By and large its been gash and needs binning off as plan B is always hoof it and plan A is often hoof it towards Gallagher on the wing. There's no revolutionary style coming from these lot its classic second level stuff. We've always looked better pressing in the faces or counter attacking but they don't seem brave enough for that very often. They want safety first tip tap that allows rotation, people out of position and youth in there all designed to get people mins and increase squad value. The manager and others on here ewould throw up stats it works over the season and we've finished a bit higher. No saying that another style wouldn't achieve similar though either and maybe just better. Everything here is geared to just play it safe though and hope for the best. Before we know it this team will be dismantled and we'll be throwing together odds and sods of another with another period of good chances missed.

If he's well connected there could have been the promise of something on the table all along there. Hench him not giving a toss about doing much this season. All about who ya know.....

How could it diminish it though if he's playing and playing well the lge 1 stuff would still be in his resume. He might then have a few decent clubs in for him instead of the desperado's. With that goes the chance of a better contract it's called putting yourself in the window and showing you want to play and have something to offer. It's an age old method in football and sitting out your contract doing nothing is an age old red flag about attitude. Sorry bud but by your theory very few would bother going out on loan it's not rocket science players should want to play. There must be something in it that contractually suits Smallwood and fair enough but it isn't a good look to potential suiters. Especially someone of his age who has a good few years left.

If there was no twitter & insta etc there wouldn't be as much celeb culture but these lot have a 24/7 platform on which to gather young clueless disciples. I'd say its still thriving and not only that there's money to be made out of it. It's the way things are so they probably feel they have to be in it any decent player these days and any pretty tv person is instantly a brand. Just the way things are now and in 5 years or so it'll be something else.

How high is his stock when he lost his place to a novice at championship level and hasn't kicked a ball for the first team in a year or whatever ? Also you think clubs don't take notice of a player happy to sit out and soak up wages ?

Smallwood drained 5-10k pwk for a year seemingly with the gaffers consent after being told it's highly unlikely he'll kick a ball with the first team. Surely they won't let Mulgrew do the same on double that. Just think about this when we are told we can't find the extra few grand a week for a keeper on loan or something. Mowbray should pay off these out of his own pocket ! Wouldn't be so generous to his mates with his own money.

No surprise though his missus is a D lister celeb and they are interested in that side of things it's clearly the world they live in. If it's what makes them tick then the happier they are the better he should go about his job. We've seen the state of him when things aren't going well at home and the spring in his step when they are. Might get a bit of profile for the club as well.

Can't remember how it all started with Hendry but it was in the days fans and players had humour and interacted without fear of being banned or fined in their case. Used to do it at the beginning of most games when the chant went up but i think the club put the dampners on it when the crowds and profile started to rocket. Still did it on the special occasions though !

Investigative journalism ? Give over more chance of dinosaurs returning. I think what JH is getting at is the local rag has long been known to toe the club line 95% of the time this last decade. So no reason to think they aren't doing here with a little bit of get the names out there. Their aim is to sell papers etc so news is news whether it's what fans want to read or not.

I just think with Wharton like one or two others have said if we are blooding youth, have no money and need defensive back up surely you'd keep him around. If there's a good fee on offer and potential add ons fair enough and i don't think he's going to be a top player but maybe good enough squaddie for mid table championship slogs.

Cover for wanting Williams in the mix instead he's been saying that about Wharton for 2 years now i'm sure he's managed the rough and tumble of lower leagues ok. Mulgrew isn't exactly hulk hogan and neither was Lenihen at first. His face just doesn't fit for some reason he probably refused some drizzle cake or something.

Similar things this season with 'oh we replaced Nyambie with Elliott for this game because we thought he could.....' Pecking order rules here were some other clubs like Fulham take players because they have a particular strength then try and get the best out of it. Cairney was another example and even Raya at Brentford they wanted a keeper of his style, were willing to take a punt on the flaws because he fir their system. The set up at Ewood always seems to be geared to just accommodate players and get them games. Which makes you wonder what the remit really is and who lays it down ? Where is the actual strive and drive for the top 6 !

Indeed you did but it's probably best to go down the Sherlock Holmes route.... We are after a GK, LB, CHx2, RB, Centre mid x5, Striker, drone flyer and they are on lists A, B & C so let's all get excited ready to be disappointed. However we've tried for loads, no names though until they've signed somewhere else. Some call it the Nixon system. Can't say those doing their mates a favour with the PR haven't earned a drink though.

Combine him and Mowbray and there's a good manager there. Lacks a bit of experience but makes up for it with a brave no nonsense approach. Exactly what seems to be missing here.

Reed getting big plaudits as a defensive mid in Fulhams good season. That kind of thing sums up our current set up, pecking order and favs come first yet he's good enough to go in there and do that for Fulham. Why ? because he's a damn good player, better individually than anyone we have but no chance he'd displace anyone here. This is why we'll never move on in big enough strides.

Some might say it's too risky for them to do that so more likely a slow death and another ten years then no one will give a stuff anyway.

The raping of the club in all its gory detail. I'd have forensic accountants and the FBI going through that lot if i could.

His face doesn't seem to fit somehow but you'd think for this season he'd be cheap able bodied back up even if it's 4th in line. Might surprise a few if he gets chance.

The rumours are they always want to go for it but seems they might have been talked into the slow build instead. Which is double talk for give us time and we'll grow your investments to sell for lots of money. The slow build is the slow boat to nowhere but if sales eventually recoup enough to pay for it all they'll not bother in the slightest. You'd think at least one of them might be a bit more ambitious in their thinking though.

As far as Tosin is concerned i think another season here would do him the world of good. It should be a no brainer for then unless he can get a gig at a Prem club who'll give him games. On this seasons evidence he should be capable of coming on leaps and bounds in a team and enviroment he knows. Add some urgency and improve on his defensive side of his game and there'll be a player ready to step up to the Prem next year. Failing that an ambitious champ club with money might pay a good fee for him. I'm not keen on growing players for other peoples benefit but given the situ we are in and Mowbrays aversion to buying good run of the mill defenders it's probably the best option. If indeed it is an option which it probably won't turn out to be.

White, Talkshite and the rest all fed or feed at the teet of affiliates of you know who. No other station or reporters worth their salt would even mention Kean unless their wheels were greased he's biggest football no mark in history to retain any kind of news worthiness.

I also think that there is still a lot of window dressing gets done to create the illusion of potential big signings and ambition. That was around long before TM and i'm cast iron sure that some of the names we often get linked with he would jump at signing if there was any real chance of it. He might rotate the life out of them if he did like.

If it's a good one for a million pound loan fee plus wages why waste money on a permanent one when you can spend it on another wide forward or midfielder. It's only a goalkeeper after all, they only fetch 3 million these days.

You should start another business blowing up balloons pal ?

Ha ha at what ? Iv'e been on here years and so have you, i'm still waiting........