8 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I like the lad a lot but he’s not a Prem player. Adam Armstrong was better equipped for the Prem than Sammi because he was quick and was an equally good finisher but he never reached the standard required either.

Needs a lot more than just pace and finishing to be a Prem player. Armstrong was selfish and not particularly smart in his decision making. Besides, any move can go wrong.

We'll just have to disagree, there's no way you're convincing me Sammie couldn't play for someone in the Prem and be at least useful, and I'd imagine there's no way I'll change your mind either so we'll leave it there.

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

But he’s not 23.

That really wasn't my point whatsoever. I believe he's good enough right now. The point about his age was merely to say why there's not a large queue for his services from the Prem. They rarely spend big on any 29 year old, which is what he'll be soon into the next season. But I could definitely see someone plumping for him at about 8-10 mill.

8 hours ago, 47er said:

Will leave for a low-placed Premier league Club or a Championship club looking for promotion.

Given the state of our finances and his age---£10M?

I keep thinking this myself, that due to his age etc, we would probably be looking at a fee in the region of £10 million for him to go to a Prem club, or about £8 million to go to a Championship club (would have to be one of the recently relegated ones, nobody else has that dosh really). Give or take 1 or 2 million in either case (probably take, if we get relegated).

7 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

He’s not Prem level but he’s a real asset for a top team in our division. Luton, Sheff Utd etc.

I firmly disagree with that assessment. I think he's definitely Prem level. Not absolutely smashing the goals in at Prem level like he does in the Championship of course, but I'm sure there are a few teams he could start for and several others he'd be a good squad player for. His game isn't missing much. Works his ass off, reads the game well, can pass, can score. He's short but that isn't the be all, and he's not lightning but he's not a slouch. He has also scored twice in two games against Premiership opposition in the last 12 months in the cup. If he were 23 we'd have Prem clubs all over us trying to get him.

On 09/03/2024 at 18:39, Andy said:

I genuinely couldn't get past the first sentence of that post-match interview:

'The effort the group put in to limit them to very few chances was amazing'

Does he think that the game was played behind closed doors?
We saw Plymouth have about 17 efforts on goal with our own eyes - and they should have been out of sight by HT.

Baffling.

Jesus Christ...

According to the stats on google, Plymouth had 21 shots, 7 of them on target. Premier League Newcastle had less! In fact in the league, the last time another team had more than 11 against us was the Preston game on 17th Feb (16 shots). In what universe is 21 shots and making your keeper perform 6 saves 'very few chances'?

Preston was also the last time we had such a horrific pass completion rate (59%). In all other games inbetween we've had over 70%.

6 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Haha. 

At least I know we will stay up. I have faith in Eustace and these players. Simple as. 

If you don't faith and don't think we will stay fine but that's your opinion. 

Oh you know the future now? Incredible. Can I have this week's winning lottery numbers please?

33 minutes ago, superniko said:

I’ve still no idea where this myth of our “shored up back line”, “tightened up” and “back to basics” has come from. 
We look just as horrendous defensively and that’s with an extra CB and to the detriment of any attacking/progressive play remaining. 

Not a clue what some of you have been watching this past month.

On the attacking front we’ve had an xG above 1 just once in his 6 league games and that was 1.01 against Norwich. Those matches include Millwall, Swansea, Cardiff, Norwich, Preston, Birmingham - all outside the playoffs and we’re not even coming close to troubling them OR looking good defensively. (If you hate xG I’ve just used it to show how dire we are at creating anything now too)
 

I think the idea has come from us conceding a lot less goals.

36 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Pears out with concussion,

Concussion? I thought they said he was ill?

2 hours ago, Upside Down said:

If he's learnt anything from his time here it's how to run down your contract and sign wherever you want on a free.

That will only work if Waggott is CEO at his current or future club...

1 hour ago, MB Rover said:

As I said when appointed, Eustace is a step down from JDT.

We were bad under JDT, but at least under him we drew with Rotherham, if we played them tomorrow at Ewood I've no doubt we'd get beat, we're the worst team in the division right now.

I'm not sure why you're so certain we'd lose to a team who have lost their last 8 games straight, after we just drew with a team who had just won their last two, and we've recently drawn with other teams who are also better than Rotherham.

'At least we drew with Rotherham' has to be one of the most backhanded compliments imaginable. They're the absolute whipping boys of the league. We're merely draw specialists right now, and playing turgid stuff. As depressing as it is, we're actually in better form than we were in the latter days of JDT's reign, a patch including the Rotherham game you mention. We could have done with more draws back then.

15 minutes ago, WacoRover said:

This is either a sitcom, or a horror pic. I’m not sure which, & I hope we don’t have to find out. 

I'm going with horror. Given the budget has been repeatedly slashed.

We all also Know What They Did Last Summer (and Last January...and this January, and...)

Although it could be both and be a horror-comedy. I certainly find myself wanting to Scream.

56 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Still hasnt won a game and is dishing up some Appleton esque football

Funnily enough, I thought within a day or so of appointing him 'this guy gives me Appleton vibes'. I didn't post it as I didn't want to jinx it, speak too soon, or be too negative about it so early, but as the matches keep coming the comparison seems more and more apt.

47 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

And we are on the brink of relegation, go figure.....

I'm sure that's because we bring Markanday off the bench on occasion, yeh.

58 minutes ago, tomphil said:

6 months pay for Fleck out of the first Wharton instalment.

I'm a bit puzzled you would assume i was thinking it had all gone on him, come on !

Anyway if it's a long term thing there'll surely be insurance to cover it but how much would they have had to shell out for that policy and knowing the level of incompetence will they even have bothered.

I'm a bit puzzled that you're a bit puzzled, your initial post seemed to be very much saying the first 6 months of money from Wharton was spunked on Fleck. If that's not what you were saying fair enough but it's very much how you put it across.

Agree on the insurance and I had the same thought. When a risk is high you tend to pay out a huge portion of what your payout might be, so most likely we either thought it wasn't worth splashing out on, or the initial outlay was even bigger than suspected but at least much of it will be reimbursed.

1 hour ago, RV Blue said:

Must go down as the worst transfer window in the history of the club?

It's a struggle to think of a worse one. A few are comparable, until you factor in making our club record sale in the same window (so really should have been able to do better), and the fact this all happened whilst blatantly hurtling towards a relegation dogfight!

So far there's been one signing that's looked decent, and that's an ageing CB who can't have long left in him, and already looks tired. O'Riordan might turn out well, but we've not seen much of him yet. The rest look crap or pointless and all except O'Riordan will be gone in the summer.

A reyt farce, basically.

4 hours ago, tomphil said:

6 months worth of the first Wharton instalment flushed straight down the bog.

 

It was a total failure of a signing, but I can't imagine that's accurate. Wharton was sold for 18 million guaranteed. I know it will be paid over a few years, but I can't imagine how 6 months worth of it would equate to the wages and fees paid for an injury prone 32 yr old who hadn't played for his prior club since 6th December, on a 6 month deal.

Fag packet maths, let's assume the 18 mill will be paid over the length of his 5.5 year contract (which I'd be surprised by given our need for urgent cash due to the India situation), it's 3.2 million a year. If we paid 1.6 million to Fleck for 6 months work that's about 61k per week. That would be beyond scandalous even for us. It probably equates to more like one month of the Wharton money, two at most, which is still an abject waste given we got 17 minutes out of it.

33 minutes ago, roverblue said:

He must have started about 5 games for us so hard to say if he was any good or not. Just a completely bizarre signing and re-selling of a player. Add it to the list since the Venkys showed up

I wouldn't say the re-selling part was bizarre...

45 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Has he improved the death spiral? 3 points from 5 games.

The JDT death spiral was 2 points from 8 games, so yes, it has improved. It's still shit but like I said, he's improved the death spiral form a bit.

3 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

If we went down, then probably not. We had was it a 7 point and 7 or 8 team buffer when he came in. With last time, it was a bit different, we massively improved under Mowbray but not quite enough.

True, although he has so far improved the death spiral form a bit. Like Tyrone said, I think a lot depends on how he goes until the end of the season. But turning a 7 point buffer into relegation has to be seen as a failing...one mitigated a bit by inheriting a mess. I think I'm likely to want him gone if we go down though.

My personal prediction is we scrape staying up, but go down next season.

19 hours ago, alcd said:

Perhaps this thread can be closed down after today's all too typical feeble flap in the air in the build-up to the first goal?

Pears has played really well recently, and I hoped his club-best showing against Newcastle would spur him onto some confident keeping and new heights. Then I watched the goals from yesterday and realised I was being too optimistic.

I'm confused by his showing yesterday tbh, as I've long felt he's a confidence player, so I'm not sure why after impressing on national (and international) TV he played like he's been leaking 4 a game. Hopefully just a blip, because if we get the Pears of yesteryear again we are as good as relegated.

I do think he was fouled for that first goal though and likely would have saved it otherwise. But the flap was pathetic and he moved in the wrong direction for the second goal, which really wasn't aimed far from his starting position.

On 01/03/2024 at 12:45, Sparks Rover said:

He's had about an hours first team football in 2 years , think that says everything really. Aberdeen wouldn't play him....

 

Actually, he's had 15 hours first team football just this season. 10 of them in the league. Last season he had a little under 8 hours first team football between us and Abderdeen. So you're only off by about a factor of 23.

5 hours ago, Penwortham Blue said:

With O’Riordan and Billy we would certainly have some extra height in the team, which might be useful at both ends.

Especially against Millwall. However, whilst McFadzean probably needs a rest after being immense until Swansea, and I'm alright with giving O'Riordan a chance in his stead, we got a mixed bag from Koumetio against Newcastle and I wouldn't be willing to trust him with a start yet. Especially not alongside someone else who hasn't had a start yet. Too risky in a key game against a relegation rival who will really battle. Shame McFadz looks knackered, the performances we've seen from him so far would be perfect for the next game.

4 hours ago, K-Hod said:

Just seen the highlights. Talk about gifting them the goals! Good grief.

Sure we’ve all seen them goals we conceded, but there are quite a few at fault really. Awful.

I'm of the belief that the first goal was a foul on Pears, and wouldn't have been given under VAR. It was also pretty jammy the way the guy attempted some smartass flick and it ricocheted in a perfect way for him to bear down into the area. That said, the defending was still unacceptable, and even moreso for the second goal.

Having seen the extended (Swansea-side) highlights, which still show the majority of chances being ours, and the short highlights which showed a couple more chances for us the extended didn't, it certainly looks like we should have won that game. But the usual failings (coupled with their keeper having a good game) meant the usual outcome.

Very concerning that of all the teams below us, they all (except for already doomed rock bottom Rotherham) have at least 6 points from their last 5 games whilst we have 3. And they're all just a point below us right now, except for Sheff W who are 4 points away but are in red hot form with 12 points from their last 5 games.

We can't afford to lose this game. Most likely we can't afford to not win it. Time to step up lads!

1 hour ago, NeilInBristol said:

Cheers 

Hope he gets to have a game with the first team soon, squad is thin. A Wharton red or a hyam injury and we are a bit buggered 

He's had 2 games with the first team so far.

On 25/02/2024 at 13:46, rovers11 said:

The Bahrain Royal Family are looking to buy an English club. Rovers suggested as one of those possible clubs by The Mirror. We can dream I suppose. 

Looks like the Daily Star who reported it, not the Mirror I think? We seem to be mentioned in a bit of an offhand guess kind of way, but moreover the article gave me the vibe they're mostly looking to have a share in something. It implied they might buy depending on what options are available, but I dunno if that means they'd rather only get seriously involved if it was a Prem club as that would be big money, or if it was a Championship side with room to grow.

I very much doubt Venkys would entertain another party having a share, even with their current financial issues. Too stubborn and arrogant for that.