rovers11

Awful half. Miles off it. VI got the starting 11 all wrong and the worrying thing is it was pretty obvious to most that wasn't the right line up.

Very clear VI does not rate Tavares, Pickering or Ribiero. Surely 2 out of those 3 to come in today surely would have been the natural choice. Instead it's square pegs.

Oof that looks a mess of a line up but hopefully VI knows what he's doing

Well, well what a change in fortunes. Honestly, I felt we were down and out after some dismal results and a complete lack of championship experience. 3 games later and we're looking transformed. Solid at the back, dangerous going forward, comfortably beating 2 of the best teams in the league away from home, and the new signings starting to settle in and look very good players at this level. All the more impressive that it's been done without Cantwell, who is by far our best player. The change in formation has been a game changer. Just suits the players more and keeps us tighter at the back. Of the new signings, Alebiousu has been a real find. Has to be one of the best RBs in the league right now. Miller is everything I like in a defender, McLaughlin is a cool head at the back, De Neve looks good at wing back, Gudjohnsen is firing, TGH is a workhorse in the middle, and Mori is very industrious. Still think there's more to come from him. Tavares and Henriksson yet to shine. Toth and Wharton injuries are a worry. Ironic that Toth could have sat on a deckchair all game last night as he had nothing to do...yet gets injured. There was always a danger of Wharton picking up an injury playing so many games in quick succession.

Other results mean nothing when you're a millions miles off being competitive in this league

I didnt think we'd ever find a worse manager than Steve Kean but kudos to Pasha and Gestede in their data driven approach to finding one. I genuinely think we'll effectively be down by Christmas. Sad to say I no longer watch the games as this is a shadow of the club I know and love.

These owners deserve league one and that's what they're getting. What an awful squad of players, awful board, and awful manager.

Good first half. Well on top but lacking quality. De Neve has been excellent at wing back.

I don't think our current results are entirely down to VI, the issues are significantly bigger than the manager. However, I don’t think he's up to the job either. His results since coming in show that, as does his poor managerial record before coming here. For me, Tony Mowbray coming back is a no brainer. We're now back in the same state (actually much worse) than when he joined the club first time around. He's skilled at stabilising clubs and getting them back on track and that's what we need right now. He's a very safe pair of hands who would get far better results than VI.

Really looking like VI is horribly out of his depth, which is perhaps not surprising given his managerial record. We went for the cheap option so this is what you get. Below average squad, below average manager. If you look at someone like Charlton, for instance, bang average squad but excellent manager at this level. Makes a huge difference. If you look at the shape of the team when defending counter attacks, it's horrific. We're so exposed and get overloaded. Poor coaching. Hard to really feel it deeply or care too much as we know this is Blackburn Rovers in name only. It's certainly not the same club I chose to support 30+ years ago. We're a mess at every level so it's no surprise results are dire.

If it was the other way round, I suspect that may have been the decision. The bigger clubs, if you can call Ipswich that, have more power.

Lots of factors in their favour now: - Huge psychological advantage - Superior squad, they should beat us 11 v 11 most weeks - Likely to be in an evening game and we do not do well in those as we cannot rotate our squad like they can - Gives them a chance to build up some form. They will be near the top come the end of the season and will inevitable click at some point soon

Not surprised by the outcome, but the only outcome that should have been made is that we start the game at the same minute it was stopped, with Ipswich starting with 10 men. Ipswich will almost certainly win the replay so we've been robbed of 3 points.

I think that bit is incorrect in what I shared. They will still get a suspension with it being a red. I think yellows get wiped but I'm not 100% sure.

In English league football (including the EFL Championship where Blackburn and Ipswich are now), the rules are pretty clear when a match is abandoned: The result at the time of abandonment does not stand – unless the league specifically rules otherwise (very rare, usually only if the game is abandoned extremely late, e.g. after 90 mins + injury time). The game is usually replayed in full, starting 0–0, with both sides having 11 players available again. Any goals, cards, and the match situation at the time of abandonment are wiped from the official record. So in your example: Blackburn’s 1–0 lead wouldn’t count. Ipswich would not have to finish with 10 men. The game would be rescheduled and played again in its entirety. 👉 The only exception would be if the EFL or FA chose to let the score stand (e.g. if it was abandoned extremely late and the outcome was effectively decided), but 80 minutes is still short of that threshold — so almost certainly, it would be a full replay.

An early assessment of the season so far is that the majority of our new signings are pretty good and more than capable at this level. We are not as bad as we think and look to be on course for a mid table finish. Lots of dross in this league and certainly looks to be 3 worse teams than us. Goals and creativity remain a concern so scoring the first goal in games will be crucial.

Excellent win. The new boys - Mori and Gudjohnsen - impressed massively. Look a step up from what we already have. Carter and Wharton rock solid. Downsides were Tavares and the huge gamble of taking Tronstad off when we're protecting a lead.

I agree, and that's what worries me the most. If we don't gel for many months then we could already be looking at an uphill battle post-Christmas, which is also when we tend to struggle anyway.

I think the squad is potentially stronger - but it will take many of them months to adjust to championship football and that's the real problem. We've sold solid championship players for, in the main, foreign imports who have more footballing ability and athleticism but are completely untested in this country. It's a gamble for sure. You need to build gradually and allow those imports to learn the ways of the championship before throwing them in. Instead, we have no choice but to throw them in at the deep end. Many other teams have bought proven talent who will be far more ready to hit the ground running.

I completely agree. They're not the problem at all. We've seen it countless times in the past with those running the club being scapegoats - Shaw, Agnew, Waggot. The list goes on. Did anything improve when any of those left? Of course not. Just like nothing would change if Gestede left. I don't blame them at all for the transfer window, I blame the owners entirely. What are you supposed to do when you're given one of the lowest budgets and wage structures in the league. I actually think they did a pretty good with the players they brought in and were hamstrung with the players who left due to our wage structure. And, as for those long standing staff that were asked to leave, you only have to see the bitter posts they've made on social media since to illustrate the kind of characters they are. Toxic.

Gueye is nowhere near good enough but I would have waited until Jan. An injury to a striker and we're down to one option up top. Unless we're in the market for a free striker. Bamford or Dennis would be an upgrade.

From the NW and I would assume wants to move back up that way.

Whether Dawson signs or not, it shows we're in the market for a free centre half which is very promising. Hopefully we bring an experienced one in as I think that changes the make up of our transfer window dramatically.

Would likely think he turned them down due to location. Certainly wouldn't be down to wages or ambition. Great deal if it happens. An experienced head is badly needed. I don't think it would take him long to get fit. He's a player that reads the game well which will make up for his lack of game time.

Maybe this thread is not dead yet...keen on signing a free centre half according to Nicko Edit: Craig Dawson