We’re waiting while it’s 5-55 pm and the shop closes at 6-00pm so we can get whatever yellow ticket items are left over. That.’s why other clubs nip in and gazump us all the time.

The football world is a small world. They all know Rovers is a total circus behind the scenes. Players only come here if there is no realistic alternative.

A Beck style performance is what I was expecting to see when I first watched Batty play at Accrington a year or so ago. I’d heard a lot about him from the guys who watch the U-21’s regularly. I was pretty disappointed in what I saw that day, granted it was only one game.

That thought went through my mind when I watched the video. A lot of explosive pace on show but that can come with a price injury wise. In that respect he reminds me of Harry Chapman when he first played for us. Too quick for his own good. I’m reminded of Bill Shankly’s words when a journalist was quizzing him about Trevor Francis when he signed for Brian Clough at Forest. The guy asked Bill why Liverpool weren’t linked with Francis. Bill said - “ It’s his style of play, those bursts of pace, all those stops and starts. He’ll need a physio of his own “. He wasn’t far wrong. Having said all that I’d still take the lad. There’s a bit of the young Alan Wright, Graham LeSaux in him I think.

Yes you’re right. But it’s a big if.

A Cantwell style player is what we haven’t got at the moment. Maybe the plan is him in and Buckley out ?

Pickering.

Cantwell went up to Scotland to “ get his career back on track “. He could have been a player if he’d have wanted to be. He’s got the tools. Does he want to be a player now ?

Possibly.

Going off that film - he likes a tackle, but he’s got the young players failing of going to ground a bit too easily at the moment. Go to ground and miss out, you’re out of the game. There wasn’t much evidence of penetrative passing of the ball. Running it out from full back can be risky, see Brittain at Norwich. I’d like to see more passing and less running. No sign of heading challenges there so maybe that’s a weakness ?

Why, did he keep passing to the opposition ?

Weren’t we linked with Cantwell before he went up North ?

I know pace isn’t everything but it looks like he could run faster than Pickering running backwards.

I thought he did well enough when he came on at Norwich. We started getting back into the game then.

I wouldn’t be happy seeing Buckley leave unless we had a better replacement coming in. Given the money we’ve brought into the club in the last 6 months that should be easily doable. Replacing decent players with less capable guys only ends one way.

A lot depends on the personalities involved. Grown up professionals should be able to come to a mutually beneficial agreement. You need a bit of give and take. In the final analysis if I was the manager I be very loathe to accept players being signed over my head. If it was a regular occurrence I’d be looking around for another position.

It’s the Chicken Chokers way.

Nobody is saying that Eustace should be looking for talent. I would have thought that was obvious. That’s the job of the recruitment team. What some of us on here think is that when likely candidates have been spotted by the recruitment team the head coach should have a say in wether they are signed or not.

Blackburn or Madrid ? Let me think about that for a second.

I’d always rather avoid playing newly promoted teams. They’ll always be up for it and the the newly promoted shine hasn’t yet worn off. How many of the newly promoted teams did we beat last season by the way ?

I agree regarding Ruddy. Mowbray supposedly wanted to sign Dembele as a replacement when the Rothwell to Bournemouth deal was first mooted. So I could see him still being a subject of interest.

I’m not overly thrilled with the thought of Ruddy signing. Dembele is a maybe, he could be the player who will thrive in the right environment. He has ability, maybe Eustace thinks he could bring that out. I just think that imposing players on the guy who has to make the team work will ultimately end in failure.

A workmate once told me - “ Never allow yourself to be put in the position of responsibility without the power to effect change. Ideally you want power without responsibility. “

You can’t really say that. Teams go down with some players fighting every inch of the way. Let’s say we’d have gone down last season would you have doubted Sammi’s mentality ?

It really got to me previously. The minute we went behind the game was as good as over.