Thank you. This is exactly the case.

Hahaha firstly £10m is pretty low by today’s standards. The accounts say 7.6m? But whatever. Secondly, you’ve massively embarrassed yourself with the Hughes comparison as has been proven. You’d have been better comparing Allardyce’s team who had a similarly modest budget and achieved decent results through hard work and organisation. And finally...IN MY OPINION, Mowbrays team work harder than any team since 94/95. I’ve been a season ticket holder for all but 5 seasons when there was no need for me to buy tickets. I chose not to go during Keans last season.

Souness was disinterested. In May 2004 he was inconsolable following a defeat to Spurs which effectively cost him the offering of that job. Hughes picked up a FAR better team than Mowbray in October 2004, had a transfer window and finally finished 15th after being in around the relegation zone pretty much all season. Mowbray picked up an absolute basket case club with a team 23rd in the league and 3points adrift of safety on 22nd Feb. He averaged points of a mid to top 10 team without a chance to even change the team and went down on the final day of the season on the highest ever points to be relegated out of the Championship. I didn’t begin the comparison. But by humouring this terrible point I’ve pretty much proven that you can’t compare them because basically Hughes was was in a 10000% better position to succeed.

Yeah, Souness had been looking to leave for 12 months. He was disinterested. Hughes was in a relegation fight for most of his first season and managed to steer us clear of trouble. But then he got a shit load more of investment as per my previous post and added to the nucleus of good players he had was able to finish 6th the next season. That team did work hard. But they also had some absolutely CLASS players. Bellamy? Tugay?...

Souness wanted out for 12 months before he went. He was courting the Spurs job before Newcastle. But don’t doubt the quality of players that he left Hughes. Granted he made the best of them and added considerably but the foundations were there.

Omg...absolutely!! Completely forgot about Tugay, Flitcroft, Pederson, Nelson, Samba etc who were also there! ?

Hughes team was very good and as I said without doubt the closest to Mowbrays in terms of work rate. But don’t underestimate the work Souness had done using financial power from 2001. Cole, Yorke, Ferguson, Emerton, Reid etc were signed for fees on big wages and his (Souness) team had finished in the top 10 for two out of three seasons before Hughes came in. They’d also won the league cup. Hughes came in and signed....Savage, Bentley, Bellamy, Santa Cruz, Ooijer, Benni McCarthy, Stephen Warnock, Dunny and Jason Roberts etc didn’t come cheap. Wages for some of those would’ve been astronomical. Most had seven figure fees attached too. Hughes and Souness certainly benefited and their league finishes reflected that. Yeah, Hughes finished 6th in 2006 as had Souness 3yrs before him. He also finished 10th and 15th during his time, as did Souness. The point I’m making is that there was nothing remarkable about those outcomes when you consider the investment. It wasn’t just ‘graft’. Mowbrays picked us up in a FAR worse position than Hughes. We came up and finished highest of the promoted teams and but for a blip after Christmas would’ve been flirting with the top 6 come May. The accounts say we spent £7m on fees or whatever but putting that into context in terms of what some of the teams spent on fees and wages it’s not much. They get through most games by working harder than the opposition. Hoping from a bit of quality from £750k Dack, 33yr Old DG or latterly a player we signed from Oxford named Rothwell! ‘Fans’ bleat on and on about Brereton who is yet to make an impact but I’m pretty sure that’s going to bite a few on the ass this season! So yeah, that just about covers it pal. Case closed. ???

Hughes team had plenty of quality and financial investment. Was probably the closest in terms of working hard to Mowbrays.

That’s correct.

Just opinions ladies, don’t get upset ?

Hey, @Sparks Rover - Whiteman back on now Adkins is out of the way at Hull? ?

I’m not re-writing anything. I’m not saying either that this team is anywhere close (in quality) to Hughes, Souness or Allardyces teams. I’m saying that imo this is the hardest working Rovers team since we won the league! This team comes up short in quality but never in work ethic...there’s no agenda (or narrative) here. I’m a fan like anyone else. I have no relationship with Mowbray or anyone still at the club.

Lots getting upset about the comment I made regarding fans not putting their hands in their pockets. I completely stand by it. There was a time during the Kean era that I couldn’t go anymore. The team had stopped caring. I could forgive them not being good enough but not caring was intolerable for me to see as a fan. I was worn out and I couldn’t relate to the club. The first shoots of positivity came when Mowbray arrived. An honesty. The team were working hard. They cared again. This is all any fan should need imo. Furthermore, Venkys seemed to change and the sales stopped. They began to invest. I’m not saying that any of this rights the wrongs of what went on. I felt that pain too but Jesus, get over it. We’ve got an honest, decent guy managing us, a group of players who may come up short on ability but work harder than any Rovers team since 94/95 and owners who continue to fund us. (To the tune of £17m last season alone). Maybe some still haven’t made their peace and I kind of understand that. But since when did who the club sign become the pre-requisite to whether you go to the game?

That’s fair. Want to hear Mowbray first interview back. He’ll give more away than Waggott.

No, the message was pretty clear (in his forum) from Mowbray that his target was to get into the top 6. He also stated that having bought potential last season, he was looking to add Championship experience and pick some gems up in the European market. All dependant on budget of course! Im still interested to know what that will play out to be. Waggott said it was similar to last season. That was fairly healthy. What is laughable is the amount of people insisting on us having a good budget but won’t even put their hand in their pocket for a season ticket to support their beloved team!? ??

First signing this week?

The key to how a top class keeper improves a team isn’t how many saves they make. It’s the confidence that they give their team mates that they can be relied upon. Allison vs Karius is the perfect portrayal of that.

Yup, quite a few overreacting as per. Downing hasn’t signed anything yet. Moreover, surely any signings have to be looked at in full context. Any signing can look good or bad as a one off. Downing doesn’t particularly inspire me either. Let’s see how it plays out.

I think you’ve just perfectly corroborated my point. Wingers in the truest sense are Ripley and Wilcox, kanchelskis and Giggs (before he was converted). Wingers are quick. Their job it to stay out wide and offer options down the outside of full backs. Right footers play on the right and left footers on the left. They do this because their job in the last third, when they’re not dribbling past full backs is to take one touch out of their feet, open their bodies up and swing in a cross. Barely any of the other players you have mentioned do a job even close to this now. They are wide attackers who are usually utilised on the opposite side to their preferred foot. Their job is to play creatively in the space between midfield and the oppositions defence in ‘pockets’ and then to make runs between the fullback and cb from an “out to in” perspective. Adam Armstrong is not a winger and never has been. Regardless of which side he plays. So yeah, no one plays with wingers ??

I don’t know anyone who plays with out and out wingers these days tbh.

Fantastic post. Thanks for the insight into the financials. I also agree on the changing landscape and i believe that we have a real chance next season based on that and the information being recieved from Waggott re the budget. Re the signings - can you clarify if that’s five or three signings you’re expecting? Any loans?

Came up linked with us? There’s some reported itk posted something a few days ago but I can’t see much... cracking player!

I said very early on (before the Christmas window and Assombalonga-gate) that the priority had to be a mainline striker. At that point our defence was a little leaky but had yet to break its banks...form after January highlighted our need for defenderS and a commanding goalkeeper but I still say that we need a frontline striker to challenge / replace DG. This is not me demeaning DG who has been absolutely fantastic. I don’t accept the point that he’s a ‘mid to lower table Championship striker’. But strikers win games. All of the teams chasing promotion have several options available to them. Im not going to be one (like a few on here) who write BB off a 20yr Old who has represented his country and is highly rated in the game. I feel wholeheartedly that those who already have could have their words played back to them by their mates poking fun at them for many years to come. But even if BB, AA and Nuttall are all fit, we still need another striking option to challenge and provide ready made cover for that position right now. An Assombalonga, Waghorn, Hugill type with experience and goals at this level.

Very early days yet. I don’t believe for one second that we’ve shown our hand and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if none of the linked players were on Rovers actual list. Patience

I was thinking that. Highly rated and commanding too...