If we'd strengthened the defense further, brought in a good back up keeper and a goalscoring central striker or able bodied target man i'd be expecting top 2. Not taking into account covid and a glut of injuries but as it is i think it's good enough to be knocking on the top 6 door finally. Still too many weak areas to be talking top 2 imo including the mentality at times.

It was after last lockdown but not going into this season apparently or at least not the twice a week it was. Utterly ridiculous given the circumstances no idea who's to blame but it really lies at the EFL's door again. Closely followed by the clubs themselves it's not rocket science to have the brains to keep implementing it whilst it's still rife.

So the first thing that should've happened was everyone who works at the club and lives in the BB area should've been tested. Regularly. Maybe they have but doubt it i think the fact a lot of the football staff and players live all over the place it'll be the same at most clubs. Plus the chances of them all doing as they are told is slim knowing footballers. That's before they start mixing it with other teams and all the rest that goes with games. The EPL should have kept the twice a week testing rules it's gross incompetence to drop it if they have.

Lack of investment ? He's just bought them a new training ground. Underwrites probably their biggest wage bill ever. And is seeing them through covid. And people say our fans moan ?

We proved it plenty as well when we came down as have a few others. Some of these clubs with bigger budgets will have players they don't really want. Many of who might not want to be there just sat on big contracts going through the motions. Also still paying off others and paying back borrowings. Too simplistic to pin it all on that given all the variables that go into it.

I think there's a few angles on it - the smaller the budget the better the manager you need if you want more than water treading. The bigger the budget you might get away with someone not great as they'll have enough at their disposal to jeep you competitive despite their flaws and cock ups. However it often needs a big man with big balls to do a big job. If you want to drive it forwards properly you need a very good manager whatever your budget. Have we ever had any real success here without employing a real good one ? If you want quality you have to go after it and pay for it, Jack knew that it was his business philosophy. Get the best staff, pay them well and expect them to do their jobs well. If they don't then shake hands, no hard feelings pay them up let them go and find better.

When it comes to the middle clutches of clubs budgets aren't always the be all and end all. We have a clutch of young players stepped/stepping up over recent years that don't really factor in that. Cheap wages, no fees, academy budget separate from 1st team etc. How many clubs of our ilk are funding a 3 mill per annum Cat 1 academy ? It's paying dividends in recent seasons so surely that gives us an advantage over a good few. As long as they get used correctly and continue to progress of course. What would it cost to recruit that back line on Sat even from the lower leagues ? Not that they are anywhere near the finished article but its providing the manager of BRFC his own talent pool to pick from Theoretically surely that adds to the budget.

Exactly. Players on thousands per week sat at home because they 'might' have been in contact with someone who might have it. Not that I'm saying it's the case here but the piss will be being taken by some. Test them then test them again a few days later. If clear get back to work sharpish. We've enough backroom staff now. Drag one away from his video screen or drone control and send them round the country PPE'd up testing our players.

I agree top 2 is a fantasy top 6 is the realistic aim. Even that is a fair jump from 12 th so personally I don't see us quite making it. Just want to have a proper go at it not just hide behind the slight improvement line. He's just got 4 from 6 in a difficult situation so the platform is still there. He's good at that kind of thing though but when it comes to putting the foot on the gas and keeping it there less so. This is I feel is very much his defining season.

If you're getting a 12th placed budget year on year and finishing around there fair enough. If teams with 15 th placed budgets are finishing above you year on year though then maybe it's time to look at what they are doing. Or even their managers. Significant progress needed this season over a marginal gain. At some point soon there'll be a strong squad to pick from. In truth the first 11 should more or less pick itself. It won't though and that's where we'll fall down if we do and that's why all eyes are on him now.

But he has to get the best 11 and some consistency. That's were people get concerned but he deserves credit for putting it together. Time will come he has to get a tune out of it and cut with the rambling and romancing.

Great to have players like Buckley on the back up coming through and being able to ease them into games like that. Personally i'd never expect an academy player cutting his teeth to be a game changer what you see from him is what he is, a raw novice finding his feet. When a manager pays a big fee for a player and puts him on a big contract then quite rightly the expectations are there. They are there to be shot at sadly for them and the manager but everyone knows the script it goes with the turf, always has. However it getting put about on social media that lads like Buckley are being talked about behind the scenes as 10 million pound players also raises unreasonable expectation levels. A bit silly and can do more harm than good imo as we see reading some comments. For the record that isn't a dig at anyone in particular. Just seeing these 10 mill and highly rated comments but so many in the past have been talked about similar only to turn out to be far far away from it. Acts as more of a red flag than anything.

That Gallagher one is a wild comparison though and maybe world class would've been a better term for the previous point. Definitely not that but as far as English strikers go Cole had proven himself top class for a number of years. You might not end up at little old Blackburn post Jack if you're a worldie but you wouldn't have been one of Man Us main strikers for a number of years if you weren't Top Class either. You pay for what you get if you know what you are doing. We got what we paid for. Fergie was a ruthless manager not much of the sentimental stuff there. When they were around 30 ish he usually moved them on.

Cole was a class striker Souness played a blinder getting him here and we paid 8 million for him and probably about 30 grand per week, massive fee and money back then. So to say he wouldn't have ended up at Blackburn if he was class is a bit wide of the mark. It obviously made sense to him beyond football reasons as well. The competition in terms of good English strikers was quite high then and he was an out and out poacher type. As we know you have to tailor your game to them.

Because he's more mature and settled that leads to being able to read the game better. He must also have a very cool character considering he's switched country as well as club.

Credit where it's due he got a tune out of them today but that's his job and this is his squad and it's a decent size now. Yet again Kaminsky looks the part very good signing. Pears as number 2 less so i hope the number 1 stays fit now.

To be fair to Pears he's still a novice but the experience of Kaminski really shows and that's what we've been missing for years. Doesn't matter he might not be a worldy but being calm and mentally solid will go a hell of a long way between the sticks.

Never the same after that Gwyneth chucked him though, busted flush as they say.

Great result and shows this squad can still provide a team good enough to match and better others. That what it is there for and why the excuses don't always wash. Pleased for Brereton he's stepped up today, very welcome win in typical TM back to the wall fashion. The wall being on here he obviously keeps an eye on it ?

35 year old Downing offered more last season than Evans usually does in 2 or 3. So yes really is time to get rid.

He should be sacked instantly if he pulled a stroke like that.

Evans international

Well he didn't tear up trees at top level but he wasn't really a disaster either, he certainly isn't Coyle standard and he hasn't had a team bottom of league one or two after ten games. If the dice was rolled just for the sake of it as a few would like then we could certainly do worse that's the best way to look at it. He fits Venky's remit in such a way as he's been sacked / resigned recently and out of a job so no compen ! He might not turn out to be a massive improvement but i doubt he'd ruin what TM has built overnight either.

He might be a twohat but wouldn't wish that on him and it won't do his head any favours, even he is only human.

Agree i think i'd take the hit on any of those that are touch and go for this match, give them time from now till after the break. We should still have enough to get something tomorrow although nothing is guaranteed it's still a game you'd expect a point or three from. If Evans plays though i expect another shithouse effort whilst he keeps himself safe for the Internationals !