bluebruce

Personally I think it's really shitty that they didn't play him on Tuesday. It was a friendly against Burkina Faso ffs. I bet he's thinking if he can't get on the pitch for that, when will he? I see they played some other backup keeper tbf, but one who had already been capped. With it being a friendly, could even have given them a half each. I feel for Thomas, being dragged along to all those squads and not even getting a few minutes in the most minor of games against shite opponents. Must be frustrating. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

He has rested players before when games were fairly close together, a freshly returned player seems more likely to be rested in the circumstance. If he doesn't name him at all I agree he will look silly, can only see that happening if he pettily tries to prove some point to Chile, which wouldn't be beyond him. But putting him on the bench and bringing him on around 60 min mark would be justifiable, whether everyone agrees or not, as it is well within his and other managers' form books. Maybe he will start him, we will see. The tombola reigns supreme after all.

This is true, although we also have a statistically very solid defence since November. Keeping it level and bringing him on at 60 mins against other tired legs could be the best chance of him notching. Lenihan and possibly Van Hecke being unavailable puts a bit of a dampener on that though. Tbh, I think we are fucked and not going up regardless.

Actually I think it gives him every excuse not to start him. I didn't watch, but if as the other poster says, he clearly wasn't fit and has been put through 80 minutes on a Tuesday then flown home, starting him on Saturday sounds like a good way to get him injured or a leggy performance at best. I bet he benches him, and I'm not sure I'd disagree for once.

I'm sure they've all been training like true professionals in the break, what with our highly focused task master of a manag- oh wait.

He has a fantastic work ethic and engine, for sure, but nobody is immune to wear and tear, and he has had injuries before. Even if it knocks half a yard off his pace that can affect a game.

Good news, happy for the lad. Just hope he isn't a bit tired from his exertions and travel for the upcoming game.

Absolutely, that seems to be the consensus. The two I mentioned don't seem to get as much attention though, but they have decent scoring records this season. Mind, all these promising attackers never seem to amount to anything with us. We haven't had a striker break through properly since Gally and Derbs.

4-1 eh? Nice. Most of the goals were in the last 20 minutes but who cares. Leonard and Wood seem to be prospects.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/20026111.blackburn-rovers-crop-loanees-faring-away-ewood/

Judging by that photo, nope they weren't! On a related but unrelated note, I bet John Lewis et al would be amazed to know what their little meeting was setting into motion. A local institution that would carry a legacy for (hopefully) over 150 years and become a multimillion pound enterprise, with tens of thousands of fans, maybe hundreds of thousands over the years, who hold it dear to their chests.

1875 may refer to when we officially came into being, ie registered whatever documents may have been required, if they were required with the sport being so nascent. But, perhaps when its charter/constitution was drafted and signed or whatever. A date of 1874 may have been used initially due to the story of when the meeting was, and 1875 applied retroactively when the question was put under a bit more scrutiny. Clubs tend to be proud of being long-lived, so I doubt we started stitching a later year onto our crest without good reason.

No, I keep trying to clarify the same scenario because you won't just answer the question directly. So you'd sack him if we got top 6 and he played Johnson up front, but you would give him a new contract if we got top 6 and lost miserably in the playoff semis, got it, I think.

Well obviously we would all be very happy in that scenario, but that isn't the scenario I'm asking you about. Well I'm not clear on your exact view actually, so for clarity, are you saying if we just about got in the top 6 and failed miserably in the semi final (and lets say he played Gally at RB and Johnson up front again for good measure) you would want him to be given a new contract? A yes, no, or 'I'd have to make my mind up at the time' will suffice.

You've focused on the goal difference part, but my point was more about what if we got in the playoffs but lost miserably at the first time of asking? The point about scraping it was just to add to the scenario. Let's say we got Luton in the semi and went out to them 5-0 on aggregate or something, that would still be enough for you?

And what if we scraped into the playoffs on goal difference and then immediately surrendered meekly in the semis?

Fantastic summary of the Mowbray era. I personally don't count the relegation against him too much, as we had decent points returns after he came in, we just got unlucky with other teams around us doing similar. One of the highest points totals a team has gone down with, and ludicrously unlucky on the last day. But he did show a lack of ambition in some winnable games which could have got us over the line. So only a minor strike for me. Hard to find anything to disagree with in the rest of what you said though. A few things I had almost forgotten about too. Galling how he sabotages us in daft ways pretty much every season. No manager is perfect but some of this stuff takes the piss. And he takes so very long to learn from his mistakes, when he learns at all. Infuriating man.

West Brom thing? Jog my memory?

You know nothing about our club if you think our attempts to get promoted from this league happen every year. Technically speaking yes, as we are in a league where promotion is possible and claimed as the stated goal. But this is the FIRST serious attempt we have been able to make to get promoted to the top tier since we got relegated in 2012. In fact before this season I think we have only even been in the top 6 any further than ten games into a season on what, one maybe two very brief occasions (I'm talking like, a game and then back out of it). We won't be in this position again next year. This promotion opportunity means a lot to us, so stop getting pissy that we aren't pleased you keep messing with the availability and fitness of our main source of goals. Not only will we not effectively challenge for promotion again next season, but there is a serious risk of a relegation battle. We are losing a significant chunk of our squad, which is already a thin one, and most of them for no money, and we don't have much money to replace them (most of any money we do get will likely come from the sale of...well, Brereton, if you don't get him more seriously injured and drive down his value). This season is likely absolutely pivotal for the future of the club. As for 'go cry to FIFA', we will 'cry' where we like, and I think our very own board where you are just a guest is as good a place as any.

Eh? The article doesn't say any such thing. Worrying that it sounds like something he would say though.

If a lot of those figures are true, there's a lot of travesties in there. There are some that definitely aren't up to date though, looking at the contract lengths. I sure hope we didn't make Edun our 8th highest earner though (7th highest that we own), or put two LBs in our top 7-8 earners.

The next case scenario is coming eventually anyway. No sense keeping the club on pause to stave it off.

Agreed, don't think that 5.6 mill figure is right at all. There are running costs, bonuses and taxes of course, and the academy is about 2.5 mill (3.5 but we get a 1 mill grant), but it's not like we don't have any income at all. I also don't think our average wage is about 4k p/w.

Luton are bottom of that table. They are 3rd in the real one. If we are overachieiving, what are they doing? We also have one of, if not the, best academy in the league which massively underpins our squad strength. Especially since we keep graduates on low wages. QP, Boro, Huddersfield all also doing much better than their wage bill indicates. Stoke, WBA, Reading and Cardiff doing much worse.

No, I didn't insinuate that. You decided to take that from it. I don't know why, probably because you're always hyper sensitive and hyper defensive when it comes to the club and staff. And you mean 'moot' point.