Van Hecke should've been a target from January, last year, before his stock rose too high. We don't know if Rovers did enquire about him but, if so, it didn't make it into the media, as far as I know. Had we planned ahead and raised some cash by selling either Lenihan, Nyambe or Rothwell before they left on frees, who knows, it might have been more possible. That said, with the managerial uncertainty here and having broken into the Dutch U21 squad, the player would likely have fancied his chances of returning to the Prem and getting games. Not sure if it's been mentioned but Reda Khadra may be returning to Brighton after not making it on loan at Sheff Utd. I would look to sign him here, if we could. He divided opinion but I recall that winter surge we had last season, with Buckley playing as a lone No.10, and it was Khadra's pace and directness that had a big role in that good spell.

Players putting their hands behind their backs when defending their box to reduce risk of giving away a penalty. This is a fairly new behaviour - is it connected with rule changes for hand ball? I didn’t think there was a problem with the rules based on intentional/accidental hand ball, as they were before, even if there were debatable cases. My other bug bear is how repressed player creativity is. I’d like players to express themselves but the modern elite game seems safety first, probably, at least partly connected to the financial stakes.

I think it's a fair bet that Szmodics will be the new Lewis Holtby, in that he will play infrequently and drift towards the effluxion of his contract before drifting down the leagues, at best. Unlike Holtby, however, he wasn't a free signing and isn't in his 30s. A cursory look at his WIkipedia page and an online search reveals that despite his age, decent record and clear resilience, he picks up a lot of and varying injuries. It was a massive risk to spend money on him and it would appear to be backfiring, though, he still has two and a half years on his contract to prove himself. I hope I am wrong and wish him well - and admire him for his clear resilience in coming back from injury after injury (in one of his last season's at Peterborough, I believe he separately damaged/broke his ankle, had knee surgery and then was out with a hamstring injury in the same calendar year). However, you've got to question the due diligence on this one.

I would hope not, as I think international football tournaments bring players and fans together like no other football tournament. However, I read that the Champions League will expand from something like 125 games to 189 from 2024. Who will precisely be playing these extra games, I'm not sure but the tournament is expanding in size and might well be accompanied by greater fatigue and injuries for players. The World Cup, I think is, or might be, expanding too, and the toll might well see more of the top players absent literally or not able to perform. I got the sense from Kevin De Bruyne's recent comments about the Nations League and Belgium's World Cup that he was disillusioned with the sheer number of games and international football was, to him, a lesser priority. This could be just him but I wonder how far it might spread. Then, there is the fans. I just wonder whether the club v country debate is moving increasingly towards club, as each match, especially, in the top flight and Championship, becomes so financially crucial and the Premiership and Champions' League becomes like Super Leagues. I have no evidence for this but it'll be interesting to see how it pans out. Edit: I wonder if there is something in the fact that the winning Argentina side was made up of a significant number of players from outside of the elite European sides of recent years. On a separate note, or maybe, not so separate, I wonder where the mercurial African talents have gone - the Kanu, Okocha, Obafemi Martins, Moustafa Hadji type players. I stand to be corrected, as I didn't watch much of the earlier rounds of the World Cup, but it would seem to me that there has been a Europeanisation of African players, with flair and risk taking being trained out of them. There's still some like Mahrez and Benrahma, but, especially, West Africa doesn't seem to produce them in the abudance of before. But, I'm far from an expert on this, so may well be wrong and, perhaps, being nostalgic about former players.

Scott Wharton has been excellent for Rovers, in general, and let's hope he gets back to his best form but that 'fall' as he tried to stop Pukki on the wing but instead collapsed like a sack of potatoes was, I suspect, a clear sign that something isn't right with his game. Timing, confidence, pace all looked off. (Unless he slipped, but it doesn't look like it).

I think Foden is the closest we have had in recent memory to a top level No.10. Any other club than City, and he would always play central, I would guess, and thereby be England's main man. Guardiola's embarrassment of riches has sidelined Foden as a support act, often, to likes of De Bruyne and Silva. You might say, but for City stockpiling, Kalvin Phillips and Grealish would be in better form, match fitness. If City sign Bellingham, you might see him start once every 3 games, at least initially. The arrival of petrodollars and billionaires is going to damage England's chances, I suspect, with new recruits prioritised over regular football for young players. Then again, with the Champions' League expanding yet further in 2024, international football might well be in decline, at least, for Europeans and European-based players.

I got the impression that Henderson was given the task of doubling up on Mbappe and he did seem to drift out to the right a lot, which might be a reason that Griezmann got a lot of space. Walker didn't seem to get forward, which might have also been part of the tactics. It worked in keeping Mbappe quiet but, perhaps, with Bellingham getting forward, it left that pocket of space that made us vulnerable to Griezmann. Declan Rice is a fantastic striker of the ball and can run with it too but we saw nothing off that because he was so deep. As with the Euros, we looked dangerous with our wingers running with the ball and turning defenders, but we didn't seem to be able to unlock teams with short passing movements as well. All that said, it was nearly enough and the team were unlucky.

I wonder about the full context. The Sun's banners in Paris was goading and, though nothing to do with the team, it might be misrepresented that way. Likewise, who knows what was said between Netherlands and Argentina during their game, during which, I believe, some confrontations occurred. The media like to present scenes out of context to engender emotion.

Agree Griezmann was impressive. Kane wants to do the same thing by dropping deep but it leaves the team lacking up front, which was an issue. If he would lead the line, a Foden or Maddison could, perhaps, have more space. I don't think moaning about Grealish is justified. He's been a defensive sub for England and hasn't done much going forward from what I have seen - admittedly, not every minute. I'm more disappointed that Maddison, who's been is such good form, didn't get used.

Agree it's irritating and factually just wrong, when he's walking around doing next to nothing. He's a wonderful player still and influential in bursts. If we were still in the era of the No.10 who only had creative responsibilities, he might be even more influential. But, then again, the football world is caught up in denial. Jack Grealish has been used by Southgate as a defensive winger this tournament, as one might bring on a DM to stabilise the game. A 100 million player brought on primarily to pass it backwards or win a free kick but you won't hear a pundit or commentator say it. (I'm not saying it's a bad tactic, just that no-one acknowledges this reality).

Extended highlights available from the Ajax website: https://english.ajax.nl/articles/highlights-ajax-blackburn-rovers-ajax-loses-in-spain/ Takeaways from that compilation, for me, are Dolan's excellent finishes, some nice passes from Buckley and some very poor finishing from Ajax.

Not sure about that but if it hasn't been mentioned, Jamie Maclaren, on their bench, is a striker who spent something like 4 years at Rovers as academy and reserve player. On a different note, Argentina's play exemplifies what I find really frustrating about the modern game. Back in the day, we would have aimless crosses at every opportunity. Now, teams get the ball out wide and aimlessly pass it back in field and back to the half way line. It's mindless possession play and so dull to watch. I suppose it might be argued the opposition is being made to run and worn down but without actually trying to create, it is pretty ineffective, at times.

Hope Travis isn't RWB, though he's done a job at times. A. Wharton is a miss, presumably, injured. Szmodics absence is no surprise. I think throughout his Rovers career he will struggle to play 3 consecutive games, given his injury record. Edit: I wonder if Tomasson has decided Wharton Junior isn't suited to the battle that this game might be?

As much as a surprise as the famous 7-1 beating of the Hammers at Ewood? I had very low expectations of the game and the penalty shoot-out. West Ham had something like 15 corners, apparently.

Charity shop window, unfortunately, due to his contract winding down. The stats suggest West Ham peppered the Rovers box but somehow we held out. Would be momentous to win, but not sure we have the takers out there. Maybe, JRC, Szmodics, Brereton-Diaz, Carter, Hyam?

I wonder whether management must take some responsibility for Buckley's regression too (albeit, don't know how well he's done today). Whether you rate him or not, he has always contributed something to the team, even though, he may not have been consistent. Last season, his 7 assists was second highest at the club, behind Rothwell's 10 assists.

Have a feeling that this will be a thrashing by West Ham. Might be some light relief from the strain of the Prem. Will have to see.

He’d revive the Super League, with newly engorged Rovers the lead member, whilst advocating fairness and redistribution across the game. That’s the rank hypocrisy I see in advocating freedom of speech and summarily removing half his new workforce without consultations.

Burns did make an impact, albeit at FC United and in one of those ridiculous one month or so loans, which if they are suitable for anyone, perhaps 17/18 year olds for work experience. However, after a bright moment (scoring two on Burns Night) at Scunthorpe, in League 2, he didn't score after that, I believe. He's surely heading out but a passing mention in match previews for U23s would be welcome just to say if he's injured. Just as there is one currently with a quote stating that Barnes is still a long-term absentee in the first team match preview. Incidentally, Ash Phillips is out with an injury. The number of niggling injuries he gets is to me a concern, albeit, without me having any expertise or knowledge of details. Simply his age and frequency of injuries over the past year have me concerned that there might be an issue there. The idea that he is ready to be a regular back-up to the first team is surely misguided.

I think you might be right. I recall that at the end of last season, Buckley was impressing in the AM role, including scoring a couple of belters. He also was Rovers Young Player of the Year. However, I do wonder whether JDT's playing style, which we are told is a quick, short-passing, two touch possession game is something Buckley has found hard to adapt to. He does tend to hold possession and play longer passes. Not on the same level, of course. but I would say his game is akin to that of Harvey Elliot in style, who got a lot of assists with raking passes for Armstrong.

Some very fair points regarding the Buckley 5 year contract, the form of other midfielders, the fact we don't know what his personal situation is and the likelihood that he will get further chances before to long. For me, there are worrying signs that Tomasson has dropped him right down the pecking order, like Edun. Whilst the latter has rarely performed to the level required, Buckley has been one of our star performers at times, over his career, and, at the end of last season, was showing signs of adding long-range goals to his game. Certainly, he has not been consistent and this season poor and has deficiencies which, as a guess, might be partly related to mentality and confidence, though, I say this without any sort of certainty, but I feel there's no doubting his natural ability. My concern would be that a prolonged exclusion and lack of support from the management, might send his career in the wrong direction. Let's face it, there's a high possibility that Morton will go back to Liverpool come the end of the season (if not before) and if A. Wharton keeps his form, I feel there's a high likelihood that without promotion, he will be bought. We need to do everything possible to get Buckley back on form and, if it fails, at least we tried. However, I agree we have to wait and see how Tomasson treats him. If I was the manager, assuming Buckley's health etc. were all good, I would have him on the bench as much as possible and be seeking to give him minutes to recover confidence and form. With the form of others, it is tricky to fit him in, I admit.

Dan Pike and Sam Burns were established U23/21 players awarded short-term deals, so you would think that the club might say something about their long-term absences but, apparently, not, unless I've missed some news.

Buckley not involved again today. Unless he’s injured or it is part of some plan to revive his career, this strikes me as scapegoating of the player. He absolutely deserved to be considered for being dropped and by no means is entitled to games but he is one of our most naturally gifted players and by no means the only one who has been poor at times this season. Moreover, he strikes me as a confidence player and, without knowing what is going on behind closed doors, I see this treatment as potentially blocking his return to form. If he’s injured, then, fair enough. But I don’t think this club can afford to not support someone with the potential of Buckley. He needs minutes to re-find his form and grow as a player.

The fates of Sam Burns and Connor McBride, compared to Jack Vale, show how fine the margins are between success and failure, when it comes to securing minutes and new deals - and how luck plays a part. Whilst, I think, Vale has been the most prolific, in terms of goals per game (I'm guessing here), all three were regular goalscorers at U23/21 level - and largely unspectacular during lower league and even, non-league loan spells (though Burns scored some goals during a month at FC United and Vale had injury problems during his loans). Vale, however, has got his break and a new deal and the others are disappearing without trace. I suppose the Welsh U21 caps adds value to Jack Vale and raises both his profile and possible transfer market value, so giving him a new deal (though, I think a 2 year deal might have been more appropriate) has commercial sense - if the club play it wisely. As long as he scores a few goals from sub appearances, you would think that he might grow in confidence and form - or attract a buyer.

Szmodics, I fear, will go down as mistaken signing for the fact that he incurs every injury going, it seems. The latest is, apparently, an 'acute neck injury' which kept him out of the last game. Great credit to him that he has come back from serious injuries, including, I believe, further ankle surgery and a broken leg in the same calendar year at Peterborough. He keeps coming back but you have to wonder for how long and at what cost to his body. I believe he missed out on Ireland international recognition after a call-up as a Peterborough player, due to a shoulder injury. We'll have to wait and see as to whether he can stay healthy for a prolonged period but his record is not good.