Goodbye Tony, good luck in future. Things I'd like to thank him for: Bringing stability Promotion from League One Never seriously involving us in a relegation fight since then Some good signings The short-lived but great feeling of having been in 2nd and making me dare (foolishly) to think we might actually do this Being a man who clearly loves the game and happily talks at length about it, even if he sometimes talks himself into cul-de-sacs (gives us stuff to talk about if nothing else!) Bringing youth through - occasionally didn't do this enough, but can't deny that not many managers would have introduced this many U23s, or watch most of their games as he does Things I definitely don't thank him for: Bizarre tactical decisions - round pegs in square holes, taking forever to realise when something or someone wasn't working, playing favourites and seemingly ostracising others, etc Antagonising the fans with sly remarks, and being petulant when questioned Sticking around way past his time despite saying he would resign if he was a burden Horrendous second half of the season collapses, including pissing away our best chance of promotion since Venkys Some poor signings, including an obsession with ex-Boro players and signing his mate's shit son Misallocating his budgets in strengthening the wrong areas of the squad (no defenders for ages even when he said they were coming, spending 7 million, most of our budget, on a future project striker, collecting excessive amounts of players in one area of the pitch whilst neglecting others, etc) Not bringing youth players out for dead rubber games on the scale it should be done Being complicit in the blatant lies about the training ground plans, and being far less honest than is constantly made out An abysmal attitude, at times, on the touchline and in pressers, that made it look like he didn't give a fuck Relying too much on loanees even whilst saying we needed to build for the longer term Extremely premature cup exits, every time Overall, just not being good enough to take us to that next level (adding to this, blaming resources for it when teams like Barnsley and Luton have made the playoffs ahead of us and don't have a shining academy or our budget, and having made remarks that he turns down extra funds)

Possibly, but Allardyce got enough Prem jobs, for a very long span of time, playing dour stuff.

And I'd say this board represents the more demanding side of the fanbase, on the whole. So the masses on FB etc will lap up whatever turd they're fed.

Especially since we probably won't sort our manager out until August.

Funny, because you were basically the one suggesting a stat (goals) can tell us everything we need to know. Or if you weren't suggesting that, your post didn't have any meaning. Also I had already used the word 'stats' in the post you quoted first, in precisely the same sort of context, and it didn't lose your interest then.

Well, I'd take him as an assistant manager. Not a fan of giving assistants their first taste of management other than in a caretaker capacity.

Obviously. But no single stat tells you the whole story of a player's contribution towards teams scoring or stopping lots of goals. Someone who scores a lot might be very well supplied by the other players around him and struggle when he goes somewhere else. A keeper with tons of clean sheets probably has a very solid defence in front of him and maybe a very good DM, and might struggle when moving to a club where that doesn't apply. Some areas of the pitch, like a DM, can be central to a team's whole game but won't be scoring or creating many goals generally. If what happens in the game didn't matter unless it involved goals, there wouldn't be any point in crunching tackles or raking passes, running with the ball, and everyone would just sit around waiting to score or stop goals. And as a result, there wouldn't be any.

Oh I just assumed you meant because he might give some of the players and the CEO a twatting.

Rothwell was an inconsistent player for much of his time here, but to say he 'isn't a loss' is being in denial. A promoted, much wealthier side with a larger and more talented midfield want him, but he isn't even a loss for us? Nah not having that. He's capable of things most other players aren't, in particular he can run with the ball and stretch play superbly, putting teams on the back foot. It's not all about goals and assists stats. A better manager may also get more out of him.

For the 5 games a season he is available for selection.

That's not a bad list, tbf, if the bullshitmeister is actually right for a change. And pending who the surprise names are of course...better not be Judan Ali or something

If a man can fall out with Delia he will probably fall out with Venkys too...or is that the one benefit of absent owners, they're not there for people to fall out with?

Whether you rate Dolan or not (and you're wrong) you have to admit we got a good deal there. Young player with room to improve, pace, able to compete at this level when on form...for free, and tiny wages. You tend to know the Preston youth setup pretty well, any on the released list that you do rate?

Yep he's not getting any younger and costing plenty. I'd shunt for nothing if anyone was fool enough to buy.

I'm fairly indifferent, but on balance I'd probably release him. He's probably lost momentum and motivation after not being given the loan he should have had, when he should have had it. But his failure in the third Scottish tier at 21 tells me he isn't going to make the grade. If he were someone else's 21 year old player we'd be saying no thanks after that.

Was on the bench against Bournemouth.

Lol even he had to switch his type of keeper role this season, from the pass-playing sweeper keeper to the more traditional long punts and not coming as far off his line. He particularly struggled with the long punts. Although I don't fault Mowbray for that one in truth, it might not suit TK's best game, but we couldn't continue with the tippy tappy sideways crappy we tried all of last season.

I reckon he is probably better than we've seen, due to injury and being played in the wrong position a fair bit. But what we have seen certainly doesn't warrant a large outlay. I'd not be outraged by a tiny fee in our usual 200-300k ish region and modest wages, but I very much doubt either of those things would be possible anyway. With his injury record as an additional concern though, I should think we can do better for even that kind of money. As I said at the time we loaned him, we were absolutely never going to pay the rumoured 3.5 million for a right back unless we got promoted and he had excelled. We were having his club on about the possibility so they'd authorise the loan, and maybe to cover the 'promoted and he excelled' scenario.

Tbf though, the CEO could do with a good punching.

All the more reason to avoid him - we are gubbins when we play on Sky!

Selective reasoning. We are not talking about just this season, but a pattern of selection which, if I were Nyambe, would certainly piss me off. The damage was done before this season IMO. And it ignores the times he was subbed off in favour of some non-RB or other.

That's not true, most of them belonged in the tip.

Well unless they told the PR department and board members what the situation with his contract was, as well as telling them to communicate it to Mowbray, I've no idea what they're upset about. It's kinda like how Amber Heard fired her PR team after the first week of that case apparently, as if it was their fault she cut off his finger, was recorded saying nobody would believe him because he was a man, and literally shat the bed.

Nyambe has deserved to start in quite a few games where he didn't. Hopefully we can all agree on that. Whether that happened through intentional victimisation, idiotic management, or Nyambe being a nice humble lad who rarely kicks up a fuss so he is often the one to make way for whoever the manager feels the need to wedge in...it's still mismanagement, it's still unfair on Nyambe, and it only makes sense that he would have wanted to move away from Mowbray. (I'm aware the humble lad scenario could be resolved by the player kicking up a fuss rather than leaving, which is a form of standing up for himself anyway, but I've certainly met people who would rather quietly leave a place, situation or person than confront it)

Fair enough, it's a good game, I just hope he knows it's addictive, and that Sam Gallagher at RB won't work there either.