If? 😉

They have just bought in a dutch midfielder for over £10M, have an Irish international, and a fairly highly rated youngster who had a decent spell in league 1 last season who they may think will be able to step up, but they will probably think that they need one more

Unfortunately that cunning plan will involve shipping out any proven quality and/or experience we have because of their "unrealistic wage demands", and replacing them with young players from overseas who will cost half the amount. Of course this doesn't necessarily mean that they will be worse, but it is certainly a distinct possibility that they will be. The whole "project", and certainly the "transition", resembles the downgrading that Huddersfield performed a couple of years ago that lead to them being relegated to League 1 where they didn't even manage to finish in the play offs If Rovers are not in trouble this season, then both the coaching and especially recruitment teams will have worked a miracle Transition? - translation, "current players wanted more than a bag of monster munch, so we need cheaper ones". New contracts will not be offered "I think you see clearly now on the transfer market, we are in the transition," Ismael explained. "We spoke after the last game in the season, we wanted to keep that stability in the squad to try to extend the players. We made offers but they chose another way. "So now, our strategy is to go into the transition. We didn't expect to have that this summer but now it's time. "We want to reduce of our players, we have a clear profile of player that we want. Young, very athletic, players who are very able to give us that intensity. Technically as well, to give us possibilities with the ball. "At some point, it's ok to say, what shall we do now? Should we be chasing (contracts) or are we going to start with a transition period? "That means new players in, new profiles of players. They need more time to adapt so the fans can enjoy the new players, our new signings. It takes time. "We are choosing to be proactive. We are in a transition period, clearly. We know that until September 1, anything can happen due to the contract situation of some of our players."

There is a 2 week gap between the Elche friendly, & the first day of the season, so you do wonder if something fell through https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2025/july/09/dates-for-your-diary-ahead-of-2025-26/

Maybe I am just cynical, and if so, then the passage of time will prove me wrong, but it does make you wonder if the person who registered on the site 7 hours ago for what seems to be the sole purpose of making one post about his wikipedia page, just might have been the person who edited his wikipedia page?

Confirmation Lowe has gone https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/25311387.valerien-ismael-confirms-exit-blackburn-rovers-coach/

The business was originally started by their parents, The idiots who own Rovers inherited what was presumably a 20 odd year old successful business with an infrastructure in place to keep it ticking over, and in the time that they have been running it, they (at least look to - on account of the court case etc) have got themselves into hot water with their own government. They are also involved in pharmaceuticals, which is enough to turn us all into anti vaxers at the thought of it 😉

I would be amazed if that happens. Like Travis, Tronstad, Brittain & Dolan, Hyams wage demands will be more than the club are prepared to pay

U18s match report Interesting to note that Paul Butler is now namechecked as U18s head coach, Whatt has happened to Ryan Kidd & Darragh Tuffy?

I have fixed it for you 😉

U21s match report Batty & Garrett both started, and Mafoumbi is fit and still here, he came off the bench

U21s & U18s both with wins against Celtic

Duru in reserve... once he is fit again As per Gestede - "we need to increase the minutes on the pitch for our academy players"

free AI is still shit

Tyjon is more of a 10 than an out and out striker (although he is more of a goalscoring 10 than a creator), will be the perfect excuse to not sign back up for Cantwell

It is worth noting that the U21s are also playing today, so it is possible that some of the other younger players are with them Litherland, Garrett, Batty, Powell, Leonard, Wood, Dunn, Edmondson, O'Grady-Macken from the players who have been training with the first team/on the bench over the past year or so * I am definitely not stating that we have wonderful strength in depth, just mentioning a few of the younger names who are missing

Looks like the trialist is a central midfielder, unless someone is playing where they normally dont Goddard Houghton Atcheson Wharton Pickering Buckley TRIALIST Mullarkey-Matthews Strich Kargbo Gueye

They are on twitter

Gueye on the bench according to Rovers

In fairness, he didn't say that they were offered contracts at anywhere close to market value I can well believe that

Sheffield Wednesday and Hull might rival us if their transfer bans hold up. All 3 of the promoted teams look strong this season, and the other teams from low down the table last season like Oxford, PNE & Derby have strengthened too

Not yet That Owen Coyle squad had Jason Lowe, Hope Akpan, Wes Brown and Gordon Greer

of course they are I am sure that we could all name one or 2 who will immediately jump onto that bandwagon

When was the last time Rovers received the true worth of any player they sold? Due to a combination of contract mismanagement and the smell of those in charge being desperate for spare change to keep the lights on, Rovers get low balled on fees almost as often as they try to low ball their own players for contract offers