. It isn't 'making a signing for the sake of it'. CB is a key position. Arguably the most important. You need solid, reliable consistent players there and you should then build from a stable and effective defensive unit. You don't just throw in a couple of youngsters in the hope they do alright, you don't cut corners by trying to fill the positions with loanees for a few months. The situation with Wharton was the same in January as it is now - he isn't fit and isn't going to be for some time. By September (earliest all being well) the course for the season will be set. A poor start and you can get stuck down there. Carter wasn't out long term. He was loaned out to Burton because Mowbray had no intention of using him here. You take a very black and white view with the U23s. Of course a player can play well for the U23s and not be ready to play in the Championship. Scoring goals in the Championship is a different game to scoring goals in the U23 league. I'm not saying McBride is or isn't good enough, I am saying there's scant evidence to suggest he will bang in goals in the Championship. If your logic was correct then we would never need to sign anyone ever again as we could just dip into the academy to find our first team players. I would say both McBride and Vale need to prove they can do the business in competitive football before we gamble our status on it. Minimum £7 million for getting relegated - are you willing to gamble that? We shouldn't have re-signed Chapman. I don't know what they are playing at but something doesn't sit right with it. I suspect there's minimal cost to the club in doing it and they think they can eke a few goals out of him and sell him for a few quid. Quite clear Mowbray's not a fan.

I presume it is something to do with the University of Stirling given they are specialists in sport so will have all sorts of facilities suitable for hosting a football team for training.

It's not a conspiracy theory to say I don't believe them. Do you think the stuff about the training ground was another conspiracy theory or that the club were lying on that one?

We need more than 4-5, but it is looking like even that is going to be a struggle. We need 2x CB. Wharton and Ayala can't be relied on at this stage which is why we signed two loans in January for that position. LB is a problem now. Armstrong replacement. Depth to the squad. Chapman being used/relied on with his history here? You must be joking. Vale and McBride? Why? Because you genuinely think they are ready to perform in the Championship or because they've done alright for the u23s? It could be done using the free agent market but we aren't even adept at that - rival clubs busy signing people whilst nothing happening at Rovers. If I'm supposed to believe/accept that the reason for this is because the EFL are picking on us and taking ages to trawl through our accounts whilst the likes of Millwall and Luton have got themselves sorted I'm afraid not.

No not quite that extreme. Through the course of last season we knew they were on loan and knew two very important elements of the side - creatively and defensively - were temporary patch ups with high likelihood both would need replacing - in addition to several others - this summer whilst still dealing with all the other issues at present. If we'd have signed two players instead last summer - on 3 or 4 year deals - we wouldn't need to sign anyone to replace them this summer, so any restrictions imposed by the League would be of much less impact. Or we would get a hefty transfer fee to reinvest/offset to achieve compliance. Armstrong should be the silver bullet for FFP - we should be getting £20 million+ which should smash FFP out of the park for the forseeable. Sadly more poor planning means we will be forced to sell him for much less which will have minimal impact on FFP accounts. I see the Telegraph are starting with the suggestion that Armstrong hasn't signed a contract offer from Rovers. Anyone actually believe there's a suitable offer on the table for him to stay?

I think you are missing the point I was trying to make. I'm not interested in how good or bad those leaving are or were. I'm interested in the fact that we are facing huge obstacles in recruiting new players ahead of the new season, and how that challenge could have been reduced by not relying so much on loans (that now need replacing) or not allowing so many players to be out of contract all at once. The fact remains that those senior squad members have left the club, and will therefore need replacing. To replace that number of players is a tricky question at the best of times. To do it in a pandemic, with Brexit, with no money from the owners, clueless management, and then to top it all off the extra hurdle of League embargo or restrictions makes it extremely difficult. The Club knew all the above was happening, so if it is the case that we are embargoed or heavily restricted on what we can do then I think the question that needs asking it why this has happened. We'd have been better keeping some of those out of contract (admittedly many of them not particularly good) than having a mass exodus that we can't overcome. Where do you think the money is coming from to persuade Barnsley to sell one of their best players?

So we've allowed 10+ players to depart this summer and relied heavily on loans despite presumably knowing that FFP trouble was on the horizon and that there was a strong chance we would be restricted on signing new players this summer. First question- what sort of morons do we have running things here? Second question - why do they get to continue in their jobs?

From Middlesbrough so definitely a possible.

All these other clubs busy snapping up the free agents. What market are we in again and what are we waiting for?

Hey ho let's wait and see when the boxes turn up. Not like we've got money to make or anything.

This talk from Sharpe about waiting for the accounts to be published through Companies House I think is a red herring. I got my copy of shareholders accounts through the post about 10 days ago. I'm not sure why the Club/Football League need to wait for Companies House to do anything. Once the Club has had the accounts signed off by the auditors they go to the League and can be scrutinised.

The conclusion I arrived at some time ago is that the people running Rovers thrive in the uncertainty. They certainly don't like sharing information unless they have to - like the training ground stunt. Only thing to draw from it is that it is either bad news that they are scared/embarrassed to release or there's some advantage to them keeping quiet.

Silva will need to live up to the hype. Done well abroad at Sporting and Olympiacos, had spurts of results at Hull, Watford and Everton yet each one didn't last very long and left under something of a cloud. Hull he ultimately took down (though couldn't be blamed for it), Watford he seemed to lose the plot completely after Everton took an interest and then Everton he had a decent first season before it unravelled. Think he could be a good appointment for Fulham.

To be honest re. Reach I'd take him now. If nothing else because we are looking woefully short, particularly in the creativity department, and he has shown at two other clubs he has something in his locker. Nothing to get excited about but right now I'm worried about relegation and so experience and some quality would be welcome. I doubt there's much in it. Probably just people putting 2 and 2 together with the Boro connection and his agent trying to get him a deal at another Championship club and us dealing in the free agent aisle. He'll rock up somewhere like Birmingham or dare I say it PNE as they will gazump us by moving quickly.

We need to worry about relegation not promotion. You've just named 4 CBs. Two are injury prone and barely featured last season. Wharton is out for the foreseeable. One is a kid who has had half a season in League One (albeit under a better manager than Mowbray). CB does need attention unless gambling Championship status is the way of it.

Mowbray has proven in his time that he doesn't trust Chapman and won't give him starts. Uninspiring and bizarre decision but only to be expected here. To only go for one year suggests that there isn't much confidence at the clubs end. I wonder if the plan is to just play him come what may over the next few months and then try to sell him for some sort of fee off the back of it to raise cash.

Reach an obvious link for them to come up with through the old Boro boys club. Will have been on huge money at Sheff Wed so seems odd but of course we usually find decent cash for wages when we need to. Its the things like reimbursing fans and cleaning Ewood that there isn't enough money for. He will have other suitors including clubs that try to get their business done early and quickly. We don't shop in that market. I see Sharpe now dropping a suggestion that the embargo is still in doubt. If true then there needs to be a local media investigation.

Pretty much everything you've listed there has happened or is likely to happen in the near future under these owners. The only good they do is pump substantial money in but any advantage from that is nearly all squandered due to mismanagement anyway. Our support base has been decimated under these buffoons. Hard to see how it can get worse than 2500 season tickets.

Perhaps the only people who have done well out of the last 10 years have been our managers and those that represent them. Quite the gravy train and no end in sight.