Lancaster Rover

I think there is an expectation from the management team that Cantwell steps up his goals tally this year, add to that Kargbo and the new lad I would wager that is where the Weimmann/Dolan goals are expected to come from. Not saying I agree that it should be considered a like for like swap but that's the way I see it at present.

The Scottish side of my family are split between Celtic and the Hibees, they speak very highly of Miller and one of my uncles (Hibs) who takes an interest in Rovers says he has a modern Lucas Neill feel about him. Aggressive, physical and likes getting forward.

Batth is a good player and decent for us but people seem to have quite short memories, some of his passing into midfield was a bomb scare. I forget who it was but feel it was QPR at home when he repeatedly played slow, flat passes into midfield that kept getting picked off, it wasn't the only game he did it either. We have a tendency as fans on here to go overboard with negativity or praise when a player leaves, they were either the second coming of christ or the worst player since Kaba Diawara. Batth was a solid championship centre half at the end of his career, who provided a good foil for Hyams skills set. Beckenbaur he is not.

Yes, the writing has been on the wall for 4 or 5 years with the 2 seasons in league 1 being a temporary distraction from the owners actions. He’s pretty much follows his Worcester playbook day by day, the board who were in place (made up existing directors) sadly took too long to accept what he was doing and contributed to the death by a thousand cuts we’re seeing now. Whittingham as he did at Worcester will walk off into the sunset with all his debts wiped and having picketed millions from loans to the club, etc.

Lower league and non-league clubs are one of the few places that still take large amounts of cash on a weekly basis

I know they seemingly have lots of money but it's taken them 18 months to pass the EFL test, it's also unclear as to where any of their wealth comes from. Again, lots of dissolved companies and live companies with no obvious earnings. I can make guesses as to where the money comes from or their reasons for wanting to buy a business that you could argue was easy to hide/introduce money into, but neither of those guesses would I be willing to share on a public forum though if you catch my drift. The phrase frying pan and fire springs to mind

I'd argue financial fair play rulings (which I don't agree with in their current form) are slightly different to a membership body stepping in and ordering someone to sell a club, sell it at a loss or who to sell it to.

In fairness to the EFL there is not a lot they could do, the current owners took over prior to the Worcester Warriors debacle, and the information on Goldrings involvement only came to light after initial takeover. The dissolving of companies is commonplace and the compulsory striking off isn't as severe as it sounds. You can't bar someone on the basis of having been involved in lots of companies. I would guess if you looked across the EFL there are lots of 'good' owners who have similar number of appointments as directors to companies, etc. It's the nature of business creating shell companies and group companies to shield business people's personal wealth if the shit hits the fan. There are a lot of things I don't feel sorry for with the EFL however on ownership I do feel their hands are often tied in terms of removing owners. Football clubs are privately owned businesses, the EFL don't have the power/right (nor should they or any other membership body) to start telling private businesses how to operate. Whilst football is a very different business, it still has to operate within company law and the minute we start saying a membership body can start dictating to businesses how they operate we open the floodgates to all manner of things in the wider business world. As someone who has spent a lot of time at Christie Park and the Mazuma it's looking very bleak, I employ couple of lads who are scholars in the U18's/21's and they're playing their last game today having not been paid for 9 weeks! The only viable option now is a phoenix club operating in NW Counties from 26/27 onward

So De Neve is essentially Owen Beck

Only issue with Prem Loan's on the wing is they have tended to be lightweight and not cut out for mens football (yet), unless we get someone who is stupidly quick they end up getting lost and/or forced to turn back or cut in all the time.

I’ve just shown my lad (10) the kit and he said it’s the best Rovers kit he’s seen, opinions eh

Agreed, I think he has to do a full season injury free for someone to pay big money for him.

No, I think it was 96/97 away shirt where we narrowly avoided relegation. Had a panel down one side that had Rovers crest replicated in different sizes then repeated on one of the arms, both home and away had 'grandad collars', sponsored by CIS

It reminds me of the hi vis yellow and blue ASICS one that was horrendous at the time but has since grown on me in a cult status type way

If that's the shirt I'd put it in with the others as being 'fine', an all yellow shirt with black piping isn't one to get the pulses racing for me. Contrasting arms, a couple of strips down the sides like the 92/93 3rd shirt would be much more interesting

You'd think yellow and black would be the obvious one this year, we had red and black last year and if I remember correctly had a yellow and blue (Wembley inspired) 3rd shirt a couple of years ago. Any other colour combo would be a left field choice

Relegated sides that play in leagues where the bottom teams are not even league 1 standard

Exciting summer signing players from teams who’d struggle in league 1. Also, we won’t be signing Drameh, when did we last take a sought after player from a championship club

Brittain leaving for 3 million to rival championship clubs is the absolute pits, best RB in the league and we’re going to let him walk for peanuts. You can’t even loan a decent Prem kid for that sort of money. But hey at least we’ve signed some no mark who played at St Mirren and Killie (both league 1 standard at best)

I don’t necessarily think all 3 will go this summer but none of them will be here beyond the expiration of their current contracts

Travis, Tronstad and Brittain are all leaving regardless of what formation Ismael is or isn’t playing

And this is the problem they face, ultimately Football clubs are private businesses and the government/fans can kick and scream all they want but the business can do as it pleases. Until there is a 50+1 style ruling, (which will ever happen in a market driven capitalist country like England) the bill is like a dog with no dick

I think whilst we know the impact Venky's have had on us in terms of visibility in the wider world it's minimal. The average PL fan has a short memory and our issues with Venky's during our PL years have been reduced to meme's of chickens on the pitch and spun to Rovers fans being annoyed that we were no longer near the top. I'd go so far as saying I imagine most PL fans and media to some extent believe the natural order has been restored getting their favoured 'massive clubs' back in the PL (looking at you Leeds, mad how everyone forgets them getting 16k in League 1). So to the average fan we've suffered a relegation and a couple of near misses coupled with an instant promotion and a number of play off near misses. To many that doesn't read too differently than half the championship. Yes there might have been some managerial merry go round but that's an accepted part of championship football these days, sadly. If you look at the clubs she's mentioned they've had point deductions, non-payment of wages, training grounds sold to other clubs and in some cases folded and risen as a phoenix club. Whilst we know the extent of damage to our club and the rumours of impending doom re the finances, viewed in the wider world all they see is a mid table championship club who has sold it's best players, again not too dissimilar from any other mid table championship club. And this is the crux of the issue in getting our story out, the devil is in the details and the nuance to why we've sold out Crown Jewels year on year, why managers have jumped on the merry go round, which is why it is imperative for the new WATR board to bring to the forefront the suspected mismanagement of all aspects of the club and the impact this has on the town and wider region.

I think the 3rd kit is a lovely Plymouth Argyle shirt

Rothwell will do well, as a Celtic fan I'm actually gutted he didn't sign for us, be an able deputy/midfield partner for Callum McCregor and more reliable/consistent than Engels, Bernardo, McCowan who've partnered him at times last season.