KentExile

Discovered today that the Eastham who has been playing for Ashton Utd for the past month or 2 is a different one than ours. Jordan Eastham (ours) played 28 games for them before he was replaced by Connor Eastham for most games since March Seems that Jordan was injured, results seemed to deteriorate without him

He may well get a gig on £40K a week, doing a few days training and getting weekends off for one of the big boys as a 3rd/4th choice keeper. Quadrupling his wage may just about make up for him not being first choice 😉

I am possibly splitting hairs here but from memory, I think he said "forward" rather than "striker", which in this day seems to be inclusive of wide players as well as out and out centre forwards

Out of interest, what did Dolan say in response?

To be clear, I wasn't having a go at you 99, It was just a thought that occurred as I read your post I am just pretty sure that every player in the squad has been described by at least someone on here as being not good enough. Even in the past couple of years, that accusation has been levelled to Tronstad, Dolan, Travis, Hyam, Brittain, Szmodics

The amount of players Rovers have who are not top half players (Ohashi, Pickering, Dolan, Pears, Hedges, (even Tronstad according to one), have been regular starters in squads which keeps finishing in the top half 😉 Or maybe, just maybe, many people completely overestimate exactly what a top half Championship player looks like?

Apparently since at least the summer of 2023, and by all accounts offered very similar terms to what he is already on Why would he commit to being tied down for longer on the same/very similar terms? When he could easily get more than double that elsewhere

Not quite He signed a contract with Rovers the summer of 2020 when Preston released him. - This would have been on well under £1K/week wages as he was a signing for the U21s at the time and another 6 months later after he had made several first team appearances for Rovers - which I would hazard a guess would have probably been in the region of an initial £4K - £5K/week But nothing since that point (February 2021) which is criminal seeing as he has been a regular first team squad member since arriving almost 5 years ago

Looks as though Dickson Etuhus son came off the bench late on for Rovers https://www.premierleague.com/match/120672

Start today for Eastham - lost 2-1 - result sees them knocked out of the play offs at the semi final stage

They are putting all the building blocks in place for the "greedy Dolan &/or his agent" narrative to be trotted out in the summer https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/25119994.dolan-contract-reality-blackburn-boss-big-money-claim/

and the opinion of 4 consecutive Rovers managers, Edit - I suppose technically only 3 since Ismael hasn't yet had an opportunity yet to pick Dolan ahead of Markanday

We can hopefully sign him to a 3 year pro contract, cant get him to sign for any longer than that until he turns 18. Rules don't allow it

That's quite impressive

Turned 17 a month ago

Yep, there is a reason why there are zero senior players signed up beyond the summer of 2027 (granted that some do have options for the club to extend for a further year)

Not sure he was ever rated on the same level as Wharton, & any comparisons just come from them coming through at the same time (same year as Phillips who was then going as Famuyiwa, & a year after Wharton)

Derby seems fanciful to me. They are not flush with cash and Dolan didn't sign at Rovers when Eustace was here.... Who is to say that Eustace will even be at Derby in a years time? it would be an insane decision by Dolan to move there. I imagine the most likely destination for him is a Championship club who will throw money at him and offer ambition (Birmingham maybe?), although I could see a world where a Sunderland/Sheff Utd/Leeds (no matter which division they end up in next season) or one of the clubs relegated for the Prem take a punt on him

Like who is being paid the money that was previously being allocated to the playing squad? However I think most of us know the answer to that already 😉

Fixed it for you However if the wage bill is correct with no shenanigans at all in play. Then the wage bill is about the same despite numerous cuts to the playing staff and confirmation that both Waggott and Suhail (& quite possibly others at board level) have had pay increases

Batty has only just turned 20, so fancy he will get an extension and another loan Has by all accounts played well when fit, but has had 3 separate spells out injured, so maybe a loan to a team at the top end of League 2? with an eye to maybe trying him out in League 1 in the 2nd half of next season? It doesn't seem a difficult contract to get signed in my eyes

Purely looking at transfer fees, we spent around £3M in the summer, and a further £1M in January. There may well have been loan fees also, so possibly a further £0.5-£1M depending upon how well/badly they negotiated for the likes of Dennis, Baker etc To my recollection Gueye was just over £1M Toth was just under £1M Cantwell was circa £0.5M Ohashi was circa £0.25M (going by Elliott Jacksons quote that his fee was low 6 figures) Aiden Doherty was also signed for the U21s for circa £0.1M Kargbo was circa £1M So £4M - £5M over the course of the season sounds about right to me Edit - given the money brought in over the past 12/18 months. it should obviously have been a substantially higher amount. The sales of Wahlstedt & Gallagher effectively funded Ohashi, Gueye & Toth before we even consider the Wharton & Szmodics fees, & Raya sell on.

Higgins & Eze both started for the U18s today as they came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 away at Nottingham Forest. Leatherbarrow with both goals for Rovers Hopefully that means good news on their contracts?