KentExile

Thanks, amended my post. I suppose also Baker, Woodrow, ACD, Sanderson etc all also played a part in the calculation too, & no longer here As always, it feels like cost cutting in the here & now (foreign esc players are cheaper than the English players we had/currently have), but no thoughts to the future... 1 (at most) esc slot next season so the transfer "plan" goes out of the window. Although I suppose then, they will just pad the squad with U21s

Yep, but "getting rid" of an esc player can mean either selling one, or converting one to a standard GBE work permit. Either way, with fewer English qualifying players in and around the first team, even now before any more are sold off (already lost Dolan, Batth,, JRC & Brittain - along with several English loanees, from last years calculation, with Pears & Pickering no longer regular starters), it is very unlikely we would get anywhere near the required amount of minutes played by English qualifying players to keep the 4 esc slots we currently have. If they do want to get Baradji (or any other potential esc signing) in, they had better do it this summer (or possibly January at the latest) as we will highly likely not be able to sign any next season. It is entirely likely that if Travis & Cantwell leave, that Rovers will have well under the required 20% of minutes played by English players to have even 1 esc slot next season 24/25 onwards Criteria However, from this season onwards clubs will be able to plan for the number of ESC slots that they have, with the possibility that they could only have one if the number of minutes for EQP is lower than 20%. Number of available ESC places Weighted EQP minutes % Premier League Championship League One League Two >= 35% 4 4 2 2 >= 30% 3 3 1 1 >= 25% 2 2 – – >= 20% 1 1 – –

I wouldn't mind too much if that was all it was 😉

I think its different rules for broadcasts if there are no top flight games on a 3pm on a Saturday

Surely on his way out on loan? Which is best for his development rather than him sat on the bench/i the U21s

Not that numbers mean much these days (sadly)

lol, nope, he dropped out after the last round of interviews, it is now between 2 for the post

Watford sign Alleyne (who was linked ro Rovers a week or so ago) on loan from Man City

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2025/august/08/watch-our-battle-against-the-baggies-on-roverstv-/ If you haven't got it already

Please read again, I said "or", not "and" No contradiction at all Apologies for the "maybe you should be watching another sport" comment, I just took exception to you pulling up Chaddy (on this occasion) who, whilst I do think trots out a lot of nonsense which borders on club propaganda, was not wrong in the comment he made that you responded to. But I am happy to leave it there

McLoughlin no faster than those mentioned either

care to point out where?

It remains to be seen if Rovers have only been playing that way due to who is (and is not) available or if that will be Ismael's preferred way of setting up the team this season, but if you cannot see that is what has been happening during pre season then you should maybe try watching another sport

Think he was likely to be behind Nat Phillips & Campbell for a starting position anyway. Possibly also Heggem (unless he plays as a full back again)

it really doesn't . If there was any real push to play this system, then extra centre backs would have been needed (Rovers were initially done here until Carters injury) as well as some competition (preferably someone better than) for De Neve as a left wing back as neither Ribeiro or Pickering are suited to that role My response assumes that you mean a 3 at the back, rather than what Rovers have been doing in pre season, and pushing the right back high and wide when Rovers have the ball, whilst the left back, more often than not stays back & slides across

Mainly plays on the left and is currently injured, return date "unknown"

11 players You called them "segments". I used the word that you did

If you look, he has divided the team into 11 different segments/positions, almost like we have to name a starting 11, and generally play with 5 midfielders & 1 striker I do not think this negates the need for at least one more central striking option though

Not seen that but they must be as detached from reality as whoever it was who suggested Luke Shaw as a a potential left back signing a couple of years ago because he wasn't in the Man Utd team, Wage demands and competition for his signature be damned 😉

at normal clubs at least Even then,. there is "hidden resale value" in the senior players giving on the field advice to younger ones

Jackson Shorrocks (released in the summer) has signed a pro deal at Huddersfield (I think he went on trial there in the second half of last season)

We were linked with him before McLoughlin signed, as he was one of the left footed options looked a,but it would seem a strange decision to revisit that with Wharton & McLoughlin now both here, fit & available Especially at the reported price

By several accounts, O'Riordan was man of the match for Doncaster in last weeks 1-0 win Connor O'Riordan – an excellent start at centre-back 8 Connor O'Riordan shone at centre-back Connor O'Riordan - 7 - An impressive debut for the giant loanee, with some calm passes out of defence. Steady start He has his own forum topic on the Doncaster forum. titled "Rolls Royce" (possibly a little OTT, but they seem pleased with him) Now one swallow doesn't make a summer, but maybe the 21 year old centre back should not be written off as a dud just yet?

Or it could have been that JDT didn't rate him, but others at the club did, which is why he was loaned rather than sold so that he was still here for when JDT (who was unhappy & had already apparently offered to resign at least once at this point) left The main issue for me was once JDT did leave & once Championship football was secured on the last day of the season, that contracts were not immediately offered (at decent Championship pay rates) for Travis, Tronstad & Brittain in the summer of 2024. But as ever, Rovers tried to kick the can down the road for an extra year to save a few quid. That is what will have told those players that they were not valued as highly as perhaps they should be

Not the 11 that I would pick, but I do think that is the 11 that Ismael will start with on Saturday, possibly with McLoughlin in place of Wharton Assume that the "plan" will be to try and keep things tight and then hope to win it late on with Kargbo & Axel off the bench