5 minutes ago, Richard Oakley said:

Graham was available on a free.

Read it back properly.

Just now, roversfan99 said:

Not necessarily disagreeing with much regarding Mowbray but Lambert would not have spent 15m on strengthening the team, not successfully anyway!

Hmm I wonder how much Graham was worth if he'd had to buy him after the initial loan ?

A fair chunk of that I reckon.

Good stuff from @JoeH very interesting and backs up what I've been saying for weeks.

Mowbray started the comparisons with that lot last time he was rooting for a set of excuses. However when you do and you get down to the nitty gritty it does him no favours at all.

Of course there's a possibility they'll fall away next season. There's also just as much chance we'll finish similar to each other again midway. Yet give them 5 mill in summer & a few luxury loans I'd back them to be way above us. Give us similar again and I don't expect much difference.

Says it all, they push we dawdle.

Just now, Exiled_Rover said:

So you're for loans because they limit the financial damage our mediocre manager can do?

That's fair when you consider some of the money he's spent.

I'm agreeing with you on the expense just to finish midtable 

How many similar clubs would love the backing to pull in Downing, Tosin and the like ?

Reed last season.

All to underpin midtable stability. Shows how weak we are in other areas. 

3 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

I've zero problem with loaning players - it's how the football pyramid operates (money talks, bullshit walks).

I have a massive problem with those loan players not being ones that put you over the top.

We, essentially, loaned Cunningham, Walton and Tosin to finish a comfortable midtable last year. That's an expensive, short term option that doesn't really benefit the club.

And 20k pwk Downing and the 12 million boys.

Some can rant all the want about mid range budget. Fact it it costs this club and its owners a hell of a lot of money just to achieve mediocrity comparitve to some others.

Yet it's almost celebrated annually because they've now been brainwashed with the little old Blackburn Rovers line.

We know who and what we but that has never stopped ambition. Why settle for punching your weight when you've proved beyond doubt you are capable of punching above it.

What we have is a management and running setup designed for the former because it's comfortable for them. We also have ownership with more than enough clout for the latter. Just too brainless or brainwashed to have a real stab at it.

Just carry on filling mediocre pockets 

Keeper isn't a spot you piss around with trying to get cheapies in and grow a players to sell. Yet that's been the mantra since Robinson was costing too much.

It needs solid investment then it can be left alone for a few years.  We still bare the hallmarks of being a vehicle for agents.

I fear we could end up getting really desperate for a keeper given the current climate.

Another Boro rookie now

Nice lad, fit straight in, friendly agents etc etc 

wow what an ambitious forward thinking set of guys we have in charge. Warnock hunts for a proper keeper meanwhile.....

45 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

Bargain basement goal returns, top dollar prices. Excellent negotiating tactics.....

Marquee signings making a statement.

Clown tactics on the pitch.

43 minutes ago, Tom said:

So why did he keep playing him?

Most of us could tell throughout the season he was no good, his command of the box on crosses is decent and rarely dropped a cross but overall he’s poor 

He had the edge of Raya in that dept which is what was needed unfortunately lacked the cat like reflexes and had similar number of clangers and concentration lapses.

That was evident early on but it looked like he'd settled in well at one point so it was odd how he went right off the boil post lockdown. 

13 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

Looks like Phillips was a load of tosh according to Sharpe......

He's the decent name chucked about whilst they wait to be offered something cheap from the c list.

Like the 'defenders are coming' scenario Mowbrays rep hangs on this.  A good one in or lucky loan or it's a very black mark Tony not the sign of building a team or a gaffer who knows what he's doing. Just more finger in the dyke hope for the best stuff.

1 hour ago, Herbie6590 said:

Footballers use of tenses in reported speech...in a way that nobody in real life ever would....

”Well, he’s got the ball on the byline and he’s cut inside and whipped in one to the near post and we’re in front but the penalty changes everything and the ref...he’s seen it as a push and I don’t know where he gets that from but at the end of the day thems the breaks you have to deal with....Clive...”

That sounds like Kevin Keegan.

Just now, PeteJD13 said:

Said it before two untested and inexperienced loan keepers is a recipe for disaster. We’ve had 12 months to plan for this and our much vaunted European scouting next work, comes up with two inexperienced kids. It’s almost like we’ve learnt nothing in 12 months it’s inexcusably bad if either sign as first choice 

It'll come down to which agents push the hardest as usual.

What happened the last time we heard that about a Charlton player we were after ?

Either sign Philips and stump up the cash if they really want him otherwise move on. It's the dithering that ends up costing more in the long run.

59 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

The two " big strapping lads " we have up front at the moment make Kalinic  look like Alan Shearer ! What was that defender called we got from Rangers back in the day  ? Dawson  ? He was pretty average. I thought he came from Rangers ?

One worse than that  from Rangers was Stuart Munro, we spunked the town hall clock on him and he played ONE game for us. I think his signing was the final nail in Don Mackay's coffin. My claim to fame - I saw Stuart Munro play for Rovers !

Ill fated signings him and Agnew although i remember the fanfare, then the flop.

Dawson was another yet i don't recall seeing him play yet do recall the tales of regular sightings of him and Andy Kennedy on the piss everywhere. 

Just now, Richard Oakley said:

Pompey's owner, Michael Eisner is a billionaire.

But they've already stretched the rules if they did it the way the reports say so how does he give some of his billions to Charlie buoy without breaking them ?

It's still bunging money in to fund signings so they might as well just let him get paid normally.

So if Mulgrew is on 12 grand per week here ( it's probably more ) then they can only pay 1.5pwk. The rest is allowed to be covered in a loan fee.

A) Already clubs finding loopholes

B ) How do Pompey come up with over half a million quid in one go for a 34 year old ?  And surely if that's in installments it's just like paying him directly anyway ?

Chip paper !

Just now, bluebruce said:

Can we please stop arguing over who is the most/real ITK? Got to be honest, it's a little sad.

As usual it gets 'broke' after it's broke ?

Means nothing unless it's actually concrete in as far as bids and talks but fills the pages i suppose.

1 hour ago, Tugayisgod said:

Off topic I know but Rovers v Man City from 2000 on Sky Sports at 12 today

Classic match, but anybody remember the score? 

Is that the invasion game ?  About 4-2 to them ?

Do Indian lads like doughnuts and table tennis ?

It seems the TM way is to make early enquries to decent players but just half hearted ones. Then sit back and see if that player doesn't get any better offers and we are able we'll jump in late on and do something.  9 times out of ten they do or we just outright can't afford it anyway so that leaves us scrabbling around from list c or d.

The same kind of non urgent laid back plodding approach we see and hear week in week out. If we can do it we'll do it, if we can't then fine no big deal.

This might be way off the mark but i think we've been through enough windows now to gauge how they work. Horses for courses first and foremost is definitely not in the script.

To go backwards like that so quickly no i wouldn't tough him with a barge pole now. It was another experiment, its failed. Next.

2 hours ago, AllRoverAsia said:

That one was beyond nepotism and they weren't the sons of or related to a fecking shithead.

Maybe they even had some talent, I don't know, which that one most certainly did not.

Dalglish carved himself out a lower league career i think.

Miles kickaball isn't even non league standard.

Where does that leave the Lee Williamsons of the world and the other dross we signed on thousands per week under embargo ?

Guys way down the food chain earning 6 - 8k per week at the likes of Salford is nearly as bad as the top guys earning 50k pwk.  Some realism needed all the way through the pyramid.  They aren't all going to fit onto the Chelseas of the worlds books nor will they get poached by Dutch and Belgian second tier clubs.

32 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

I avoid the comments section of the Venkys mouthpiece, saves on sick buckets and tissues

There's someone sat in a PR office somewhere being paid to post in there and other places.