Not now maybe but if we fall out of the 6, and that's looks distinctly likely, I can't see him being at Ewood next season. I was going to say Venkys surely aren't that stupid but instantly withdrew that thought.

Yep, we'll do well to beat Preston at the moment. 😂

To me he's a number 10 but then so is Dack and Rothwell. He needs to play behind a front 2 ideally. Our lack of central strikers is a the root of this. We are an unbalanced side.

You're illustrating what I've felt for some seasons now---the most interesting battle in the Premiership now is who goes down--the League of Fear! Leicester gave us some fun for one season, now its back to normal. If West Ham made top 4 that would be a change but I won't be investing any emotion in it!

Well if he's signed up to a long-term contract with us, then that's all we can do. Doesn't matter what his agents say, we can let him go when it best suits us and reap a huge transfer fee! All this is in the future and I can't wait to seem him in our first team when the time is right.

Can this be confirmed? When you read that Chelsea, Manure, Spurs and co are all seriously interested in the lad, I need to be reassured!. PS--let's not run down that contract Maggot!

Another player we won't see much of I suspect. And the sooner one of these big clubs snap him up, the less we will get for him. Sickening.

Who knows? They are totally erratic and unpredictable. The idea that they would act against the manager's wishes isn't particularly out of left-field for them is it? Back in the day Balaji was rumoured to be picking Kean's team for him. I seem to remember the famous "Dossier" having something to say about that. We've just been unlucky, of all the billionaire families in the world we had to get this one!

Yep, my take on it too.

He regularly played centre-back for Norwich before we signed him. Was centre-back at Ewood in that famous 7-1 thrashing! And again when he went to Chelsea and couldn't score.

and pay him the wage his talents will attract elsewhere. That's where the problem will arise.

and he's always injured.

Not the greatest Gav. Mark Hughes over him for a start. I'm not going to make a list of them though. Different times, different circumstances and all that.

I blame all those as well! We would not have been relegated but for Huddersfield though. In a way I shouldn't complain, next season was great!

Kenny broke the English record for a player ---twice!! Sutton and Shearer. Sutton the highest cash transfer at the time. World record for goalkeeper as well. He spent well but he did spend millions---unprecedented at the time.

I blame Huddersfield not Mowbray for that one and I wish them the worst luck in the world.

I had this thought the other day----if Gallagher took the penalties he'd have 11 goals and Diaz would have 15. (I might be slightly wrong on the figures) I appreciate that Ben earned some of those penalties himself though!

Its really a matter of whether we are comparatively stronger or weaker than Bournemouth.

The room, the elephant---in! Best I could do without a verb!

You're assuming Rothwell will play at the same level he's been at. For all sorts of reasons, that might not occur. Not least will be the reaction of the fans.

There's clearly been a breakdown in communication JBiz between Ewood and India. As others have said this is amateurish and needs sorting out. Shouldn't happen given they have their rep in situ, but they're welcome to borrow my phone and click the FACETIME APP!

He may go because other clubs want him but he may go because the owners don't want him. Obviously they are/were at odds about Rothwell. Mowbray said a week or 2 ago that the owners were adamant Rothwell would not be allowed to go this January and they weren't interested in the money. However he then went public on the benefit of selling him and buying players who would bolster the squad. I don't see the owners as a forgiving lot, on the contrary they are almost feudal in their demand for loyalty.

Parachute payments really make the difference eh? Not when we got them though! 😂

I did say in my post that the atmosphere within the squad has gone some way to getting us where we are now. It’s been commented on time after time on this board this season. so suddenly it’s not a factor?