Whilst maybe not outstanding players, it forever surprises me that seeing the impact that Reda Khadra and Poveda had - especially, Khadra, albeit, over a short spell, didn't awaken the club management to how much of a difference a pacy player with skill can make. Having that outlet even awoke Buckley into a dangerous attacking midfielder, as opponents didn't know whether to stick or twist. If we are to play with a deep and slow defence, which isn't particularly reliable, we must be able to score goals. The management must get Dolan, Buckley, JRC (if fit), even Markanday, committing opposition defenders in the final third. Catenaccio, if that's what Eustace is going for, doesn't seem like it's going to work. Off the bench, I would use Telalovic and, also, put Gilsenan in there, to try and offer something different. I'd also be looking to have a quicker CB in the line-up, and push the team further forwards and less insecure about the ball over the top. If that means trying Koumetio, so be it. He had a mixed game against Newcastle but it's at least worth trying him out as a sub to see if he might be able to cut it.

If we are to play the same formation, I would bring in Koumetio or O'Riordan (assuming he's quicker than our current CBs) to at least allow the team to play a few yards further up the pitch. Maybe, Chrisene, from the start too. However, the manager is so attached to his current back three, I suspect he'll keep it the same.

He reminds me of the occasional small, stocky Spanish player so-called winger that arrives in the Premier League and shows flashes but disappears and a few years down the road you hear of them scoring a worldie for Juventus. Not to say he is that, at all, but to agree he’s not suited for playing out wide in our team in the Championship. No.10 is his position. The club might salvage something if they play him there and exploit his shooting and close control but not out wide.

I wonder if wingers of yesterday think of all the kicks they took and Herculean effort they put in just to reach the byline in the corner, only for it to be considered a backwards approach now.

Arsenal scored six very similar goals against Sheff Utd - they all involved cut-backs of some kind from within the penalty box. There were some variations in the finishes and the build-up play. However, it makes me wonder if we are at a point where the elite game, for all its advancements, has become formulaic, even to the point of the same style of goal being scored. Clearly, it was very effective for Arsenal and I don't blame them for playing like this - and it's up to others to disrupt. However, it seems to make for a less interesting game - or, at least, highlights package, as I watched. I'm sure there was more variety in the build up that the highlights miss. (Incidentally, I think the broadcasters miss a trick by excluding build up play because that's what makes most goals interesting. Viaplay put out 6/7 min highlights of international and overseas games and it makes such a difference, to me, at least). Edit: This is just an impression, based on not a lot of evidence, as I don't watch as much Prem football these days. Back in the day, I'm sure there was a lot of repetition based on what seemed to work and what was in fashion at the time.

It's not uncommon for newly promoted sides to sell a key player before the season nowadays. I recall Norwich selling Buendia and Sheff Utd sold Berge and Ndiaye prior to this campaign. It might well have happened in the past but I wonder if it is going to become a norm. If we had sold Dunn or Duff on promotion, our 2000s revival would have been in jeopardy.

A mistake, I feel, to field such a slow back line, albeit, very experienced. It’s one thing playing Newcastle but we shouldn’t be sitting so deep here.

Disagree, thought Koumetio was very good. He and Ayari dallied for their goal but everything else from both was impressive, I felt. I do feel that Telalovic should’ve come on over Sigurdsson. Whilst the later did ok, his lack of pace meant he didn’t offer much of an outlet. But it’s hard to criticise bearing in mind how close we came. Moreover, Telalovic is a gamble as he hasn’t played much Whilst this result brings renewed hope, it couldn’t have been achieved without the energy and pace of our Prem loanees. We need to get this type of player in long-term to complement the decent technique but noticeable lack of athleticism in our squad. Word on Markanday, any manager that can have him playing in and around the box has a useful player. He has a shot and a bit of trickery. But he is too easy to snuff out in wide areas, though he did well today. And, I think he should’ve been a penalty taker in the first five. He’s made his name as a goal scorer in his youth and he’s no longer a youngster. I feel he should’ve been demanding it.

It might’ve been mentioned but Jayden Danns who came on for Liverpool today is the son of ex-Rovers midfield, Neil Danns. Neil Danns broke through about two decades ago, around the same time as David Dunn, but never quite made it. He did, however, have a decent and well-travelled career. Incidentally, Liverpool also had the son of Jason Koumas on their bench. Brings back memories of that era.

An improbably slow defence will only draw the team backwards.

in highlights I’ve seen, he’s looked a bit indecisive defensively and not sure if lack of pace plays a part. Palace fans are cutting him slack for obvious reasons, including because on the ball he’s done well. If he can grow in confidence, he can do really well.

Southampton bringing on Edozie, Brooks and Rothwell (presumably, no longer anything like the one that used to come on for us) as subs is frightening for the rest of the league. Moreover, with last season's relegated three sitting at the top, and last year's promoted three languishing in the Prem, a reverse swap is still on the cards. It is suggestive, to me, of a Super League being created by default, where finishing spots are more-or-less dictated by wealth and the range of clubs that get promoted ever narrows. The spanner in the works might be if more clubs collapse financially and the overall standard outside the top tier deteriorates and this enables more surprise rises. I think we are seeing a degradation in quality in the Championship, reflected by the fact that Szmodics, as good as he is for us, is joint top scorer. Not scientific to compare against a single other season, but I will - Louis Saha, Matt Jansen and Lee Hughes top scorers in the new century, when Rovers got promoted.

He got criticised by Hodgson for losing the ball for the goal - but, as mentioned, got highest individual rating for Palace from users on BBC website. Just based on the highlights, I thought he might’ve given the attacker too much space in the pass that led to another goal. It will be interesting to see how he does and whether he gains maturity to dominate games. We know he’s good on the ball and Palace have quite a few players like that but lack defensively, it seems.

It almost feels a side-note at the moment, but what formation was it today? The 3-5-2 at Wrexham worked very well, even with JRC out-of-position. I would've thought Tomasson would try and stick with that. There is a major problem in that most of our defenders are slow - so, against better opposition, the Liverpool defender who is apparently, quick, might play an important role. Not sure about O'Riordan. Edit: Wharton and Hyam simply can't be a centre back pairing, given their lack of pace, unless the tactic is to sit on the edge of the penalty box.

It is sickening to see Wharton sold now after the club’s bullish and now, apparently, foolish choice to let Brereton, Rothwell, Lenihan and Nyambe all go for nothing. The club presented it as an ambitious gamble (though Lenihan and Nyambe were definitely replaceable and not vital to promotion chances) but now it seems even more clear it was pure mismanagement (whether intentional or not) that they all went. What is even more worrying is that it’s not obvious there’s anything coming through the youth set-up now. We might be surprised but the reserves and U18s aren’t doing too well. The choice to bring in some young loanees will only temporarily cover up these issues and at a cost. On Palace, they are about to go through big transitions. Hodgson will surely go soon and their star men, Olise and Eze, will likely be picked off in the summer. They are a talented squad lacking leaders, I feel, so Wharton will possibly lack mentors, as the current squad stands. Looking at their squad, their traditional CMs have max of one assist each and Wharton must fancy his chances of challenging likes of Hughes to play. However, Palace need players with authority and determination to really improve and that’s not Wharton’s hallmark at the moment. If he can demonstrate a fighting and winning mentality, he could make a quick impact but I think he needs to mature and needs guidance and I’m not sure if Palace have that right now.

Hard to judge the players because Wrexham didn’t play well. I think they were unsure of their approach and were in two minds. To be fair, they are in League 2 and will only grow, it seems. We might be meeting again before long… Rankin-Costello, Tronstad and Szmodics were the big stand outs. They made the play fluid because they dragged the opposition out and beat them. JRC and Tronsrad mainly with passing and Szmodics with movement. Football becomes an easier game by far with good and constant movement. It should be the bare minimum. I thought Sigurdsson looked disappointing and not comfortable out wide. The other players didn’t always seem keen to pass it to him though he was positionally disciplined, offering width. He kept possession but just wonder if he could do more.

Replay because of ‘misapplication of rules’ has precedent in England in non-league case, at least. However, if misapplication is applied to video refs, it opens up much more. The ref apparently didn’t see Ivan Toney move the ball and the foam for his free kick goal against Forest. It could be argued that video refs did see and their inaction was a misapplication of the rules in a goal situation. I saw a clip online of Dermot O’Leary answering questions on the Toney goal and he denied VAR can get involved but the seemingly deceitful way he avoided answering questions makes me doubt him. Legally, refs were the final arbiters and given leeway for human error. That seems to be ending and as well as more legal challenges to results, I fear we will have ever growing stoppages in games as VAR is involved in every key decision and officials spend more time clarifying advice. Edit: The difference between human error and ‘misapplication of rules’ seems to be a judgment on how blatant and unreasonable the error is. I think intention is factored in too. With video refs, clubs are arguing (as Club Brugge have done recently in their own appeal) that any human error is misapplication of rules. Club Brugge’s appeal got rejected but I think they have also appealed to a court of arbitration, so this may go further.

Selling Craig Bellamy and replacing him with Benni McCarthy was an occasion when we replaced a top player successfully, but the decisions made in recent history don't augur well.

I am still confused about the Raya loan deal and why Brentford agreed to a option to buy, unless Raya was adamant he wanted to go and/or, Brentford felt that the player had likely peaked in value and were desperate to do the deal. Arsenal (and, I'm sure, others) have a record of testing rules of the game in transfers. This legal summary discusses how Arsenal inserted "anti-rival" sell-on clauses into player sales. When they sold Joel Campbell and Chuba Akpom, they inserted a sell-on of 10% for a UK club and 5% for a non-UK club. The intent was to financially discourage the buying club from selling the player on to a domestic rival of Arsenal. The article goes on to discuss how Arsenal successfully challenged a ruling against such clauses - so, presumably, they are still valid and used now. https://www.linklaters.com/en/insights/blogs/sportinglinks/2022/january/play-on-cas-clarifies-the-permissibility-of-variable-sell-on-clauses-in-football-transfers

Just saw latest transfers and see that Brighton have sent a young Romanian winger to Vitesse Arnhem, having signed him previously and sent him back on loan to his Romanian club. Meanwhile, Villa have signed a Red Star Belgrade player and sent him back on loan there immediately. I can't help be struck by the incredible contrast of these Premiership clubs investing in global young players and developing them out on loan. This is a separate development programme which plans for seasons ahead, alongside their academy and their first team. Meanwhile, Rovers, in the second tier, are operating on the short-term of bringing in young players on loan just to stay in the league, spending money on loan fees and wages, only for the player to disappear in a few months and any added value going to the club they are contracted to. It's increasingly two different worlds.

A vague thought about Man City who really start getting into gear when Foden and De Bruyne (and, others in the past) are played regularly. That is, when Guardiola stops altering the team game to game and plays them more consistently. I question Guardiola with caution given all that he's won, how he has helped to transform the game tactically in the UK, manages a squad of stars and motivates them and so on. But I do wonder what would happen if he stopped his constant tinkering and played his best players regularly. I'm quite sure that now until the end of the season, Foden and De Bruyne will play most games. However, for the first half of the season, my impression (I don't follow them closely) is that he is nearly always changing selections. My feeling is that Guardiola and others like to treat the team as a machine of interchangeable parts. It comes across as rather self-indulgent, as if they are the master technician and the players are machine-like tools. And, yet, when his best players get a run and start to express themselves, that's when the team are at their best. The contradiction (or hypocrisy) to me, is that these managers want there to be no dominant stars in the team - in a way, they are the centre of attention or the star. And, yet, when Foden and De Bruyne start starring, the team goes to another level.

Disagree - assuming Gallagher continues with Rovers in his usual hum-drum way, scoring occasionally, getting injured occasionally, I don't see anyone offering 1 million for him in the summer. Ipswich are surely looking to him as a dispensable 'get them over the line' signing. No-one can expect him to do anything if they are promoted. In the summer, there won't be that kind of urgency from any club, I would have thought. Ideally, I would sell at anything around 1.5 million and try to get someone in, perhaps, from abroad (though, not the 4th level of German football, preferably). But, I can understand why few have any confidence that the club will reinvest or a decent signing will be made. He is an ok player at this level and probably our best striker at the moment, if fit - which says more about our squad than anything.

A few talking points from these highlights of Birmingham City 0 Rovers 4 in December 2003. Barry Ferguson scored a goal and Tugay hit one of his best goals for Rovers but I’d like to point out Paul Gallagher’s first Premiership goal, a neat touch and finish. He also had a hand in two others. Gallagher was given his debut by Souness after an outstanding goal record at reserve level. He could score almost any goal, be it dead ball, in the air and poacher goals. Early on he lacked physical strength and he never had a lot of pace but he had excellent technique and came on to play right midfield at times. In some ways, though playing in a different position, he reminds me of Adam Wharton, in his effortlessness on the ball but question marks over his application and mentality. He did end up having a very good career away from Rovers but, perhaps, didn’t fulfil his potential. Birmingham City 0 - 4 Rovers, December 2003 (Ferguson, Neill, Tugay, Gallagher) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4Z4ZZuFKFc&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brfcs.com%2F&feature=emb_imp_woyt Edit: I remember him going on loan with Jay McEveley to Plymouth and despite scoring some great goals, their fans weren't convinced by his commitment or work-rate. They were relegated that season, if I remember rightly. Personally, I feel he had the all the attributes to be a decent Premier League player barring the attitude. However, at PNE he did really well and even became a central midfielder.

I think, maybe, Rothwell over Wharton, at the moment. We desperately miss someone like him in our current team with some pace and skill. Reda Khadra, and Poveda, eventually, made a good impact because they could outrun defenders. I find it surprising we don't place more emphasis on pace in forward players when it comes to signings - whilst acknowledging that you need skill to go with it.

Markanday seems like a player that would be best as a second forward. He has skill and shooting ability but not sure about the physicality or pace to play as a wide forward. Unfortunately, for him, few play with two forwards and no-one seems to see him as an AM. He needs a regular run in the U23s to build up his confidence or a loan move - or a permanent move. But it doesn't look promising for him at the moment. Edit: It's been mentioned before, but I'll raise it again because it seems unusual to me. By my account (do correct me if I have got any wrong): Lenni Cirino, Sam Barnes, George Pratt, Isaac Whitehall, Ben Fyles, Alex Baker and Harrison Wood are all on the books at the club and out with long-term injury. From what I can tell, they've all missed most of this season. I don't know how typical such a long-term injury list for youngsters is but it does seem, as an outsider, a cause for concern. In the case of Barnes and Whitehall, I think the club backed them with contract extensions despite their injuries which is admirable but I don't know about the others. I presume most will leave this year.