Magloire and Butterworth need to be heavily involved in pre-season to see if they can contribute. Then, a further extension can be considered, or letting them disappear on loan and off. What can't happen is the disgraceful situation with Chapman, where he was given a new short-term deal, unexpectedly, and not given much of a chance to justify it at Rovers and then banished on loan - where, admittedly, he largely failed. However, the potential demoralisation of being brought back in from the cold before being sent away again couldn't have helped - unless there's more to it than that which we aren't aware of. Otherwise, these deals make no sense whatsoever, as no-one is going to pay a fee for them and if they do in Jan 2023, then it means they've turned around their career and Rovers would likely want to keep them. Moreover, Magloire is 23 years old and Butterworth 22 years old, so, for the sake of their careers, the fair thing is to get a chance or be let go to make their way elsewhere.

Ah, yes, Javier De Pedro, Spanish international and Real Sociedad legend. It seemed an exciting signing but it turned a terrible move for all, as he wasn't physically capable any more. Another of the deals that helped me understand that it's best to have no expectations about signings, no matter how impressive their record. If I was a Man City fan, I wouldn't be that excited about the Haaland signing. You look at Lukaku and others and it could easily be underwhelming. We fans are used somewhat with signings and we are not party to the back-dealings and all the history. Who would have known this about one of our big money signings of the past (taken from Wiki): "In the first season with the Umbrian team he was held back by a rare disease, Ledderhose disease, which almost prevented him from walking and for which he often ended up under the knife...During the Ancona period, in March 2004 he also returned to suffer from Ledderhose disease which had already struck him in the past in Terni, and which caused the thickening of the foot arch making it difficult even just to walk." - Without new signings, I'd be looking to integrate Cirino, the left back, into the squad and possibly, the team (Assuming he makes a full recovery from his current injury). He's the only defender I can think of at the club who has decent pace, and we'll need it, whether from new signings or U23 players. Perhaps, Brown might provide that but will have to see more of him.

LancsLive reported that he was signed for around £100k, though, I believe, officially, it was undisclosed. I think he was shaky early on but seems to have received some positive reviews more recently. However, he was recently on the U23 bench behind Felix Goddard, an 18 year old in what is the bizarre game of goalie musical chairs in the U23s, where the management alternate between Eastham, Dowling, Stergiakis and now Goddard every game, with each rarely playing two consecutive games lately. Eastham was ahead of him on the bench for the last game of the season vs. Birmingham, which casts doubt on Stergiakis' future and whether the management rate him. There's also Joe Hilton who is with the club but is almost always out on loan, who has another year left on his deal.

The biggest football transfer or deal of the summer, in terms of legacy, ahead of even Erling Haaland, might involve Vivianne Miedema of Arsenal women, who is out of contract and mulling over whether to stay on or go somewhere where she can win major honours on a regular basis. She may well go on to be one of the greatest women's football strikers, if she isn't already. I'd be interested to know what others think. A difficulty I wonder about in the women's game is the inequality within the women's professional game. The world record transfer is, apparently, around £250k, paid to Wolfsburg by Chelsea for Pernille Harder, in 2020 - clearly trailing a great way behind the grotesque excess of the men's professional top leagues. However, is the intense acceleration of those women's teams with Premier League men's team business infrastructure behind them, going to leave the rest behind? And if so, it will surely be problematic for the development of the game if it is too easy for the top clubs and international nations? My knowledge of the women's pro game is very limited, I must say, so these are only tentative musings. I suppose, it might be that it is not much different from the men's game with the money of the Premier League disappearing into outer space from the perspective of the rest. Albeit, there was, I suppose, a longer development history which enabled leagues and clubs to grow in, perhaps, a more equal way, before the huge money flooded in?

I read a LET online published quote from last summer in which Mowbray said that if the main contract hold-outs didn't sign new deals, they'd stay and see out their contract: “In the future moving forward, Lenihan, Nyambe and Rothwell are in similar situations and we’ll have to deal with that and see how we go. For me, talking to the club, let’s get this window finished and see if we can address some of the situations, see where we are financially, and if we can’t offer new improved contracts then they are going to run," Mowbray was quoted as saying on 7 Aug 2021, as Armstrong was about to be sold. It seemed, at the time, Mowbray and the club were quite relaxed or unplanned regarding the situation, which is part of the problem, as to protect transfer values, valuable players ideally shouldn't enter their final years, when they will likely hold out to see their options. Rather than repeatedly complain that Nyambe can't do the basics of crossing or cutting back the ball and drop him at intervals, Mowbray should have, perhaps, pushed for a transfer to find someone he does like. Nyambe, as a young, fairly experienced right back with some decent international football experience would have, I guess, commanded a reasonable fee back in 2021. Fortunately, the club have successfully acted regarding Kaminski but thought needs to go to Brereton-Diaz, as well as Dack, who has a one year option but that shouldn't be relied upon, if Rovers can help it.

I vaguely remember a pre-season during, I think, the Souness regime, when in not a single game, as far as I remember, did we play our strongest eleven. It might've been on one of those Austrian tours, playing mostly amateurs and lower league sides. As feared, we started the season badly and Souness still hadn't worked out his best eleven. I think that happened, though, it's a vague memory. Ideally, you test out fitness and players early on and then play your strongest eleven in the final games to develop some cohesion.

Harry Chapman quotes from the LET website: “When I was at Blackburn, I used to travel from Hartlepool ever day, a two-hour slog there and a two-hour slog back. I think that affected performances because my body wasn’t right from all the travelling. Living locally, I’ve definitely reaped the rewards from that." To me, this adds to the big question marks over renewing Chapman's contract. It's a personal decision for him as to where to live, which he has every right to make but if Mowbray thinks he's not committed on the pitch and for personal reasons he's staying in Hartlepool, it's fairly clear that there's not much a future for him at the club.

I haven't followed the SPL but was surprised to see that the league top scorer is a Ross County player, Regan Charles-Cook, with 13 goals. Presumably the Old Firm have used a lot of players (including the January signings) and the goals have been shared around? One player I've always admired in the SPL is Tom Rogic, the Australian midfielder, who has, it seems, periods of favour and then disfavour. His contract expires in 2023, I read, and, though, he's been back in form, he might be available for a club that can afford him.

One of Mowbray's final comments reported in the media was his suggestion that he had put the club on a firmer footing by signing Adam Armstrong and Ben Brereton-Diaz. He deserves credit for the signings. Unfortunately, however, due to club mismanagement, for which Mowbray must take some responsibility - though, perhaps, not the main responsibility, we will be losing, arguably, over £10 million worth of transfer fees this summer in players going for nothing. That's not including the loanee signing on fees which are also a sunk cost, as they head back to their parent clubs. Brighton will likely reap the rewards of Khadra and van Hecke gaining experience and U21 international recognition. We, unfortunately, get nothing, except some good memories and maybe a chance of getting the next Brighton youth loanee, as the club has shown no indication of wanting or being able to sign them permanently. Edit: On a different note, I find it troubling that the club statement refers only to the 'Owners.' There's something Orwellian (or Monarchical...) about the depersonalised language which, increases the sense of remoteness and unaccountability.

Farke won two promotions, I believe, at Norwich. Just scanning his signings, it looks like he had a few big successes in Pukki, Buendia and maybe, Rupp. However, the majority, including, his German recruits seem to have fallen by the wayside. That said, I really don't know enough about the players and the context. Edit: Looking a bit more closely, it looks like several of the signings like Tom Trybull, Stieperman, Hernandez and Vrancic did play a lot of games and were probably short to medium term signings who helped the club rise but came short in the Premier League. It looks as if there was a very high turnover of playing staff, with a lot of foreign signings coming through the doors, as well as gambles on Premier League reserve signings.

Apparently, he scored for their U23s recently, as a trialist, so a good start for him in trying to get a contract. Sheff Wed would be a great move, if he can get it. He has the potential to be a decent player, I guess, based on my very limited viewing, as he seemed very disciplined defensively, quick and decent on the ball. I would have thought he'd try to get a loan move away whilst he was here. Joe Nolan got on the bench ahead of him in pre-season for the firsts, in the game against Leeds, so, unless he was injured at the time, the writing was on the wall.

Mowbray urges Nyambe to sign on for Rovers... by calling out his game flaws: "I feel for him, I love him to bits, I’ve been with him for over five years, he’s like a son. What are you doing? I feel as though he needs to stay, and grow, and learn, be better at bending that ball down the line, at chipping it to the back stick, getting to the byline and cutting it back for the striker to tap it in, I just hope he’s making the right choices."

I must credit Mowbray on persevering with Buckley. He's probably mismanaged him by moving him around to unfamiliar and, frankly, unsuitable positions, including false 9 and right back but he kept picking him, at least. I believe Mowbray brought Zoltan Gera and Robert Koren into English football, whilst at WBA, and, even though Mowbray, to my mind, has lost his way in keeping up with the tactical evolution in the game, he's at least doggedly stuck by the principle of fielding technically gifted midfielders (if not always in midfield). The Buckley wonder strike against Birmingham indicated to me just what he's capable of, if he works with the right coaches and, also, develops mentally himself. He beat a man, spread play, across the pitch and then got the return and hit a sweet strike to score. I feel that sometimes his game is about style over substance, and, just sometimes, the style and the substance are matched, such as in the goal which, it seems, he hit with the outside of his boot, or, at least, not conventionally. I don't mind style, at all, and Buckley has a unique, effortless style on the ball but if he could match that with regular outcomes, he could be a really top player.

The Hedges situation sums up Mowbray's difficulties in recent years. He seems to have signed a useful player, at least, technically, clearly gifted but then can't get the best out of him. In Hedges case, he wasn't included in the team until the season had got away from us. Mowbray has claimed that Hedges wasn't ready for some reason but nor was Gallagher, ready as a right winger and he was a fixture in the team. The same might be said of Buckley. His wonder goal on Saturday was all the more impressive because he started it by beating a man and hitting a cross-field pass, before getting it back. He's got a lot of attributes but it seems that he's most suited to the deeper role where he can play those passes - rather than as a forward. Moreover, he lacks conviction at times and is clearly not ready to be a forward - and may never be one, though, he had an impact there during the winning run.

At the Rovers end of season drinks... "Eh, Aynsley -" "Gaffer, it's me -" "Aynsley, you're like a son to me. I always -" "Gaffer, it's me, Chappy. You're not that sloshed are ya? How many -" "Chappy, I didn't recognise you without your fuckin' Alice band. What's going on, where's Aynsley? Where's the others?" "Dunno, gaffer. I reckon they've called it a night, you know." "Called it a night, my arse. I'm no spring chicken, you know. I've been around. I know what you lads are like. They've fucked off to an unofficial party or something. They'll be going until tomorrow." "Maybe, gaffer. The coaches have fucked off and all." "What are you doing here, Chappy? Thought you'd be breaking your neck to get to the club. I know what you're like. Fucking cheeky chappy." "Gaffer, I wanted to ask you something -" "You want to go and see if the Indian's open, Chappy? I fancy one." "Fuck me, I thought you might've had enough of Indians, gaffer." "You know, Chappy. I like you. If you'd just cut out those faces and the back chat, you'd be in my team. We could've done with you. Fucking look at how Mahrez has turned out. I gave him the big build up - mind you, the scouts need a look at themselves. Telling me all about his assists and set-pieces. Fucking shite -" "Mahrez, gaffer?" "Yeah, Rinan - Riyeed - you know - fucking Riyeed Mahrez. He's gone back to Wolves now." "You mean Ryan Giles?" "What son?" "Gilesy - the lad on loan from Wolves?" "Fucking African Nations my arse. Made me look a knobhead. I tell you Chappy, there were times when I was thinking of you. Then, I woke up! Ha ha ha!" "Gaffer, you mean Gilesy? Ryan Giles - the Wolves lad? Or do you mean the Dutch lad? Zeefuik?" "Damn right, the fuck. What the fuck was what I was thinking. I thought I'd got in a world class winger and I got that. I even dropped Gally." "Anyway, gaffer, I wanted to know -" "Alright, alright, Chappy, you deserve to know. You fancy being a manager, Chappy? You'll see what it's like having a little scrote in an Alice band giving you chat. Ha ha - no seriously, Chappy, I knew you had potential - a lot of potential. Look at what Ben's done. You could be as good. I mean it Chappy. You were as good as him at youth level. But, I wasn't getting enough from you and then I got wind that Poveda and Clarkson were available and you know - " "No, gaffer -" "I know - I know. You done alright at Shrewsbury but that's League One, you know. There's a huge difference - "Gaffer -" "Give me a chance, Chappy. Jesus. I know, I gave you the one year deal and then told you to fuck off. But, put it this way, it was a decent deal - you can't say you didn't do alright out of it. A lot of players didn't get deals, you know. And, you got a chance at Burton. It's not my fault you didn't take that chance. I saw some your games and shite doesn't cover it. I spoke to Jimmy -" "Gaffer, that's not why I'm here - " "Well, Chappy, that's a big question. None of us know the answer to that. If we knew that, we'd somewhere else. You know, Davenport once said to me that he reckoned that he had a higher purpose than passing sideways and I told him, damn right. His purpose was in the fucking reserves. Another terrible signing. But a good lad. But, jesus, what are you young lads like, worrying about your purpose in life." "Jesus, gaffer, you're sloshed, big time." "There is no purpose, Chappy. We're just here to do the best we can and have a bit of fun along the way. Some of the fans give me stick for trying things, you know, but I say, fuck them. What's the fun in playing Gally as a striker? That reminds, me, where's Aynsley?" "Gaffer, seriously. I just wanted to ask if you'd put a word in for me at Boro. My agent's hearing things about a trial and that." "Is that it? Fucking hell, Chappy, I thought you were a man. I've slagged you off for three years and you come asking me to put in a word. You should be trying to knock my lights out." "Thanks, gaffer." "I'll tell them you're a fucking pansy Burton-reject." "Alright, boss. Have a good one."

We had the squad and players but not the manager to get over the line. Am I right in thinking that Mowbray persevered with Gallagher as a wing forward for two seasons, until the final games of this season? I suppose he looks at Real Madrid and wonders what they could achieve if Benzema was out wide. Edit: Mowbray deserves credit for assembling the squad, having the desire to play passing football and including technically gifted players like Buckley, who another manager may have given up on. But, Mowbray's attempts to mould the team and his decision-making was simply not good enough, in general.

I think Garrett should've been in ahead of him. Edun has struggled in most games.

I think it might mean that he's captain and favoured by Mowbray, so doesn't get dropped out of the squad like Rothwell and Nyambe.

He's lost much credibility after that the astonishing decision to play Bradley Johnson as a forward. You might find some way to excuse Giles and Zeefuik as right wingers - maybe, at a stretch, Gallagher, but not that one and I'm sure the players can't take him as seriously after that. Incidentally, Giles has the joint top assist record of our players, alongside Rothwell, with 10 assists this season - albeit, the majority were for Cardiff, where he played on the left and also took corners. Johnson as a false 9, perhaps, surpasses Souness' desperate choices of Dominic Matteo in left midfield and Dino Baggio as a No.10, during his final period at the club, when the team was in free-fall. Putting that aside, it would be welcome to see Garrett and Vale rewarded for their U23s form (and played in their best positions) and I'd like to see Nyambe play, as he has been our best right back and deserves a good send-off, if he is to leave. Moreover, the stats that some have dug out here seem to show that we are much more likely to win if he's in the team.

Not sure about the Rhodes comparison, as McBride was often playing in a deeper role, sometimes, as the wide forward, and it was reported that in the PL2 20/21 season he got 12 goals and 6 assists in 20 appearances - albeit, as mentioned, he did get a number of penalties. I do agree that there are question marks, as the PL2 is a lesser standard and he didn't do much on loan at Stenhousemuir as a Celtic player, nor, now at Queen's Park. Though, to be fair, neither Burns nor Vale did brilliantly in their most recent lower league/non-league spells. I think the time to have tested him out at Rovers was definitely after he scored that friendly game goal for the first team against Leeds, when a few other U23s impressed. However, his career has seemingly stalled. It will be interesting to see if he can revive it.

I wonder what people feel about retaining or releasing Connor McBride, whose contract, as far as I know, expires this summer. After not being allowed to go on loan pre-season, there were rumours of a loan move to Charlton Athletic and Crewe Alex in January but a surprise move to Queen's Park materialised, in the third tier of Scottish football. He's not scored a goal yet there, I think, and has mainly been a sub. His apparent lack of success on loan has come as a surprise to me after his stellar PL2 season last campaign, under the management of Billy Barr, when he finished as our top scorer, albeit, with several penalties, and was nominated for player of the season, alongside Man City stars, such as Palmer, McAtee and Delap. After a goal for the first team in pre-season, when he scored a deflected free-kick against, I think, Leeds, his form for the struggling PL2 side fell away - though the whole team has often been poor. He was in and out of the side and now is potentially heading out of the club. My opinion, for what it's worth, is that it would be a fair gamble to, like Burns, be given another year and some first team opportunity in pre-season to show his worth. Last campaign, for the U23s, he looked superb, not only scoring goals but, also, creating a lot of the ones scored by Burns. However, it looks like the club are persevering with Vale and Burns and with U18s forwards coming through and the first team new signings such as Hedges and Markanday, it might be that the club decide that they have the numbers and will let him go.

I think he'll be thinking like that, especially, if he can break into the Ireland squad/side as a regular. I'm sure that becoming international regulars has helped Duffy and Hanley's careers, not just in their development but even simply in their reputations. It must be a disappointment for Lenihan that he hasn't done more at international level given the weak state of the Rep Ireland squad, relatively speaking.

In March, this year, Mowbray spoke of his/the club's achievements in developing young players (I can't find the original link but the quotes can be found here) “I’ve managed six clubs and this one is the best at the growth of their footballers. This club has to, because of the financial situation. Damien’s only job is to develop, to work with individuals. He went on to add: “The biggest area of growth in this football club in the five years is the individual development of our footballers, to try and make the young players first-team players and better and try and hit the targets they get set. The drills are created for each individual on the grass and they work on technique, whether that’s finishing, crossing. That’s what this club does, tries to develop its young players and I hope the evidence is there, that the young players are in and around the team. And underneath them, bubbling, there are lots more young players that will hopefully become Blackburn Rovers first team players.” (My italics) If you recall, last season, we had Downing, Holtby, Bennett and Evans on the bench together, often, even though there was nothing to play for and they were all known to be leaving. (Holtby was later given, apparently, paid leave, so that he wouldn't get injured and scupper his next contract). I believe that this short-termism/favoritism, which has been followed through this season with reliance on the outgoing and, often, ineffective, Bradley Johnson, and, arguably, too much reliance on loanees to plug gaps, that has helped contribute to this situation of an end of a squad contract cycle without many contingencies in place for continuity. That's not to mention the allowing of key players to run down their deals. It's all very well Garrett or Vale being on the bench on the last game of the season, as may happen on Saturday, but really, that sort of integration was needed much earlier, if these players are rated. If they're not rated and Bradley Johnson is preferred - even as a forward, as we infamously saw for one half of a match - and they're not sent on loan to a decent level where they might develop, then the club shouldn't be talking up its youth system and should focus on signing new players and retaining it's current ones. The club has seemingly done neither - not integrated the next set of youth players (though, admittedly a number got injured), not secured/traded some key senior players, leaving this situation. The biggest positive, for me, is the emergence of Scott Wharton (aside from the emergence of Brereton-Diaz). If he stays fit and gets a decent set of defenders around him, he could be a Rovers first team player for the next decade and probably a captain. Also Hayden Carter has been managed well and is doing well on loan and may could come back and be a key player - though, lack of pace at the back will continue to be a problem.

They would likely have been listening to or waiting on sermon or speeches in those photos, prior to the prayers, so more likely to be bored than anything, as these things can go on. Moreover, the Eid prayers are often considered a time of quiet reflection and communion, hence the lack of frivolity. There would have been plenty of smiles and embraces afterwards. I'm sure you'll find photos of them, if you look. It's a great initiative by Rovers which follows in the steps of Croke Park in Ireland. Whatever one thinks about immigration policies and Islamic traditions (of which there is not just one set) we are here together and must cooperate and live together. Reaching a hand of friendship is what is needed, especially, from institutions and authorities. We know what the alternatives can lead to.

I think Rovers should at least inquire about signing Khadra and/or maybe Poveda permanent or on loan again. In a functioning team, I think both would be effective. Van Hecke too but not sure about valuation and availability. Might well be they have higher aspirations and offers.