Either way they put 5+ past us. No pressure but a big prize on the line, or if they're really going for it.

It'll be like watching the Harlem Bloody Globetrotters.

I really think our goose is cooked.

I’m not usually like this but can’t quite bring myself to give it the “really proud of the lads oh didn’t we do well” schtick just yet.

The game was there for the taking.

Fair, fair gutted tbh.

Suppose that shows how well we played.

So close.

Onwards.

41 minutes ago, Waggy76 said:

Shower ???

Burnley away last season he should have been sacked , survived a lot longer than he should have , in my view ...

We were 2nd in the league after 20 games going into that FYI

44 minutes ago, RoversClitheroe said:

Agreed.

Seen enough of Pickering to know he's not good enough to be a LB in our team if we ever have ambition of a top 6.

We don't.

1 minute ago, grinder said:

The worrying thing is - looking at the crap GB has landed us with - how on earth do you rearrange these deck chairs to stop the barge sinking - Gallagher to CB and Hyam up front or Telalovic to swap with team bus driver? The result will be the same.... 

“NO EXCUSE CULTURE”

(rapturous applause, Suhail smiling)

5 minutes ago, BigBar said:

I have never heard any coach say "ok let's start with the basics...firstly creating chances". It's normally about being solid and hard to beat and taking it from their. Surely you understood my point.

We should crack on with that.

7 minutes ago, martonrover said:

Thank you .

From some of the posts on here you’d be forgiven for thinking we were flying prior to Eustace’s arrival.

From some of the posts this week you’d think the squad was fine, JDT was shite, and JE is the new Pep-destroying messiah because Gallagher decided to win his annual header.

23 minutes ago, BankEnd Rover said:

Not sure what game you were all watching? He had great game, played a lot deeper than normal and was very disciplined. Some lovely sequences and made some great passes.

8/11 duels won, 6 Tackles, 3 interceptions 2 key passes breaking play - not bad comparing to the value of the lads he was playing against

The feedback from palace fans is all positive with a lot of other teams admiring him - in around 18 months we will have a serious sell on fee coming our way.

Agreed.

His positional awareness off the ball first half completely shut down their midfield, Chelsea had to start playing down the sides second half to get any joy at all.

Natural football IQ.

34 minutes ago, JBiz said:

Can I add - we made Stoke look bad. We let them have the ball and defended our box. 

We did the same at their place iirc. They’re really quite toothless.

Can see them being one of the ones caught up, they’ve already played the “change the manager” card to little effect.

9 minutes ago, Atko's Engine said:

Look, I'm not saying he would be ideal, but he would be better overall than Neil would as a younger, more dynamic man at the helm.

Weirdly, Neil is two years younger.

Cant believe he’s only 42

10 minutes ago, garnersfags said:

It's truly ironic that the accepted narrative appears to be that the latest cock-up was in some way an intentional act by the 'club', and that the view of a number of us that it is GB's sheer sleepwalking incompetence, is now the conspiracy theory. 

You couldn't make it up, although many if us are proving that you can make it up, and then believe it as probable, or even fact. 

It is the fault of whoever was directly responsible for player transfer administration. 

This is the considered opinion of a number of us, all whom sit firmly in the Venky's and Waggot out camp. 

This compounded fiasco will reduce the club's value, to a level beyond what it will save in avoided transfer fees, and that's one of the reasons I don't believe the error was in any way directly intentional. 

Thank god they didn't forget John Fleck's, that lad from Dunkirk and Sorba Bloody Thomas.

It's unbelievable whichever way you slice it.

Unbelievable errors, or unbelievable excuses.

Is there a “visa window”? If the transfer has been registered with the EFL, what’s the problem?

14 minutes ago, goozburger said:

But not competent for an £80k long-term highly rated young midfielder? But competent for a £500k long-term highly rated young defender?

Doesn't stack up. I'd be amazed if there was any truth at all in it. There has been very little rhyme or reason to Venkys ownership of the club, and money of theirs pissed up the wall for 13 seasons solid. I suppose I can understand why people would think it's deliberate, now that it's happened three times in the space of a year, but I just think it's more of the same incompetence.

Nothing can be ruled out, I suppose, so maybe it will all come out in the wash one day.

Thought I saw circa £500k being mentioned for Brierly? Might have got that wrong, but he went for a "six-figure fee" to Brentford according to reports. Collateral damage? 😂

O'Riordan just offsetting the Carter fee?

I dunno... sounds like I've gone of the deep end I know! But when looking for the most logical sequence of events, I'm finding the situation so farcical that it becomes almost implausible for our executives to have made such a mistake again.

Just beggars belief!

11 minutes ago, Herbie6590 said:

We underestimate institutional incompetence at our peril IMO…

Competent at short term freebies, cheap loans, and sales though.

12 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Unless someone within the Club (2 obvious candidates) are deliberately sabotaging the deals.

In which case he won't resign. No-one in their right minds resigns over something that isn't their fault.

If that were the case I’d 100% be resigning.

”Structural problems within the club have made my position untenable.”

I’d think less of him if he sticks around after this, however it actually went down.

12 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

I know its not a popular point of view but I didn't really think the owners  pulled the OBrien deal last year after giving it the go ahead in the first place and I definitely don't think that they would (having seemingly put a block on permanent deals for  players, and therefore having specifically authorised a substitute loan deal for the same player) then pull the loan deal as well.

For me it's either a case of colossal incompetence or someone worried about meeting their annual targets is deliberately sabotaging these deals. Either seem equally plausible and no prizes for guessing the most likely culprit if the second scenario

Just so happens that any deal involving a fee in the last 12 months have been the ones to be fucked up.

The frees and cheap loans get through the fax machine fine. Maybe it’s the pressure causing mistakes?

Could almost look like all fees have been totally blocked and the powers that be don’t want the DoF, manager and fans to know. Blame EFL rules, “changes to Indian tax law”, whatever.

I NEVER go in for conspiracy theories over logic.

Just must be a huge coincidence that it’s these two deals in particular.

28 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

I was watching the Wrexham game and I didn't even realise he was on the pitch until he scored. Each to their own.

Cracking strike and great reaction though.

Only Hyam and JRC touched the ball more than him, he had >93% pass accuracy (2nd highest) and got a lovely assist in the first half too.

When you do notice him he must be having a blinder!

4 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

The results were good till December.

Performances were better than results. 

“Best team we’ve played” wasn’t a lie, we looked unreal in patches.

Couldn’t get enough results over the line (lack of experience?), and fell apart as injuries came in (lack of depth).

7 minutes ago, Darwen Rover 007 said:

Mark Robins would be my preference, but like any other decent option probably doesn't want to work in a mental asylum 

With all due respect, we’ve as much chance of convincing Klopp to do a Dalglish.

1 minute ago, roversfan99 said:

The model has never and will never exist with these owners. 

Yeah but if we can just pretend for long enough to get him through the door… like we did with Jon!

6 minutes ago, BankEnd Rover said:

He would but like @islander200 said we would need to offer a lot for him to come…Eustace is waiting in the wings for the likes of Leeds, Ipswich, West Brom etc 

He’d be waiting a while I reckon. 60 games as manager with a 33% win percentage? How’s he in line for jobs like that?

I’d be happy with taking a punt on (and could see the logic from “the model” point of view) someone like Lee Carsley.

But truthfully, our reputation and finances are in the shit. If JDT walks it’s going to be painful and we could end up with absolutely anyone.

Have to say, not wildly optimistic about this McGuire from the (completely unqualified) eye test.

People were writing off Telalovic because of the level he played at but some of those MLS/college clips look absolutely honking.

6 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

Even you you want to count them as his singings before this window in Broughton's time here we have brought in 14 players. Three of them have been good singings Szmodics, Hyam & Tronstad. Then you have Hill who was decent, the rest have been disappointments. 3-4 good singings out of 14 is a success rate of about 30% for a club whose finances are tight that is not anywhere near a good enough success rate.

At last, a bit of balance. I’d say jury is still out on Sigurdsson, certainly made sense on paper, and I definitely rate Brittain.

Biggest and best signing he made was JDT. A masterstroke under any half functional administration imo

5 minutes ago, garnersfags said:

It's documented that the Brittain, Szmodics and Hyam deals were commenced before GB arrived. 

“Coffee is for closers”