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 !

3 minutes ago, Mercer said:

"and could revisit the European market once again with a French ‘keeper among those to have been tracked at this stage".

Posted about this two or three days ago (and named him) and some dismissed as nonsense / random etc.................!!!

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.

22 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

Tin-hat time. Paul Cook for Rovers anyone? 

 

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.

2 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Unfortunately there's no point. The Rao family could finish us as a club if they woke up on the wrong side of the bed. 

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.

41 minutes ago, darrenrover said:

There's some serious commissions (££££££) in the quantity of that list!

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.

1 hour ago, phili said:

At any normal club with normal owners these things would be true.

I still struggle to see why Venky's keep us and if they want to get promotion why they haven't gone for it.

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.

14 minutes ago, Miller11 said:

I get the feeling that Mowbray and his team at Ewood and Brockhall do work very hard in identifying targets. I also get the feeling a lot of these never come to fruition because of the whims of our cretinous owners.

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.

1 minute ago, JHRover said:

We all know the keeper will be on loan. Its Venky policy that we dont spend money on that position.

 

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.

21 minutes ago, Paul Mani said:

I’m sorry, I was rude to you the other day. I apologise. What was the question again? 

You should start another business blowing up balloons pal ?

30 minutes ago, Paul Mani said:

Aww still upset I see..?

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

9 hours ago, RoversClitheroe said:

Seems cryptic. What have you heard

Don't fall for it it's just 'assumption' like the rest of us ?

Usually this time of year Rovers are allegedly enquiring about players we all know we can't afford.

Who'll be this year's - Whiteman ?  

4 hours ago, Gav said:

 

We finished 11th this season 

As BDS says above, giving the manager time may just work to our advantage, the sides got more experience in this league, the manager knows we have a number of weak links that aren't capable of pushing on, look to replace them.

Mowbray knows what it takes to get out of this league, we have to hope he can pull it off. 

He does and it's having a better budget than most others, a starting point of a squad with already Prem/good championship quality in it and being able to bring a few exotic names in.

Non of which applies to the job here sadly and the evidence we have over the last 2 seasons is he struggles to better a few clubs whose budgets are smaller.

I'm not advocating him sacked but lets deal in facts there's no evidence whatsoever in his career he can get blood from stones or polish turds.

2 hours ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

They haven't chosen Brown - yet.......

They pulled Mowbray from the bottom of the very same barrel Coyle was in and Lambert so who knows what's down there. For all we know he might be no worse, no better either but if the dice has to be rolled i'm pretty sure it won't land Brown side up.

I'd wager he'll be into a lower league job before that happens then you'll have to throw up the next biggest nightmare you can find.

50 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Be great to have Gary Bowyer as a second in command imo. Had an eye for a player that fella, just tactically too safe.

Would be a great cautious assistant manager to more maverick tactics favoured by Johnson.

His tactics were a bit rank tbh and he couldn't set up a defense either so i'll pass on that one ta.

I'd put Johnson in right now and have Mowbray mentor him for a season.  By mentor i mean step back into the background and let Johnson take full charge of team selection, training and tactics.  Just be there if needed for advice etc and keep a presence about the place to keep the players in check so they don't take the piss.

He likes slumping back in the dugout on matchdays anyway so that doesn't need to change.

I think i'd rather have Nyambe running his deal down for another season and hope we do well.  Hope he changes his mind  and signs another rather than cash him in for a few million now which will disappear.  Then a season of capt fantastic in that spot, suit Mowbray down to the ground that would.

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Yes but at the end of the day he wasn't. What did relegation cost us ? Penny wise and pound foolish.

This is the epitaph of the entire Venky reign so far.

Pinch pounds with one hand and throw 50 pound notes on the bonfire with the other.

26 minutes ago, Hi Mack said:

I think it’s important TM gets his defensive options in early in the window. But just as importantly he needs the existing defenders out on the training pitch working together! Our defence has been poor now for a few seasons and often looks unorganised.

You’d expect TM to demand better being an ex old school centre half.

 

It's never been a settled unit it's never been built that way either. And at times it's often resembled the one that got relegated from this lge several years ago.

It's quite bonkers it was never brought up to scratch a while ago really.

He won't be on City's bench for league games i don't think certainly not yet and Walton won't be Brightons no 1 maybe not even regular no 2.

Some need to get real i think one's looked decent on the ball at an average midtable championship side. The other has looked between competent and awful in various spells at the same side. 

Both have a lot to prove yet.

45 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

You mean Mercer does, a man who is a parody of himself with his daily administration predictions? Not "some people"

Carter was ok v Reading, no more. Wasnt directly responsible for any of the goals but defensively we were poor again. The own goal was poor on his behalf, no escaping that, and one of numerous signs of him struggling.

What you cant grasp with Raya is that it is almost as if for you, its mistakes or no mistakes, black or white. He has made far fewer errors which doesnt compute with you. Every goalkeeper makes them, hes made far less this year. Waltons problem is not that he made a mistake or 2, he made over 10. You wont acknowledge that even though hes still certainly not perfect, hes getting better and making fewer mistakes.

And again like with Paul Mani you are totally looking short term when judging signings that were short term and helped us finish mid table. Whilst also judging the manager not on who he did sign but who he didnt sign but tried to, even though you dont know who they are! Would you be happier now if we had Bauer and Raya? Of course you would, and we could have had both and not got Gallagher.

All hypothetical of course but we might well have got Tosin even if he'd signed Bauer so the comparisons have been twisted a bit anyway. For me i think it's quite certain that at one point he dropped Bauer to put the money towards Downing if we look at the timings etc.

Both were earmarked as back up after all.