He looked lively but final ball was a bit suspect.

There's no break clause so we've got no choice.

Pears is rubbish, isn't he

I expect the latter.

Sounds like a very good signing! A shame that Nyambe will be going though.

I completely agree. Although I also think it's way too early to be thinking about being in the prem next season, the odds are still stacked against us. Let's hope we're having this debate in the summer though 🙂 For what it's worth, I don't think the current crop of players would be anywhere near being competitive in the Premier League. I'd still take promotion though!

Would be a very shrewd signing if true. Has a huge amount of talent but he's lost his way. It's not so long ago he went for big money and he's still only young. Plus out of contract in the summer too so Good potential for a permanent deal if he does well. We're not in the market for players who are at the top of their game, that's unrealistic. We need to find talent and "polish them up" as TM would say.

I actually think Rankin-Costello is a better fit for the right wing back role than Nyambe. It's a more attacking role he's being asked to do now whereas his strength is defending. If we were to lose any of the out of contract players then he'd be the only one I think we could get away with without impacting the team hugely. We simply cannot lose Lenihan or Rothwell this window though.

A lot of our fans would have said that about Brereton 12-18 months ago...

We need different options. A lot of teams will come to Ewood and put 11 men behind the ball.

Better than Dolan and Gally imo.

If we can get Maja and Burke in, back up CM and RB cover, and keep all of our players then we'll have had a very good window. Burke and Maja could give us that extra quality to maintain our promotion push.

Our club is a business to Venky's, they'll take 25m for Ben in Jan if a bid arrives. The better thing to do without doubt would be to keep him until the summer and then sell if we don't go up. The only way Venkys will get any ounce of money back from this club is by getting promoted but I don't think they're smart enough to realise that. They'll be thinking about the Dack situation and losing out on 15-20m that we'd have inevitably got for him if he hadn't got badly injured. They'll be thinking what if Ben gets badly injured like Dacky did and we miss out on another 20m. From the players point of view, would any of us turn down a move to a prem club if the opportunity arose? We have to hope a big bid doesn't come in. Sadly I think there are a lot of prem clubs who desperately need a striker and they will make an offer we can't refuse.

Back in training. Not in their plans so needs to move.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Maja sign for us on loan in Jan. He was in the building on deadline day only for the deal to collapse last minute (injury?). A loan with a view hopefully as I think he has a lot of potential.

Dare I say it, but that was the performance of a promotion winning team. We knew when to attack, when to sit back, when to try and nick the ball, when to hold off and get the second ball instead, etc etc. It was perfect. The team has matured, we've found a formation that works for us, and have a fine striker in Breo. Keep our best players fit and we have a chance. Pick up injuries then results will become patchy again. Jan transfer window is crucial too. We're doing amazingly well and I have cautious optimism, but I know there are a lot of things that need to go our way to sustain the promotion push.

I think that's a bit harsh. I remember that our transfer policy previously was buying players who were past it, then paying them off with large sums of my because lo and behold they were completely past it. Its actually quite refreshing to see our players being in demand by clubs in higher divisions. I do agree though that the defence has been neglected and that the club has been run atrociously. Bad decisions have led to huge debts but I also think big annual losses are the norm for most clubs outside of the top flight and the only way to solve that is to get promoted.

It's funny how things can change so dramatically. I remember a lot of fans on social media a year or 2 ago saying we should just cut our losses on Breo as he's useless and never gonna make it. Now there's uproar at the thought of selling him for £20m. All credit to Ben for turning things around. What it does show is that the transfer policy is working. Buy young players with good potential and sell them on for a big profit, then re-invest back into the squad. Sadly the last part of the equation doesn't seem to happen though.

Brereton out for 20m and then Maja + 2 other quality players in and new deals for key players = a very good deal. But my concern is 20m in the coffers and a loan replacement. Personally I think Breo is having the season of his life and we may not see this kinda money for him again. There's no doubt if the reports are true then we'll accept 20m. We won't turn down that down for a player who won't sign a new deal and who cost us a big transfer fee.

It wasn't a set piece though, was it? 🙂

The defence was outstanding today and, indeed, for the past few games. I don't think I've said that about our defence for about 10 years! Having 3 centre halves has transformed us as a team. We look so much more compact and resilient. Much better than the gung go, wide open football we've seen previously where we've needed to score 3 to win a game. We've got a genuine chance of getting top 6 this year, but Jan will be a key month and what we decide to do in the transfer market.

I agree, I'm not convinced Diaz has another season like this in him so I'd cash in during the summer (but not in Jan). Armstrong is a better player but he's really struggled to make the step up.

We shouldn't sell anyone in Jan imo. If we lose Lenihan and Rothwell for free in the summer then so be it. The fees for them in Jan won't be significant anyway. Nyambe we're guaranteed a fee for due to his age. Diaz has 18 months left so sell him in the summer. I think he'd do well in Spain but would struggle in the prem. Our Jan transfer dealings will be looking at those who are free in the summer and prob a loan or two. The emergence of Wharton, who is future captain material, should soften the blow of losing lenihan. Butterworth is the ball carrier who can step into Rothwell's shoes, and getting a decent RB to replace Nyambe shouldnt be too difficult. I don't begrudge any of them for wanting to further their careers and earn more money.

A decent point on the road. In the past we'd have huffed and puffed trying to find an equaliser and prob concede a second late as we chased the game. Still expect us to go on a 5-10 game run where we completely bottle it but I'm enjoying where we are in the table right now.

When did they last win a game at home? We’re a great team to play if you need a win. We’re a soft touch.