ben_the_beast

Certainly hoping this pre contract isn't a deal for just a couple of years like the majority of our young players get. If he's as good as everybody says he is from a financial point of view we need to protect our asset. Look at what Dortmund paid for Bellingham. And now he's being touted around for double to triple what they paid. We really need to get him signed asap and then he/we can allow him to develop at a pace which is right for him when moving into our first team. I truly think it's completely unfair that the 'super clubs' can swoop in for players before they turn 17. What happened with Fulham and Harvey Elliott would have my blood boiling. What did they get in tribunal... about £7million? For a player that is worth at least £30m a couple of years later and that figure is only increasing. Probably not possible as its restricting players rights to movement but I do think it should be outlawed in some way. Hopefully the rumblings of this 'pre-contract' are true.

Even though he often gets pelters on here I'm certain we'd have had much more threat with Gallagher on the pitch today. Giles was delivering exactly what Gallagher has always needed. Quality delivery. Not always whipping it in but gently floating it into areas that can be attacked. I'm still pissed off about Lockyer from Luton. We were always going to be light with Diaz on international duty. And he took out our only other option.

Straight off the bat. I've not seen the game today. I don't think we're going to hit top two. But I do think we've the potential to push. And get close. We have had a real bad run with injuries etc recently. I'm hoping with a full squad we can go back to under the radar rovers. And that suits us. Plod along and pick up results as we do.

And it continues still. The academy continues to be the life blood of Rovers. I live on the South Coast near Portsmouth. Albeit a decade later they saw an FA cup won through some significant spending. They saw no investment in the club infrastructure and now, even though they've wealthy American owners, simply cannot seem to get out of League 1. That's the difference and that is what Jack did for us. He gave us our training facilities, our academy, our identity. And we live through it to this day.

I'm hoping Hedges will be a decent signing. Based on little more than YouTube I'll admit but he does look to have the skill set to suit the formation. Tall, quick, direct, shoots. It's what Diaz is doing from the left. And personally though Khadra has been an asset, he makes many poor decisions in the final 3rd and blows extremely hot and cold. I still see him as very valuable but it will be good to have some good competition for him.

It was absolutely disgusting. What I find amazing is that he received a booking. I could understand it if nothing was given as it was off the ball and every chance the officials could have missed it. But once it was seen it was a straight red and an automatic 3 game ban. I don't want the manager to be coming out every game and using officials as an excuse. But when one of our players has been assaulted I'd expect a little more to be made of it.

I do think that Mowbray not only deserves a new deal, but that its certainly in the best interests of the club right now. I'm hoping the rumour of some West Brom interest shimmys the powers that be along a little and they offer him a new contract. 2 years would be appropriate in my book.

Unlike some I'm not too concerned with us not adding an attacker. I'm quite pleased with our recruitment this window. There is one glaring hole in my opinion though and that is centre midfield. We desperately needed another body in there. The drop off down to Bradley Johnson is enormous. Anybody know if Giles can play in there once Pickering is back?

It's been very, very quiet. Was hoping for the lwb, a centre mid at minimum. There hasn't been much about deals falling through so just hoping that we have things bubbling away behind closed doors

I'd like to change the way I voted 😄

Everything I'd like to say about Rothwell and his morales has already been said. The one thing that hasn't is that it's certainly no coincidence that his form and consistency has improved dramatically now that we have transitioned to a counter attacking team. We suit him and he us. Bournemouth are not this. I don't think he'll be a poor signing for them, but he won't be nearly as effective as he is for us.

I've no idea how Lockyear didn't get sent off. I could understand it if it had been completely missed. But the fact the ref booked him. He took him out, fully on purpose. Typified how disgusting they were as a whole

I'd take a 0-0 at this rate. Completely bullied us first half. Hoping the switch will see some of these long balls going straight off for a goal kick. Seems to be holding up in the wind right and causing a lot of trouble for our defence. Can't see where a goal is coming from for us but if we stay tight you never know

Surely it only takes one source for something to catch on. Especially when he is out injured as there is an element of fact to it if he's not available. Not that you are but some fans will be slating him now when at this stage it is just a rumour. In saying that, it'd be phenomenally disappointing if true.

I've been Mowbray out for at least 18 months prior to this season but I do think he's earnt a new deal. He's got a formation that works, a squad that's grafting and his record in the transfer market has proven to be pretty decent of late. If we don't go up this season I want to see continuity of a similar formation and the attitude of this current group remain. I think he has a cock up in him, as seen vs Hull but he has blown away the majority of my main criticisms this season and I couldn't have imagined we'd be in 2nd late January. New deal for me please

Every player has an agent who's jobs are to find the best deals for their clients and make themselves very easy to contact. Nothing will be signed but they will certainly be aware of a rough figure that will be on offer. With Rothwell stating how much he is enjoying his football here its very much in his and his agents interests to share that info with rovers, effectively putting the ball in our court. It's the way football works. It doesn't mean we have to match it. But it does provide justification to be offering more than a %based increase as per our wage structure.

The club should really be looking at the offer Rothwell will have been presented by Bournemouth and use it as justification to break the rules we've imposed around our wage structure. I'm not meaning match it, but he does deserve to be one of our top earners. Bournemouth showing interest has turned potential earnings elsewhere from hypothetical into reality. Surely from a financial perspective that's a good business case to break only increasing players wages by certain percentages and show them that they are deemed a top player within our squad.

Buckley has been a false 9 all season and he's been superb at it

Huge game tonight. It really will signal what way the momentum is swinging and probably more than any other game, speak volumes about the character of this side. I'd be going back to basics. Kaminski Lenihan, Van-Hecke, Wharton Nyambe Edun Travis, Rothwell Buckley Khadra, Gallagher Everybody knows what their role is and what they are doing. Any attacking switches being like for like. Eg: Zeefuik on for Nyambe but in all honesty the options are limited. Thinking back to Hull last week, not only was the line up all wrong, but the subs felt very much, lets throw the kitchen sink at them which in reality gave us even less structure and even less threat.

I wonder how fit the bloke is and what his professionalism is like away from training. Mowbray has been consistent in what he'd require from Chapman without going into more detail which could be damaging for his future career prospects. Either way, he's been a massive waste of talent. Fingers crossed he gets his career back on track at another club but I have my doubts.

Just a really horrendous bit of luck. Not fair for us but most of all, really unfair on the player.

If we go back to the tried and tested for the rest of the season and regain form Mowbray may have cost us a shot at automatic promotion with his selection against Hull. Though the ref was atrocious that defeat lies with Mowbray. The selection was ill thought out and it certainly wasn't forced upon him. There was a like for like replacement with Davenport. His job for the rest of the season is stop fiddling with things. We've got a system that works. We've signed a couple of players thus far who can slot into it. I await the lineup vs Boro nervously. As there's a huge fear he's going to get himself way too involved. Teams generally get promoted from this division based on solid defences. As clunky as we've looked at times, we always looked solid. Keep that going with the formation which suited our players and we will always stand a very good chance.

This exactly. Though we laboured against Cardiff we still won. There are a lot of people sounding very twitchy and coming up with all kinds of possible changes. The tried and tested has seen us into this position. It's as we were with Nyambe and Travis back in with Gallagher in for Brereton. Anything else would be madness. If Mowbray continues to tinker it will be his worst failure since being here regardless of whether we eventually make the playoffs. All he has to do between now and the end of the season is not mess with anything. He may have already cost us promotion with the ludicrous decision to change the system against Hull. I'll be nervously awaiting the line up as I'm not sure I have faith in him not to continue fiddling.

I know our performance and formation was crap last night. But for a second can we all just rage a little more at that tosser in the middle. I want to see him back in League 2 or lower, getting paid crap money for a month after that crooked, absolute barrel of shite last night. He doesn't have the intellect to be involved in professional sport.

He did do last night. All Mowbray has to do is not fiddle with things and we stand an outstanding chance of promotion. He reverted to Tony Tinkerman last night. He'd best revert to our normal formation moving forwards or it will be the biggest failure of his management to date.