Sign that fella for the name alone. That aside, the fact that its come to battling Oxford to sign players says it all. The implosion when Travis gets sold and Forshaw returns as his replacement is going to be off the charts.

First thoughts on this signing other than he looks like he hasn't slept in a while is that I worry he may be a bit lightweight for the championship. I'm just speculating, we won't know until he plays of course. He just looks like a half decent championship defender would snap him in half. Onwards...only about 9 or 10 other players to bring in 😂

Is this De Neve guy actually close to signing or is it like the previous fella where the advanced talks fell off a cliff as soon as it was mentioned? If it is legit then I do see some logic in bringing in another left sided player. Hedges is crap and Kargbo's hammys have a 90% chance of going every time he breaks into a sprint.

Yeah, I can definitely see Batth going there....maybe Travis, hard to tell yet. Sounds like they're also keen on a Weimann reunion. I'm not convinced Derby will be pushing top 6 next season. I think they'll be in that middle group at best with the likes of Swansea, Millwall, Stoke, etc. If Batth, Weimann and Travis are their targets then that reads as mid table consolidation to me, and next season will arguably be the toughest championship for attempting to get top 6.

Agree with all of that. Gueye had some tough times last season but he showed in certain games that he is capable. WBA away springs to mind. Although perhaps lucky to be given a couple of those assists (e.g. the 'backheel' against Luton), he still contributed a good amount. It'll be interesting to see how things develop with him and Ismael considering he was benched during the good end of season run.

Same here with England, that is my first memory of watching them. Although I don't remember watching any of the 1994 World Cup games live on TV due to the time difference, I vividly remember waking up the day after the final and finding out Baggio had missed his penalty. Also fond memories of playing the official USA 94 video game on the Sega Game Gear. It was like a poor imitation of Sensible Soccer but I loved every second of it 🥲. On Gazza...yeah, the goal against Scotland is iconic.

I can only assume that this fella from Montpellier has a relegation release clause that falls within what we are prepared to pay. I'd imagine it'd be at least half of the 3 million euros that has been mentioned. Sounds a lot more feasible if this is the case.

Glad Waggott has gone, but I fear if / when Gestede gets announced as his replacement we will feel like its back to square one, or even a few steps further back. Waggott was a problem....but he wasn't THE problem. Still, as I say I'm glad he's gone.

Wouldn't be too disappointed if Weimann went. I'm thankful for some of the crucial goals last season but I can't see him being able to play the way Ismael wants, so then you're essentially keeping him as a bench warmer when what we really need is improvement to the starting eleven. To lose Batth would be much more disappointing given how solid he was at the back. Even as one of the older players I think he could still make a decent amount of appearances next year. We probably need another CB on top of that as well if Carter can't stay fit, and who knows what kind of player Wharton will be after such a long layoff.

Good news, that'll help cover Waggotts next bonus 😭

Gutted for Adam that he didn't get to take part in the celebrations on the pitch, but huge congratulations to him and Palace. Always good to see someone different lift a trophy, and Palace have never won anything major. They deserve it.

I agree, but if they are to insist on having it this way then the competition really needs a name change. With the new format they rolled out this year it has pretty much become the European Super League in all but name, so may as well change it to be called that now.

More like 90% of it not done a week before the season starts. The 10% that is done will be the Markanday extra year option 😂

He's really not as bad as some people think either.

I don't know much about Riis, other than he previously played for Randers who I once managed on Football Manager. Think I sold him actually 😂. Does he suit Ismael's style more than the likes of Gueye? If so then it's a no brainer given his age as well.

Pretty much agree with all of that, but I'd only be keeping Hedges around if it was as no more than a squad player. We need better to start games.

My expectations largely hinge on recruitment, and I don't trust the club to improve the squad based on what they did in January, and I definitely don't trust Rudy Gestede to bring the right players....so naturally I expect a regression and meandering around the bottom half, which can easily slip into a relegation fight if you're not careful. Not helped by the fact that Birmingham and Wrexham will probably go for it a lot more than Derby, Oxford and Portsmouth did. Ismael has at least shown he is capable of getting results after the nightmare start, so it'll be on the recruitment team to get it right.

It certainly was!

Rovers 4 - 0 QPR. Shearer hat trick + Sutton. 1994/95 season. I was sat in the Riverside and vividly remember Shearer's fantastic 3rd goal. Second game was the 0-0 draw with Norwich in the same season. Glad that wasn't my first! 😂

A strangely uncomfortable season given where Rovers finished in the table. Sadly the way this club is run means I go into every season simply hoping that Rovers will stay up rather than mount anything like a playoff push, so in many ways it was pleasant to see them at the right end of the table after last seasons disaster. That aside, the narrative of a season changes as it progresses based on how the team is doing, and its difficult to be anything other than disappointed for not making the playoffs. The effort of the players has been outstanding for the most part, and against the odds they pushed for the playoffs. We can talk about some of the defeats to relegation battling sides, but overall I'm proud of the group. Ultimately they needed more help from up above, and had they got that help then maybe some of those defeats would've turned into draws or even wins. From the January signings only Ribeiro is a positive. The way the club operates is circus-like. Rudy Gestede is an embarrassment, as are the other two clowns, and it is they who have ultimately cost the club a crack at the playoffs with the woeful recruitment in January and the poor handling of the Eustace departure.

Yeah I heard him talking about how this season has been progress. Technically its true if you look at the league table...but we all know that not to be the case. High player turnover this summer again, no decent budget to work with on transfers and a general apathy from the club hierarchy, we're basically back to where we were last summer without a Sammie Szmodics to sell for a few million quid. It might've been progress on the pitch, but it continues to be a regression off it...and that will inevitable catch up with the club eventually (looking at Cardiff and Reading here). Results tend to paper over the cracks behind the scenes, and that's what this season feels like. You can only give it the 'landlord treatment' for so long before those cracks become too big to paper over.

A strange, bumpy ride of a season overall. Getting about fed up of Rovers going to Brammall Lane and getting my hopes up when they score a goal. Despite taking the lead, it never felt like Rovers would win the game. They simply didn't do enough in the final third. The substitutions made it all to glaringly obvious just how poor January recruitment was, and each felt a little desperate. Sadly I don't think Ismael got the timings of any of the subs quite right, and none of them really looked like changing the game. I'll give Kargbo the benefit of the doubt, he clearly needs a solid pre-season and a run of games. Dennis has been the biggest disappointment of the season. I am embarrassed to have written Toth off after the Coventry and Wolves games. He is far better than Pears based on this recent run in the team, and I hope he gets the number 1 shirt for next season. Ultimately the top 6 finish was not decided today, it was in the 5 defeats in a row under Ismael and the home defeats to Hull and Stoke under Eustace. Hell, even a last minute winner in the 2-2 draw against Sheffield Wednesday would've been enough. Not that I think we would've tippled Sheffield United across two legs, but I look at Coventry finishing 5th and taking on a badly out of form Sunderland and I think what a missed opportunity. In a lot of ways I am relieved its over for 3 months but I do dread next season just as I dreaded this one, so in some ways its been a pleasant surprise to not have any relegation fears for 12 months. I was listening to Kevin Gallacher on Radio Lancs talking about how its been progress compared to last season....well on paper it has, but we all know that for Rovers (and several other Championship clubs) they essentially press the reset button in the close season and its like starting all over again. The turnover of players will be big again I imagine, and come the first game of the season it will feel like a blank canvas in the same way that this season was. I look at Cardiff missing out on the playoffs last season and how they've gone down this time round; a club with terrible owners that don't seem to know what they're doing....it certainly rings a few bells. Finishing 7th ultimately doesn't mean anything in this division. At the start of this season I went into it just hoping they'd stay up. I hate to be a downer but next season I think I will feel the same, because I do not trust those running the club to give me hopes of anything better. I obviously want Rovers to get promoted and win the league, but sadly the lack of ambition from the club has driven me to simply hope for survival each year. Positives to take into next season: Ohashi - good first season in English football, finishing as club top scorer. With a rest and a full pre-season I am hopefully he will kick on next time round. Toth - Ends the season well and deserving of the number 1 shirt after seemingly having found his feet / hands at the club. Batth - His absence was huge and a difference maker for all the wrong reasons. He may be another year older next season but he'll be an important player to retain. Travis / Tronstad partnership - For the most part they have been great together. Need to keep them both. Brittain - His best season at Rovers and has become a key player. Ribeiro - Although not great today, we have some solid competition with him and Pickering at LB. Weimann - Turned out a decent signing and popped up with crucial goals. If he'd stayed fit then he may have notched a couple more and been the difference. Negatives / concerns with the squad going into next season: Recruitment has been poor overall. Summer transfer window was better than January. Summer was about a 6/10, January was a 0/10. Gueye - Not done enough overall to lead the line (although he managed to score more than Sam Gallagher). Hedges - Not good enough to start. Dolan - Ended the season well but he won't be at the club next season, so obviously a concern. Pears - Not good enough to be first choice keeper. Needs selling. Cantwell - Hasn't done enough overall, just little glimpses of quality here and there but nowhere near enough. Needs to do much better next season (if still at the club). Carter - Injury prone. People see him as a potential saleable asset but he can't stay fit, and he and Hyam together seems to result in conceding goals. JRC & Buckley - Two players that are clearly not good enough. I am assuming that they will both be shipped off given they're been omitted from match day squads recently. Ismael - Turned the death spiral round albeit too late....but his lack of longevity at any club will remain a cause for concern. Apologies for the wall of text. I wish you all a great summer, I commend the support of the fans that make the long hard trips up and down the country to watch Rovers, and hopefully next season the team can go one better.

I like Ohashi. Sure he's not the out and out CF we all want but 9 goals and 4 assists in all competitions (8 goals and 3 assists in the league) is better than I think most expected from such a cheap signing. Gueye on the other hand, I'd be shopping him around this summer with a view to bringing someone else in.

If Bristol City were to go up then it has to be Manning in my opinion. Bristol City are on paper no better than most mid table Championship sides really, and it goes to show can be achieved by non parachute payment clubs.

It'd be utterly bonkers and entirely on brand for the Championship for Rovers to lose 5 in a row and then follow that up with 5 wins in a row. I suppose its possible, but I feel that Sheff United will be a touch too strong on their own turf. All I want is for Rovers to play without fear and put in the effort. After that, whatever will be will be. I'm proud of the players to have turned the rotten form around and end the season positively regardless of what happens next weekend. I think its one game too late but I'm proud of them nonetheless. Funnily enough if Rovers do scrape 6th place then they'll be playing Sheffield United again the following Thursday. It would end up being 3 consecutive games against the same club. Expecting the same starting XI as the Watford game, no injuries pending of course. I'm going for a topsy turvy 2-2 draw with Brereton Diaz breaking Rovers hearts with a late equaliser when results elsewhere are going our way.