I think they cancelled the season right after he went there. Always been a fan of Vale, but I think he is a confidence player. Think I read an interview when he was younger that the coaches was working with his belief in his own ability. Attribute-wise he's probably been the most rounded striker for the U23 over the last years. Can hold the ball up, good pace and go past people. He's surely going to have a professional career, but similar to Butterworth at an age they need to kick on. Probably looking at a new loan for him, U23 will not do much for his development, also the Academy is looking to expose more of the U18 like Harry Leonard in the U23's

Think he was experiencing some of the same issues as Buckley regarding the physical transition from U23 to senior football. Has great quality and will surely have a good career. His loan probably came a year too soon for both parties to have the impact hoped for.

Ouch, forgot about that black spot, changed wording

Will be interesting to see how he get on there. Haven't been able to replicate the same for the U23 this year, so a change of scenery could do him good as well. Crewe should be a good match considering they play decent football and their youth policy.

To be fair, he has mostly played as winger. Think it was Wilder as Sheff Utd who used him as striker (only a goal to show for it, albeit a winner at Man Utd). More worrisome that most of his former clubs fans describe as pure pace and nothing else. Would think there are better options out there

Swap deals are "never" true. Too complicated regarding valuations and contracts. Doesn't make sense for Rovers to agree a fee before the window either. If they where to sell BBD an auction would be preferred to drive up the value. The Brighton loanees can alway be bought outright. That rumour haven't reached Twitter as far as I can see either

Could be Butterworth

Mitrovic and Solanke 😉

We have Edun and Davenport. Both are quite mobile, however none have the physical presence of Johnson. Too bad young Garrett is injured because he is someone who could be an option. Expect him to challenge Travis in a year or two. Unlike Travis, he is very good on the ball and can control the match in the anchor position. Although an excellent tackler, he tackles anything that moves and up with some rash tackles in positions not needed costing him a few yellows and red cards. Signals seems to be that the right back has signed. Probably impressed enough on trial although I expect it to be a short-term deal to see if he swims or sink. Seems like a punt similar to Tom White and Brad Lyons. Maybe not likely but some of these Irish guys flourish, think Preson had some success, not to mention Seasmus Coleman of Everton.

It's so great to see Buckley have the impact at senior level as he had when I watched him at U23 almost 3 years ago. B

I think the math is quite simple. The talk is Souttar joining in the summer, when Van Hecke is going back to Brighton and Lenihan is out of contract. That basicly leaves us with Ayala and Wharton as senior pros. Which is very light considering playing three at the back. Even if Lenihan stays, we are probably two centre light. Carter needs at least another loan to be ready for regular Championship games. Phillips is only 16, massive talent and will get chances.

He's someone who would greatly benefit from going out on loan and get game time. Too old to play U23, and doesn't really look motivated when he plays there either. There is potential there, but the decision making needs to improve. Moving away on loan, getting some stick from senior players for not passing the ball would do him a world of good. A loan is probably depending on us getting in some new players, as attacking-wise we're quite thin on the bench.

You are very much spot on regarding the formation which we have played over the last few games. On paper it's 5-3-2, but it's flexible. It's very much a formation that is setup for counter attacks. Defensively Ben and Khadra will operate at wide forwards, helping out the full-backs while Buckley will often be the first man to press centrally. When we win back possession, Breo and Khadra will attack the gaps/channels between the full-back and centre-half. Bucko excels in this role. He'll win possession defensively while being able to pick a pass to the advancing wide forwards. Defensively the formation helps us greatly, defence is almost never exposed as much of our attacks happens on the break, and with three centre-halfs there is less risk of of them being exposed on pace behind. It's very much a reverse from last season, when we tried to play a possession game with a high defensive line. Now we are playing like the teams we struggled the most against. A bit of credit to Mowbray for being pragmatic and maximizing the players at his disposal. A bit similar to the League One season, when he changed and went more direct with Graham as focal point and Dack picking up the pieces. However I wonder how Dack can fit in this formation? Probably the Bucko role, but he really need his match fitness to be effective.

Very much agree on most points, though I don't Butterworth can play the Rothwell role. He is a forward by trade, and I don't think he can easily step into a midfield role. He has some great qualities, but missed a couple of years development/maturing through a couple of serious injuries. He desperately need a loan to with regular playing time, with a manager and some senior players that will put some demand on him. You don't want to remove his swagger, but he needs to mature into a team player.

I think it's fair to say that he's not currently looking like someone who will step up to Championship level for the next couple of seasons. Restarting his career somewhere else would probably be good for both parties. He might spend a few years bulking up and getting experience down the leagues and make his way up again. Matty Platt is one example. For Rovers it makes more sense to free up his place with the younger generation coming through. Sam Barnes will return from injury, Phillips will anyway be fast tracked. There is also a couple of decent prospect for the U18 who needs chances at U23 level next season. I expect Magloire, Annesly, Saaidi all to move on. They can all make a career, but probably better to restart on another level.

Agree that it's hard to see him make it at this level. He looks at times like a midfielder being forced to play as a centre-back. His passing is better than his defensive qualities. Think he plays as a defensive midfielder for Gibraltar as well. Given his age and younger prospects on their way, he's probably on his way in the summer.

I have to agree that Yesterday's match was very poor by Rovers, esp considering the seniors players involved. Liverpool is not a great team at this level, and only one of their starting players had actually scored a U23 goal this season. They were far better organized, much more energy and played with a lot more pace. Far too many of the Rovers players treated it as a fitness exercise and it showed with a lot of sloppy involvements. Carter, Costello and Butterworth were really poor. Wharton and Davenport at least looked better in second half. McBride was totally invisible and looks completely void of confidence. Rovers improved with the introduction of Brennan and young Leonard who was able to ruffle the big centre half of Liverpool a bit. A lucky 2-2 draw as the penalty was very soft.

Their left back is Tony Gallagher, who is 22. Played senior football for Falkirk when very young before Liverpool snapped up a few years ago. One of many who won't make it at a top club, but good enough to restart down the league or Scotland. Problem for many of those players are that they stick around too long at top clubs playing U23 football.

That was Saidi. Awful first half with a lot of first team players not looking up for it. Garrett probably the only one looking decent, although he's already on a yellow for another for his trademark rash tackles.

I think that's a fair comment. There has been couple who seemed to have an agenda against him, but mostly people have recognized that he had some ability but question mark about being able to handle the physicality. Personally I've been a massive fan since his U23 days where he was dominating match after match, but I also thought he struggled more with the transition to senior football than I expected.

I understand your point, but there are some nuances to it. - The team that did so well last term was better as a team than individuals. It was also a team with a lot of players fresh from U18 football that adjusted well to U23 like Cirino, Pike, Whitehall, Garrett and Burns to name some. All have potential but there is a big gap to senior football and especially Championship level. Most of them will benefit from half a season more playing U23 and going out on loan. - The biggest problem this summer was that the club couldn't release players on loan because the senior squad was so low on numbers. That's why Vale and Pike went to non-league, because the transfer window was closed. Both are good enough for league football. The academy has brought through a fair number of players the latest years like Raya, Nyambe, Lenihan, JRC, Travis, Buckley, Wharton, Carter. Their transfer value should probably be equal and more than the running cost of the academy. There are also players like Vale, Butterworth and McBride who has some potential down the line, either at this club or through a transfer fee/sell-on clause. Biggest asset at the academy at the moment is probably Ash Phillips who looks destined to become a multi-million player in the future.

Pretty much spot review from watching the game on Leeds TV. Burns continues to impress, probably been the best player so far. Two excellent finishes suggest he is improving in front of goal, which probably has been the only critique so far. Ferguson looks like the best of the new bunch. The worry is that the team is leaking goals, very few seems to have the ability to sniff danger. They get hit on the counter multiple times every game. Without Whitehall and Barnes there seems to be a lack of leaders which is needed in such a young team. For me Annesly is not good enough for a centre-back. He is more comfortable on the ball than his defensive duties, which is probably why he plays midfield for Gibraltar. Bradley Johnson got his minutes without really affecting the game other then being responsible for giving a goal away. Probably not fair to compare this version to last year. So far it's been a lot younger and experienced side due to injuries and many players being part of the senior match squad.

Looks like the Brighton game is streamed live on Youtube for those interested:

10 goals, fast and nutmegs? Yes, I would like to order that. Nice confidence.

Injured. Him and Barnes. Mentioned by commentator last U23 game. Don't know for how long.