bluebruce

Not how I felt about that game. I absolutely couldn't believe Reading went 2 up. Entirely against the run of play and undeserved in the extreme. We did falter a bit after that but we still should have won. One of our most confusing results for me. Sometimes it's not your day in terms of the rub. At least one of the goals we conceded was horrendous defensively though I agree.

Can't get the poll to work on my phone.

I think one or two, but I'm going to be optimistic and go with 2. He's likely to get a run judging by TM's comments, so he should notch before season's end.

I did try saying! But yeh checkatrade, that's the current sponsor I couldn't remember, cheers. The EFL Trophy is the real name.

No mate, we played in that today. I'm on about an altogether different competition which isn't restricted to Lancashire.

No that's a different competition. I think this one is officially called the Football League Trophy or something (except for when it's sponsored). It's available to all League One and League Two teams, and in the last three seasons, some category one academies.

Did the u-23s play in the whatever-it's-called trophy (used to be LDV Vans ages ago, I forget the current sponsor)? I thought as a top category academy we went into it if we weren't league one or below.

Shouldn't be possible this time. The winner automatically goes up now. Bizarre that it was ever not the case.

You're really going to have to!

He did have some of his best games there to be fair. But that's a long time ago now and he happened to be in an excellent vein of form. The odd spark aside, he hasn't been very good at the creative stuff this season. To go from Dack to Bennett would really reduce our goal threat.

The thought of Benno in our most key creative spot scares me. And we are great at conceding late goals...plus the curse of the ex...I can see why people are predicting Palmer to spoil the party in injury time.

Looked a stupid move then, to me. That said, Mowbray watches every single u-23 game. He knows these players. If it comes to us using youth team defenders, that will be on him for better or worse. If they prove they can slot right in or even excel, it was a genius decision. If they cost us points it was stupid. There's no luck involved either way, and if it comes to it then I hope nobody on either side of the debate tries to pretend there is.

Do we? In that position? Who the fook are they?

This discussion has utterly lost me...context?

You seem to be assuming I was looking to argue with you just because I quoted you. I can see why, but I wasn't.

First is better, but I'd still be plenty happy with that.

On the other hand we are still at what would probably have been our level now without any of it happening. The Venkys saga is only so nightmarish because the dream was so glorious. That and the farcical elements of course.

Yes if our own result wouldn't really affect us. Yes if it meant missing out on Europe or something. Probably no if it meant us getting relegated.

Not signed a professional contract yet? He's 20....

And if you needed someone to impersonate a donkey you'd favour Brereton? (Just kidding before anyone jumps on me)

That's damning, I hope you're wrong. If Brereton is a worse player than Nuttall and Butterworth then we really have dropped a bollock with this one. You're inferring he might be worse than one or two of the other attackers too? I can't quite tell.

I said we got Travis from elsewhere, and I know we pick up people who left other clubs, but if they've been here a while before playing in the first team then I consider them home grown. Lenihan was at Rovers nearly 4 years before he played for the first team. We developed him, and my point was about how we develop youth players. Not just how we develop people who have been with us since 10. Ultimately you get every player from someone else, that's half the point of grass roots football.

We have churned out decent defenders, mostly, from our youth system in recent years. Aside from Jones and Hanley we've had Lenihan, Nyambe, O'Connell (god that was a stupid sale), Travis (originally a right back yeh?). At one point Henley even looked a player, briefly. We currently have fringe or potential in the likes of Wharton, Platt, Grayson, Magloire. Seems like defenders have the best chance of breaking into the team from the academy. Only exceptions I think have been Travis (after converting, and nearly didn't get the chance to properly break through), Mahoney and arguably Nuttall (don't really count him the same as Travis...we picked them both up from other clubs but Nuttall was a fair bit older when we did I think, and made first team appearances quickly). I suppose if we are going back as far as Jones and Hanley there was also Hoilett.

Even Leutwiler and Antonsson wasn't really exploring the foreign 'market', as they both came to us from British clubs. Although foreign players over here are usually a bit better value for money than English ones, the real value is in foreign players still playing overseas in economically weak leagues.

Not a Rovers fan though, or it'd have been spiked with cyanide!