Comprehensively beaten by a better team. These guys had several £20m players and a huge budget and it really showed today.

Need players, fast!

2 hours ago, Butty said:

Regardless of whether Diaz stays or goes, we are not going to spend 17 million on transfer fees to go on top of the 3/4 we’ve already spent pal. 

Hmm…I think the budget will stretch to another £8m in fees mate, so we could squeeze Svdb, JPvH, Styles and Bowler in without selling BBD. If they wanted to spend less they could do a free agent CM and maybe Berget as the forward?

The further money on the likes of Birmancevic and Healey (or Bowler if we’d gone for Berget initially) would surely only be sanctioned if / when BBD is sold? 

Minimum 4 signings needed for me. 2x cb’s, a cm and a forward.

If / When we sell BBD I think we need another 2 forwards to cover his loss.

Svdb - CB loan

JPvH - CB Perm £4m

Styles - CM/LWB Perm £1m

Bowler - Forward Perm £3m

In event of BBD sale…

Birmencevic - Forward Perm £6m

Rhys Healey - Forward Perm £3m

2 minutes ago, RV Blue said:

Wrong team for me. I hope I’m wrong.

Can’t keep wheeling the same players out every match when you’re playing 3 in 7 days. This is however why we need more forwards.

I don’t think anyone has been dropped. Looks like squad rotation. Hedges and Gallagher rested…also looks to me like we’ve decided to hound these lot to death! Szmodics, Dolan, BBD and Vale will literally run all day!

Hopefully we can get a foothold in the game and steer clear of injuries. 

4 hours ago, Neal said:

He's not replaceable, we can't replace him with like for like quality, we all know that but we can look for other potential match winners that we can realistically buy. Josh Bowler is certainly one of them and would be a safe, solid investment. 

Of course he’s replaceable, everyone is. The question is, can we find one or two to take up the mantle?

Losing BBD is inevitable now imo. The only thing that will prevent it is if Venkys dig in. Losing him will be a blow but this is why we have a manager and DoF team. They will have a plan, it’s not difficult to say “well if we get £15m for Ben, how much can we have?”. JDT intimated that he’d had those conversations with Venkys and GB when he’d first been appointed.

We have to trust the process and hope that they get whatever they ask for from Venkys. I reckon they will! 😊

Rovers on the red button tmrw night? 

Adebayo from Luton???

I reckon Rovers unchanged from the XI who started on Saturday. Looking to utilise the bench and all 5 subs from 60 mins. Hopefully we’ll be a couple in front by then!🤞🏽

Reading 0 - 3 Rovers

Ayala and Trav OUTSTANDING!!! I love the togetherness of this team! JDT is a tactical genius and I 💯 believe he got the team to take the sting out of the game after their goal…the amount of stoppages were unreal and reminded me of watching those frustrating Italian teams of the past….👏🏼

VDB is a top championship defender, just get him in, we’ll worry about how many games he plays when he’s here.

I’m going for three wins on the trot tmrw! Same team as vs Swansea. 

2 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

You again are now judging Nyambe vs 2 games with our new RB. he has started ok, nothing special. Good pedigree and looks to be a decent player. Fans of his former club say he cant defend. 

6 times, I’ve seen him play live 6 times but tbh I could’ve said he was better than Nyambe after the first 20 mins. I think I actually did in the match they played us at Ewood 🤷🏽‍♂️

1 minute ago, JacknOry said:

When Ash leave,s 'hes shit' anyway'

Bore off mate, ask me if we miss Darragh? Whether we’d be better with Rothwell? I think we’ll struggle to afford to replace both of those guys…I just never thought that would be the same with Nyambe…it turns out I was right. 

2 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

You said it once it was clear he was not renewing. 

Crazy, I said he would be easiest to replace, once it was obvious he was going. 

4 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

Offensively yes, defensively, not a chance. Give the kid a break - when Bucko leaves i hope you dont have this same attititude. 

Attitude? What on earth are you talking about? It’s nothing personal. He’s just not great. Decent defensively, poor offensively. I said it when he was our player. 

20 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Yes that's the best way to describe it we've paid a good fee so it's fair enough to expect an upgrade.

The issue we all thought we were facing was one of finding somebody better for nothing.

That's a whole different ball game.

 

No mate, the issue most of you thought we were facing was that we wouldn’t be able to afford a better RB than Nyambe. Some suggesting we’d need to spend £3-5m. Which hasn’t been the case. Just short of a million quid on a lad from Barnsley says it all….the bar really wasn’t very high.

Nyambe having to settle for Wigan on a one year contract and not even starting for them should really be the final nail in this argument.

So, Sepp Van Der Berg incoming soon!? I read a some good stuff about him this morning. Haven’t seen him play.

3 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Early signs are good but lets not jump the gun the only real time to judge is the end of the season.

I’ve seen Brittain play in about 6 live games and Nyambe in many many games and I’m prepared to say right now that Brittain is better. Not because he’s a world beater, the bar just wasn’t that high…

7 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

Got done over by his agent, yes. But now he is apparently sh it. Check stats when he was and wasnt playing for us. Mani, i thought you big up academy lads - dude was with us for how many years?

I love the academy, but I watch football with my eyes mate. I wanted Nyambe to stay because he was decent and one of our own. But at the point it was apparent he was going to leave I expressed openly that he would be the easiest to replace. At this stage there were quite a few in here talking up Nyambe as a PL standard full back and saying we would regret his loss.

Nyambe is not shit. He’s just ‘decent’. Him turning down a 4yr contract from Rovers is probably the worst decision of his life. I’m gutted for him as a person, I believe he’s a great lad. He’s just not a great right back.

Just now, tomphil said:

Did cost us a million to replace him though not the few hundred grand presumed !

Impossible to know. However, as most of us did predict, he’s been replaced with little or no pain and the only time we do remember him is when we point out that he could never have done this or that whilst watching Brittain play.

1 minute ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

It would be unfair to write him off at this stage. I could absolutely see him working in hospitality at the Etihad.  

🤣🤣

2 hours ago, Trinidad Rover said:

Nyambe not in the starting XI again for Wigan. Hard to fathom how he thought going there was a better option than staying at Rovers.

 

He didn’t pal. JDT & GB withdrew the contract offer when they realised they could save themselves 4yrs of his wages and get Brittain in for LESS money (In total).

Nyambe and his agent have absolutely blown it. Where are those who were predicting he would be plating in the PL and that his loss would decimate us now?

9 minutes ago, Dan said:

They like Hob Nob(ender)s 😂

Sparks!? That you? 👀🙈🤣🤣🤣

Just now, Wheelton Blue said:

Man of the match for me by a mile. Proper footballer, that lad.

The ‘next’ special one! 🤩

3 minutes ago, JamieUK said:

I thought Markanday looked well off the pace and missed a couple of sitters.

Of the players that started I'd say Dolan, Dack, Morton, Edun looked like they'd step into the current XI without any issues. Question marks over the rest for me but a lot of that is because of age/experience. Think JRC could do with loaning out - I don't think he's anywhere near first team standard but that would leave no cover.

Agreed - I actually think Adam Wharton was brilliant too tonight but he doesn’t look ready physically yet.

Was happy for Dack, Dolan does what Dolan does, Morton looked every bit a first team player and Edun for Pickering!