Just now, JAL said:

Your not telling us much about Connor Thomson parsons. 

As for Mols reminds me of Jason Lowe lots of sideways passes parsons.

Any more on Connor Thomson ?

Don't know when you last watched Mols but he is nothing like Lowe at the moment.  Plays any number of forward passes and runs at defenders with the ball.

Thomson reminds me at bit of Brett Emerton in that he can play wide midfield or full-back.  Strong lad who can run at defenders and deliver decent balls into the box.  In truth he has been moved around a bit in terms of positions and it's really only this season that they seem to have settled on the wide midfield position (usually left midfield) for him.  Somewhat inconsistent and for me is a lad who needs to go out on loan to a League One or Two team to get some first team experience.  I can see why they have given him another contract as he does have potential but I'm not convinced as to how far he might go.  The jury is out for me which is why I would like to see him loaned out to see if he can do it at a level higher than Under-23's.

41 minutes ago, JAL said:

Who's Thomson parsons looked strong against a very poor Burnley under 23 team whilst Travis at right back didn't look anything special though I'll reserve judgement for now.

Connor Thomson is the lad that Eric picked up from Carlisle when he was released.  Plays wide midfield most of the time.  Travis is playing right-back at the moment because Nyambe has moved up to the senior team.  Travis is far better in the midfield role that he has occupied for most the season.  Hopefully Travis will be the next youngster to be given a contract, certainly deserves one for the progress he has made this season.  Travis and Tomlinson make a formidable partnership in the centre of midfield.  Keep an eye out for Stefan Mols who is just starting to move up to the Under-23's as he is a really talented attacking midfield player.

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

How did Butterworth played tonight?

What type.of striker is he?

Not the biggest striker, similar in style really to Joe Garner but not quite as aggressive.  He is quick and confident with the ball at his feet.  Has an eye for goal and finishes well.  Just starting to get some games with the Under-23's.  Certainly played well tonight and took his goal extremely well.

Just now, JAL said:

Cheers Parsons what went wrong at Wolves away when the likes of Nyambe Travis Mahoney played yet the under 23's failed to register a single goal whilst these lads are being looked on as potential first teamers.

Poor night all round to be honest.  First half it was fairly even with Tomlinson hitting the post and then the 'keeper making a brilliant save from him.  Second half Wolves took control.  Travis was literally kicked out of the game.  I think three yellow cards were shown for tackles on him alone.  Wolves capitalised on individual errors whereas we missed chances.  We do lack a quality striker at this level.  Never been convinced by Mansell.

Just now, JAL said:

You say winger parsons I'd say he's more of an attacking midfielder intesteresting is he being played in the right position I wonder ?

I'm talking about Alex parsons just to clarify.

Sorry Jal, I was talking about Tre.  Agree with you about Alex

Before Alex's injury thought he stood out amongst his group just hope he can bounce back though going out to Fleetwood should have done him good. As for the under 18's how's Tre Pemberton performing this season.

From what I've seen he seems to be progressing nicely. Needs to be given a run in the Under-23's at some stage to see if he can do it at a higher level. I like the fact that he's not afraid to get a tackle in and gives as good as he gets. Despite not being the biggest he's not the type to be bullied out of it. As wingers go he's got most of the attributes you want - quick, good at crossing and has an eye for goal.

How's Alex Curran doing these days parsons.

He's been out on loan at Fleetwood and I have heard he has had a trial with another club but is back in the fold now. Haven't really seen much of him. He had a nasty injury last season and I thought they might give him an extra year - as they usually do with lads who have a bad injury - but haven't heard anything as yet. What I saw of him early season looked quite promising but he seems to have been edged out and as the Under-18's are having a decent season I'm not sure how he will force his way back in.

He has his own style which hopefully if he can improve will become every bit as good as Dunny but what Parsons says about Joe is very true.

Chaddy Joe has worked in the main under Billy Bar.

We are in agreement at last Jal - long may it continue! Chaddy, Jal is absolutely correct in saying that Joe has worked mainly with Billy Barr prior to this season.

What kind of player is he PB?

Good attacking midfield player, or playing just off the main striker. Can score spectacular goals. He's better in the middle than out wide which is when he tends to drift out of games. The contract delay certainly impacted on his form prior to Christmas but he looked much better on Monday having settled his future for the next few years. Not the finished product by a long way but certainly one who would appear to have a bright future in the game. It would have been criminal to allow this lad to walk away so at least Senior has pulled one good deal off.

Good to see Joe Rankin-Costello signed up on a pro contract.

You make it seems as though they are regular starters in a struggling team I've watched them on and off through their development and haven't seen any improvement.

Blackpool league two Saturday will be about their standard parsons !

At the end of the day Jal nobody knows if any young player will make it or not. The only way you find out is by playing them and giving them a decent run of games to see if they sink or swim. Thus far both Nyambe and Raya have impressed when given the chance. Both now need a run of games to see if they can sustain that improvement over the longer period. Where we differ is that you want to get rid before they are given a chance and that I don't understand. As Tyrone said earlier in this thread, there have been numerous youngsters who we might have thought didn't stand a chance of making it and they went on to enjoy very successful careers. Likewise, I've seen youngsters who I thought would make it and they haven't for whatever reason. In the past the Rovers have paid big money to bring the likes of Watt and Fitzgerald into the Academy - long before Venkys - and they have failed to make it. You only have to look back at team sheets from Academy games over the last ten years to see how few players actually make the grade at any club.

Promising ?

Really !

You their agent ?

You clearly don't watch them.

Would agents talk about players this way questioning their the players capability to perform to the standards required.

Two very average foreign lads brought in by SEM Kentaro linked local agents. I'll spit parsons can swallow.

Well that's one good thing that SEM Kentaro have done if they have brought us these two promising young players.

Can Nyambe head a ball parsons ? YES

How many successful tackles does he make per game ? PLENTY

From the hundreds of players that have come through the Ewood door over the past six years wouldn't say there gave been too many good players would you parsons.

But then building a good team to win trophies isn't in the current plan at Ewood jus mOving players in and out.

Scousers and jocks out right now would you say parsonsblue !

Repeat does Liam Feeney put a tackle in ?

Clearly, I look at it from a different perspective. I'm interested in watching players develop and some will make it but the overwhelming majority won't and that has always been the case. Just look at the number of players registered with the club at the Football League in the 50's and 60's and look how many actually made the Central League team, let alone the first team. If you have a hang up with folk from Liverpool or Scotland, or indeed, footballers from abroad, that's your issue not mine. I have no problem about where a person comes from. As for Feeney, he certainly wouldn't be in my starting eleven but then neither would Conway.

It's also very important that the supporters should know who their agents are.

Why? If a player is a good player I'm not bothered who his agent is.

What good do the likes of Ryan Nyambe and Raya bring to our English game ?

Two very promising young players, as Rev says. Personally I don't think the Rovers can have too many promising young players like these two.

Brian Hill. Mm, that's damning with faint praise Parson. Not the worst left winger we ever had but a million miles from being the best. I take it from that he's predominently left footed. Do we play him on the right as is the fashion these days ? I shudder to think what Hill would have been like on the " wrong " wing.

In fairness, Mahoney is really a right winger. For some reason he reminds me of Hill in his style of play. Like Hill, he is tall but he's not the most robust of wingers, doesn't like a tackle and his decision making, at times, is somewhat indifferent. On his day he can be excellent and is capable of scoring spectacular goals but, like Hill, his good days don't come along all that often and he can really frustrate when he gets into good positions but fails to deliver a decent cross. But he's young, unlike Hill who was at the end of a pretty decent career, and has time on his side. Having said all that, personally, I think it's time he was given a chance to see if he can cut it at first team level. He needs to be playing against better opposition to see if he can cope at a higher level than the Under-23's. If we are not prepared to loan him then we should give the lad the opportunity to prove he is good enough. We made the same mistake with O'Sullivan who was one of the most promising lads to come out of the Academy but we didn't give him the opportunity when he was playing well and then he started going backwards in terms of development.

Who's Mahoney's agent and who's Nyambe and Raya agent parsonsblue ?

I don't know and I care even less Jal. I'm just glad we have Nyambe and Raya and I hope Mahoney can develop and follow them into the first team squad.

I'm not old enough.

Thing with Mahoney is that he hasn't yet been given an opportunity. He has been messed around quite a bit though. Thought he had his chance under Lambert and has been gone backwards since Coyle came in.

It irritates when young lads get a game playing with poorer players and expected to perform. Give them a chance with first teamers - especially when they have been in and around the team for so long. It's not lack we are doing well with those players deemed better than him.

I wouldn't disagree with any of that. The only way you find out about youngsters is by giving them a chance. It's beginning to work with Nyambe - who looked much more confident on Saturday after a few games under his belt. Youngsters will make mistakes but that's how they learn. There is a limit to how much they learn in the Under-23's after a season or so. I'd be more than happy to see Mahoney, Tomlinson, Doyle, Travis, Platt and Wharton be given more time in the first team alongside the likes of Nyambe and Raya. We have some decent lads who have done enough to deserve a chance with the first team and, as you say, it's not like the senior eleven are exactly pulling up trees with their performances.

No mention for Mahoney?

He certainly had a better game today than last week. I don't know if you are old enough Stuart, but think 'Brian Hill' and you get a picture of Mahoney.

Excellent second-half performance today. Stokes and Platt both scored two and in the second period we looked on a totally different level to Burnley. Brown and Platt were superb at the centre of defence whilst Travis and Doyle attacked well from the full-back positions. Rankin-Costello looked good after his recent dip in form and Tomlinson worked hard in midfield. Stokes, after an indifferent first-half, looked much better after the interval.

Havn't read the 170 other posts but JIM FRYATT gets my vote. I'm voting on the basis of a player who had a reasonable number of games not someone who was picked just the once and abandoned.

Jim was a bit of a cult hero at the time. Certainly the best header of a ball I've ever seen but we didn't really play to his strength - which was in the air. On the ground he wasn't the best by any means. His diving header against Norwich, when he came on as a sub, remains the best headed goal I think I've ever seen. For me, Frank Lord, was the worst I've seen but there are a number of contenders from that era - Les Chappell would certainly run him a close second. A little later there was John Aston who Iley signed to replace Waggy. Aston was playing from memory when we signed him.

I must admit, I thought the JW looked more full than it had for a while. The BBE was sparse and the DE deserted.

It's a long while since I have seen the JW upper as full as it was yesterday. Clearly reducing prices in this stand has an impact on numbers moving from other parts of the ground. Last season there were rows of empty seats behind me but yesterday it was quite full.

Under-21's had a convincing win against Charnock Richard today. A number of last year's Under-18's showed up very well as did a couple of the trialists. Charnock Richard have a nice set up. Tidy little ground and a decent clubhouse.

Excellent news. Stokes and Graham will be a major plus in any fight against relegation. However, we still need more, particularly if the likes of Hanley and Marshall depart, but thus far I think Coyle has made a decent start in the market.

Thanks. I was thinking it would be slightly unfair if Rovers lost their Category One status due to not having facilities owing to planning difficulties in the Ribble Valley. I imagine that numerous other clubs with purpose built training facilities in the countryside will face similar problems.

I don't know whether it has been answered yet but would Rovers' U21s be eligible to participate in the Football League Trophy next season? I know they only mentioned 16 clubs with Category One status competing when there are about 20 odd with Category One status, so presumably some are going to miss out. Will there be a qualification process or will they just allow the Premier League clubs to enter teams and not clubs like Rovers, Reading, Wolves, Norwich, Brighton, Fulham and Villa who have Category One status but aren't in the top flight.

It seems unfair to me if Rovers' academy, along with the likes of Reading and Wolves are excluded from the competition just because the senior team is in the Championship when we all have equal status in terms of academy standard. Hardly fair on the young players in the Rovers and Reading academies that they will miss out on playing in that competition, especially when Rovers and Reading's Under 21 teams both performed quite well and better than a number of Premier League clubs last season.

I suspect it will only be Premier League clubs as the Premier League are putting another million into the prize money pot. I agree though, hardly seems fair when some Championship clubs performed better than their counterparts in the Premier League at Under-21 level. Also, I'm not sure there will be 16 Premier League clubs with grade one status now that Villa, Newcastle and Norwich have been relegated. I make it that on last season's Under-21 competition that there are now just 15 clubs, including Middlesbrough, with category one status. So unless Burnley and Hull have achieved that level over the summer I'm not sure how they will get 16 clubs.