Admiral Nelsen

Basically think that's right, especially about Samuel who looks like he could be a handy player if he was a bit more mentally robust. Do think you're being slightly generous to Evans though. He's had big injury issues in his time here, and he has had a couple of good games recently, but sadly I think it fits far too much with the pattern of the last few seasons; he doesn't put any real stamp on games until the point when people are ready to write him off, then he puts in a couple of better performances to keep him in the frame. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty worse than him, and I wouldn't be absolutely desperate to get him out of the club or anything like that. I'd imagine, however, that he's one of the bigger earners, so if we got an offer for him I definitely think we could use the money better elsewhere.

In retrospect, a bad move for Mahoney, but easy to see how it could've worked out differently. I remember thinking this time last year that the way the Club was going, I wouldn't have blamed anyone from wanting out to further their career at a normal, functioning football club. Obviously a totally different feeling 152 months later, but can't blame Connor for not predicting that (I certainly didn't!)

Can take or leave Gallagher. Not too dissimilar to Gestede in that he's a good goalscorer who should probably have a better all round game, given his size. Anyway, as is mentioned, will probably get his chance at Southampton next year. Good luck to him.

Think that's spot on, only thing I'd disagree with is that I think Graham's well capable of starting and doing a very good job. What he can't do is that for 90 mins every game, or for three games a week, but I wouldn't mind him going in to next season as our 'main man'. Probably splitting hairs, as he clearly needs help up there. Samuel's issue is more mental fragility than ability or laziness for me, but in any case, I agree that he's clearly not the answer.

Think he'll be playing Championship football next season, be it with us or someone else. Links with him suggests that Mowbray rates him, but probably only as a number 10, and with Dack & maybe Payne in front of him, think he'll probably go elsewhere.

With loan players not necessarily coming back, we're short of support for Graham for next season. What's Luca Toni up to these days?

Agree completely. Only entertain the idea if: i) The bid is big enough to mean that we can comfortably bring in 4-5 players of a good calibre & ii) we actually get to spend that money. £15 million sounds about right for that, wouldn't consider anything significantly less.

I can see how this would work practically, but it doesn't change my biggest problem with it, which is that it simply takes all the joy out of the act of scoring, and it doesn't do anything about how a huge number of contentious decisions are just because they're not black & white. All this "but it works in rugby" you get from some quarters is entirely misplaced. I watch lots of rugby league, and even in a game where technical offences are much more clear cut, you still get controversial decisions all the time. This is even after taking 2 minutes or so to reach the decision, which is bad enough when you've got 6-10 scores a game. When so much emotion in football is often invested in one goal in a game, there is no way of brining in VAR in a way which doesn't mean that the high you get watching your team score is seriously dampened. Think I might've posted something similar a few pages back,. so sorry for drowning on about it, but I genuinely dread this becoming a permanent fixture in English football.

I can see him getting more but depends on how much we allow him to be a goal threat and not all that much else imo. If we play him like it sounds Bolton did then he's probably not going to be scoring that many, if we take his weaknesses on the chin like we did with Rhodes, then I can see him getting 10-15 quite easily.

I assume so. Think there there were only those two slots for football league games, so we should be alright now.

Shocking, but to be honest I'm just pleased that it's not us.

Excellent squad, have to be amongst the favourites. That said, still not of the same vintage as their WC/Euros winning squad in my view. If England were to draw them in a knockout game, I'd make them favourites by a fair margin, but not unbeatable.

Agree. Obviously would love for him to have a future at Rovers, but this is one of those cases where you just want to make sure that the lad has a career. Promising news that's not a recurrence of the previous injury at least.

The one thing that gives me hope (ridiculous, I know) is that as far as I see it there's none of the other top sides look unbeatable. Not disagreeing about the squads you mention being better than us by the way, but there is no, say, Spain of a few years ago for instance. Germany aren't as good as they were last time out in my view, Brazil have clearly improved but don't strike fear in the same way previous sides have, and there is Neymar's fitness issue. As ever, Argentina look amazing on paper but only Messi's heroics mean they're there in the first place. France have a quality squad, but their big guns aren't on form in the same way they were at the Euros. Spain look good too, but don't carry the same air of invincability that they did in their EC winning sides. Basically, I think it's wide open! Just a shame that it's almost certainly not going to be England that takes advantage!

Especially if they go up, which is looking more and more possible through the play offs.

Agree 100%. It's the high that you feel after your team scores which makes football so special. I watch a lot of rugby league, and whilst I see the value of video refs in a game which has a lot more technical offences, even there so much of the feeling you should get once your team scores has been dampened by the time any points have been awarded. Thinking of some of the memories I have watching Rovers that would've lost their edge, I sincerely hope this dies a death before it gets going.

He would've been top of my list by a million miles if Tony had walked in the summer. Working wonders on a small budget & still refers to Rovers as 'we' on the odd occasion you get him on the radio. Magnificent hair too.

For it even to be slightly viable (I'd guess it's not even on the cards, and just lazy journalism) we should be talking of the lions share of the £11million they've just received. Speculating here, but I'd wager that they'd also need to offer him the sort of contract that Pritchard was on to turn Bradley's head. Can't see it happening for this alone.

Awful. The sort of nonsense you associate with tiny clubs & Bolton. Probably the most annoying non-Venky's related aspect of supporting Rovers at the moment.

Doesn't sound like a world beater, but could well be what we need alongside Whittingham & another ball playing midfielder, whoever that turns out to be. More importantly, Mowbray knows what he can do, good luck to the lad.