Who's Jacob Davenport?

Go get the kid from partizan, he'll make a good profit.

5 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

I disagree. Elite footballers have tremendous stamina. Look at how City, Liverpool, Barcelona etc play. 

At our level it's hit or miss - quite a lot just coast on their skill. 

Fitness is not like skill, it is something that everyone can maximise, physiologically we are all the same (generally). All you need is willpower and a little knowledge.

Your last sentence sums it up. In the 2nd highest professional league in england (top 15 in the world) players cannot be bothered to get fit and it is acceptable to most.

5 hours ago, RoversClitheroe said:

Federer is a different kettle. 

At the top with relatively little competition so was at a similar level for the majority. Then when Djokovic and Nadal started to overtake it looked like his level dropped off.

Then stepped up his level even more because he was learning against players better than him.

Then overtook again. Now age taking its toll! 

Age is taking its toll?

dude, he is 37, just played out a tie breaker in the Wimbledon final, after several matches in quick succession, during a grueling season. He is ranked 3rd on the planet still as well. You don't maintain those levels, years past a football players average retirement age. Physically he must be extremely fit to do that, tennis is a couple of hours of repeated sprints, football is mainly walking and jogging, a bit of running and about 20 sprints. Which would you rather do?

everyone is capable of enhancing their fitness, everyone, but a lack of fitness is acceptable in football, even when it's the only attribute that everyone can easily maximise.

Pros blowing out their ass in their 20 after 70-80 minutes is shameful. Do you see Federer not busting his balls to sprint for every shot in overtime in the final? Yes it's a final which is motivation enough, but his body was still going strong.

If we were fitter than every team in this league, we'd be bankers for top 6. Fitness makes a massive difference at our level.

27 minutes ago, neophox said:

Look at Zlatan Ibrahimovic who is 38, he would been outstanding in the Championship.

Look at Federer in tennis, it is more than possible to maintain a high level of fitness and even to create it, post 30.

Footballers just aren't that fit.

I'm fitter than most of our players and I'm 41...

Age doesn't matter if you do things right, just ask Ronaldo! Real pro that lad

32 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

We conceded 69 goals last season, Tony Mowbray said defenders are coming, but we aren’t supposed to question what our manager says as he has a microphone shoved in front of him all the time apparently. 

Anyone with two working eyes can see that the manager was right in saying we need new defenders, but apparently if we criticise him for not delivering what he said he would we are too negative. 

The internet is a strange place sometimes.

Well said....

20 minutes ago, JayDee said:

 We can't announce 2 in a day, God forbid. They're saving it for tomorrow I guess

Dude come on, pens are dead heavy and signing your name very draining, we can't expect Venketesh to sign 2 cheques in one day. You must be a ball basher of a boss.

6 minutes ago, briansol said:

Pep Guardiola on our new defender

"He is fast, strong in the air, and has the quality to look forward behind the line for the next pass. He definitely has a future in the first team. He is a nice guy, his mind is open, he listens, he trains every day like it's the last training of his life and I like to work with these kinds of players a lot.

“Against true, tough teams – Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich (in pre-season) – he played very well.”

We can start playing out from the back now! Play can evolve.

I hope he's as good as Pep says, we need a quality CB, desperately. If we can get 1/2 (another FB) then we could give the play offs a shot. Fingers crossed he cuts the mustard.

Just now, Stuart said:

Yet we signed him on a new three year deal last Summer. Somebody must see something in him.

££££££

He will be on pennies absolute max 1k a week. Gotta protect our investment ?

41 minutes ago, Beanie01289 said:

Why even bother then? 

We need a cb crys the message board we look to be signing one but not this one WA WA WA. Damned if you do dammed if you don't. 

You are right Beanie, let's abolish the club and quit now.

Extreme.

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

A defender that can play in different positions? Well yes, it is what we need. 

We have enough square pegs to play CB, not one of ours is a real CB, they are all converted.

we need someone to Marshall the back line, control the other defenders and organise our defence. None of the present crop can do this and it shows. Mulgrew etc are not going to listen to a kiddo.

50 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

He played on the play off final on the 27th May. Back in training in June.

I thought modern players had off season diet plans and fitness routines etc to ensure they didn’t come back out of condition?

True story:

Prem club spends over 50m on a player.

he keeps getting muscle injuries and the nutritionist gets blamed. But he is world class at what he does and all the other players are great.

transpires he wasn't following the plan and was tossing it all off.

nutritionist asks the gaffer to speak to him and sort it out. Gaffer says player is happy and doesn't want to upset him.

nutritionist quits football as he has had enough of the lack of professionalism.

not saying all are like that, but a lot are.

14 hours ago, Biz said:

As anyone in footballs should be taken, judge their impact on’t pitch! 

Unfortunately I have seen Rovers play under Mowbray....

Needs to up his game on the pitch too, that collapse last season (was it 0 points in 10 odd games?) was pish poor. But at least he hasn't blamed the dew yet.

2 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

He did. 

‘It’s mainly somewhere to give them somewhere to train and get fit....

Charlie phoned me a few days ago and asked if he could come in and train,” Mowbray said.

“He knows a few of the lads and I said ‘no problem’.

“One of our young players Brad Lyons picked up a groin injury yesterday.

“Brad would have played and we needed to fill in with the bodies because I was going to play two lots of 45 minutes.

“I asked Charlie if he wanted to fill in and he said ‘yeah fine’ because that’s the sort of kid he is.’

 

Charlie is doing us a favour as we couldn't have played otherwise. How  many players do we have at rovers? 2-3 hundred? From 8s to 1st team but without Charlie's kindness we would have been screwed.

On the GK front, very disappointed, neither Walton or Eastwood are that good. I am not seeing the point of selling Raya. TM may have spoken harshly but he only did it once. I don't see the defence who also got slagged rotten screaming to leave. Perhaps TM should have tried harder to turn Raya round. At least he was our player.

so far I am not impressed at all with our summer business. Euro scouting department is clearly a waste of money as even a crap system would be running by now. I remain unconvinced it even exists. CF when we don't need one, BB all over again and some old has beens.

thrilling stuff indeed.

my biggest annoyance however is TM, he's like the wind, ever changing direction or words. Spin, spin spin or whatever needs to be said in the moment, no consisteny.

So we've spunked all the money on a position we didn't overly need in Gallagher. 

Guess we are going ossie ardilles! At least he was a rover lol. 

Seriously TM sort out the defence, you can crow all you want about top 6 etc, pinch o salt with your words from now on. 

8 hours ago, Dr X said:

8 hours ago, tomphil said:

5 including Samuel, I think he was assuming there's just 1 berth available with Dack.

Armstrong, Brereton, Graham and Gallagher is overkill for one position. 

It's a good assumption ??

Add in Samuel and Nuttal and its moves to 6-1 ☹️ 

Not saying that this is the case, but our preference to sign strikers /midfielders, when our DF is absolute bobbins, just makes me think it is possible 'others' impact our transfer policy. 

A scouting system does not take this long to reap rewards 

If we have 5m to spunk away then sorry TM, but I cannot help but think you have dropped a bollock.

That money needs spending on our powderpuff defence. 

I hope we can afford similar for the positions we need. 

Armstrong, Brereton, Graham and Gallagher is overkill for one position. 

I like the changes, makes the board seem fresh. 

Works fine for me ?

A midfielder with a tackle in him, happy days ?

Darlow is a decent keeper so he'll replace Raya well if he signs.

Still not keen on Gallagher, as I want Brereton to play that role and understudy Graham. I'd be signing a striker next season to replace Danny.

We are doing business which is good, I hate last gasp signings, get them in quick so they get plenty of time training with the rest of the team.

Makes sure we insert a sell-on into Rayas contract. Some Spanish club will eventually buy him.

Just now, Mattyblue said:

Jack Payne has signed for League 2 winners Lincoln.

Obviously reached his level, though a fair few on here wanted him as Dack’s back up!

 

He's pants. 

5 hours ago, Neal said:

On Gallagher... He surely can't be costing more than a couple of mill. He hasn't really done anything since his season with us. 

It is footballs silly period where a guy who can do 10 kick-ups is worth billions. 5m is nothing to them, these days. Oh the irony of it all, Jack's club bitching over pennies. 

Even if we do get him cheap (Brereton cost 7m ?) there will be serious add ons. 

Not really seeing the point of having Graham, Gallagher and Brereton. 3 players for one role seems overkill when we only have 2 CBs.

We will see what transpires but I cannot see him costing less than 4-5m and that's too rich for me.

wish we were being linked to some defenders.

5 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

There is no evidence whatsoever that it only reaches 7 million with adds ons. 

The accounts show a 5 million down payment, with it in all likelihood reaching 7 in future instalments - as that is how nearly all transfer fees are paid.

?

We put down 5m up front. JHC. 

whilst I have my sympathy for gladwin and his injury situation, it is par for the course for a lot in the UK to get bugger all when sick from work. I am beginning to think Mowbray has a soft centre, as I'd have cut him loose. 

2 hours ago, tomphil said:

How can I possibly fill Chaddys void ?  It takes a special kind of positive to do that.  The BigOmeter is on its way ?

 

No let's not go back to that.

4 hours ago, dingles staying down 4ever said:

Remember him playing DMC for us and playing RB for England.

 

That he did but he went a good few seasons at united after he moved in every role but CB. You don't become a world class CB as he looked capable of being, by playing in other roles for 3 seasons.

Just now, USABlue said:

I think Jones left a season or two too early and I think that has in the long term been detrimental to him long term.

Fergie ruined him, he signed a very promising young CB and played him at RB, DMC for ages. Signing for united was a mistake, he should have gone elsewhere.

Just now, roversfan99 said:

Yeah but very poorly and I dont want to see him play there again. Hes not a winger.

I completely agree with what you are saying, he is no winger. But Mowbray plays him there and it's also where Downing now plays. I want Brereton to play as a CF and for us to play more on the deck to facilitate this and suit him. But that appears beyond us and we lump it up to him, or don't play to his strengths. So TM plays him wide right presently.