Eh?

In two weeks we’ve gone from Brereton on £8m to no strikers and bringing in a free / damaged CB cover. If it hadn’t been for Rothwell then this would have been a stinker of a window. It’s all well and good ‘relaxing’ or ‘trusting Tony’ but it’s becoming a bit of a cop out. If we don’t sign anyone the #trusttony movement will blame the market and say he was “right to not bow down to Forest and risk FFP”. If we spend £8m plus add ons, it’ll still be the market and it will be “a great deal - given the sell on”.

These Sunderland lads are giving us all a lesson in how to use a football forum. Some very well articulated posts even if the content is very concerning. Thanks gents. Sounds like Rodwell has lost the plot. Despite everyone saying it’s a cheap deal, this is a huge gamble for Mowbray. A plant pot who can no longer cut it could very much upset the dressing room. The only hope is that because he was so disliked at Sunderland he was afraid to play. Not sure if he was booed whenever he had the ball? But that doesn’t excuse him being a crap footballer, given the money. He just sounds like one of those players who epitomises “everything that’s wrong with modern day football “.

Our transfer dealings resemble an eBay bid. We won’t know if we’ve been successful, outbid or even met the reserve until the deadline is up.

FFS. He played three games for England 5 years ago! He played 5 PL games when season MC won the league. He moved for 25m because of... Man City. 15m to join them in a window when they spent 16m on Javi Garcia (Who??) and the rest when they sold him. Let’s hope he can rediscover some of the form that he had at Everton because he has been ? since. Trouble is he’s played an average of 9 games a season in the last 11 years. If Tony can get a tune out of this lad. He will be the first!

He just sounds exactly like Jason Lowe.

You can also buy a claret and blue edition.

All those bibs are the same colour!

Just give me a sec, Rev...

Just the kind of signing we need. One who doesn’t play! Or...

England international? Three call ups and we all laughed when Bumley signed Joe Hart! The deed is done now. Nobody is going to get on his back during a game - not immediately anyway - but he has it all to prove.

Tough games like this are why other games become must win.

After promotion and, by most expectations, a decent start to the new campaign we really did not need a signing to divide fan opinion. From @MackemInPeace comments we have just brought back Jason Lowe. The difference with Lowe was that he was made captain and the first name on the team sheet by clown shoes (although Bowyer was also seduced by his ‘work rate’). I’m clinging to the hope that Mowbray will only use him as cover for CB and sees him as an improvement on Downing. However, if he displaces anyone - especially Rothwell - to shoehorn him into CM then I will be very disappointed. Equally if Travis has to go out on loan to make way. We started the window needing improvements to the first team - we still do. Mowbray wanted to keep the faith with his League One side and bring in reinforcements. This one smacks of a huge gamble on a has-been just because the numbers are right. Although he will not be on peanuts by any stretch.

It absolutely is down to him now. It was down to Big Tone a couple of hours ago but he must really be struggling now for the D or E list candidates. If he’s a bad egg then the cost of him will be less important but you have to wonder what kind of a drop has he had to take and what motivates someone to go from the football equivalent of a CEO salary down to minimum wage? This is a massive gamble. One of the things Tony has done very well is create a great team spirit - the second half last night showed that. I hope this lad doesn’t bring an ego or sulk with him. This guy could be our Leon Best or Bradley Orr. Not the kind of signing I thought Mowbray would make.

A balanced objective post about a topic you will no doubt feel very passionately about - backed up with facts. That won’t go down well on here but I certainly appreciate it. Thanks. Of course, someone will be along now to tell me I’m talking nonsense (or being negative) and their post(s) will get lots of likes from the herd that we now have on here since the Rovers official messageboards closed down and the blue and white goggled types migrated over here, while the edgier posters set up their own fan site in response and promptly cleared off. Cheers.

Maybe we need to listen to them. It’s not what he used to be like or what potential he used to have that matters. It’s what he can offer now.

Desperation signing.

He was the fulcrum of the side last night. Another reason not to want Rodwell.

Rodwell? No thanks. However, based on Mowbray’s comments it sounds like a done deal: we need to give him a chance and it’s really cheap. The one position we are stocked up on is central midfield: Rothwell, Evans, Smallwood, Travis, Bennett, Travis, even Whittingham hasn’t left the building yet. What happened to our budget?

We’ll find out one way or another soon. The only way to prove we have a sizeable budget is to spend it I’m afraid. If we don’t then it was never really there in the first place. The flip side to that is that if we do have it we might end up chucking it at the last ones left when the nightclub house lights go up. Not sure which is worse: having the money and not spending it wisely or not having the money at all (again).

Gotta love that one. Well done. ????

First half went: OK Surreal Bad Dreadful

What a player we have picked up here. It’s early days but soon we talking about building a team around this lad. If not already! I didn’t see a weakness in his game tonight. His work rate, reading of the game, pace, tackling, first touch, composure, passing were all top drawer. He was the best player in both halves. He could be the hub with Evans as his foil and, Dack, Lenihan and Graham making a flux-capacitor-shaped spine. Best performance I’m seen from a Rovers player in a long long time. Reminds me of a young Matheu Flamini.

In other news, how bright were those advertising hoardings. Surprised there wasn’t a power drain up Highercroft! It was like a George Lucas production!

If the first draw felt like a defeat, that one felt like a win. Absolutely astonishing comeback. We could even have won it! Masterstroke by Mowbray to switch him inside and bring off Smallwood at half time. Brave and positive and what a difference it made. A second half fuelled by adrenalin and powered by Joe Rothwell. That lad was magnificent and it was so refreshing to see the MoM be correctly awarded instead of by default to the goal scorer. Nyambe - fantastic! Graham - fantastic (he was devastated at the end that we didn’t win it)! Conway - great cameo always showing for the ball and driving us forward! Finally Nuttall showed glimpses of what he is capable of! A decent mini cameo from Samuel. This could be described as a game of two halves but really it was a game of one half. Heart rate is just about returning to normal. We are still short in the squad and it was by sheer will and determination that we grabbed a point. That won’t last and there will be some walking wounded tomorrow morning. For now though - delighted. ??????