Bamford is clearly way more talented than Sam Gallagher for example. He did have good loan spells at mk dons and derby and he had a great season at Boro on loan.  He’s done more than Dack in his career, although he has stalled a bit recently. Personally I would have been delighted had we signed him.

Hopefully, Palmer is good out wide and TM isn't thinking of trying the dreaded Doncaster home game system of  3-4-2-1 with two '10's which was plain awful.

Given the way almost all players played 90 minutes last night in a 4-2-3-1  I  think(hope) this will be the main system.   I  don't mind once in a  while switching to three at some point in a game to tighten up or get two up top but don't want to see us starting like that.

Back home for a few weeks so I went last night and what a good decision it turned out to be.  Preseason games are not ones to be taken too seriously and being home late July and August for the past few years I have gone to a few stinkers but last night was very enjoyable.   The whole team played well but obviously, Dack was really good.  Evans played well, I'm not a fan of his but if he can finally have a consistent season then he'd be first choice centre mid for me.  Samuel played well,  I  thought so even before he scored but he isn't going to provide much width and defensively he would be exploited by teams that have scouted us.   There were a couple of occasions in the first half he left Nyambe exposed and Everton should have taken better advantage of that.   Everton were poor,  especially first half where they looked like they needed a lot of work on their shape.    Second half only Sandro stayed on the pitch and they looked a lot stronger but still, we defended well and took our chances.

Great to see but it is only a preseason match and so can't read too much into it.

It was interesting to see the team hardly change so it would seem that this is the team to play Ipswich   (Williams will probably come back in but Bell did well).

Interesting that  TM  said in his post-match interview that he only used that formation to get all the midfielders a game and that he wouldn't be using in the league,  seems strange that Samuel gets played wide, I just don't think it suits him.

Talking to a friend in China,  Tony Xia is a bit of a mystery,  no one knows who he is, unlike the Wolves owners Fosun who are a giant mutli multi billion pound company,  I even did a tiny bit of work for them myself.   There's been a big crackdown on people transferring money abroad as the government is trying to stop money laundering.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/16363040.rovers-season-ticket-update-as-liverpool-sales-top-10000/?ref=mac

Waggott talks about season tickets and transfers

“I think we’re up to circa 9,000 and I am aiming for 10,500,” Waggott said of season ticket sales.

“The statistics are quite interesting in terms of new supporters coming back and returning ones from the 2011/12 season. I look at all the trends of how we’re doing and I think with a few more to renew, we can hit that target.

“I’m hoping we can add to that with the announcements we’re going to make and with the targets Tony has got, which are very exciting, but the market is very competitive.

“We’ve been working hard, but players not yet coming back, the World Cup has added more complexities but as I’ve said to Tony, we’ve got to hold firm.”

Seems to me from reading that they are hopeful of some signings to attract more season ticket sales which in turn would lead to thinking we are still hopeful of getting some good players in and that leaves me more optimistic.  The 'hold firm' line though might mean we have to be patient.

29 minutes ago, AdamRochina said:

It was Phil foden knowing our bad luck and we missed out on him

It doesn't say we missed out on him,  just that  City aren't letting him go as they are taking him on tour which would suggest he's a good player though I would expect Foden to go to a premier league club if any.

TM says he has four or five plates spinning so that suggests we are certainly trying.

IF we are in for Maddison then TM's comments about agents might suggest that he is after quite a bit in wages. When TM  made his comments about the budget after coming  back from India I remember thinking that we might have a few million to spend  but it might be difficult  as when you spend  a couple of  million or more on  a player they expect wages to match, who knows maybe 20k+  a week and it didn't seem like they wanted to upset any players by getting ones in on significantly better wages.

It is all conjecture of course but it might be that TM and Waggott are trying hard to persuade Maddison, or any other relatively high fee player and agent, to take lower wages and it is dragging on and on.  You can tell Mowbray has been getting frustrated over the last couple of weeks especially and that he is sensitive to fan frustration but  I expect he will still make the number of signings he wanted to but the quality might be a little more questionable.

Some Trumpesque stuff about shame and lies on here, I think the big fella's visit is having an influence.

Gallagher was a player with potential when he was here, he has talent and but although he had some games he didn't quite do enough for me.

If he's coming as the lesser of two incoming strikers on a cheap loan then he's not a bad option though I'd prefer him on a permanent.   He is about the age that he really needs to start fulfilling his potential if he wants to make it in the premier league but if he hasn't improved much and is coming in as the main striker to challenge Graham I would hope there might be better out there.

10 minutes ago, Al said:

Yes he was!

If you think he had a good season I question whether you attended. I may be picking on the wrong one but too many non attenders appear to have opinions. If you are a season ticket holder I apologise as you are entitled to an opinion.

My opinion probably doesn't count as I only saw a couple of games in person and watched the rest on ifollow but whilst he was regularly targeted in the championship he wasn't in league one.   He has a  lot to learn, which  Mowbray has said but he  clearly  improved  last  season annd his athleticism does help make up for some of his shortcomings.  He did cost on the odd occasion but he also had some really good games.

1 minute ago, Ewood Ace said:

So you think that Caddis is adequate back up if Nyambe gets a long term injury?

Might be jumping to conclusions but considering that Bennett played right back versus Hibs and a fair bit at the end of last season added to the fact that TM has mentioned about 8 players and not EB when talking about central midfielders could it be that TM  thinks EB, with possibly Travis as well, is adequate as cover?  In fact, if we did sign say Maddison and Armstrong and play them on either wing might it be that EB is TM's first choice right back.

Whatever happens, I do wonder how Mowbray is planning to use Bennett this season as it is hard to see him being dropped.

2 hours ago, Stuart said:

Might be a quality signing but I doubt he’d generate much excitement.

An exciting signing would be one that the youngsters in our fanbase will have heard of. Trouble is that if they are in our budget they are almost certainly past it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN1uBGnIOK4&frags=pl%2Cwn

I don't know if this has been posted elsewhere but it's Maddison's best of video from the 17-18  season.   Obviously, you don't want to judge a player just from a highlights reel but it's all recent and there is quite some talent there.  Some of the through balls are fantastic, some good crosses and set-piece deliveries.  He's a real footballer and although it's league one he, like Dack, obviously has the ability to play at a higher level, whether he has the application and desire I don't know but I can't help but be a tiny bit excited by the thought of signing him. 

Somebody is always going to question information no matter how much a poster does or doesn't say, that's just the nature of a message board, it's nice for the majority to get a little more information than Callumrovers put out but it's up to him and we will see if he's right.

7 minutes ago, J*B said:

Perhaps if he does say who has told him and it comes out, the position who has told him may be put in an awkward position? 

It is possible to give a little context without giving too much away.  I've not seen a lot of Maddison and wasn't  hugely impressed  when I have  but  if  he's  got some pace,  a  bit of trickery and can pass as well as his assist record suggests then  it  seems like a great signing as long as he's happy left wing  (and TM doesn't try and play  with two number tens again).

I know it's a little controversial but TM did mention Travis the other day when talking about centre mid competition and playing him there in this game would point to him seeing him there going forward.  Having said that he might be right back next game.

28 minutes ago, Paul Mani said:

The messages are actually very similar to those posted by Gillingham fans on Dack last year...talented but injury prone etc. In fact many of the Gills fans were more scathing about Dacks attitude and fitness...none of us knew what to expect then either... so let’s see!

I  think that is not exactly true now, is it?  Dack was their star player and even if he hadn't had the best season before we signed him he'd been L1 player of the year beforehand.     He was much better known and more highly rated and also had accomplished more.   There was far more reason to be excited about Dack, especially with us being a division lower then.   

I'm happy enough with the signing, it's a risk but I presume fairly cheap so fairly low.

On Rothwell, the stats don't do him a lot of favours and the comments on the Oxford board are mixed at best so they can't really be used to say 'good signing'. 

The factors in favour of him are that TM and the scouting team have had a long-term interest in JR and therefore must have scouted him thoroughly and believe he will be an asset.

He sounds like he is a footballer as opposed to more of just an athlete or grinder and we need more of those so personally, I'm looking forward to seeing him play,  though I do hope he is better than Gladwin who has been rubbish so far.   

Given that he hasn't been a regular for Oxford I don't expect he will be here at least for the time being.

I think we do need 2 or 3 to go straight into the first team but there is plenty of time yet.

Great player, great captain, makes the odd mistake but who doesn't, Dack and Smallwood have been very good but Charlie's our best for me.

Only bad thing about him is that he occasionally inspires Rangers/Celtic crap on a Rovers board, it appears sometimes some members can't forget their other allegiances.

Working okay for me do far

Regarding lack of commentary I got this from ifollow@efl.com

Due to broadcasting rules and regulations that iFollow are required to follow, our service has always intended to provide one or the other and not as a joint a product. If you notice on our subscription plan you will see that live audio and live video commentary are listed as individual items not combined.
 

That's certainly not the impression I got... I'm not surprised they are just making excuses rather than talking about solutions.

So it seems we are not allowed to open two tabs and listen to the commentary anymore and the watch live still only has crowd sound, there is audio commentary but if you put it on the picture gets turned off.  

I presume this is the same for all?

I know not everyone wants it but anyone found a work around?

Samuel has played a couple of times out wide right and he looked like a fish out of water, and Whittingham has been poor each time he's been out of the centre.  So Conway with someone on the bench that knows how to play right mid, there must be someone, even if they are a bit young, that actually knows the position.  I know the U-23s don't always play 4-2-3-1 but isn't there someone from there that can play right wing? 

I'm in china but after signed in I put my vpn to uk and it was much better, don't know why

Was the commentary working today?

Funny how all the U-23 results show how attacking this formation can be... with the right players.

Also does this not only reflect well on Damien Johnson but also Eric Kinder?  Was he the one who restructured the team and pushed the younger ones through early?

Great to read a few different views on the games and the youngsters, thanks to all who go and give their opinions

6 hours ago, Paul said:

No there is nothing wrong with people being outraged. My point is people have criticised Radio Rovers for years and never praised it for providing a service to blind fans. 

Now the service has been withdrawn people are outraged over something they simply previously didn't care about. This is simply moaning for the sake of moaning. 

This may be true of some but in general I disagree and think that is unfair.  It's true I hadn't given it thought before but upon finding out I do think it is very poor.  I think that losing RR is disappointing even though I would have called it great, if there are good reasons for it I suggest the club communicate them.