They were promoted the day after the article, but it was always looking likely. Any one of a number of results going their way was going to seal it. Then playoffs as backup. But perhaps the thinking was, if they don't get promoted then 1.5 mill is too much for an 18 year old LB. But if they got promoted they can get someone more proven, for big bucks, and the kid wants game time. Anything near 1.5 mill sounds too rich for our blood too though. Especially for an 18 year old defender who the article says needs to improve defensively. When has TM ever made an 18 yr old a first team regular? Plus he keeps midfielders out the side because he seems them inadequate defensively, let alone defenders. I may have missed it but I didn't see the article saying we were interested anyway, only that he would be a good fit for our approach.

If Leeds have been put off by Liverpool's valuation like the article says, we have no chance.

Chaddy he's not wrong. You frequently ignore the most important points posters make. Sometimes you probably think you're answering them, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt there, but really you're swerving it and talking about some other thinly-related issue. I've seen you do this many, many times over the years. Nothing personal, it's just true.

Rather send him League One if somebody there is interested in playing him weekly. He does have a fair few showings at a higher level than that now. League Two won't benefit us with him for the same reason it hasn't really with Wharton. It isn't a level that can give us an indication of whether he can regularly play two levels above it.

Absolutely. Get Hilton in and see whether we need one GK this summer or two.

Almost glad our season was already over cos I can only imagine the stress of watching this otherwise!

Almost impossible that we will unless he's playing for the opposition. Duff was the best left winger in the world for me, after the 2002 World Cup. Just most didn't know it because he still only played for 'little' Blackburn Rovers. He actually wasn't quite as good at Chelsea as with us after his injury issues there (even though he'd had some before with us) but he was playing in a much better side and was certainly still lethal as. Him and Robben swapping sides was terrifying. There was a reason that when Ranieri was given all the money in the world, the first player he bid for was Damien Duff. He got Glen Johnson over the line first, but only because Duff took longer to finalise.

In fact I took a look at the lineups at the end of last season. The extent of the changes and testing of youth was that Davenport and Chapman got to come off the bench in the last game, and Chapman the one before, and Brereton got a start in the game before that (and scored, and was then dropped), with Buckley and Butterworth off the bench. So I really wouldn't bother getting your hopes up.

When I hear the term 'false 9' I basically equate it to 'number 10', 'playing in the hole', 'deep-lying centre forward', or even 'attacking midfielder' potentially, yeh. I dunno if it's meant to be exactly the same thing. But I do know it never seems to work for us. I feel like maybe the term implies you play as a number 9, but frequently come deep to collect the ball. As opposed to some of those other terms, like 'playing in the hole', maybe meaning that you start a little deeper and surge forward, like Dack does. Like I say, it doesn't do us any favours whatever it is. If it is the way I defined it, it basically means when the striker drops off there is no focal point anymore and we are entirely reliant on the overlapping players surging forwards. Maybe why TM is so convinced by it, as in theory that suits 'wide strikers'. But I'd really prefer we just came up with a coherent, effective gameplan and stop pissing around.

What's on the line is his standing in India. Luton are fighting and will probably beat us, so this may be the last real chance to improve on last season's points total so he can claim some form of progress. I think at the very most we might see Davenport and Carter start, but more likely only one of them. The out-of-contracters and loan players will be just as likely to start as in any other game. Even last season when we were safe but also un-promotable earlier than anyone else, we still didn't see a real switch in personnel until was it the last game or two? And I don't remember it being very dramatic. It's stupid because it really is the best opportunity you can get to test whether these kids might be ready. Instead we'll probably rely on some friendlies to gauge that.

I don't care if he becomes the best manager in the world, if Joey Barton is ever in the manager's seat here I'm done until he's gone. Absolute fucking scumbag.

Tbf he would probably shove it up your arse if you did ?

Forget him as manager, but I'd quite like him to come in as some sort of 'Motivation' Coach ? I'd definitely pay handsomely to be a fly on the wall for those training sessions too.

"Ryan isn't feeling confident, he said something about a manager who doesn't have much faith in him lingering with the Sword of Damocles over his head, in the prospect of being dropped at any time, for no clear reason, in favour of Captain Fistpump. I dunno, I wasn't really listening because Benno's balls were slapping my chin and his shaft tickling my tonsils. But I decided to boost Ryan's confidence and reassure him by dropping him for no clear reason in favour of Captain Fistpump. See? He had no need to worry that this could happen at any time, it's happened now. 3 million please, anybody listening, but we'll take 1."

He signed a new contract last season. It was insultingly short. It expires again summer 2021 I believe, if there's no hidden extension.

Or with whoever they actually want as their number 2.

Ooh exciting times!

In fairness though I never normally would accuse Bennett of it. Maybe his legs are going. If that happens he's entirely useless instead of just a sub-par liability.

The only reason I never mentioned it was the replays didn't show his movement during the goal buildup (or if any did I was looking for something else at the time). But that video shows clearly what I suspected from what I could see, that Bennett wasn't working hard enough to get back into position and get his man during a clearly dangerous attack. Especially frustrating as I've always said working hard is the one thing you can expect from him. I'm so sick of seeing this lad start games when he isn't earning it.

And the potential corona hole for next season. I kinda suspect that that one will dictate the FUP relaxation more in a way. They don't know how long the problems will run on for and this makes it difficult for clubs to set their budgets accordingly for staying out of FUP. Otherwise the sensible thing to do would just be to take the largest estimated loss by a club due to covid, add a little bit, and add that to what every club can lose before the penalties hit. And I'd expect it to have been done by now, so clubs know the rules and can go about their business. The fact the issues could be ongoing means it makes more sense to kick the whole thing down the road until the picture is clearer.

Think you're right that it was Millwall. It certainly wasn't long after if not. Thing is, TM can turn to them and say 'I got us promoted, I consolidated, I'll probably get us more points this year than last' and has years of personally dealing with them. They're clearly comfortable with him and that means it will take a lot more than it took for Appleton, Berg et al to get the boot. Especially as you say with his mate at the helm. They don't know enough about football to see the telltale signs we all see of a manager who won't be able to take us to the next level, will stagnate and eventually go backwards. It seems from history that as a Rovers manager your job is most on the line in the early days. They almost broke club records (or maybe did?) in binning off Berg and Appleton. Coyle was in his first season and what was it, about 6 months in when he got canned? Meanwhile, Kean survived intense fan fury, a close scrape with relegation then an actual relegation before he wasn't even fired, but walked. Because he was the one they had faith in. They liked the cut of his smarmy jib because he visited them frequently, kowtowed, etc. Bowyer lasted ages once he was well in with them too. I wonder if he started to complain once Cairney was sold from under him at a stupidly low fee. TM is the next one to have survived the inaugural pressure stage and is now on easy street if he doesn't put us in a relegation fight or stop paying them the 'proper respect'.

I get that, I'm not 100% sure it hasn't been said in public too, but I can't recall it. It's definitely not been his main excuse, he has mostly talked about not knowing his budget. Which tbf, what can you do about that (without a time machine to un-buy BB and SG)? Someone really needs to get insistent with Venkys that their late budgets are hamstringing the club, and if they want to get the best value for their investments they need to just schedule the decision a bit earlier in the year. But we know people who get insistent with Venkys don't last long.

Yeh he's given us a good year and I thank him for it. I was worried it was going to be a waste of money. But he is showing signs of starting to dip that little bit, and I wouldn't be at all comfortable keeping him for another year on his current wages, which I think I read at the time were some 20k a week or so? At his age it's increasingly likely he will lose it at some point next season. With a significant wage drop I'd take him for another year. Like 5-8k per week, maybe, if the budget allows. But I can't see his agent agreeing to that.

I can't lie, I was considering posting something very similar and sarcasm-laden, for this game. But I thought I'd be an optimist and wait til it really wasn't possible. One of the cut-outs is Dr Who. I hope he's here to fix the timeline.

Did you just ask about consequences, for failure, at our club? I know I've seen you post on here before but that almost makes it sound like you're a fan of another club, who is lost