An interview in the LET with U21 manager Mike Sheron today, Whilst the headline & main focus was Tyjon and his international exploits, he mentions in passing about the reasoning for the outgoing loans “The philosophy of the club is trying to get some of these younger players out there rather than just waiting for 21s football,” he explained. “Go out there and try to show that you are good players, determined, have good physicality about you and can compete. “But it is not about physicality, sometimes it is about your brain and how you can be successful while maybe not having that physicality. “There are always ways of trying to get better and being effective, and that is hopefully what they are learning.”

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/crystal-palace-adam-wharton-injury-surgery-glasner-b1188794.html Quotes from the Palace manager state he has been playing on painkillers all season

My argument is that it was a ridiculous decision to play an already injured player in that league cup game. That doesn't mean that they had to throw in the towel for tonight's game. I didn't say that they had to play their U14 reserves, and start the game by smashing the ball into their own goal

Maybe I should have wrote "meaningless in comparison to the £100M+ on offer for remaining in the Premier League for another season" They started an injured player for the 2nd time in a few days, and look to have worsened his injury. It was a terrible decision

Even more perplexing is that tonight's game is a league cup match. Hardly a high priority surely? I can just about understand the balancing act of playing him in league games to protect their Premier League status, even half fit, he is their best midfielder, but playing him in a meaningless cup game was madness

Eze also off injured for Palace after 8 minutes. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/c20nn9ywx2pt#Line-ups Depending upon the severity of those injuries, that half of football may relegate Palace

Rovers get 4 ESC slots (which is the maximum available. Its based on how many minutes English qualifying players played in recent season/s) Ohashi, Toth, Mafoumbi all take up an ESC spot each Gueye & Tronstad qualified for standard work permits as they played enough games in the Belgian & Dutch leagues which are a good enough standard. So we either have one space left, or none, depending on if the admin work has been done in converting Sigurdsson, from an ESC slot to a standard work permit Unfortunately, we know how good Rovers are at getting admin right Edit - I will add a caveat. It is possible that as Sigurdsson signed permanently on 22nd December (having originally been a loan), that we cannot move him to a standard work permit until the anniversary of his permanent move. The criteria for moving a player from an ESC slot to a standard work permit is that they must have featured in 50% of the minutes that they were available to play. This means that: - If Rovers could move Sigurdsson to a standard work permit over the summer (after he had been at Rovers for 12 months), then he qualified for a standard work permit and we now have a free slot to use in January. - If Rovers have to wait until December (after he had been permanently at Rovers for 12 months) to move him, (or if they neglected to do so over the summer) then he would no longer qualify due to a lack of minutes this season https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/arnor-sigurdsson/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/377665/saison//verein/0/liga/0/wettbewerb/GB2/pos/0/trainer_id/0/plus/1 24/25 Championship 9 5 1.00 1 - - 5 - - - - - 57' 57' 23/24 Championship 30 29 1.07 5 2 - 12 12 1 - - - 291' 1.456'

Sigurdsson played enough games & minutes last season to qualify for a standard work permit rather that the ESC place he originally took up, so it then becomes a case of if the powers that be at Rovers applied for one or not

Accrington haven't stated. All that is known from reports and twitter feeds is that he was subbed off after 11 mins. Maybe a precaution, maybe an injury, maybe even, given the side that Accrington put out (11 academy players named in the 18), it may even have just been a case of starting him to get around selection rules for a low priority cup game (EFL trophy sides have to contain at least 4 players who started the previous league game) https://www.accringtonstanley.co.uk/news/2024/october/29/report-stanley-v-everton-under-21s/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cd6vqp2n0vdt?page=6#Line-ups

Starts tonight for Garrett Batty Edmondson Garretts and Batty's games are live on Sky

4-3 to Arsenal, Leonard hat trick (2 of which were penalties) https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2024/october/28/report--rovers-under-21s-3-4-arsenal-under-21s/

Michalski & Farkas both started as City of Liverpool lost 1-0

Apparently Arsenal are streaming the game if you sign up for free https://www.arsenal.com/news/stream-our-u21s-game-against-blackburn-rovers-0

Off the top of my head, Atcheson has played 2 or 3 for the U21s (mainly in weeks when Marine have not had a match). Boggan featured for the U18s whilst away, and I am pretty sure that Michalski and Eastham have both also featured for the U21s whilst away on loan. However, my main point, the part which wasn't in brackets, was that the players away on these short term loans, will have plenty of opportunity to train with the U18s/U21s

Goddard on the bench for Dundalk this evening James Edmondson's goal for Macclesfield yesterday

Interesting read about O'Riordan, thanks for that. Fingers crossed he gets back in the team and kicks on RE low non league loans. Most teams in the 7th tier and below (and I believe all of the teams in the 6th tier and below that Rovers have loaned players to) are not full time, and therefore, as they are all local loans, there is ample opportunity for them to train (and play) with our U21s/U18s

We were linked with him in the press over the summer

Kargbo is a striker who doesn't score many. 8 goals in 66 Serie B matches Poku plays right sided attacker. Is a left footed player who cuts inside rather than a winger, and does score a few in League 1 (1 goal in every 2 games this season). Is out of contract at Peterborough at the end of this season

James Edmondson scored for Macclesfield on his debut. Currently 5-1 up v Eastham's Ashton Utd

Starts today for Markanday - scored the opening goal in a 5-2 away win Batty drew 0-0 Atcheson & Montgomery lost 1-0 Edmondson scored the 5th on his debut in a 7-1 win Eastham lost 7-1 v Edmondson's Macclesfield Honor won 2-1 Michalski lost 1-0 On the bench Farkas came on for the last 25 mins Shaw came on for the last 30 mins won 1-0 Saadi drew 1-1 Not Involved in match day squad Garrett - lost 1-0 O'Riordan - won 1-0 Davies - won 4-0 Tonight's games Gamble on the bench for Fylde vs Altrincham who do not include Olson in their squad Edit - Altrincham won 5-0. Gamble came on just after the fifth went in with 10 minutes to go Annan do not include Wood in their squad and won 1-0 Dundalk (Goddard) play tomorrow)

Farkas has gone out on loan for a month

U18s lost 3-1 to Everton