11 minutes ago, Ruaney said:

Which one? John or Harry?

Lancs Live suggested Harry Souttar as a CB we might be interested in. Stoke player who spent last season on loan at Fleetwood. Article said Stoke manager wanted to use pre-season to see how far he'd developed.

At 21, he'd be straight into the u23s.

29 minutes ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

Using Nyambe and Lenihan in that is unfair because I'm certain we'd all like to see them in the first squad next season too.

The rest is a sad indictment of Rovers under Venkys. Defenders will never come because there's no reasonable strategy in place, and money seemingly only available for attacking players.

It is a rather skewed viewpoint that gets peddled on here that this is Mowbray's fault, but just like the Mowbray out mob cite historical tendencies as reasons why he won't achieve anything further than what he already has, they then refuse to acknowledge the historical tendencies of Venkys transfer business.

I have never got myself worked up as to who we will buy in goal, or centre back of left back because I firmly believe that if we do it will be a freebie or loan. Even if we do sign one for a fee I suspect it will be nominal, and then whatever money we may have will be spent on a midfielder or attacking player, with potential for resale.

Should the above not be the case I will happily be proven wrong but Venkys do not spend money on defenders.

That would be the historical precedent that none of Mowbray's teams have been able to not concede goals. Mowbray's historical tendency to only sign midfielders. Mowbray's historical tendency to play players out of position. Mowbray can't set up a team to defend across a season. Yes that makes it Mowbray's fault.

Mowbray has complete control over football. He gets to sign the players he wants, within budget.

The season opener could see 7 Academy products starting, with 3 making their debuts. I'll be slightly more nervous than I normally am about season opener, which we normally lose.

19 minutes ago, Mercer said:

I would be surprised if Waggott and Mowbray hadn't known what their budget was for some time despite their mutterings.

'Difficult news' is rather more difficult to sell.

I posted some weeks ago that, IMO, we would be looking for net transfer receipts and wage savings of getting on for £20million.  I have seen nor heard anything to change my mind.

Venkys have, I think, been rather preoccupied with ensuring their core business does not go under. I can see them not having time or funds to set budgets for their subsidiaries.It's typical for companies in hard times to let go loss making subsidiaries. Whilst the majority shareholder in Venkys London Limited could put his own money to fund transfers, such a move wouldn't be popular with the rest of his family, if the plan is to cut us loose. 

Mowbray shows no inclination to sell the players who would bring in the sum you and others envisage. Venkys aren't going to risk having to pay out for another constructive dismissal or pay up another manager's contract by interfering with Mowbray's control.

Just now, roversfan99 said:

I saw this on twitter @JoeH which supposedly also considers the difficulty of saves made. That is subjective in reality so not sure on the worth of it. But the top 6 goalkeepers are of no surprise. And some really poor keepers near the bottom like Long, Camp, Grabara etc.

But again, its possibly not anything to take too seriously. Sluga is quite high up but has made so many mistakes this season. Walton just below half way. 

It's another positive for Phillips.

32 minutes ago, JoeH said:

Tough metrics to actually find info on, but defensively there's some interesting stuff to see. Most of it backs up the general thoughts we mainly share on the season as a fan base.

 

In 2019/20 Rovers conceded 63 goals, which averages out at 1.37 per game. Walton had a save percentage of 69.1%, about average for the Championship, and our clean sheet percentage stood at 26.1%. We faced 175 shots on target across 46 games and 121 of them were saved. 

When Elliott Bennett played we conceded 46 goals this season, compared to when Ryan Nyambe played, where we conceded only 39.

Our average points per match stood at 1.425 when Darragh Lenihan and Tosin Adarabioyo played as a pair, as opposed to 1.275 when Darragh Lenihan and Derrick Williams played as a pair.

We averaged a goal conceded every 64 minutes when Amari'i Bell started at Left-Back, vs an average of a goal conceded every 92 minutes when Greg Cunningham started at left-back.

(little non-defensive based one whilst I'm here, we average an extra 10 seasonal goals when Lewis Travis, Adam Armstrong and Darragh Lenihan all start together in the same XI)

Cheers @JoeH I'm sure you'll dig to mine the figures, if you can. Aside from showing us that Bell and Bennett shouldn't be on the pitch again for us, how does Walton's save percentage set him up vis a vis other teams?The 175 shots faced seems rather high.

Your possession chart seems to show that it is having the opposite effect from what Mowbray says.

I found a shots per game chart on footstats.co.uk that gives a top level breakdown.

Where's JoeH, when we need a breakdown of how the 63 goals were conceded -from penalties and direct free kicks, from aerial duels lost, from failing to clear properly, from being caught  by a counter-attack or losing possession and who was at fault.Can't begin to fix a problem, without knowing where to look.

@roversfan99 is arguing that it is our possession style of play that is at fault. Is he right?

Mowbray spent a year pursuing Bauer only to lose him. He must have known Bauer's style of play and still wanted him.Bauer would have worked out cheaper than Tosin and be our player. One area of need sorted.

7 minutes ago, unsall said:

Terrible manager, so you rate him more than Mowbray, half a season to save Stoke failed, then took Ipswich down to 3rd tier and failed to get promoted, and not the most amicable bloke, can’t see why a few would have back. 

Yes , I rate Lambert over Mowbray.No, I wouldn't take him back. That was then and this is now. Irvine and Kelly, I'd have back. Big Sam, too. None of that is probable at all. Unless Venkys find a money tree or Mowbray walks, we're stuck with 'one tone' for two seasons.

Just now, Admiral Nelsen said:

Spoke about Van der Hoorn a couple of pages back - would be quality but I'm not convinced that he fancies the championship. Dunkley's a decent shout on a free, albeit a downgrade on Tosin.

There's a story linking Dunkley with Sheffield Wednesday

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/football/news/sheffield-wednesday-wigan-chey-dunkley-18756481

Just now, Wing Wizard Windy Miller said:

Ah. My bad. *Doffs cap to Chaddy.

You were on the right lines. We couldn't have afforded Clarke,either

Just now, Blue blood said:

Have to say centre halves, ball playing or not, don't really feature in my endless fantasies Tyrone... 

These are endless football fantasies. I've a couple. We want Charlton Athletic's Phillips on a free, but we'll pay them a million pounds, if we're promoted this season. We ask for Pears on a free.

20 minutes ago, Amo said:

Apart from a wobble at Villa, when Lambert arrived he had an impressive record at this level and successive promotions on his CV. He was a dream hire after the ragtag managers we'd employed before that. He might have signed the likes of Ward, Bennett etc. but let's not forget he also brought in Graham. And he was working with peanuts. His record here wasn't even that bad. Better win % than Bowyer, many of whom never wanted to see the back of. 

But Lambert does appear to have lost that magic touch that served him well at Wycombe, Colchester and Norwich, or he just hasn't found the right club.

I agree with you.I think he had that opportunity with us. Working with Ellis has left him with a poor view of chairmen. Lambert needs to understand that Ipswich is a last chance saloon for him .His paying for away supporters that his chairman backed was out of the box thinking that has yet to occur to Waggott.

People seem to have forgotten that as the boardroom battle was getting underway, Lambert's team had games where victory would have seen us in playoff spot. Lambert was a missed opportunity. Irvine and Kelly were then on the panel that selected Warnock, only for Coyle to get appointed - another missed opportunity. They were promised they'd keep their jobs, another broken Venkys promise.

9 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Have you seen his work at Ipswich, or indeed at Stoke, Wolves or Villa?

I think its fair to say that a team with Williams and Bennett at wing back and Lenihan in central midfield isnt going to be challenging.

I dont think Coyle chose to sell his best 2 centre backs willingly.

Mowbray has made mistakes and has plenty of flaws but hes certainly better than that chancer!

Yes, I am aware. Hanley and Duffy weren't going to stay at a club with no ambition. Wing-backs is what Williams and Bennett were. Years of trying to force them to be something they weren't had not yet happened. I don't recall too many people griping about Lenihan. Lambert was no chancer, though he did overplay his hand. I rate Lambert above Mowbray - more Premiership seasons, for one thing. 

12 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Not necessarily disagreeing with much regarding Mowbray but Lambert would not have spent 15m on strengthening the team, not successfully anyway!

Lambert would have signed Graham on a free and kept Hanley and Duffy. He had his formation worked out 3-5-2. He had Lenihan and Evans in midfield. He'd brought in Williams and Bennett to be his wing-backs. He'd have been looking for a strike partner for Graham, a midfield generalissimo, a third CB and a goalkeeper. I think he could have brought in players to make us promotion contenders.

Just now, tomphil said:

Hmm I wonder how much Graham was worth if he'd had to buy him after the initial loan ?

A fair chunk of that I reckon.

Graham was available on a free.

12 minutes ago, S8 & Blue said:

You do know he hasn’t actually said that yet has he?

If we want to get heated about made up things how about this -

TM - “Delighted that Lionel Messi has signed for us, his boyhood idols. Now he just needs to learn how to play the wide forward role from young Ben and then if he gets his chance, I’m sure that he’ll do his best to take it.”

I appreciate the irony.

7 minutes ago, OssyLad said:

What do you want him to do with no money ?.. he’s steadied the ship!!!

What do you mean, Mowbray has had no money? £15m on Armstrong, Brereton and Gallagher. Another £2m on Chapman, Rothwell, Bell and Dack. All for the first team. We've had value added on Dack and Armstrong. That's a very poor return. Those 7 do not play together in the same team.

Remember Lambert who said we needed to spend £15-20m to gain promotion. He would have brought players to play in the first team. That's the difference. Mowbray buys to strengthen the squad. That's not the way to achieve promotion.

Far from steadying the ship, Mowbray has increasingly unbalanced the squad. He's played players out of position and gets much less out of them than he could.

1 minute ago, Leonard Venkhater said:

Another of those "I reach for my revolver" phrases...

Even those who have supported Mowbray have to realise that the gig is up.

Just now, bazza said:

Be careful what you wish for. A lot of us (stupidly) wanted Big Sam out because of the dire football.

You're comparing a manager who hasn't managed to finish 10th in the Championship to a manager who has finished 10th in the Premier League.You're comparing chalk and cheese or apples and oranges.

20 minutes ago, JoeH said:

Don't be silly/get personal

It's not being silly. Play Gallagher centrally and he'll score goals.

Just now, speeeeeeedie said:

Me too. He's rejuvenated his reputation at Ewood. Look at it from the outside.

He took over a Championship team in freefall after the disaster that was Owen Coyle and although suffered relegation he did so on goal difference with a points total that would have kept the team up every other year.

He bounced straight back up via automatic promotion, and has improved from 15th to 11th in his 2 seasons back in Championship. 

All this whilst the club is owned by Venkys. 

Plenty of clubs would take him.

I wish one of them would.

Just now, JoeH said:

That's one heck of an assumption. We cannot rely on that being the case, don't think the evidence is there to suggest that's possible

He scored, 11 goals, I'm told, for us under Coyle, playing centrally. Before your time.

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

How was he talking shite with other journalists linked us to him. 

He never said he would deffo come here. He said we HAD interest in the players.

He told a Rovers fan that we are working on 2 keepers and left back. 

 

Yes @chaddyrovers Mowbray told us we needed 2 goalkeepers, LB and CB this time last year. Not even Nixon is that slow on the uptake. Where's this idea that we're in for a first team goalscoring forward come from? Gallagher played as a front man or of 2, we'd have the proven goalscorer we need.

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

Brereton?  

Armstrong,Chapman or Gallagher.

5 minutes ago, JoeH said:

But that is simply impossible, so a bit of a non-starter in terms of a genuine discussion. You can't loan a starting XI and the past two years has shown that 2-4 loan players isn't enough to drag this team into the Top 6.

How about 5 loan players and who would you pick?

You watch the U23s regularly.How far away from the first team do you reckon Lewis Thompson is?

2 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

He would be told to fight for his place ahead of Bell and Williams...will then sign on the dotted line for Milan.

You wouldn't be suggesting that Mowbray would make the same mistake as he made with Bauer, would you? Considering he did the same with Harrison Reed, you make a valid criticism.Were I the owner,I'd be telling Mowbray to sign the player and promise him that he'll start.