Tomphil2

They run Rovers via the VH group profits though that is clearly how it's done and must provide some handy accounting benefits back in India. It's 15 years now since they bought Rovers so allowing for inflation, expansion, borrowings and the cost base explosion of raw materials needed to run that business profits are bound to be hit. It doesn't matter what it or they are worth they don't use their personal wealth unfortunately it is imo all about the profit from the core company and this isn't defending them it's just the reality of how things are done. Would be interesting seeing if there is any real correlation between share price/profit of VH group and the money they've chucked into Rovers. I'm sure i recall share prices at historical highs when they were allowing the Armstrong's and Gallagher's to be bought but i may be wrong. They have seemed to like funding a mass loss making overseas entity for some reason until recently though.

Another massive coincidence then that it comes just at the same time there's a can kicking down the road court contest going on. If there was no court case this last couple of years funding would STILL be severely reduced it's chicken business profit that runs Rovers and when there is non, there is no cash we've seen this before.

Millwall bid about 900k for him when he had plenty contract left and Ipswich took him, barely used him and didn't follow it up. It's been known over a year he wants his next contract as security be it here or anywhere else yet no concrete bids we know about. So yes we'll see in the next few weeks although we are unlikely to see 2 or 3 million but strange things occasionally happen.

Different scenario for Brittain he is a specialist in his position and was outstanding in his position last season so i assume interest went much further than just Boro and Derby but they were the only ones to try and force Rovers hand. Trav is a bread and butter defensive mid a type more akin to fighting fires than giving you a possible nudge towards promotion through assists and goals. I know Eustace is a big admirer they are cut from the same cloth but he won't pay silly money and beyond that who will ? What you say about the owners was correct up to a point but times have changed now and the needs are different. I don't believe for one min we'll be seeing 3.5 mill for Brittain either unless he has a long successful career at Boro that triggers all the add ons etc. I think a fee of around 2 million plus some realistic add on triggers will be nearer the true deal.

Doesn't make much sense forcing a relegation unless you want a complete reset of the whole operation and your owners can only or are only prepared to meet half the costs they previously have.........

At the end of the day right now he's only worth what a team will pay and i really don't see anyone stumping up 2 million or more and a good contract when they can get him for free in summer and maybe offer him two years on big money. As for us it would be really stupid to entertain anything less than around 2 million with add ons but i assume they are getting desperate now having brought a few in. So i'll stick to my guns and say if he does go it'll be undisclosed to save the blushes and probably be about 1.5 million.

Put into context most regular fans have signed up for or paid for season tickets and there is an expensive first home league match on Saturday. They should throw this in for free the price they are disgracefully asking for an adult BBE ticket on Saturday against a club that was in league 1 last season.

Agreed and the one thing that sets Rovers apart from those was the fact V's had a better line of liquidity due to their successful operation in India. It's only that money flowing through the pipes that has kept this club from a complete disaster of their and their friends making but why would you keep on doing it unless you either have no choice or there are benefits somewhere along the chain and all is not as it seems. However the Indian govts involvement - If it's actually genuine and not another smoke and mirrors job - now threatens to eventually send us the way of those other clubs. Because the only thing that's kept it going the last couple of years is player sales liquidity and that is almost at an end.

It stood out to me how pedestrian they all were in that first half it's what you might expect if they'd played 90 mins Saturday/Weds previously. Loosened up a lot second half but first half they were wooden, beasted too hard in training perhaps or coached it down in the morning and didn't leave enough time to relax before the game ?

Well we know they had more influence here than was even legally allowed within football and imo it never went away it just got buried from view. Going nowhere in the Championship is handy for that. If i had to stake my last quid on it just my personal opinion i'd say they stitched it up with an impossible to break legal bind right at the beginning OR possibly tipped up a stake towards the purchase, maybe both. All agreed offshore obviously so in effect someone could be a hidden significant stakeholder, that word we often hear here. Come to think of it remember Keans contract drawn up by himself and JA where had written in extra bonus payments for seemingly nothing, almost like a dividend payment or something ? If every manager/player or whatever has that kind of thing written into their contracts to various degrees by the clubs representative then that's how you get your money out without too much questing because it never shows up it's just on the overall wage bill. Not millions just ten grand here, five grand there. So many players seeing out their contracts now, someone is advising them and it is to some benefit to do so, it must be. Loyalty bonuses written in is my guess, by who though.

Again the suspicion of agent(s) representing the club is something iv'e banged on about for years. If you have a third party who has some sort of agreement to be involved in ALL incomings and goings at this club since 2010 then even at a tiny % just imagine how much money that has earned in the last 15 years. It's something i believe has happened here but that's just my opinion but there are pointers and we know the same lot seem to recruit the managers/head coaches/CEO's etc. I also believe this has been tried to be navigated around at certain times by certain different regimes in the club and it's what leads to infighting, power struggles and very odd transfer breakdowns.

Just 5 mins of listening to that man leaves you in no doubt where the problems. lack of vision, plans and ambition have really been this last decade. He knows nothing except cost cutting, penny pinching and arse covering.

Always been a Travis fan but iv'e never once seen him as a 5 million pound player especially given he only has a year left. It'll end being undisclosed fee of about 1.5 million plus add ons imo.

I thought the body language was poor from a lot of them in that first half it's not what you'd expect in the first game of a new season with everything to play for.

Or a relegated club.

Rovers 4 Bradfort 1 This is where it clicks before it unclicks again v Brum. 8,977

Failure and under achieving gets rewarded all too often in this daft industry.

He has a 7th placed finish to his name already and whilst we see it as a bit of a failure because his early stint cost us the top 6 others will put it down to lack of funds again. Of which there is plenty truth in that also. Whatever happens league position wise this season he'll have dealt with a big player turnover and might well end up with a negative transfer budget. It's a no lose job here for these average joe types off the scrapheap.

It worked perfectly well for Paul Lambert, Tony Mowbray and John Eustace whilst further enhancing the profile of JDT. People in football know the reputation of those who run and own this club so obviously take that into account when judging the potential of these guys.

He's only here to relaunch his career and as long as he does ok some interesting foreign job will appear and he'll be off whilst the two stoogies get a pat on the back for bringing in a bit of compo.

No surprise at the dot joining going on here as that agency and co were so heavily involved here right from the start they were never going away. The connections to India make it so so obvious i mean i think even Coyle ended up over there, i wonder how ! No surprise either that the same old lot pop up just as there are players being offloaded and recruited left right and centre and now Suhail and Gestede who came from nowhere seem to have more power than anyone since Kean and Anderson. The heart of this club truly stinks rotten again.

Whilst most of us think we were toothless iv'e seen quite a few Baggies fans saying they are pleased how they tried to play but we looked a solid well organised side who largely stopped them and we'll do ok again. Seen a few also saying 'Dolan is a big miss for them'.

Good club WBA, good bunch of fans not like most of the other grotty Brum types. Everything we used to be instead of the hollowed out shell we've become.

Who seems hell bent on dispatching every English player in order to fill out the squad with imports. Not wise, the Championship is very British in terms of aggression and stupid fixture congestion. Not sure how a lot of these lads will hold up on freezing piss wet November nights when things aren't going well. It tends to be your Travis types who pull you through that.

That's exactly what has gone on the signings are made out of necessity this regime has never 'built' anything they just replace and cobble together. All through Mowbrays tenure barring league one all that ever happened was padding out the squad. The odd bits of investment were and still are just brought in on an individual bases were they think it is a player who can be given games then sold for profit. Every one of these signings now will be stat based and what value they think they can get after 50 to 100 games. Remember Mowbray saying i don't look at the table and not that bothered about results as long as he can see good possession stats and individuals developing ? An utterly bizarre thing to say but born out of the truth because that is the mantra here now.