I think we will all agree that a lot HAS changed since September, pleasingly!!

Looking at that link that Chaddy posted (cheers Chaddy), I can't think there's much if a chance Khadra will come here permanently. They clearly rate him (who wouldn't), he'll be too good to stay in the championship & if we get promoted it would take a large sum to get them to part with him. Same with Van Hecke. Hope I'm wrong mind.

Not sure that matters if he contributes to us getting promotion.

If this is correct (I don't recall hearing it said previously), then it's not a bad start to Park's Ewood stint; if he can pull more rabbits out of the hat like Khadra then that's good enough fir me.

Thanks Tony. That makes it sound like Pickering had a really bad game, but I didn't get that feeling at the match. After all, a full back / wingback's first job is to stop the crosses. It's funny how deeper analysis can dispel first impressions.

To be fair to Gallagher, he's never been one not to put a shift in, whatever other criticisms may be levelled against him ability-wise.

But that's exactly what was being said by many about Ben 12 months back. I'm not saying anything spectacular like that will happen for Gally, but if he is played in the right role then I think he can be very useful and be a 10-15 goals a season player. He's on 5 already this season, that's playing less than half the season and mostly outside of his strongest position. He's worth giving an extended contract to, there's no doubt in my mind.

All valid points in the posts above. Playing devil's advocate a little, Lord Baltimore admits that there's not much young talent coming through in Chile hence why they looked further afield for qualifying players, so in 2/3 years' time will they realistically be challenging for the latter stages of the Copa America or the WC in 2026? Also Matty, who would have said 12 months ago that he would be flying like he is now? If he continues to develop, who knows what ghat could lead to? Look at Jamie Vardy for an example of how a player can come through from nowhere & hit the top, especially if they offer something different to their peers. Anyway it was a daft question, albeit thought provoking. I would tend to agree that whatever happens from here he should have no regrets as it's been a unique journey for him. Thanks for humouring me!

We must try our damndest to get Lenihan, Rothwell & Nyambe all signed up long term, if necessary with non-promotion or modest buy out clauses effective from summer onwards; failing that, reject all offers & keep them here until the summer to try to finish the job. Same with BBD & Kaminski, though that's less urgent & probably harder to achieve, esp in BBD's case. To be fair, none of them seem unhappy; quite the opposite in fact. Hopefully the common unity & desire not to spoil it for the rest of the squad will carry some weight in their decision-making. Cancel Poveda's loan (with some reluctance) and Clarkson too (I can't see he has a role to play this season). Spend decent money on a RB / RWB to challenge RN; no need to break the bank, but I'm sure there's a right-sided Pickering out there. I genuinely don't think we need too much more; we have decent cover almost everywhere, somewhat unexpectedly. January is never the best time to buy, and we don't want to risk undoing the harmony in the squad by signing a well-known player that likely comes with an ego.

Here's a half-serious / half-jokey question to discuss; having been born in the delectable (ahem) Stoke on Trent, in 2 or 3 years' time might BBD regret nailing his colours to the Chilean mast at the tender age of 22? Off you go...!

Plus I have some signed, framed memorabilia of Nobby Stiles & Sir Bobby Charlton, the only 2 English players to win the WC & European Cup / Champions League. It would have no value if England win the WC!! (It was a drunken purchase in an auction at a kids xmas footy do years ago. It's stashed away wrapped up in a dark cupboard, there's no way I'm putting it on display with Utd's badge on it!)

Rovers. Simples.

I presume those comments were made in response to specific questions, and was therefore put on the spot? If he's not been told by the owners - his bosses - what they plan is, he's hardly going to publicly commit them to anything is he, especially if he is after a new contract himself. Would you make outright promises about your company commiting to a certain level of investment without any authority's to do so? I think folk read too much into managers' media interviews, be it pre-match comments about the opposition, post match analysis, transfer speculation etc. I'm sure internal conversations are very different and much less diplomatic.

I'm a Riversider too, have been since mid-80s. Wouldn't swap my seat (at the top of the "E") for anywhere else in the ground. Fantastic uninterrupted view, covered, great legroom. Yes it's dated, needs a tidy up etc, and the facilities aren't great, but I love it; it has a certain atmosphere that's different to the rest of the ground. It could be improved and change isn't always bad, but let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. There's many around me who, like me, have been there since it was built; forcing them to sit elsewhere, or ramping up the cost by 30% to cover any upgrade, would be a big own goal by the club imo (not unheard of, of course). Maybe I'm a creature of habit, or have lower expectations than others; but after all, I'm there to watch the footy with my family, and it's perfectly adequate for that at a reasonable ST price.

I think we have enough at the back to cope with most of what they throw at us in that respect. All 4 of our CBs are good in the air & don't mind putting their bodies on the line; it's been a long time since we've been able to say that!

Fancy us today (I know, I know!). We now have a really strong first 15/16 players, the only position we seem to lack any depth in is RB. I hear covid doesn't affect any of last week's starting 11, which I'd go with again if possible (albeit with TK replacing AP). Form is temporary. We're top of the form table & Brum near-bottom, but that doesn't really mean much besides breeding confidence & momentum, both of which can quickly shatter a young team that is founded on being hard working, well organised & pacey on the counter. It only takes an injury, red card or a bad ref to spoil what's brewing. If we are at it from the off & get an early goal, we could go on and get a hatful. Should they score first, we'll have another chance to see what our young bucks are made of. With the cushion we already have to 7th & with more postponements likely over Christmas, this is a real chance to nail ourselves on as leading play off contenders if not top 2(!!). Any result is on the cards today. I'm going for a 3-0 win with BBD (2) and Rothwell. But I'll happily take another 0-7 if it leads to us going on another 6 game run afterwards like this one!!

Thanks fella, & the others who liked my post. Tbh I'm only just coming to terms with how important it is to speak openly about mental health struggles, but I'm getting there. Let's just say it's a journey, to bring it back on topic!

Hi all, it's been a while since I posted on here but I've been "lurking & liking" from time to time! Like @arbitro (who has my heartfelt sympathy), we lost my mum in February, to Alzheimer's; after barely being able to see her, let alone hug & comfort her, due to covid care home restrictions for nearly all of her last 12 months, it hit me hard. Coupled with a few other things, I've since experienced some mental health issues, which I'm still grappling with. So as a previously-staunch "Mowbray in"-er, it didn't seem compatible with improving my mood to maintain a presence on here during THAT 17 game run, a poor summer on the recruitment front & with the Brockall shenanigans thrown in, all of which was pretty indefensible. I stand by my view that, up to Christmas last year, TM had overall done a good job; but in view of all those things, I was quite happy for him to have walked or been potted in the summer, as it seemed he had actually taken us as far as he could &, for the good of the club, had to go. Well I'm now glad that he didn't, as this season has so far been a revelation (Fulham debacle aside). The passion, desire, organisation & ability shown by such a young team has taken me completely by surprise, and whilst TM can't take all the credit for that, he can take a huge chunk. There was an interview I listened to with Bradley Johnson this week where he praised the attention that TM gives to the players as people, as individuals, and how much they respect him for his man-management. He's clearly well liked by the squad, whatever we might think about his treatment of certain players re square pegs / round holes, his aloofness, his often contradictory comments, or seemingly hanging young'uns out to dry. He's also clearly lucked out in many ways; such as being forced into less tinkering due to a small squad, likewise the increasing reliance on youth, and of course BB's transformation into BBD. Whatever the cause, I'm massively re-enthused, as I know we all are. This team is winning ugly if we need to, digging in, putting bodies on the line & seem to have learnt lessons from previously poor game management. It's great to see the togetherness in the squad, even amongst the loanees. Yesterday was a real statement; this month is a chance to make more of them, with 4 eminently winnable games. We all know never to count our chickens, but 7 points or more out of those would see us in a strong position come the January transfer window to secure contract rebels & bring in support, esp at RB. Bring it on I say! COYB

Or, even better... 😁

How does this look fellas?!

I suspect there will be news (mostly positive) on this front in the next 2 weeks, with it being 2 weeks until the next league match. Obviously we're now in the transfer window so there's priorities there too. Busy few weeks ahead for the club off the field, and a welcome break from games for many first teamers.

HNY everyone, and thanks to all behind the scenes for keeping this site running and, indeed, enhancing it. I've been a bit quiet on here recently for a variety of reasons (let's face it, it's not been much fun this month!), but I still lurk and will contribute further in 2021. 2020 really has been totally shit, to say the least. 2021 is bound to be tough early doors but hopefully, as the vaccinations kick in, we'll start getting our collective foot on the ball, bring some composure to proceedings and as we move into the second half, change formation and go all-out attack to finish the year off in style. We can but hope... Good luck all in 2021!

I'm in, as a season pass holder. Good side, v much looking forward to this. My boss is a Robin's fan so it could get spiky on WhatsApp...!

Looks like it's the latter tonight.

I can understand the concern here, it being 3 weeks or so off the new window & certain key players being able to talk to others. Nyambe is the most perplexing for me as he is young, experienced & showing most potential for a modern fullback. Not signing him up yet is deffo a mistake. Possibly JRC too, although I doubt he is as highly sought after. The others though? Yes they are viewed as key players now, but they weren't considered as such by many on here in the summer. Armstrong, despite his good form since Dack's injury,wasn't really considered a magnet for PL attention in the summer, but the way he has kicked on this season means we now have genuine concern for keeping him. Rothwell was seen as flattering to deceive, producing the odd gem but nowhere near often enough. Dack 9 months through a year long injury, with no guarantee of his fitness on his return, plus there's a 12 month option. Holtby; seen as a disappointment, and likewise Johnson, even maybe considered a flop. They've all become far, far more important players to us since the start of this season than before, perhaps more so than even TM expected when he set on his 433. If all those had been given 12 - 24 month extensions in August or September, I suspect there would've been quite a bit of unrest here. But we now need to pull out all the stops to keep all of them. The price of progress perhaps?