So every fixture of the world Cup finals is either lucky or unlucky to at least one other team?

It's why I keep renewing, when they do go there'll be 50000 banging the doors down and I don't want to miss out on a seat.

England are in the World Cup final and play either Argentina or Croatia in the final. Is it luck which determines who they play ?

I'm not missing the point, I'm arguing the point. You get your wall chart and the route to the final Is mapped out. The fixtures are then determined by results, nothing whatsoever to do with luck. If you get an "easy " game or a hard one, it's as a result of how each team performed. Luck would be drawing an "easy" game out of a bag every round.

It isn't luck, it's a result of winning or losing games. Would it have been bad luck for England if we'd messed up like France did, and we'd ended up on the other side of the draw?

Going back to the last Euros, the draw actually gave us the hardest route to the final, we were scheduled to meet favourites France in the semis. Some saw it as luck that we avoided them, I saw it as France messing up.

Luck plays a part in the original draw, after that the path is mapped out and it's results which determine who you play.

By the same token, Rovers weren't playing against the best players and managers in the world. If reaching the quarter and semi of the world Cup and both European finals open to him, making him our 2nd best ever manager, whilst overseeing the whole system from first team down isn't a successful period, we'll have to agree to disagree.

I love winning things, although being born in 65 I can't remember any wins with England,the closest I've been is obviously under Southgate. Thanks to him, the England set up is ready to compete to actually win a trophy, we now almost expect to get to the very latter stages/finals of competitions. It's set up for Tuchel to succeed. If your only yardstick is winning things, you must have an extremely dim view of virtually every Rovers manager in history.

That's some act to follow.

Important not to write Gestede off either, let's see what he's got. Main thing for me is that he and Ismael are on the same page regarding transfers. We can't afford another head coach throwing his toys out the pram over recruitment.

We were on an upward trajectory, we're regularly reaching the latter stages in competitions, it's now expected. I know coaches can't go on forever, but the transformation he's overseen since he came in a credit to him. I heard a former player on 5 live this morning, he said that the England shirt is weighing heavy for players, it's something we haven't seen for years. We don't want to be going backwards.

He'd have reached the final this time, that's the standard Tuchel has inherited. I just hope he doesn't ruin all Southgate's brilliant work throughout the whole set up.

He should have signed for Preston, he'd have been the new KDB.

You've got to feel for Tuchel, knowing only a final appearance will do is a daunting task.

Just to throw another grenade in, at a family funeral in St Helens I got told he lives there. Not a million from Ormskirk to be fair.

I know, he should have gone out early like everyone else.

Oh, it comes easily.

I'm not downplaying anything, if a fee is to be paid then happy days. It is the knocking of signing free agents that I'm talking about, when it is becoming a more and more important part of the process.

It does, as I said, depend on how good, or not, your recruitment department is. Not paying a fee "should " mean more is available for wages which "should " mean you get better quality. I would imagine there will be an emphasis on foreigners.

Obviously , if you're paying many millions for players then you can guarantee quality . At the level Rovers and many others are at, you're just as likely, even more likely, to pick up a good player on a free. Josh Murphy is a perfect example, whether the recruitment department is up to it is another matter,I'll wait and see how Gestede does,

It's the Gestede show now, I'm prepared to see how he does, putting timescales on transfers is a bit silly in my opinion. I'm also not fixated about paying transfer fees,If the recruitment staff can do their job properly.

Your last 4 points are valid ones though. I wouldn't criticise Chaddy or anyone else for making them.

I can't help reading that summary and thinking it's quite sensible.

They're just 12 short now then.