2 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

My Sunday paper always does an “ end of the season fans review “ of the season on the last day of the season. 
The Luton fan has this to say - “ Thomas Kaminski in goal has been exceptional “. . The Crystal Palace fan has this to say - “ Wharton’s signing at £18 million was the bargain of the decade “.

Martin Ødegaard for £30m million is also one of those bargains. Wharton is probably one the best signings of this season

4 minutes ago, Paul Mani said:

Here’s my take…no DOF replacement, Swag, JE and Kimberley at the helm. British signings only. 

3x purchases (total £6-7m in fees)

2x Freebies

3x Loans

Keeper // Back up LB // Mcfadz // CB // CM // 2x wide forwards  // Striker

*Duru will cover Brittain and JRC at rb and Batty or Gent May cover Pickering dependant on how good a preseason they have.

I would prime Gilsenen to play too.

Plus a replacement for SS if he goes and I’m not sure anyone will stump up the £15m for him. Hope they don’t. 

Would Eustace still be head coach then? or "upgraded" to manager?

Rovers would need to adress that.

1 hour ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Is it?

They've run off JDT and Broughton with zero budget in 3 transfer windows (something like £20m in the black). It would be peak Venky's to give Eustace and Waggott £7m to spend.

It was a wasted oppurtunity, sadly.

When Sammie Smzodics leave we will need an open heart surgery to get goal scorers in. If he does not leave the squad still needs an open heart surgery.

The rehash-article from LET is abit lazy click-bait journalism. Those quotes from Eustace are from the post-match interview at the end of the season. I have said it a few times, but LET needs to be much more brave in their reporting and continually ask for interviews with the owners, Waggot et.al.

If there is a DOF incoming, I hope he is a persona that knows what he wants and has high standards.

17 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Could it be that Broughton wanted to bring in younger players because that’s where his level of expertise was ? My feeling is we had/have enough young players and a bit of experience was needed. Maybe the signing of MacFad and Fleck was a sign that Broughton was in the way out ?

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/24311114.eustace-identifies-area-address-blackburn-rovers-squad/

Well in light of this Eustace clearly wants more experience. I highly doubt Broughton completely opposes the idea of bringing more experience in, though perhaps in terms of the player trading model he values youth more.

8 hours ago, Bethnal said:

I’ve taken - as a few Rovers fans probably have - an interest in McGuire, keeping up to speed on games he’s played in. He is scoring from the bench and starts.

MLS has come a long way and while it’s definitely not top five European league standard, I don’t think it’s totally dissimilar to Eredivisie or Portuguese league. Doesn’t really have the stand-out clubs like those two leagues have (Porto, Benfica, Ajax, Feyenoord, although LAFC have the feel of those clubs), but the general standard is similar, albeit slightly less technical.

After the world class players on a victory lap, there’s a tranche of players that are of a good standard. The thing that tracks nicely to the Championship is that it appears to be a physically demanding league, in the main.

Generally, his forward play is of a traditional number 9. Intelligent runs, good finishing, good positional awareness. He has the desirable trait of finding himself in the right place at the right time and for things to be consistently coming off for him. Not overly quick, though.

He’s a gamble, no doubt, but either we gamble on someone like him, with a good amount of statistical data behind that, a more experienced pro from a league below or a kid on loan from the big boys. We’re not going to drop the £7-10m that a proven goalscorer probably costs in this league.

In comparison to what we’ve got - I don’t think Semir scores goals in MLS, I don’t think Gally scores very many at all in MLS, I think Harry Leonard eventually scores a fair few in MLS, but Duncan McGuire is currently scoring more than any of them would (in my opinion) over there.

EDIT: to expand on the above, here’s a really quick clip of his play and it’s a good one because the angle is wide and you see his movement clearly: https://youtu.be/rNUEaS-wMqo
 

He challenges for the first ball up top, although gets beaten quite easily in the air. When the interception happens, though, he’s immediately up to speed, spots the gap in the middle and gambles on the ball either making its way directly to him or via a cutback from the flank. Whether it’s learned or instinctive, it’s well-employed and if we’re all agreed that we need a number 9 like that, I think this is a goal that shows he’s in that mould.

Thanks for the insight!

3 minutes ago, Forever Blue said:

The IS sacking has finally been acknowledged on the official site

That's one hell of a club statement

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2024/may/13/statement--club-secretary/

27 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

What ‘exec’ would that be then? Swag, Suhail? 🤦‍♂️

Perhaps the new guy, Brett?

31 minutes ago, RoversTilliDie said:

He does'nt score goals, but his workrate is 100%. Play him in another position, and sign some proven regular goalscorers.

Agreed. We need proven regular goalscorers! I think most managers/head coaches in the Championship would want Gallagher, due to his work rate and ability to contribute defensively. I guess Eustace is one of those that rates that part of his game. Meanwhile Eustace has recently stated that he needs more goalscorers.

Statistically Rovers are doing better with Gallagher on the pitch than when he does not play.

Whether people rate Gallagher or not - by extending his contract Rovers are able to get a fee for him if we want to sell him this summer.

Arsenal need City to slip up away against Spurs to win. United a mess. Playing Phil Jones would probably be a better choice than Casemiro or Evans

I'm glad rumour has it that Rovers are going to continue with the DOF-model. Hopefully we will bring in an experienced and progressive DOF.

It is clear that many clubs in the last decade with that model has been successful. With a DOF in place you are to able to plan long term and sign players accordingly. Think how Arsenal has recruited vs United's appalling recruitment.

It does require some patience and a club willing to invest(!). If Venkys do intend to continue doing it, they need to step up...

13 minutes ago, Forever Blue said:

Rovers are activating Gally’s 12 month extension according to Teamtalk, and also discussing a new longer term deal

 

 

Activating the extension was a given. That way we can get a fee if we sell.

1 hour ago, tomphil said:

Correct.

A big part of Sammies success is his workrate and attitude, that isn't coming from Siggy he's a luxury player who will struggle under Eustace.

Let's rely on Gallagher impeccable finishing when Szmodics leave then, after all he has great workrate?

Slightly joking aside, Siggy has the technique and he did recently admit the season has been tough, injury ridden, and a learning curve, despite a good start. If he gets a pre-season he can only improve on last season.

11 minutes ago, OldEwoodBlue said:

 

I think Sigurdsson has 10-15 goals in him with a proper pre-season. Shocking stats on Gallagher.

Just to quote the internet on what the DOF-job entails:

"Being a Director of Football involves overseeing the football operations of a club, typically focusing on player recruitment, transfers, contract negotiations, and sometimes managerial appointments. They often work closely with the coaching staff and scouts to identify talent, negotiate contracts, and strategize for the club's long-term success. Additionally, they may be involved in budgeting, youth development, and implementing the club's football philosophy. Essentially, they serve as a bridge between the board, coaching staff, and players, ensuring the club's footballing objectives are met."

I would never appoint Rudy Gestede in that position today. Perhaps in 10-15 years if he starts working hard to become one.

1 minute ago, RevidgeBlue said:

He might have a very good knowledge of the game built up through his playing career.

Might not work out but Broughton had zero experience as a DOF.

I would rather not have a DOF-setup if the choice was a random ex-player with no experience.

24 minutes ago, lraC said:

That's interesting.

I am in Spain and paid £140 for the year for Rovers TV for all Rovers league games. There was the odd one that I couldn't get due to the rights being sold to Europe/Spain as well, but I found a way Very Pretty Niftily.

I wonder if we need to subscribe game by game next season, or if a similar deal will apply and whether it is Rovers TV or another provider?

And if the cost of Rovers TV is the same..? Surely the price has to drop?

4 hours ago, superniko said:

“I hold a unique skill set that most other sports administrators have not been able to…”

Thought it was going to be a quote from Liam Neeson in Taken at first. 

Could you please post a screenshot of the about-section/cv here? I don't have a linkedin account

The good thing is that it is much easier to sign foreign players. Hopefully Rovers have done some scouting abroad.

1 hour ago, tomphil said:

Whenever you look at the site and the 'most read' 90% of the time it's Rovers related so naturally they are a propaganda tool for the club.

To be fair they do usually tell it like it is in the most polite terms but the days of putting meat on any bones are long gone.

Elliot did write a piece this morning behind a paywall. Wonder what he wrote!

14 hours ago, arbitro said:

Bang on the money.

What often disappoints me is that LET usually is not making headlines and articles out of important opionions such as Tim Farron's tweet. LET could easily interview Farron and ask him to expand on his tweet and ask for a comment from Rovers owners or Waggot.

This is typically done in Norway, and elsewhere in England I'm sure, where it is expected that the local press regularly asks the club critical questions. I just hope LET steps up going forward. They need to be more brave in their reporting, especially considering the circus that is surrounding the owners.

10 minutes ago, TheRevAshton said:

Update;

Home Tickets sold so far (via the ticket map SVG);

Jack Walker - 7,273
BBE Lower - 4,630
Riverside - 2,540
Total - 14,443

Looking at a decent attendance, can also expect a good few to buy their tickets on the door.

how many are Newcastle bringing?

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2024/february/24/keith-downing-joins-rovers-staff/?fbclid=IwAR1x8VZWQS0Z0ylj9MS7x-nSC-AoDjIRq_gxPybZMS8ayihEXy4TV8c8Lts

Looking at the tight fixture-list I am worried about the depth of this squad. Trondstad is putting in shift after shift. Do we have a player that can step in if he gets injured?