Didn’t want to post this at the weekend because BBD was having a baby and my record is bloody poor nowadays but since we’re all hearing the same…

Good, someone needs to rock the boat.

By the same mandate if we can sign a player of higher quality for cheap because he’s got 6 months left, we should sign him and sell our potential. Portrous, Hyam, Wharton and Phillips can stay. Carter can go to Pompy for a fee and Barnes can go out on loan to develop. Although I think they’re signing Portrous to play defensive midfield.

Haven’t you considered his xG and xD and xA? What about his completed passes or his high speed possession retention numbers?

Not really, only the same rumours and articles every one else with Twitter has seen. But it would make sense, he would replace Hirst well. I think we will loan him and sign another from Europe. Probably from a relatively big club in a smaller league: Belgium, Holland, Turkey. Something like that.

I think Gelhardt is coming.

And I think that’s the big decision that needs to be made. Does he try to replace one of Morton, Travis, Garrett, Wharton and Buckley with a real demon of a central midfielder or does he give them time to develop and sign a striker.

Hasta I agree on all points - although if you don’t play Gallagher out wide where he does at least have some benefits (can run for 90 mins, can press, can be direct, happy to track back) then you can’t play him at all because he’s not a good striker. I just don’t think he’s as many options as a lot of you all do. The majority of the first team players and the majority of the squad are not good enough and he doesn’t have the funds to replace them all. So his only option is to develop our players, which takes time and replace the ones that can’t be developed over time with better ones… which takes time

Again, hopefully under the new model this changes. Ben wasn’t sold in the summer, hopefully because they realised without him we’d be as shit as we were today and wouldn’t have time to replace him. I’d be on the phone to every single club that have ever enquired offering him for £8M this evening if I was in charge before he signs for Villarreal for free and we have to watch Gallagher and Vale every week as his replacement due to having no funds. …but you could be right. It could all be the latest fuck up by Venkys. We’ll find out soon.

So what’s the solution? And you can’t say “go out and get XYZ to get us over the line this season” because that clearly isn’t viable. Any manager has to deal with a squad that has huge holes and question marks against it. It’s not changing overnight.

I agree, Maybe. But maybe they’re right on the edge of the big money Championship to Premier League transfer and our standout players taking us to promotion. It’s all a gamble.

I agree - and I’m equally as crushed. People might think the plan is insanity, but it looks clear as day to me. They’re plugging gaps, developing the younger players and planning for 3 years down the line.

I don’t think they are capable of getting something. JRC - not good enough Morton - not experienced enough Garrett - not experienced enough Vale - not experienced enough Gallagher - not good enough The only players in todays squad I would say are clearly good enough are Kaminski (who had a shocker), Hyam (who had a shocker) and Dack. Every other player in todays squad I think needs replacing or developing. Our wage budget is in the bottom third of the league. Our revenue is tiny compared to the majority of the clubs in the league. We’ve had to sell our training ground just to scrape through FFP after Covid decimated our income. The manager is openly saying we don’t have the same money as other teams. What are you suggesting we ‘strike whilst the iron is hot’ with? Offer 250K for Gyokeres? Sign Van Hecke for 300K? I’m sure the manager would love to go for it but clearly there isn’t the money.

Despite the result today, I’m relatively hopeful for the future. I’ve said all season we won’t finish anywhere near 3rd. The squad isn’t strong enough and the start of this season doesn’t accurately reflect a full season. I understand why the manager is playing down promotion chances… because he realises we have a very limited chance unless our first eleven are fit and firing every single week. I really think Gregg Broughton needs to have better communication with the fans to explain ‘the plan’ because I really think that ‘they’ (the DOF and head coach) are moving in a different direction and/or have a different mindset to the fans. The fans see us third and don’t understand that under the budget rules set out by Waggott, based on the limitations of FFP, we can’t do what sounds sensible in principle and ‘go for it’ despite our current position. So we’re back on ‘the journey’ - which is a phrase they should stop using because Mowbray has tainted it by sending us on a journey which didn’t ever look like getting us anywhere apart from potentially (although there where plenty of warning signs) the first 4 months of his final season. I think they’re sat around Brockhall looking at a squad for the 2025 season and saying: OK, well our squad will be made up of… Kaminski; Brittain, Phillips, Hyam, Wharton Batty; Garrett, Buckley, Wharton, Dolan Plus 14 others made up players we have bought ourselves and grads from the academy and that’s when they will be able to ‘go for it’ because the first team will predominately be made up of players we’ve developed ourselves, meaning what money we do have can be spent on specific players. As it stands we have too much shite knocking around to mount a serious campaign: Pears - has proven he can’t be relied upon JRC - has had three years of underwhelming displays despite his relatively decent form currently Edun - totally useless Mola - like Hirst has no future here after his performance against Burnley Vale - still can’t name one thing he’s very good at And too many players that have at best a question mark against them: Ayala - coming to the end of his career Pickering - Mr 6/10 Brown - not a standout at Stockport Carter - hasn’t shown us why Pompy rated him so highly yet Barnes - seriously injured Szmodics - can see why they bought energy but hasn’t stood out for us yet Dack - arguably our best player but 6 months on his deal, big wages and two huge injuries Travis - seems to have regressed Gallagher - at best a squad player, an expensive one Markanday - only glimpses shown so far TDLR summary I’m not surprised we’ve been smashed 4-0 by Rotherham and an inevitable crumble down the table is ahead of us. Our first 11 is good but beyond that we either have players with question marks against them or players proven not to be good enough. We don’t have game changing options on the bench and a few injuries opens big wounds.

Life after Brereton live on Sky Sports right now. Neither Gallagher nor Vale can be relied upon to score goals. We could have had ~8M to replace him but decided to go without.

Injured according to JDT

As far as I can see it, Rotherham have ‘done a Rovers’. They've not been the better team, but they’ve had two half chances and taken both of them. They’re well exceeding their XG and have sat back and defended their lead well. Sound familiar to anyone?

Vale and Gallagher off. Dolan and Markanday on.

Rathbone is playing really well.

Turn over and watch something else is my suggestion. Rotherham have done their homework, a high press combining with aggressive tackling. We can’t cope with that, it’s not how we’re encouraged to play.

That’s horrendous from Gallagher. That alone should be enough to sign a striker this week.

God I know we’re 9 minutes in but I just can’t see what anyone else sees in Vale. I’d much rather have Markanday or Dolan.

Have you managed to sort the video upload issue for us?!

It’s a very stretched squad that desperately needs strengthening

1942 is calling, they’d like their opinions back. For all you know he’s holding his girlfriends hand whilst she goes through a traumatic birth. For all you know they’re at risk of losing their first born and he’s struggling. For all you know they’ve struggled to conceive and this is the most important day of his life.