The people at the club now are just ignorant to the local market and too spineless to present anything radical to the owners in case it threatens their own position. The only focus is squeeze and ever dwindling fanbase to the max to ensure a certain static level of income per season. There have been multiple missed opportunities to get thousands back in overnight and at certain times the finances would've allowed it. There is zero real desire for it though in head office. To achieve the gates we did under the Souness/Hughes/Allardyce era we still had to price tickets very competitively because quite simply that is what the local market required it was the only way it would work. If these lot were in charge then we'd be averaging about 18k given their attitude to pricing. It was just the same for Wigan and Bolton by the way, just as it still is now so anyone who constanly cries about crowds and we don't get 20k a home game like we used to because 'shit fans' seriously has a hole in head and a grape where their brains should be. It was never happening at this level and certainly not the way the clubs been run.

A career in politics awaits you pal.

Were Rovers a small club when you started following or where they bigger than those two ? Were Reading and Bolton small clubs when you started following Rovers ?

Now Mr Thumbs down if i said that about Coventry and Ipswich a few years ago you'd have had the same reaction.

He needs a loan where he actually gets some games but that seems hard to come by perhaps he should go to Barrow !

Here we go, the perennial 'Buckley has something, if he could just....) He never 'just' though does he that's why he's never even become a first team regular here under 3 different head coaches. Yes he is good back up but i doubt he wants to be 3rd or 4th choice and that doesn't help his attitude imo. If he's happy to do that and try and force his way in fair enough but it's old hat now and probably best to part ways if we could squeeze a fee out of someone. A fit and firing Buckley is an asset to the squad but a going through the motions one isn't, mind you if his contract is running down maybe there's a tune to be had out of him yet.

Classic Rovers fan mentality root around and pick ONE game from ages ago to form your own narrative. Nobody said he's a hard man but he's competitive it makes up about 75% of his game and to be fair he wasn't in good form at that point and struggled with the then head coaches style most of the season after a promising start. Don't think he downed tools but he did let his head go down and deserved a bit of stick however he's made up for it since and we were set up wrong in that first half anyway it wasn't all down to him most of em were shite.

And that is where the departure of Travis will leave us exposed and i don't want to see a return to the Bowyer days where teams regularly strolled through our midfield. People can say what they like about Travis but having a ball winner and tackler in there when he first emerged was like a breath of fresh air. Pansy he isn't.

Rovers is mixed wage bill by the sounds of it with academy grads still on academy wages but no doubt with bonuses, lower paid players in their first contracts or bargain basement signings. Then there'll be a few on average wages and one or two higher earners compared to the others but not in terms of top 10 championship earners. It's an ever evolving mystery but if its remained fairly static over the last few years but the squad size has remained the same that gives a clear indication it isn't a big payroll in Championship terms.

Low instalments over the course of a contract is probably the only thing they can get past the finance men. Then when it comes to selling Travis they'll probably insist on money straight away but do a discount.

According to some they did offer him a deal but he wanted to see if there was anything else. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Charlton, Bolton even Reading will catch up then pass us in the coming years the way it's going.

The interview with the #nob end chap was interesting and everything that's missing here when there is silence then they stick 3 stooges in front of the cameras to try and save their own backsides. No time for Preston but the difference in how the two clubs are run is night and day and i fully expect them to outdo us this season. Also interesting how they are increasing their turnover despite the cheaper ST offers but of course that couldn't possibly work here even though we still have a bigger fanbase waiting in the wings.

The most interesting thing now will be not who we sign but who we manage to keep and how long Ismael will stick around before he starts engineering his exit.

No real problem with Forshaw re-signing he'll just do the job he did before although we'll probably lose Batth now and the need for experience has pushed this.

Sorted it for you.

Been going on since the latter few years of Mowbrays time in terms of the silly names linked which we know they will just not pay for. It's even sillier now throwing several names out every day that might cost money or good wages when everything else the club is doing screams of downgrading and cost cutting. Muppets still fall for it though.

But since then they've seen Jason Steele, Jake Kean, Walton etc, all who were generally poor at Rovers. Pears i agree is nowhere near as bad as is made out especially given the names above but some of the needless mistakes hes made will stick long in the memory.

A million quid is nothing for a Championship keeper still in his 20's with his peak years ahead and with 100 plus Championship appearances who on the face of it only lost his place through injury and a gaffer change.

I think someone said they were just kept on because the lads need someone to stand in the goal in training and occasionally try and save one.

Fair point although he'd proven himself a lot better previously but i'm sure there are a few out there have seen enough of Pears to think they can do something with him. For the right deal obviously.

So fans can't have their traditional boxing day fixtures because the big clubs have cried to the EPL bosses about over working their bloated over paid squads. Unless of course the TV selects a few tasty fixture to be played on that day, no questions asked. The Prem is the land of milk and honey and you have to have something to play for but inn reality it stinks.

I said ages ago Pears would be flogged for 1 or 2 million total deal and that's why they persisted with him to get development and value as high as possible as quick as possible. It nearly led to a scrap with a couple on here such is the negative hysteria at times that clouds the reality of stuff. I stand by it in fact i pray for it although big Val keeping Toth in might have hampered it a bit but we live in hope he's proven himself an average now quite experienced English Championship keeper. I'm less confident about what will replace him.

It isn't standard stuff to have lists of players you know you can't afford or have any real chance or intention of signing.

All this A.B.C stuff sounds like previous Rovers transfer windows in the office, before they order their curry to celebrate missing all their prime targets ! Head coach - I need players off my list A !! Waggot - Think again son but we might get you one or two off my list B ? Suhail - You two bicker all you like, here's list C they are the only ones we can afford.