tomphil

It's all about crowds and ticket income we keep being told, nothing to do with actual owners ambition. Mind you they all live on Sandbanks and pay a 1000 quid per season ticket !

AA could slot into Breretons spot if he left but he'd not offer half the graft of tracking back Ben does which has been vital in many of our wins this season. I think people forget how one dimensional we often were with Armstrong as TM sought to get the best out of him.

We know that and it dates back too 2010, nothing has changed on that score. However it's genuinely bizarre to hold them directly accountable for what a manager does with players hes brought in. And for not signing something more suited to the teams immediate needs with the limited movement he had available. FOUR players allowed to be brought in probably the most in a Jan window for a while, not one was a success in the second half of last season. Despite the fact that at least two of them were decent players as they've shown this season, one here and one elsewhere played in his actual position. All that is at Mowbrays door, the end.

I can't understand why that gets swerved in order to pile everything at the door in Pune. He/we were good enough to get ourselves in that position and even stayed there comfortably for a long while despite turning shite. Mowbrays options were no doubt limited and the owners should have freed up some money and told him to go for it and he'd get a new contract if we finished top 6. However his hands were not tied he had options and he ballsed it up going for squaddies, back up and a development player. Absolutely classic Mowbray who for a few years previous had positioned himself right in that no mans land between ownership and team ambition. Forget promotion unless you have 100 million and reshaping the narrative that he was now a development coach only interested in lads individual progress. He could and should have bolstered the forward options properly just like he never addressed the defensive frailties a few seasons before. His mentality was never promotion or top 6 and that rubbed off on the team imo, just because the owners aren't on the phone with 5 million saying go for it does that mean you don't have a real go then just blame it on them ? Where was his own ambition ?

I certainly wouldn't let BBD go now for anything other than a big offer. From his point of view though a move to Everton isn't as daft as it might sound to some given their current position. Huge club, just up the road, big contract and maybe signing on fee AND a chance to play in the Prem right away. Struggling team or not it's a big draw and if they come down they'll be highly likely to bounce straight back and he'll have the prospect of scoring a bag full in this league then another crack at the Prem. I wouldn't rule it out from his point of view but i expect the Vs will want 10 mill.

I'd give Ayala another 12 months if the terms are favourable and we are pursuing this kids policy.

I think they just set the annual budget and whatever loose change is left can be used in Jan. Getting extra is down to whims and whoever manages to get in the right ears at the right time. Think that has always been the case and yep it ultimately stops at them if they have any genuine ambition they need to show it. I think we all know the answer to that one though, as well as the FFP stuff. However what bits there is to use and the players how they'e used when they come are firmly down to those in the dugout. Put the two equations together as that's is why we are where we are.

There are a few angles to approach the transfer drama last Jan but despite the fact we know there are bullshitters at the club belonging to the owners i'll never hang my hat on anything Coyle says. This man brought in Stokes for a start then he was trying his best to get a couple of his former players through the door at Ewood who were complete no marks. Remember the agency he'd never heard of ? His name was also on Wes Brown and Gordon Greer, combined ages nearly 80 combined wages god know what. So lets not be holding Coyle up as some beacon of honesty. As for TM well he also told fans not to expect the AA money to be reinvested then said the same when he thought BBD was about to leave. He then flipped the coin and told everyone he wanted to let Rothwell go and reinvest that money in a few players he had lined up. So what in gods name made him suddenly think if he'd sold Rothwell then there'd be money to straight away reinvest ? Nothing, he was just bullshitting because all he wanted was to help Joe get his big move and have the ' i developed this player' in his cap. Handy when pitching for a new contract then blaming non top 6 on having to sell a key player, Mowbray was full of cliched football excuses like a walking encyclopedia of it. What he did with the players he brought in - funds or no funds - showed what he was all about. How many people tried tell me Markanday was the forward option we needed but he got injured when i was saying why are they buying a kid like that when we are needing bods for promotion. Hirst has more pedigree than Markanday had he was never going to be anything other than another bit part development player. Sod Mowbray and screw Owen Coyle they both should be on their knees to Venkys for the money they earnt here and the chances there were given after being on the scrapheap.

I was going to mention that game as he looked like a really good signing then but like you say his instinct was balls in and cut backs but no one to get on the end. Once they drilled that out of him on the training ground he looked shoite then after professor yaffle decided he was actually a left footed right sider his confidence was shot to pieces. When you want to play with wing backs then you sign one of the best in the div why not play him at fucking wing back ? Going on about Mowbray again i know but the guy boiled my blood if ever there was a manager who shot his own team in the foot as much as that guy i'd like to see him. Fact is without his caught in two minds over complicating things for the sake of it because he thinks it follows his own principles he'd be a fine manager at this level.

It's just that a lot of those losses could and should have been avoidable. I agree though it's all about the points and i used to tear my hair out at Bowyer's unbeaten run talk when we kept drawing. Still, we should have a couple more points on the board and that will be key come May.

Last season and this season has provided the best chances yet to really ramp up the rectification process. Lets hope the true aim is to push on and not just float along. Next 6-8 months will show if there is genuine intent or not.

Not linked at the time but its been mentioned since that both Brittain and Hyam had been on Rovers list previously though not sure how far it went. I believe Brittain was one they were serious about for a while though.

I might be wrong but i'm sure the club was prepped for sale before that and it was always on the cards anyway. From the bits that have come to light since it appeared there was issues between trust bigwigs and family members as to where money was being invested. Going back to your original point about setting aside a separate pot i think that would have been somewhat limited to a few million a season. So we would have struggled to keep pace anyway but perhaps it would have safeguarded against the horror show of a lot of the last decade at least. Not sure where we'd be now if that was the case but i for one could have stomached a more organic regression than the one thrown upon us by this ownership and it's inept money grabbing friends. It was difficult for Bolton but these days there seems to be a totally different mindset and understanding amongst their fanbase.

It was a 'Trust' Fund and he installed those he trusted and who were best qualified to oversee it all and carry out his wishes. Not much else he could do and even if it was a separate entity some of the same would have been the persons with significant control. So it could still have been sold or folded if they saw fit and followed the legal process. They ALL let him down.

Probably quite straightforwards really if LCFC can organise another loan for Hirst they'll recall him and send him out again. Best for all parties imo If not then as you were, we wanted him in no uncertain terms according to Broughton so we'll have to lump it and so will the player.

Well we didn't need to do that for the West Ham game we managed to turn out a totally changed team...and win. Perhaps we should get rid of the squad players badly in need of games instead.

Yeah it was the strongest side available at the time.

Hark back to Wigan last season... Strongest side, heavy pitch, rough game, knocks, fatigue, injuries, confidence sapping defeat. All a waste of time considering what was happening in the league.

Part of the 'project' should be getting 11/12k season ticket holders back in the place if i was JDT i'd be telling them that in no uncertain terms.

Morton is a good player he's still a kid learning the ropes but my issue is the automatic starting berth whether he is good bad or indifferent. Alongside the fact he doesn't fit what we really need in there half the time but he'd look great in a team like Fulhams championship outfit last season. I agree with those saying we'd be all over him if he was ours and if he was free i think we'd snap him up. Thing is though if he was ours he'd be being rotated like the others so it's a bit unfair he isn't and the sole purpose is for us to develop him for Liverpool.

Youth team for me again please. We've enough players now with enough about them to compete with Norwich, so i'm happy to use these games as development tools rather than the league ones.

I'd also wager if you are recruiting these types for Bodo Glimt they'd look better in that league. Hirst seemed to have a good season a level below and i think it's obvious that is where he's probably best suited. Another season or two there and a bit more strength about him from regular games and he might be ready to step up. If he was one of ours coming through we'd look at him and say he needs to be more robust and needs loaning out to get games.

Well Bucko has apologised now on his social media although it was in a tweet praising the win yesterday. Just give us a run of disciplined consistent performances lad and it's forgotten about.

A lot of us have been calling for a Johnson style midfielder since pre season it was obvious for all the potential there might be in there we are far too lightweight. Plus in games players need a bit of direction and a leader but i don't think our 'leaders' off the pitch think the same way. Just like last season this side is only a few quality additions in the right areas away from being a strong team.

Thought we coped well today with lively opposition and a heavy surface. Neither team got going up top but we competed well all over the park, Garret did well although i was convinced he'd end up walking after the booking. Tactically and subs i thought was right today given the circumstances. Did fear he was about to try shut up shop again too early but we ended up finishing strong and kept looking to kill it off. Don't really care about performance if we compete and get something and today it was just about getting something. So so much better though with less messing around at the back and more forward balls. Hedges MoM for me