I compare it to Rovers’ Worthy Cup win but the League Cup is an established tournament with all the Prem clubs involved, if not fielding full-strength. Rovers had a relatively charmed run that year with Sheffield Wed in the semis. However, we definitely didn’t have one of the biggest wage bills of all the teams involved as, I suppose, West Ham did. Regardless, it is infuriating how the powers that be are devaluing European football with tournament expansions that largely, I feel benefit the wealthy clubs and leagues.

For England, Rice has had games where he’s run at and beaten players in surging runs. He has the capacity, I think of being a progressive midfielder. I’d like to see how he performs with freedom to get forward in a way he didn’t really when he played deep-lying alongside Phillips. That said, he’s inevitably overrated because he’s English (via Eire) but still an excellent player. One concern I might have is he may, from my limited knowledge, be in with the world of social media personalities which can be a distraction. But helping his team win a tournament is evidence against that. I have been reflecting on West Ham’s win and I do wonder whether it is such an achievement. From my reckoning they have the biggest wage bill of all the teams in the tournament (based on pure guesswork, so could be wrong). Sure, they deserve plaudits and beat some prestigious sides like Fiorentina and Alkmaar, although not sure how strong either are.

That's an interesting debate (and a can of worms!). It's not straightforward to compare as Brereton-Diaz rarely played as a central striker - and the above rarely played as left forwards, apart from, Armstrong, I believe. Though, of course, some of the names are light years ahead. I do feel that playing as a forward is arguably more challenging in the modern game. As a two of strikers, you have a partner to support you with flick-ons and hold up, whilst, I feel, the modern game leaves the forwards quite adrift from each other. For example, how would Matt Jansen fare as a lone forward in a three? I'm sure he'd be decent but I suspect it would be tougher for him (albeit, I do wonder whether the standard in the Champ compares to before).

Was it a major net loss? Yes, just as pretty much every single signing we have made in this league, from Lewis Holtby to Joe Rothwell, whether we paid a fee or not and includes loanees. In the credit column, arguably, are intangibles of providing entertainment and satisfaction to fans, as well as raising the profile of the club. There's no doubt Brereton-Diaz did both at times. However, it is true that throwing huge sums at individual players and neglecting the rest and to consistently let star players leave for free is not sustainable and asking for financial calamity. Here's something to ponder. Tony Mowbray had Brereton-Diaz, Adam Armstrong, Harvey Elliot and Joe Rothwell in his squad and we didn't make it to the play offs. You might add Harwood-Bellis and Lenihan who are regulars in defence at the top of this league. Sure, not all were as experienced and mature as they are now but that must go down as a failure.

Talk of Szmodics and JRC as stalwarts is somewhat ironic considering their injury records. I’m not sure either can be relied on for a full season but I hope I’m wrong. Rankin-Costello seems to have kept healthy for an unprecedented spell, so hoping he’s turned a corner. We have had success with former England youth forwards in Armstrong and Brereton-Diaz, so wonder if keeping an eye there might be worthwhile and their showings for their clubs, of course. Though, we’ve had misses here too. I still have hopes for Markanday but we’ll see. Not looking promising at the moment.

I see your point but, perhaps, the wisdom of signing him can be separated from the wisdom of not investing in a central midfielder or a central forward, I feel - or turning down offers for him when it was clear he was not going to sign a new contract. Had we had a DM and a striker, Brereton-Diaz's goals may have helped to push us into a top six place. Moreover, had the club recognised that promotion chances were slim without aforementioned roles filled and that selling Diaz and reinvesting would sustain us long-term, then there might be less ambivalence about his time here now. It has to go down as a good signing, overall, which was not managed for the best of the club. Likewise, Rothwell, who also struggled for quite a long time, had his golden spell and then tailed off as he was leaving the club on a free. The club should probably have sold him in, at latest, January, albeit, they were banking on play-offs. Overall, I agree, however, that there is absolutely little point in buying big money players whilst neglecting the rest of the squad and then letting them leave on a free. It is a huge net loss.

I can seeing him doing ok, as he has done for Chile. Maybe, like Michael Owen did in a season at Real Madrid. After that, maybe a transfer to the Premier League or bounce around on loan in La Liga. It's good publicity for Villareal, probably, and a fair chance of making some money on the player. Personally, I'll say that I got it completely wrong about him. I thought he looked like he had talent but not the complete game to succeed at a higher level. To his credit, I think he has a level of self-belief which can go some way to overcoming technical shortcomings. I believe that Harry Chapman and BBD played together for England youth teams. When they were here together, I did not expect that their careers would diverge so extremely. The turnaround that really astounds me is his shooting. If I think back to the highlights I saw of him during his Forest days and his early time at Rovers, he seemed to scuff every shot. Now he is striking the ball very impressively - comparable to how Adam Armstrong used to, if not better. And he's able to do so on the run.

Biggest homegrown centre midfield talent since David Dunn, twenty or so years ago, or am I forgetting players? I think John Buckley, on technical ability, is up there but, perhaps, lacks in self-belief, at times, and will hopefully improve. But Wharton seems to have things together at a very young age, albeit, he hasn't played that much this season. With the right management and a bit of luck, a Wharton, Buckley and A.Nother could be very special indeed. The academy graduates continue to give us a fighting chance, when the club is generally mismanaged.

I haven't seen that claim but I do think the quality is lacking. We don't need to look too far, as we almost made the play-offs and yet we've barely had 'a team'. Aside from the defence, the midfield and forward have been chopped and changed and gone in and out of form. Our main defensive midfielder has, arguably, had a 5 or 6/10 season, on average. The central midfielders have been really inconsistent and only Adam Wharton might be considered reliable and he hasn't played regularly. This season's promoted clubs have barely a hope of being anything other than fodder next season. That, or they resort to anti-football to scrape points and survival. The gulf between Premier League and the rest is astronomical right now. Given the really low likelihood of Rovers getting promoted without a goalscorer and relying on teenagers in the spine of the team, the club really need to start selling to invest to sustain our future. Brereton-Diaz going for nothing is really galling, though we can never be sure reinvestment would've happened.

I can see Vale going the way of another Rovers Welsh striker, James Thomas, in needing to drop down the leagues and get experience to flourish. Clearly, the jump up is not easy - see Connor McBride and Joe Nuttall. We received a transfer fee for Nuttall, so if Vale was to score a few on loan but not do enough to turn things around, might be a chance for the club to recoup a fee.

Amari’i Bell too who is a regular there now. If forwards can’t perform individually, an alternative might be to play a partnership of two forwards to support each other. I would guess that a Dolan-Gallagher pairing would do better than either as a lone forward.

Not sure that we saw the best Tugay. He was a goal scoring midfielder for Galatasaray. Would be interesting to know.

With oligarchs, states and hedge funds taking over pretty much the whole league, it's going to be hard for us to stay in Prem 2. The change to five subs probably contributes to even bigger squads for those who can afford it. Our recruitment at that level has changed, it seems, as we used to spread the net further and get in youngsters from Scotland and Ireland regularly, whilst now it's much less, it seems, though, we're finding useful local talent. On Sam Burns, he desperately needed another league club loan move when it became clear that the current management didn't rate him highly at the start of the season. After that, injuries seem to have put pay to the campaign. Incidentally, I noticed that Jacob Davenport, erstwhile reserve/fringe player is now at Stockport, having been released by Lincoln. He was considered a first team squad player with youth on his side to establish himself. Without knowing the details of Davenport's career since, I wonder if it is a Jason Lowe situation, where a limited player is carried by other more talented players and catches the manager's eye for athleticism, leadership or other such qualities, until he is surrounded by less quality and his level becomes apparent. I'm pretty sure we paid a transfer fee for Davenport who rarely looked like he had any special qualities and didn't seem to have the physical attributes for a typical DM.

To be fair to the club, they didn't sell Brereton-Diaz or Rothwell when they could have. Nor Lenihan and Nyambe. The club should look to keep it's best players but part of the strategy must be selling now and again, when appropriate, and reinvesting. I'm not sure the club has such a strategy - or, else, I can't see it, because to me, selling Lenihan was an obvious move because he was arguably at a replaceable level. Diaz and Rothwell are more arguable, especially, as they were central to hopes of promotion, at those times, but letting them leave on a free comes at a big cost. Wharton's on a contract until 2024, with the notorious year option (which, if exercised and the player is any good, means they are almost certainly leaving). An extension should be on the cards this summer. The year option can give a false sense of security but, invariably, if it is exercised and no new contract agreed by then, it means the club are unsure of the player or vice versa.

I don't know what the balance is between retaining a team spirit and key players and occasionally accepting the Bosman risk and letting players with value leave on a free year after year. But, I do know that the club has got the wrong balance after departures of Rothwell, Nyambe, Lenihan and soon Brereton-Diaz. That's not to say we would necessarily be in any better position on the pitch but long-term, this is a sure way to decline.

I think the U23s have to be expected to hold their own without over reliance on over-age players or first team fringe players. After all, fringe players will need loan moves next season to further their development. This campaign has seen few loans for fringe players as far as I recall. Markanday went to Aberdeen and Butterworth to Port Vale. Can't think of others, except the likes of Pike and Annesley who weren't close to the first team. It might not be possible due to financial circumstances but a loan for any of Wharton, Garrett or Phillips - not to mention Vale, would potentially aid their development next season.

Watchers of the youth set-up will know better but it does seem as if due to circumstances youth players are getting more of a chance than before. We have had a strong U23 team (disbanding greatly this summer) and yet to see how the next crop fare. However, as an example I think the team with Willem Tomlinson and Lewis Hardcastle, Travis at right back and so on was extremely strong at that level. For different reasons Tomlinson and Hardcastle's careers fell away. Incidentally, the three players that I was most hopeful about from the stellar U23 campaign led by Billy Barr were Lennie Cirino, Isaac Whitehall and Connor McBride...so that tells you what I know! Albeit Whitehall and Cirino have suffered from injuries and barely played this season.

You might be right, but my impression is that the standard of the players coming through is not dissimilar or, perhaps, might be a bit lower, generally speaking, compared to previous years. However, given the financial circumstances that the club finds itself in, more are being given a chance at an earlier stage - and for longer. There's high hopes for Ash Phillips and Adam Wharton but, to my mind, they have yet to prove that they can turn their precocity into a consistent high standard - albeit, they are the special talents out of the crop. But, I do agree that, with exposure and development, players like Garrett and others could become solid Championship players and might even do better than that with a bit of luck. -- On a different note, thanks for linking the highlights to the U23 game. Some excellent goals - including the consolation by Forest. Edun seems to do well at this level, especially, pushing upfield - however, his defensive game was, I think, exposed for their goal as he neglected the far post. (I assume it was Edun but stand corrected if not). It's very harsh to judge him in such a low status game when the team are cruising but it makes me wonder, again, if he has the mentality to make it at left back.

Seems like the standard of player coming through, injuries and, just maybe standard of coaching and management, comparatively, not to mention the reliance on U21 players in the firsts, is making the PL2 a struggle. Whilst fielding first teamers makes sense, we also need to push the U18s to step-up and takeover, as there will be a whole host of fringe players exiting this summer. The standard in the PL2 will, presumably, only increase with the huge sums being spent by Premier League clubs. I have been wondering if the level of injury to the U21 squad is precedented - whether it's bad luck or something else going awry. As far as I can tell we have Barnes, Batty, Whitehall, Cirino, Burns and Baker all out long-term. Ethan Walker, Dan Pike (now on loan) and Jay Haddow have rarely or intermittently played, presumably due to injury and Gent seems to have been out recently too. That's nearly a full team of potential starters absent for games, whether injured or some other reason.

Ryan Giles' incredible transformation into a LB/LWB continues at Boro as he notched two more assists and a clean sheet and is the now the highest assist-maker in the league.

He was prolific for the U21s, pretty much scoring most games he played. He also grabbed some goals for the Welsh U21s, albeit, I believe, mostly against weaker sides. However, he didn’t score much on his loan spells to Rochdale or FC Halifax, in non-league, with injuries playing a part. Clearly, he’s playing because he’s seen as a centre forward, unlike say, Markanday, who has shown more but is now out on loan. It’s clear he’s struggling and having not sent him on loan, I think he really needs U21 games to try and regain some confidence - and show he’s worth persevering with. That bench vs. Leicester makes me quite sure promotion is unlikely, though should we get into the play offs, the unexpected can happen. Not to mention that we don’t have a reliable midfield pairing, with all struggling to implement the tactics - though Travis hopefully has recovered from his poor form.

Wonder if we are hitting a trough, when it comes to the youth conveyor belt, given the struggles of the U23s to compete in what is, admittedly, the top tier of reserve football in this country. It might be unfair to judge yet, as many are new to this level and with the growing investment in the Premier League, those clubs are getting ever bigger squads. Injuries to Cirino, Batty, Whitehall, Barnes, Baker and Burns have weakened the side further and, also, perhaps, the departure of former manager, Billy Barr.

Nyambe was good for us at times, for this level, and played in some woefully ineffective sides. Branthwaite, Bell and, to a lesser extent, Lenihan, struggled for us but have found better form elsewhere - so there's hope for him, albeit, at the moment, his team are heading for relegation. If the management couldn't improve him, they needed to bring in some competition to push him and this is something that Mowbray failed with. Rankin-Costello was always a decent player but injuries hit him badly and this is the first time he's managed to stay fit since, perhaps, his reserve team or U18 days. A positive is that the academy continues to provide useful players at this level, including Nyambe, JRC, Carter, Wharton and so on.

On Dolan's development, I think moving a player around in different positions doesn't help. Damien Duff, to give an extreme example, honed his talents as a left winger (and may, I think, have played right wing for Ireland at times) before, as an experienced player at Chelsea, moving to playing centrally, at times, if I remember rightly. Now a young inexperienced player is thrown into a new position, like lone No.10/false 9 and expected to perform. Remember the days when Rovers tried and failed to get the supremely talented and more experienced Bentley and Dunn to play in that role. They struggled and managers soon gave up. The tactical strategy and formation of teams has changed, which makes it different and, perhaps, young players are becoming more accustomed to growing up with different roles on a pitch, but I do believe it is expecting too much from them.

The club has risked large losses on potential transfers in the hope that the team might eke out promotion. Brereton-Diaz for one has, presumably, been kept for this chance and last year it occurred with Lenihan, Rothwell and Nyambe. And, yet, now the club have a chance of the play-offs, they didn't risk a smaller additional loss/outlay on a loan fee or small transfer fee for a striker or central midfielder to boost the team's chances. It makes absolutely no sense to me. Why make high stakes risks with expiring contracts if you're not going to back the team? Sorba Thomas is proving a useful addition but we needed more. Might as well just cash in on Brereton-Diaz because, frankly, the team's promotion chances are low because there is no central forward and the midfield is struggling with the manager's instructions. I hope my pessimism is misplaced.