ElTwis

Interesting to see Andy Cole posting a photo with BBD in training today, I wasn't aware he was working with Rovers

Are they definitely sold out @superniko? I was only 6th in the queue by phone so it didn't sound like there had been a huge rush?

I managed to get mine, sounds like it was touch and go though. Will be my 8yos first away game so I hope he sees the rovers of 2 weeks ago as opposed to last week!

I think it's now mate!

Caved and got my ticket for this, its causing chaos at home with the match being in between 2 school strike days but it'll be worth it I'm sure. Going on my own so I'm heading back to the BBE (NO2) for the first time in at least a decade

Considering taking my 8yo to his first away game for this, just hoping tickets make it to general sale

Feels a good allocation but given the subsidised travel and size of the game what do we think the chances of tickets going on open sale are?

One for consideration - does Dack get back into this team when fit? I'm not sure how SS can be dropped, it feels to me he adds some agility and drive BD just doesn't have. That said, BD reads the game so well he continually gets himself into the right position to score so I think he's worth more goals. The last couple of games SS has been my POTM as he is at the heart of every positive move, add his personality and assign to that and I think dropping him would be a mistake. Another point to consider is whether BD should be extended by the extra year, assuming we remain in the championship and the rough guesses around wage (25k pw) are accurate then that feels a big chunk. Combine it with Ayala and we'd be in a position to pay the wages of a decent striker.

JDT has been hinting Dack needs a rest so it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see Dack on the bench. If Wharton is out but we're 5 at the back I wonder if it's Ayala or Phillips accompanying Carter and Hyam

A Club will still be deemed to have met the deadline if, even after the deadline, amendments are requested by the League to correct errors or omissions in the documents already submitted, but both the League and the FA will not complete the registration of the Player until the amendments are provided and found to be in order. This feels fairly relevant!

As others have alluded to, I think Brittain has to come back in. It looks to me that some of our problems stem from both left and right midfield having to double up at full back. JRC is an adequate 2nd choice but not fast or aware enough for a team looking towards top 6

Wouldn't it be amazing if the clubs failure in this transfer window led to the emergence of Leonard in the second half of the season - 15 goals and a 5 year contract using the wages we can't spend on LOB

I'm not totally sure about this you know, I think with a midfielder able to defend and turn quickly to attack ( on the transition as JDT has spoken about repeatedly) I think we'd look a different team

I wonder what sort of timescales exist around the appeal? You'd think rovers would be submitting a lengthy enough document that the efl would have to take a couple days to at least pretend it's given consideration to. The flipside being, LOB is effectively clubless and Rovers presumably can't make any free agent decisions without knowing what the wage bill looks like. Piecing together what's come out I assume we're saying the efl wasted half an hour asking about the impact relegation would have. We then messed up on the spelling of a surname which took it past 11pm and our argument will be we could have rectified that had the half hr not been wasted. If that sums up the appeal I think it's got no chance.

For me, the problem last night was a lack of cutting edge but more than anything this is a rovers team short on confidence. I can see it any time SG considers shooting, same with BBD and Morton. We need a bit of luck, couple goals to come in and let these players have a bit of freedom. One point that I know won't go down well but needs to be said - the booing was embarrassing and can only compound the issue. Dack and Thomas needed to come off, that wasn't a tactical switch it was needed because they were clearly knackered. To an extent I get the booing at full time which was more frustration than anger but again, this is only going to create an atmosphere where players hesitate before acting. I'm not saying we should be deliriously happy at all times but creating an atmosphere players feel comfortable in is massive and we are going the opposite way at Ewood right now.

We don't realistically need another cebtre back but I always thought Jones could be converted to defensive mid, before he left I'm sure he played there a couple of times. Stranger things have happened I guess although I've no idea how we'd get round the wages issue

Does anyone know what Nickos patreon actually says beyond the headline?

You'll get some grief for featuring Nixon I've no doubt but considering this is a free website I think you've done really well to negotiate it, well done JB and co

Yea I agree, putting something out along the lines of "don't worry, this'll be worth it Rovers fans" would help

If there was a late issue with O Brien we'd know by now. This is the club sorting the media bits ahead of a decent launch in an attempt to soften the blow of BBD signing a pre contract.

Got to be BBD on his way with Hedges switching to the left?

My thoughts on the game: As others have pointed out, a decent first half. We doubled up othe right to combat Giles - Hedges was key here and took a lot away from JRC so I thought an odd decision to give motm the other way. Gallery never stopped working but that first half miss when he skewed it 10 yards wide was criminal Dack ran a lot and switched with BBD which worked well to give us space but neither seemed to be able to get much creativity going on Hyam is superb, calm, solid, just excellent Ayala worries me in possession and too slow out of it. Pickering reads the game well and I thought was decent when keeping things simple. Buckley played some gorgeous passes but if we want him as a deep lying playmaker he needs to be alongside someone strong to break up play. This is where we lost the game for me, Buckley and Morton don't work well together. The red card was onviously ridiculous all round but i have a feeling last season Buckley kept getting bookings through silliness? Should Kaminski have done better for Boros first? I can see the benefits of drawing the press and then beating it with longer passes, that worked for the first goal and could have led to more but we have to have another option, especially when behind with 5 mins to go. Finally, when did we get a drum in the jack walker? First time I've heard it last night although i dont get to go as much as I'd like

This is absolutely abysmal leadership. You cannot talk about the players being young, inexperienced and struggling with the pressure of being a top 4 side whilst also simultaneously saying they don't want to win enough! TM said something a couple weeks ago that's stuck with me, it was along the lines of "who motivates the motivator after that?" In the context of a late loss (maybe Bristol city). Again, it felt like a complete absence of leadership, playing the "poor me" card is not going to motivate the team in any way, it'll just leave them floundering and questioning your decision making.

I'll echo some of the comments in here. If there's one thing needed from a manager in this position its energy - TM looks like he sucks the life out of any room at the moment. We need a different voice in the dressing room, someone positive. It's such fine margins in the league that we genuinely do still have a chance of playoffs, get someone new in now with 2 weeks to bed in. Who knows where that might end.

It's time now. Sad to say it but the dressing room needs a new voice. We still have a chance of the playoffs but it's clear that won't happen as things stand. His contract ends in the summer so it's not a huge financial issue, the players heads are down so we don't risk knocking their confidence, I don't think there's a downside.