This is what i was getting at, the young ones signed so far might not have cost much in transfers but the wages add up. Both Bell and Brereton should have been loaned out long ago. 1 to free up a wage or percentage. The other to get some time under his belt and build his match strength. He doesn't like doing that with his signings that aren't working though. Chapman probably had to tell him where to go in order to get bombed out.

As was Bell, it's the long contract and efforts to justify them that causes problems if they aren't up to it.

Bell was a long term signing - He looks no different, better or worse than when he first turned up. Brereton was a very expensive long term signing - The jury is eating a lot of sandwiches and drinking a lot of tea on that one still. Chapman was a long term signing - say no more. So the cv on that approach is very underwhelming with this present regime. Maybe pages full of stats approach will yield better. Because the judgement hasn't been very good so far. Young players we produce ourselves tend to fare better or as well at least.

If you've got an Hons degree in it or whatever then there'll be a need to willy wave it around.

It'll be more fun, another plus is if we win and it wipes you out for a day or two you won't have to suffer Mowbrays gloating smirk and his disciples spilling out the woodwork.

That's about the size of it. Along with them probably being cheap on the commission front and having a few desperado's on their books.

A few of them might get into top 6 sides but very few of them would stay in going off what we see here. Then again it's all about finding their niche in a decent functioning team. That rarely happens here they don't get chance to find any consistency in a lot of cases. They way the team is run and the turnover of players off and on is counter productive to that.

In this instance it's understandable they might sell Armstrong and use what profit there is to balance the books. Hard as it is to swallow it's not unusual that side of it this time is bad luck. Still swings back to the manager though for pishing all that money away on two guys he can't make head or tail of. He should be potted for that but i think it might actually be something that helps keep him in a job. He'll be telling the owners he can adjust play again and make one of them shine and double in value. They'll probably swallow it as well. We all know though we are in the mire next season for goals if we lose him. Rhodes to Graham to Armstrong to what ?

They are happy to take huge losses and waste other millions if it's the right people in their eyes doing the wasting. Those doing it now want to cut it to impress the owners even if it means the club shrinking even further. Because their wages and bonuses don't so they don't give a toss.

Expecting similar although maybe more akin to the Coyle summer. A few good ones sold, others let go then cheapo squaddies and some over age odd ball waste of wage signings. Then into next season and Mowbray moving the goalposts every few months. Finally coming out with 'maybe we have to take a step back in the journey to take two forwards.. I think all the assumption from his first half season here that he'd have had us midtable in a full season with a diminished squad will be put to the full next soon.

Impossible to work with anyone who doesn't engage with fans. It seems to me they've been poisoned by the one's they seem to prefer to trust that fans are the enemy. Yet it's those they chose to trust who take advantage and rip them off. Not the supporters who more often than not end up being the ones who were right. Until they wise up to this and realize a club is nothing without its fans and start engaging with them there'll never be any real progress.

No not at all, this man is tasked with looking after his bosses toy so i'm afraid it should be him under the spotlight. It should be a very bright one as well. A bodyguard isn't going to make any difference, they didn't under Keans watch. If you want answers you go to the very top and its been made public this guy is the pipeline to Balaji. He needs rooting from the shadows finally he's had a charmed life whilst he's been here compared to others.

I think fans most fans fully understand that and its been highlighted as a problem. Someone like him isn't going to grow into the job and do their best putting the club first like someone such as Williams say. I reckon he'll just want an easy life and try and keep a balance between what those here say and what his boss says. Tricky job for him so probably best to always try not to upset the applecart either end. That sadly is no good for the progress of the club, for all we know he protects what's going on here and feeds his boss all the stats stuff. Shouldn't be anywhere near running the place, no wonder he hides.

I wouldn't know Pasha if i fell over him so as someone who's spoken to the guy what are your impressions ? If you don't mind sharing them obviously, understand if you'd rather pledge the 5th but i'd just be interested to know. As the resident enigma or Phantom of the Opera hiding behind curtains it's about time we got an idea of what he's like.

Yet people hurl out 'It isn't football manager on the PS you know' Oh yeah ?

But posts get removed again ! What happened to the right to reply ?

'Expected goals' Has to be the daftest thing yet, some need their ipads confiscating. Straight out of Keans distract everybody with made up nonsense handbook this stuff.

The Brentford model remember....

The ONLY thing that matters is results and league position anything else is just window dressing. This will be the kind of bluster Mowbray is feeding back to the owners crew, look at this we are nearly there. This time next season the stats will say the same, the results and league position won't say much different to now. How many times have we scored in a first half ? How many times have we gone behind first and lost ? How many games have we turned around or won late ? Where are the tables for these things that actually matter ?

Best description yet, the man would blame the air quality if he could get away with it. He's moaned about just about every facet of the club as a reason for never pushing the team on. God knows how he coped at Coventry with naff all. Even his beloved Boro where he's well thought of saw through him after a few years.

Instead of finding money for dud wages and extra transfer fees they should use that to change manager. Try and retain most of this squad and let someone try and get the best out of them with maybe a few astute additions that don't cost much. It's a no brainer, give him another few million in transfers and wages and go around in the same circle. Or pay him off and get some new ideas in. Either way it's costing them millions, they just need to get the recruitment right. That means thinking out the box a bit and stop looking on the HSH scrap pile. If we end up in midtable again so be it, we might move forwards after that. No different to flogging a dead horse as we are.

It's because they want to avoid anyone being accountable. Fans would demand Pasha front up to forums etc and want to hear from finance man Babu how it all really works. It's all really convenient when the shit hits the fan like now the real button pressers always have a human shield around them. Nobody knows who to blame really or go after.

Used to go with my mate and his dad this was the first season we had ST's, 1 adult & 2 kids in Riverside seats. Somehow though i or we contrived to miss that match. Night game maybe ? I remember being chuffed the following Christmas though when i got the Guinness Book of records and Garners name was in it for 5 in a match. Alongside people like Rush etc, was a big deal to a kid who was at school surrounded by plastic Liverpool and United fans. Still can't believe i didn't see it by typical of my luck !

Only Rovers fans could want a Royal funeral moving to accommodate a dead rubber game they aren't attending or some cases watching anyway. No wonder we are labelled hard to please 😂 They could cancel the season right now for all i care i think the sooner this one ends for everyone associated with Rovers the better. Everybody, fans, players, manager will benefit from a complete summer break from it. As for the game i vaguely remember us playing Derby on about this date way back, think it was a good Friday. Great crowd, warm sunshine and turned in an unexpected barnstormer to win 3 or 4 one. Only remember it because it was on or the day after my birthday and they won. Seem to piss me off around then ever since. Rovers 4 Derby 1 Armstrong 2, Gallagher, Dolan ( he'll be rotated to start with Elliot again, seeing as our manager shites himself having more than one lively flair player in at once )

Something i thought this season was project Armstrong, i think that's how this development coach (before he decided he was a performance one ) is working. It was all about Dack, he should've gone for big bucks but got injured. Then it switched to Armstrong, if he goes in summer i think they'll then focus on one of BB or Gallagher. Then we might see them playing a more natural position with play set up to serve whichever one it is. Whatever his ideas though it hasn't been about building a top 6 side and having a real go. That if it happened would just be a by product of what they are really doing, a bonus. It's always baffled me that there's never been a performance like today whenever we are in touching distance. Only when his hide really needs saving, very odd that...