Souness was another who had his favs i remember him shunting Lucas Neil around at one point just to have him on the pitch. Just a bit grim when you feel you have to leave out some of the better players just to get a bit of respect and prove a point because ultimately it's the team that suffers. Hit them in the pocket instead and get them in for extra training and threaten breach of contract if they refuse. It shows a bit more balls than just dropping them then probably using a line 'we are trying something else today son' when they know the real reason.

Absolute classic over thinking as usual there and some wonder why we still get strikers out wide and somebody else shoved up top who does jack shit. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he's just keeping everyone on their toes but echo the sentiment just get them in. They are already been talked of as good players they don't need to sit and learn anything just get them in. JUst the Dolan effect alone from some of them could get us 3 or 6 valuable points. Let the opposition bother about them instead.

Bit of tough love from Tony there, nowt wrong with that.

Yeah I do think there's a bit of that but there's no Tosin now to ping decent balls over Rarely worked anyway you need class and Gally is a long way from being the Champ version of Roque Personally I think it's more to do with his willingness to put in a few yards. Bad do when you've to spend so much just for that

He absolutely knows but he's lumbered himself with a 5 million pound dilemma.

Nagging feeling we are hitting another of our sticky patches it has a familiar feeling to it. Hit on something that works well and have a few wins then something forced or unforced crops up. Change it, hit the skids, no points, then go back to all out attack and a winning run again. Watford 1 Rovers 0

We'll go nowhere continually persisting with Gallagher in any sort of wide right role these are the fine margins. You just knew 100% bringing him on nothing was going to come of it. Needs to be in the middle attacking balls put in front of him to be any real threat. If you just want someone tracking back then at least put someone there who might just do something going forwards if there's chance. At 5 million quid though and probably 15-20k pwk everyone had better get used to it because it won't go away.

Indeed, there's an international stepped in to take his place and our central midfield dept is now stronger than its ever been at Champ level under Venkys , even before the latest recruits. So somebody has to get a tune out of them.

Leave him on the bench till then !

You let your international allegiance cloud your view of Evans 75% of his time at Ewood he's been pish. The run you keep referring to is in the 25% and he plays further forwards for NI than he does here a slightly different role. He can do that and that's why showing like yesterday are annoying although he's probably just doing as he's asked. His best efforts at Rovers usually come when the team in general is playing well and it lifts him never once i can recall him grabbing a game by the scruff or being a driving force. Better when he's paired with Travis or similar but as we saw for years with him and Lowe or Williamson games are almost a non event with 2 defensive mids.

9 goals in two games and 2 clean sheets was pretty decent entertainment. Just got to write today off as one of those days. Hopefully this revert to type is a brief step off the wagon due to stubborn opposition.

We nicked games like that with the likes of Rhodes we really need a poacher in the ranks as well imo.

Welcoming new managers is something of a Rovers speciality.

Yeah i can see that i was thinking about 9th with the new recruits and same as last season before the signings. Difference being i think we'll genuinely flirt with the top 6 at times but ultimately fall some way short.

No better than Mowbray according to a few here ? He'll have them in the top end this season if TM finishes above him we'll have done very well i reckon.

We still don't really have any game changers on the bench and you know bringing Gallagher on is going to yield nowt. That's a role Dolan might be better suited to now opposition scouts have sat up and noticed him. I think Chapman struggles at this level and always might but it's good to see hin getting a chance at least.

Sooner or later they'll realize that whilst he can continue to probably make modest year on year improvements he'll never make that significant jump. The backing he's had now is the best any manager under them has had including that scumbag back stabber so they really need rewarding with a serious push. Not in his dna that though he's a plodder who'll limp us up a place or two but that's it. He's a platform builder not a serious conductor and he'll leave something decent to be built upon.

Rubbish today typical after international break fare from Rovers. Do they spend it on the lash every time or something ? He's put them firmly back in their box after the early season excitement. I hope the thumb screws get turned on him a bit these season with the backing he's had the last few years.

Done it for cancer awareness to be fair.

Said all along Vs aren't bothered about that they'd fund it without fans permanently i reckon. As long as there was plenty televised publicity.

She must've threatened to stop making it if he didn't put his foot on the gas a bit.

They are doing it with not much money though, obviously decided to stretch it in the wages of as many decent loans as poss. Still only be a modest amount in the grand scheme of things. Very shrewd this time thankfully.

At the bookies before they close down, backing Rovers for many a 4-1 home banker.

Except the 100 million from Jack included buying the club and increasing its capital, building a training complex then an academy. Plus assembling a promotion, Prem winning side, manager and coaches. Venky's first 100 million ? Well about 70% of it has gone straight down the toilet. Only since relegation to lge 1 have we seen anything at all of real difference from their money, long may it continue. The next 100 mill could make all the difference ?

I said he needed to pull rabbits out of the hat this season after the covid fiasco and blowing millions in other windows. Looks like he's done that and reiterates what was said before he's another of those managers more suited to tight budgets than having a pocket full of funds. Hope they all show their abilities now over the season and we are at least in with a shout of moving up from the middle of the division.