3 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

But he isn't in his peak years. I do think we need another keeper signing but I don't think Pears is has bad people make it out to be 

Pears is a good instinctive shot stopper. I think his downfall is whenever he is given more time to think about what he's doing, he perhaps panics or overthinks it and it results in a mistake. A lot of his mistakes are from not doing the basics right (e.g. the headed clearances against Plymouth and Sheff W, the own goal against Sheff W, the Ipswich goal from the other week, etc.). He needs to improve mentally for sure, or he'll continue in the same way for the remainder of his career.

Either way, we definitely need a new goalkeeper to come in and challenge for the number 1 shirt as Wahlstedt isn't up to it and needs loaning out for a season (or sold if they can get a decent fee for him).

Anyway, getting back on topic with this thread, if 3 signings was the maximum then this is how I'd line Rovers up based on the current squad, so Sammie stays in there at the moment because he is still our player until he's not:

If playing 3 CBs:

                       New

         Carter      New      Pickering

Brittain     Tronstad       JRC        Hedges

             Szmodics       Dolan

                         New

If playing a back 4:

                       New

Brittain    Carter    New    Pickering

       Travis    Tronstad    JRC

    Szmodics     New     Hedges

 

7 minutes ago, Wheelton Blue said:

Something I've heard.

The Fleck signing was a Broughton signing, and was done after a failed medical.

Not overly surprised. It stank of desperation and was proven to be just that after about 20 mins at Deepdale.

Having said that, I feel like Broughton's been operating with both hands tied behind his back since midway through the last summer window, so desperation signings have been the territory that he's been having to operate in.

If Chrisene is available at a reasonable price then I'd say he's worth a punt. Would be a good squad player and is useful with his versatility down the left. Likewise Ayari looks like he has something about him, but probably needs another loan at Championship level to continue his development, so again I wouldn't be against him returning for a full season long loan.

Regarding outgoings. The following IMO definitely need to be let go:

• Gallagher (He's had his time. Either activate extension and then try and sell for a fee or just let him go for nowt)
• Wahlstedt (Try and sell)
• Telalovic (Try and sell)
• Koumetio (End of loan)
• Fleck (End of contract)
• Moran (End of loan)
• Markanday (Try and sell)
• Garrett (Send on loan)

You can probably add one or two more to that list as well!

The concern is that replacing the above is going to be a big enough job before trying to add to a paper thin squad. I think that's been a huge part of the downfall this season, so many times we've looked to the bench and the subs have had zero impact because they're simply not good enough.

Rovers stay up and Burnley now all but relegated with Forest also winning. They should be confirmed as down next weekend away at Spurs

Will be very interesting what happens with Burnley in the summer, whether Kompany stays or not.

Yeah Travis probably needs a move elsewhere at this point, but it won't be to Ipswich. He was very much a bit-part player for them, sometimes not getting off the bench.

I'm not sure he starts for Rovers anyway, I'd have him as back-up to Tronstad while JRC needs to stay in the middle as well, where he can make more impact on games than at RB. So he'd be third choice at best. He is a squad player wherever he goes IMO unless he drops down to League One.

2 minutes ago, martonrover said:

I’d be more hopeful  if it was Eustace bringing in his own players.

He might get a say, but signings are down to Broughton, which I see as a problem.

We need new owners.

All the problems lead to their door.

If they pot Waggott, they will bring in another clown.

I'm not sure Broughton even gets much say at this point. Would've be surprised if he's moved on in the summer.

The jury is still out on Eustace, as it should be...but he now deserves a pre-season and a transfer window to try and shape a group of players into a cohesive unit that actually has something about them. Granted recruitment isn't fully down to him, but it's his job to coach the group and make them a team, as it was JDT's job before him.

The fact that he hasn't managed a win at Ewood yet though is awful. He has a lot of work to do with this squad. Hopefully it's the last time we've seen some of them in Rovers shirts today. Gallagher immediately springs to mind.

If Hull fail to win tonight then I can see Plymouth beating them for sure, and as a result Norwich with a playoff place confirmed will field a weakened team against Birmingham. Sheffield Wednesday you can expect to go to Sunderland and win given Sunderland have been on the beach for weeks now. Has it ever happened before were a team that hasn't been in the bottom 3 all season goes down on the final day? Would certainly be a very Blackburn Rovers thing to do.

Given who we are playing on the final day we are sadly looking purely at 3 other result rather than our own. A grim end to an awful season.

Need this fraud of a captain out of the club in the summer. He's an absolute liability and a coward of a centre half / captain. Carter and Wharton are both ahead of him IMO.

32 minutes ago, Upside Down said:

As long as venkys are around we'll never be coming back.

We'll be getting relegated next season. Regardless of what division we're in.

Agree with this. If Rovers stay up this season it'll only be delaying the inevitable. More cost cutting in the summer with Szmodics and probably one or two others will leave to generate some income and will be replaced with young loans from the top division, or cheapo permanent signings of injury prone players (Fleck) or inexperienced at Championship level (Telalovic).

I can see us easily spending some time in League Two in the near future should Venkys still be stinking out the club, and its an awfully long way back from there.

Well, what was a 'must not lose' game yesterday has led us to a 'must win' game on Saturday. Coventry are having a hell of a busy week having gone the distance yesterday, with Hull on Wednesday night and then Rovers on Saturday. We'll have to be hoping there are some tired legs in that team.

Coventry's attacking players are a polar opposite to ours (Szmodics aside). All of them pose a threat whereas we are relying on one player to do the job while Gallagher, Dolan, etc. flounder.

Honestly don't know what to expect. Will it be the Rovers that beat and Leeds or will it be the Rovers that lose to Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday? My head says it'll be the latter but my heart is desperately clinging to the former.

Predicted team:

                                    Pears

         Brittain          Carter            Hyam        Pickering

                        Tronstad        Ayari

                                   JRC

         Gallagher       Szmodics         Dolan

I should add, Coventry's performance in the cup yesterday will obviously make it look a daunting task for Rovers to beat them, but it is doable...Birmingham beat them 3-0 last weekend.

2 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

certainly need to clear the decks of all the ****,gallagher,buckley,pears,wahlstadt,dolan,markanday,telalovic,hyam and all the terrible loan signings should do it

I really think this current squad is one of the most unlikeable groups we've had in my 30 odd years supporting Rovers. Maybe I was spoiled early on by getting into the sport in the early 90's when we were blessed with Shearer, Ripley, Wilcox, Atkins, Sherwood, etc...but I honestly am sick to death of seeing some of the same faces in blue and white every week. This current crop, Szmodics aside are absolutely spineless.

When we went down to League One last time I still felt we had a decent core group of good senior pros that'd show their character and do the job to bounce straight back (Mulgrew, Bennett, Graham, Conway, Lenihan, Williams to name a few) but this time round I'm looking at the group and I just don't see that at all. The squad has gradually been gutted of any personality and charisma.

If we go down this season, which is now a real possibility again after today then we'll be getting outspent by Hollywood Wrexham whilst battling Mansfield and Stockport to stay in the 3rd tier. The club desperately needs a refresh from top to bottom.

Absolutely gutless performance from start to finish. We had 2 great chances, scored 1 of them. The rest of it was as dire as it gets.

Our performances against teams in and around us this season should cost us, but I think we'll probably muster a draw next weekend and that'll see us safe for this season at least. Next season I fear the worst, we could be a Rotherham style team next year when Szmodics has inevitably moved on.

JE has to take criticism. He set up in a way that said to Sheffield Wednesday that we had no intention of trying to win the game but simply not lose. Granted you can't do anything when your keeper has two howlers that result in 2 goals conceded, but the way in which the team approached the game frankly deserved to lose it anyway.

Gallagher non existent. Hyam back to being crap after last weekend. Dolan ineffective. JRC and Tronstad both distinctly average. Despite his goal Szmodics had an off day and gives the ball away for the 2nd goal.

Lets hope Coventry are on the beach next Saturday because their chances of making the playoffs are relatively slim now. We need a Birmingham & Huddersfield stalemate, and for Millwall and West Brom to do us some favours next weekend, because I don't trust this Rovers side to get the job done themselves.

3 nil Swansea now

Quote from BBC sport text commentary:

"Adam Wharton looks like he has been playing in the Premier League for years.

He is so comfortable under pressure."

2 hours ago, Mercer said:

Have a decent insight into Southampton from contacts I made whilst working for a spell down there.  Generally, fans seem to loathe Martin and haven't too many kind words to say about Wilcox!

This is 'soft lads' versus 'soft lads', 'bottlejobs' versus 'bottlejobs'.

Who will crumble first?

Think there will be goals galore.

Think Saints will win as they usually start matches well and when on song would tear our slow and static defence to pieces.  I see them racing into a 2 or 3 goal lead  with a the final score ending up 1-4 or 2-4. 

They'll be happy to see that Wilcox is off to Man United then.

Adam Armstrong and Joe Rothwell both returning to Ewood, I think for the first time for both of them?

Hopefully we can maintain what has been a reasonable defensive record as of late, but I still expect us to concede with the firepower that Saints have.

Southampton have become a bit of an inconsistent bunch in recent weeks. Its an awkward time for them as they can't make automatic spots anymore but are nailed on for the playoffs. The next few games will probably feel like a bit of a slog for them as they'll just want to get to the playoff matches, so it could be a good time to play them with that in mind.

Monday saw us start with Hedges, Szmodics, Dolan and Gallagher as a front 4 for the first time this season (I think?), and I feel that it is probably our best attacking combination. Hopefully they can do the business as they did against Sunderland.

Aside from bringing in Chrisene for Pickering I don't see any need to change it, injuries pending of course.

WOW! I don't think anyone could've seen that coming. Finally a win under JE, and a deserved one by the sounds of it.

Let's hope this is the start of a decent end of season run. We look a far better side with JRC and Hedges back. 4 more points might just be enough to secure Championship football for next season.

I suppose we should be thankful that Sunderland won yesterday because otherwise you can guarantee that Rovers would be the ones for them to break their own rotten run of form.

Would be happy with a point but we really need that elusive win. It would be typical of Rovers this season if Dack comes on for them and scores the winner.

I'll go for 1-1. Sammie hasn't scored for a couple of games so he's due. Jobe Bellingham with the goal for Sunderland,

Can't imagine there will be any change to the starting XI unless Pickering is injured after going off late on.       

There's a strong feeling of inevitability about Rovers going down. Neither team played particularly well tonight, but a goalkeeping error was the difference. Rovers absolutely didn't deserve to win but Ipswich didn't deserve it either.

JRC disallowed goal was the wrong decision from the officials. Really disappointing that they came to that conclusion as 1-1 would have been a completely fair result for both sides.

That being said, 10 games and no wins now for Eustace is it? Not good enough at all. The opportunity to pull away from the drop has been and gone, and I feel that Rovers will now slip into League One with a bit of a whimper. It's not necessarily all down to Eustace though. Not much you can do when your goalkeeper decides to essentially push one into his own net tonight, and just look at the quality of the squad, particularly in attacking positions. No established centre forward in the squad today and that falls on people above the head coach.

For the record I do think we were going down under JDT with the suicidal approach to basically not having a defence, but I do wonder whether it might've been just as well to put Damien Johnson in charge on an interim basis instead of bringing someone in who would need paying off should the situation not improve.

3 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

There’s this thing called suspension.

He had already served suspension I think, he was out with an injury today.

No Gallagher...injured. JRC back. Looks like it'll be this....

                      Pears

Brittain   Hyam   Wharton   Pickering

        Tronstad    Rankin-Costello

Hedges       Szmodics       Chrisene

                     Dolan

Leicester lose at Bristol City. Really hope we're not in a last day scenario were they need to win to go up ad we need to win to stay up.

Think well lose 1-2. Sammie with our goal. I just doubt this group of players has enough about them to get something against a promotion chasing side that won 6 nil last time out. Also reckon JE will switch to 3 at the back again.

Predicted team:

                       Pears

       Hyam  McFadzean  Wharton

Brittain   Tronstad    Ayari   Hedges

                    Szmodics

             Dolan     Gallagher