Is Waggo still on furlough ?

He seems to have followed the line of directors under Venkys and suddenly fallen off the radar. Must be all those players they know we can't afford taking up his time.

8 hours ago, K-Hod said:

Still find it absolutely amazing some were re writing history on how poor Joe Nuttall was.

That's why U23 level can be very misleading.

Decent U23s stepping up and recruiting decent potential to replace them. Nothing wrong with that it surely the right way to go.

Only caveat being not at the expense of ready made 1st teamers for the weak positions.

48 minutes ago, OssyLad said:

Turns like a barge and gets caught in no mans land 

At left back...

At Center half ball watching in the box his problem if he sharpened that up he's decent back up. 

They can and have played some decent stuff under Mowbray and it's rare we get walloped at home by anyone. It's just in his nature to implement a boring safety first core style of play which is a shame as this squad when on its toes can be quite vibrant.

The style is as the manager does though.

They just don't seem to allocate funding like that i suspect stuff for Ewood gets allocated out of matchday takings/STs etc whilst the football pot & wages come directly from VH group.

Sure someone down there once said something along those lines in regards to ground maintenence. If not and they'd rather wet nurse certain players than have a good pitch it's even more farcical than we thought. 

Doubt it's anything to do with FFP either.

If only we'd signed Bauer when we should've done !

Some kids prefer other clubs show pony's costing a fortune for a season though i suppose. All for a midtable meander, still whatever floats your boat.

To compensate it would be very nice to have Tosin back now but that ship has sailed i suspect along with the alleged million pound loan package.

4 hours ago, Wing Wizard Windy Miller said:

I'm sure the guy is decent but our pitch was shocking in the 80s too, prior to Patrick when we had no money.  The pitch is the frontline of the business. First thing you notice on TV.  Also has a major impact on the first team playing style. Clearly you can't make a silk purse out of  a sow's ear.

 

Depressing stuff. 

It did get voted best pitch a time or two back then to be fair.

Weather/climate is bonkers these days so couple that with a dose of thick rob Peter to pay Paul penny pinching and lockdown and this is what you'll get. Another example of the set of clowns down there being to dim to realize lack of necessary investment ends up costing far more in the long run.  Team, management, stadium now pitch they'll never learn it's like the govt with the potholes in roads all over the country.

I remember the pitch used to be completely relaid once every few years it was deemed a necessary evil but ever since these lot turned up it just gets reseeded. Never the same over a season even if the weathers perfect and it also means it needs doing more or less every summer.

New pitch etc costs big money, several hundred grand probably but ffs surely it's kind of THE most important thing for football club as far as i can tell the game is played on it. How much does Waggot cost and what exactly has be brought to the table since he turned up ?

Apart from cementing the managers position even more that is.

5 hours ago, Vilesinner said:

BB is much better value at £6 million indeed.

Reed is no better than Travis.

Is this Rovers recruitment dept account ?

27 minutes ago, unleaded said:

Here’s Hoping TM didn’t have Kipre in mind when he said we are close to signing a player  ... 

The headline gave the impression that it was very imminent but by the end of it he was saying in one or 2 weeks we hope to have something ... typical TM ... He did that with Jones at Liverpool .... 

No idea what he and Waggott do till 8pm every night at Brockhall ... 

 

Clock up the overtime expenses 

Just now, OnePhilT said:

So... Who is our first-choice right-back?

I'll refer you to the mutant willy line. 

27 minutes ago, OnePhilT said:

My God, that's some hindrance! Mowbray is a mutant! ?

My understanding is that last season was our first whereby Nyambe was first-choice right-back. I think Mowbray sees it that way, too. Whenever Nyambe isn't starting these days, it's because he's injured.

Phil what are you watching man. 

He dropped him not long ago and said he felt Bennett would bring drive and verve to the game.

Don't be so selective with the memory.

1 hour ago, OnePhilT said:

Has it? I think it's widely understood that Ryan is one for frequent injury niggles. Not sure there's anything amiss, really.

Like I said Mowbray himself has said otherwise.

Nobody is saying it's amiss just the manager if he's honest probably would prefer other options. However he has to wee with the Willy he has but can't resist a tweak now and again even when there is no need. Standard TM stuff.

When Nyambe disappeared mid season a while back he was playing ok. Several different reasons where given.

1 hour ago, Miller11 said:

I think it’s ridiculous that you seem absolutely fixated on an unquantifiable, bollocks statistic when assessing our right back.

By your logic, Brereton contributed nothing to JRC’s goal yesterday. Despite the fact he ran the ball into a dangerous area and put the cross over, it took two players and a few defensive mishaps for the ball to end up in the net. He won’t be credited with the assist, but he was instrumental in the goal. You fail to acknowledge our strikers aren’t often in positions to get on the end of crosses. You fail to acknowledge Nyambe stays back for every single set piece... maybe because there is no simple statistic that you can trot out to suit your narrative.

Here’s a decent one from last season...

Points per game when Nyambe didn’t start: 1.25

Points per game when Nyambe did start: 1.54

I think you are preparing yourself for him leaving, in the knowledge he is in his final year and Mowbray seems to scapegoat him, so you can say

”I said all along we should get rid Nyambe he not assists enough”

He isn't the only one the sound of familiar distant PR drums are beating on this one.

A few of us have suspected for ages the first bid that comes in he'll be sold. The dropping of him sometimes has been very head scratching. Yet we are told Bennett just fills in there when Ryan is injured when it clearly hasn't been the case. TM to be fair has backed that up occasionally.

If he's in his final year and won't sign then maybe they are right to phase him out. To me though whilst he's here and he's the best right back he should play, end of. That's what he's paid for.

If he downs tools at any stage then fair enough boot him right down the pecking order 

2 hours ago, JacknOry said:

Didnt Smallwood refuse to play for the u23s?

I've noticed a few on here and twitter suddenly giving him the saint treatment in order to have a pop at Mulgrew.  He was offered the chance and turned it down but i think turned out late in the season for them.  Guy sat on his contract for 12 months rather than go on loan or anything despite allegedly being told at the beginning of the season he wouldn't be used whatever the situation.  Seems your ok to do that when you are a pal of the manager easing his own conscience with other peoples money. And some wonder why we don't take proper steps forwards.

I wouldn't encourage it all as before you know it you have 3 or 4 on your books like that just waiting for one to come good. Proven flawed approach for a club like us that often ends up in pay offs.

Lads fit and ready for action is the way to go like Dolan then at least you can get rid if they don't make it. Nursing others to the end of their contracts because no one will take them as they are is what holds us back.

Said 2 seasons ago the only reason i reckon Preston fell away was because of their lack of depth it seems the only thing missing. 

However they run a tight ship and stick to it they don't say one thing then completely pour millions down the drain on a whim doing the other. Having a proper structure and an owner in proximity is what sets them apart from here though probably.

49 minutes ago, OnePhilT said:

Is Charlie really on £20k a week? Seems like the wage structure has loosened up quite a bit over the past couple of seasons. ?

£16 grand was the figure banded about a couple of seasons ago.

3 hours ago, Paul Mani said:

Please see managers take on Smallwood and Mulgrew as a reference. Bennett has had his day at Rovers now. He’s a utility man who plays when there’s injuries. He isn’t first choice and is out of contract in the summer when he will likely be moved on or offered a year on reduced terms.

As I said, I’m not losing any sleep.

I'll go off what i see happening on the pitch thank you i gave up with the managers small talk a long time ago.

He looks like he's been in lockdown for 5 years that lad.

3 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

I wish my shirt buttons were worth £450k

Balaji's will be.

500K for the keeper...300k for yet another young inexperienced midfielder = 800k, wasn't that what Charlton wanted for the Championship ready Philips but we didn't want to pay ?

Some back tracking going on now it seems, stupid man.

Although i don't get why some twisted it that he's having a dig at fans but i suppose it fits the modern narrative of offended.  To me it was always clearly a dig at his bosses at the club.

33 minutes ago, TimmyJimmy said:

Forget Chapman, Dolan is the answer. This guy is going to be massive. We'll look back and think how the Hell did we every have this guy on our books. Preston have dropped a MASSIVE bollock.

Well we dropped a bollock not grabbing Gallagher back when we had chance and they've crowed about it since so hopefully this will balance it out.

2 hours ago, Paul Mani said:

Haven’t seen any cheerleaders saying Nyambe is crap. But I have seen some sensible people refusing to accept that Nyambe has been unplayable for four years and should’ve already made 200 appearances for the club.

Im sure if Tony had only noticed that he had a young Cafu in the ranks he’d have given him a 10yr contract! ?

Nyambe has great potential. We know this because he can be a 9 or 10/10...the problem is that he can also be a 5/10 too. I’m not losing any sleep on this one. 

You will be if Benno becomes first choice right back.

1 hour ago, Inglorious basturk said:

It wouldn’t be tony if he didn’t buy a midfielder he has no intention of playing 

Midfield already gets the ass rotated off it so might as well throw another in the mix.

Meanwhile we have to stick midfielders in defense and will only pay shirt buttons for a keeper.