Admiral Nelsen

But Travis is 21, Buckley is 19. You do a lot of growing up as a footballer in those two years. I'm as enthusiastic about this crop as much as anyone, but ultimately we're nobody's feeder club, we're there to win matches on a Saturday and should play our best XI. Blooding youngsters is important, but you don't do them or the club any favours if you do it before they can genuinely stake a claim to deserve it like Travis clearly was. Wish Tomlinson the best, but he looked to me that he wasn't technically good enough to make up for his lack of physicality. Wharton is getting game time at a level appropriate for a defender of his age, let's hope he can make the step up as he develops. I really do agree that we can't go wasting this crop of youngsters, but I don't see any reason that we will. Our squad is probably as young as it has been in decades, Mowbray gave I think 4 academy players their debut last year. Made Raya his no. 1, Travis is now a first team fixture. We might have plenty of issues to deal with as a club and a squad, but the manager giving youth a go isn't one of them imo!

Derby looking for a new manager, wonder if last season was their big chance. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48755457 Will end in tears this one. Lampard seems bright enough and could have the right stuff to make it as manager, but the Chelsea job next year would be tough for anyone, let alone for someone with zip experience.

Fair, suppose we finished 15th this season too and you wouldn't expect an improvement once you take our best two players away. Don't want to be splitting hairs too much, I agree that we need improvements to progress and that this is a big summer, recruitment wise. I just think there's too much of a tendency to undersell and even write off a lot of our squad players needlessly, plenty of whom are perfectly serviceable Championship players. The jump from 'we need an upgrade on Smallwood' to 'Smallwood is rubbish' is made really frequently, and for Smallwood you can read 4 or 5 of our squad in my view.

To go up (or get close), yes. To stay up? We were miles in front of the teams in the relegation mix, 20 points above Rotherham. We rely on Dack but not so heavily that we're relegation fodder without him. Even the players deemed, rightly or wrongly, not good enough are lower half championship standard. Mulgrew, Evans, Smallwood, Bennett, these are all players who would've helped the struggling teams last year immensely in my view.

If it is (if doing quite a lot of work) I'm pleased at least that we've managed to keep it under wraps. I know the days of getting a Craig Bellamy from nowhere have disappeared, but it says good things about our operation if we can keep our transfer targets and, to a certain extent, budget to ourselves.

It's a definite risk. Think the effectiveness of Downing will depend on who he's playing with. Downing with Evans, Bennett, Travis could be extremely pedestrian, putting a massive amount of pressure on Dack. Swap a couple of them for Rothwell, Chapman or Armstrong out wide, and all of a sudden someone with Downing's ability to pick them out first time could add another dimension. Come to think of it, you could probably say the same about Murphy and Whittingham if we're going to carry on using them as reasons not to sign him. Both big let downs, but their lack of legs wouldn't have been as obvious if they had decent out-balls. There was definitely a 'they should be able to run a game by themselves' approach to both, which won't be the case with Downing.

Have to agree. Looked a million miles away from being a player in his Rovers appearances, but seems to have impressed at a lower level once he actually got a run of games together. Hopefully we could get a small fee and sell on clause for him due to his upturn in form, but he's of an age now where he needs to play.

That's a fair enough comment. Something to be said for both of those being pencilled in as our main men meant that they were bigger let downs though. Another way of looking at it, a 35 year old David Dunn still had loads to offer at this level, albeit very injury prone. I think Dunny always had more natural quality than Downing, but equally Downing has an abundance at this level. He might be another Murphy/Whittingham, but just because we've had our hands burned with players in their 30s doesn't mean we always will.

I think he's still liked as a character, and is popular for his approach to the game. Hugely influential in getting promoted the season before last. Even the most critical of fans couldn't knock his effort, desire and importance in getting the club back in the Championship. It became obvious last season that our squad needed a couple more players of more quality if we want to be talking about promotion. We have plenty of good characters who are decent players, who will probably see us lower-mid table easily enough but not much beyond that. Smallwood's become a bit of poster boy for that dilemma, a bit unfairly in my view when there are several others in the same category. I think defensive-minded midfielders generally get a bit more stick than is warranted unless they really stand out, and that's at all clubs. I think a fair summary will be that Smallwood is still valued as a member of the squad by plenty (admittedly not all) of fans, just that if he's starting most games next season, that we can't really expect to progress that far in my view. Then again it's more than feasible that we'll be going into next season with him as our 4th choice centre midfielder, and I bet there aren't that many of those in the division that I'd swap Richie for.

Started in the previous league game away at Derby, I believe. Didn't do too badly either. Then again, that was the only time I remember Leon Best scoring for Rovers (at least when he wasn't playing for Charlton) so there might've been something in the air causing otherwise bang average players to do well that day.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48621629 Bilic appointed now. Surprised he's taken a job with high expectations and a reduced budget, but a good appointment for them all the same

Agree with that. I think one centre half to play alongside Lenihan could be enough, but if so it'll need to be a real step up to what we currently have. Bauer might be a good player, but in the main untested this level.

Game of opinions, he lead the line well against Bolton, which lets not forget was the first time he's started at Ewood. Totally accept that they're an abysmal team, but his all round game was good and with a little more composure could've had more than the one. He's no Heskey, but he's an athletic boy.

Footballing intelligence definitely seems to be the main issue. He has it physically, and has shown bits technically. Looks slightly ungainly when he runs, but travels with the ball rather well, albeit looking unorthodox when he does. Lone strikers, a bit like centre backs, take a few more years to learn the role and responsibility than other positions, and he's learning from an expert in Danny Graham, so there are reasons to have some optimism for me. I think whether he can improve that aspect of his game is probably going to turn out to be most important question about whether he turns out to be a good signing or not in a couple of years time.

Potentially load-of-rubbish rumour that we're after Jordan Hugill

You'd have thought so, but everything you read suggests they're looking to rein it in a bit this season. Wide, wide open next year.

Possibly, but we weren't far away for Freeman last year if I recall correctly. QPR are really struggling with FFP and it sounds like he basically needs to be sold. Don't see any reason why that can't be to us if we have a semi-decent budget.

Everything I hear about Cooper is that he sounds exactly what we need. Some rumours around clubs with bigger budgets, but nothing from the Prem, so might be doable if we're patient. Failing that, I'd like to try for Liam Lindsay, but again we'll probably have to hope that doesn't turn into an auction. Not sure if the Freeman ship has sailed, but I think he'd be perfect if we're hoping to play more of a passing style. I'd be more than happy if we spent the bulk of our budget on one of those defenders and Freeman, with loans and more affordable players filling spots in goal, as Graham back up and perhaps as cover in attacking midfield/wing.

Imagine this is going to be a tough read in parts, but far more deserving of a book than 99% of other footballers who churn them out. Still can't believe Tord Gripp & Sven opted for Keown. A fifth centre back in a maximum 7 game tournament). Total madness.

Really find it surprising how he wasn't a megastar post-Rovers. An absolute colossus once he got used to the league and ironed out the odd concentration error. Even 70% of Samba at his pomp is what we're crying out for. Sadly he's not likely to be as good as that.

Is this just a nod in the direction to FFP though? I.e. that external investment in players & a top academy is vital, but if we don't see it back in kind with either a promotion or player trading then we're limited in how much we can spend?

It would be interesting to see how Dack would do at this level when there clear danger-men all over the park (hopefully this may be us next year with Rothwell playing a more prominent role). I recall in the better periods under Bowyer that Rudy, Conway, King and Cairney all had their best runs by far when other teams couldn't afford to just target one player. Marshall too played his best football by a mile when he wasn't our go-to creative outlet. Strangely Rhodes was better in my view when the rest of the team was awful, but that was probably an exception! Anyway, back on Dack, I think most teams have targeted him this year, but his goals & assists suggest that plenty didn't manage it! Totally accept that he has struggled at times though, and that better teams in the Prem would find this easier. I think my point is better made when looking at a player that our 6 fingered friends down the road had. If a pre-injury Jay Rodriguez was the star man in a top flight team, I'd say that he could be made to look like he wasn't all that special rather easily. Put him in a Southampton team with 4 or 5 other danger-men, then he flourishes to the extent that he gets an England jersey. I could see a similar sort of thing happening with Dack. Come to think of it, I think you could probably say the same about most attacking talent that comes up through the lower leagues (with the odd exception like Vardy). Some of them are definitely up to it in the right team, but if the rest of the squad are below that level, then not only does the team struggle, but it probably has a knock on effect on how well the player performs as an individual with too much responsibility on their shoulders.

There's something to be said for Dack being the main man in this league, he's clearly our dangerman and plenty of teams have taken the approach 'stop Dack, stop Blackburn'. For what it's worth, I think Dack's of the quality of a good (not CL) top fight team, but probably not to be talisman like he is for us now. Wouldn't put him in the same class as Le Tiss or Dunny (I'm still one of those who think under slightly different circumstances, Dunny would've played for one of the elite clubs with 50 caps for England). They could do it despite being marked men. But I see no reason whatsover if he was in Bournemouth's, Watford's, West Ham's teams, along with a few others, that he wouldn't slot right in there and do well. Playing with better players would do him the world of good in my opinion.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/5975839.rovers-deny-pirlo-swoop/ Not a bad foil for Keane. Wasn't Miranda (ex Atletico & Brazil CB) linked heavily with us in the £50 million warchest days?

Don't know why I'm actually putting myself through this, but I wonder what said XI would actually look like. Just the ones you mention are half way to being a world class side. To be fair, not that outlandish that we could've signed one or both if we had different priorities of spending the Bentley & Friedel money. Money paid for Robinson, Grella, Andrews & the money we found for Diouf would've been comfortably more than £6million