Angry_Pirate

Bold prediction. 🤣

Always a fun (and upsetting/pointless) exercise. Most of the players there will have options, and Rovers never dive into priority Free Agents like we wish the would. Just looking at UK/Irish nationality you could create a full and competitive team for "free" - bit dire on the Goalkeeper and Winger front though. Bold ones being of particular interest, wishful thinking for BRFC. (Sheff Utd relegation pending!) GK: Hart, Walton LB: Lowe, Taylor, Norrington-Davies CB: Kelly, Tosin, Lascelles, McKenna, Wood, Cooper, McNair RB: Wan-Bissaka, Bogle CM: Hughes, DaSilva, Dier, Brownhill, Lundstram, Whiteman, Baird, Sibley, Saville RW: Ritchie, Dolan CAM: Alli, Connolly, Burrows LW: Willock CF: Vardy, Adams, Gallagher, Wellbeck

Never seen a "1st team coach" so reliant on a whistle.

Sorry, to clarify, I'm not trying to correlate Markanday/Hedges to loan value. They are two recent examples of a January "speculative" cheap signing (who happened to be in final 6 months) vs an expensive loan signing like Lewis O'Brien. The Crewe lad is a speculative signing who has years on a contract. I'd rather do that, than pay a loan (with no option) for any player, given the way the season has gone.

A "loan to buy" is of course the exception. I agree. Unfortunately, lets say a player is going to cost £1m, the loan may be £400k, but I bet the option doesn't come down £400k to include the fee. The only 2 genuinely good loan options were Gestede and Cairney. DJ Campbell, Vardy, Diaz etc were obligations, and the good ones we had like Tosin and Reed ended up moving for affordable prices, soon after. I much rather the Armstrong model, low fee, high sell on. Seems a win win (as annoying as it is when you lose out on 40% of £12m).

In (recent) years I've been adamant about getting quality loans in. Not doing so previously has cost us probably 2 top 6 finishes (at least!) This season already seems a like a Mowbray special dead rubber... 10pts clear of bottom 3, and 8pts off (a strong) top 6. Don't get me wrong, there is work to be done to stay up - Gallagher, Hedges, Dolan, Hyam, Wharton, JRC, Buckley and Pears all to return should likely be enough for a top 20 finish. We need what, 5 wins minimum from 20 games (assuming they pick up a handful of draws too!) - about 20-25pts to be certain of safety? Maybe this IS the year to be going for the speculative in signing £500k lads from Crewe? Maybe they will be better than James Hill in 12 months? Rovers wanted Hill when he left Fleetwood for £1M a couple of summers ago... I wonder how much was paid to Bournemouth to "loan" him? A good chunk of that I'd imagine. There'd be little point loaning in a "Prem Ace" for £1m+ (like O'Brien last year) when we're likely not even competing to sniff the top 6 (sure as shit not getting promoted this year with Leeds, Leicester and Southampton to name 3 teams we can't even compete with!). Spending money loaning a player in to get this team up from 17th-19th to 12th-10th, isn't worth it. This squad is good enough to stay up this year, but is also not going to threaten the playoffs, and has Raya money (+) coming in the summer! So not much point in loans, when they still have fees attached. I'd rather spend that money on permanent fees. £200k Hedges, £500k Markanday type deals (hope for better!) Let's have a gamble on an actual long term player. Better than paying 5x that for shit on loan (Morton, Mola, Hirst!).

He's out of his depth currently. Needs hooked as he's worse than playing with 10 men if he keeps giving it away easily. He's not quick, he's not tall, he can't hold up the ball, and apparently he needs more chances than Andy Cole to be a "fox in the box" (offside or not, that hits the back of the net!) Lad has potential for sure, but not ready for this. Needs a Loan. Also, a winger on the wing and a RB at RB wouldn't be amiss. I'm a huge fan of (RB) Brittain but he's abject as a LW. Hill has been fine, but he doesn't have the knowledge to help us in possession. Siggy looks like he's actually warming up, so I may get my wish.

Szmodics is playing absolutely woefully today thus far.

Twice now their commentary has referred to it as "This famous old stadium!" First of all, you've only been there 26 years, and second, it's only famous on a Tuesday!

Rovers needed three things to go their way to have a real chance tonight. 1. Don't give away stupid, silly or unnecessary shit goals = did it twice. 2. Get competent, lucky and helpful refereeing = 2 penalties? 3. Score your chance(s) = Leonard (46) (EDIT) Arnor (92) 4. (Bonus). Oh, and it'd be helpful to play your best XI from KO.

Normally Brittains biggest fan, but he has looked pedestrian tonight. Pickering, Garrett and Leonard have also been absolutely outclassed /bullied. The rest have put in a very good shift.

I have come to the conclusion that Chelsea would walk the Championship.

Harry Leonard is not a goalscorer. He must be close to a double digit number of (sitters/1vs1) missed chances already this season.

€460m in that Chelsea starting XI. 2 loans, 5 acadamy graduates and about £3.0m spent on 4 players, for Rovers. Keeping horror moment is the reason we're 1-0 down. Though Chelsea comfortably dropped 3 gears after they scored. Clear penalty for Rovers not given. All in all, could have been a lot worse, and there have been positive signs. However, only 3 players in yellow even look remotely close to competing at this standard; Wharton, and two players we don't own. If Chelsea stay in this gear, we've every chance. If a sloppy 2nd goes in, I think it's 4+.

Ref gives that in our area 10 times out of 10. Not even a debate, that's a stonewall penalty.

Running out of hope for Leo. That was simply abysmal. Why on earth he's going for that with his left hand. I genuinely think if you'd have put me in goal for that corner, we'd still be 0-0.

James Hill is visually a hench version of Adam Henley.

Really pleased we haven't started a striker today!

I've seen that game at least 25 times over the last half decade! Pedestrian, pointless possession, false 9, 0.5xG, lose 1-0 in the 2nd half, usually last 15 minutes. Quick Wiki search shows that over the last two (full) seasons we have had TWELVE 1-0 away defeats, thats ¼ of every away game we play - including: Cardiff 1-0 (83) Wigan 1-0 (63) Birmingham 1-0 (60) QPR 1-0 (83) Sheff Utd 1-0 (92) (performance exception) Reading 1-0 (78) Bristol City 1-0 (82) QPR 1-0 (54) Wycombe 1-0 (67) That is just the 2nd half losses, there were plenty other non scoring defeats. Predicted it before KO, odds are we'll see this game again at least a few more times this season (Night games at Millwall and Birmingham?). Never gets any more enjoyable.

Not a substitution you want to see in the 48th minute.

Not for the first time I found myself sat here thinking Callum Brittain is the best player on the pitch. Feels very "Covid Mowbray" this one. 61% possession and 0.32xG. Everything seems fine/Rovers on top when it's a draw, however if this turns into a 1-0 defeat it'd look completely spineless.

That is officially perhaps the worst XI Rovers have fielded since their return to this level. However I remember saying that before we played Bristol City a couple of December's ago, and we smashed it. Coming for a 0-0.

I beg you all to watch the CBs. They've been told to follow their attackers far into the other half - and constantly leave a huge void in the centre of the defensive half. It happened for the goal today, and is what caused Pickering's red card situation. Vardy drops deep - cbs follow him - ball goes right down the middle and it'd 2 vs 2 with our full backs and wingers. It's 80% of the cause of most dangerous attacks.

Green bib, #33, no?

The new PA guy is a bit quiet! 🫨