I can really see the keeper next year ending up being the Canadian or another brought in in desperation who's a step down from Walton.

Hands might end up tied now because of new circumstances but it's another example of piss poor planning sadly.

Lockdown gave time for reflection and it has to be said he's a good steady manager at this level who has a habit of pulling out the stops when backs are to the wall.

Also has a bad habit(s) of contributing to undoing some of his good work and his use of large transfer fees is truly bad.

Overall though got to be a B- grade for me up to this point.

We usually come back down to earth with a bump here so i expect this to be no different.  Also expect the tombola to be spinning beforehand.

Wigan   2    Rovers   1

Then again if they fly a banner over 'Pies lives matter'  we might dick them 5 nowt !

I think hands were tied in the case of Lowe whoever managed us he was going to be first on the team sheet if fit. 3 managers all the same when it came to him they just had to shoe him in somewhere despite at times having better options. And of course we know who set that ball rolling !

I never for a min bought the 'they all rated him' line there was more to it than that. The state of his career once he'd left here showed the real thoughts on him once out of his rovers comfort zone.

1 hour ago, Blue blood said:

I think James was terrible too. I know the media had an image of him which didn't help but from what I saw away from the hype he still looked pretty poor to me. England went from having a raft of great keepers of the Seaman, Martyn and Flowers era to a long period of absolute duffers. Not sure why this is really. 

Just shows what a hype job Hart is when the likes of James is better.

4 hours ago, Blue blood said:

I think you are right he will get a heck of a shock. I get the impression (it could be wrong) that he still sees himself as an international class keeper who has had a bit of bad luck and is unfairly treated. As it is he is a bang average keeper who was never as good as he thought he was. This is evidenced by 3 failed spells away from the protection and prowess of a super talented and rich City team. He's now second choice at a very mediocre Premiership club which should give him a clue as to his level. Whether he picks up on that is another story. 

That said a bang average premier league-ish back up keeper is a hell of a lot better than anything else we have had in a while. 

 

I honestly think James was a far better keeper than Hart. He had his fair share of ups and downs but had more about him.

Some thinking Hart will end up at Boro so if there's a Boro connection there TM might be sniffing around. With the way things might go though Hart will be in for a shock next time he asks for a wage.

Cardboard cut outs every bit as cringey as the giant Mowbray flag being waved in from of the cameras. Or even the chicken munching advert, it just sums the club up under this lot some things will never change there will always be an element of the ridiculous.

Just those comfy at the club buttering up their paymasters knowing Vs probably love that kind of thing. 

By the way i notice there's 6 of them now.

No sentiment with Hart though no keeping him around whilst he gets fixed up, is good to have about the place, is a nice lad etc etc.

Times up, thanks all the best in the future. 

Proper management. 

33 minutes ago, rigger said:

Leeds and West Brom might have something to say about that.

Only 7 points separate them and 3rd place Fulham though.

4 hours ago, Crimpshrine said:

Just thinking back to the first match of the season and a home defeat to Charlton. All seemed doom and gloom.

Considering we haven't really set the world alight this season we are in an amazingly good position after the first match of the restarted campaign. Genuine hope building up some confidence for the final push.

I presume most people watched on Ifollow. I used the traditional method and listened to Radio Lancs. Andy Bayes mentioned that Brereton looked to have beefed up a bit and looked stronger for it.

Kevin Gallacher replied with a comment I am still trying to unravel. He said "name me nobody who has not gained weight during the lockdown". Class commentary.

Division was there for the taking this season.

1 hour ago, Darrenbot said:

Regarding Mowbray subs,maybe the long layoff has had him think F*** it i'm going to go for it from now on,what is there to lose

If only.

Think it's just more down to him getting mins on the pitch for as many as poss as quick as poss.

Getting them back into it.

5 minutes ago, neophox said:

Think BCD will suit us...to much nerves otherwise with crowd...

Home record kind of disproves that.

If they shape therselves at Ewood they get the crowd behind them, simple really.

If they can find their way from India or it's the UK based branch of the family then what better time to come and watch what they pay for !

2 hours ago, Sparks Rover said:

I wouldn't put Samuel in Smallwood bracket. Persinally think theres a player in there and we should be getting more out of him if fully fit. (However,  i have little confidence in our coaches gettting him to peak form and fitness)

He's just another dud striker for me there just isn't the potential goals in him.

If he put himself about a bit more there's a target man role. That type is desperately needed in squads in this div. Sadly although the has the tools for that I don't think he has the desire for the graft involved. 

Sentiment again getting in the way I feel.

They might provide the same budget as last season which would be fair of them given the circumstances. However a large chunk would probably be instantly swallowed up by the losses/borrowings and wages deferred to cover this period.

Then we are into making the best of what we have territory and that's where i worry with this manager and his over loyalty. Personally i think he'd like nothing more than keeping hold of the likes of Smallwood, Samuel etc as you were rather than the hassle of replacing them. We could do without but again that would mean more youth instead and i'm not sure he'd like that risk either.

8 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Where's this come from? Is this for everyone in all four divisions?

Most managers under Venky's especially Mowbray and our alleged insider at the Club Paul Mani who pops up every transfer window have always said the owners never refuse funding when asked.

If FFP is to be completely abolished for 12 months with no future comeback or strings attached then if the funding and the willingness really was there the thing to do would be to spend massively now and get everyone in you need for the forseeable future, and make sure hardly anyone was needed when the rules did come back into effect.

We shall see. Not really holding my breath.

TM's obviously put Mani of furlough.  A winning streak and sure enough he'l be back.

On another note Smallwood - Plays well for a season two years ago and is now entitled to pick up wages here as long as he wants.  No money for refunds though but the opportunity to cut deadwood might be passed over again in favour of 12 month deals once the green light is given.

If a long overdue salary cap comes in we'll make a f up of it guaranteed.  

15 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Youd think the first thing the owners "always happy to sign a cheque" will do is reimburse those not satisfied by a link to the BCD football for whatever reason.

FFP I think was only ever an excuse and of course the pandemic will have affected our absent owners too so to expect a transfer budget of any significance still seems naive to me.

Most things they do or have done fly right in the face of FFP.  Yes cutting the wage bill would affect the team but on ther side of the coin money still gets wasted and bills run up left right and center.  Then there is the signing off of 5/6/7 million pound tranfers on players who are real gambles not final jigsaw promotion push types.

THe old FFP line only gets trotted out when the buzzards are circling over something or other, or as last time when a big round of sales is beginning to loom on the horizon.

Would be handy if Brereton reveled in the crowdless fixtures and started banging them in.  He might be worth flogging then before he melts again once the fans are back.

Oh i forgot, he'll be on the bench or right wing for ten mins.  This lay off does strange things to the mind and the tinkerman has had nothing to tinker for months.  God knows what's coming !

1 hour ago, Riversider28 said:

I have quite enjoyed reading the threads across the board during lockdown, it’s been easy reading because nobody has really been whingeing or arguing about the posts. However, now that the league is about to start we are seeing lots of doom and gloom even before a ball has been kicked.

The responses from a number of people posting seem to suggest that our players are lacking professionalism and will approach these games in a lackadaisical manner. These two warm up games were exactly what they say. No one is going to go 100mph and risk injury, they are building themselves up for the real thing, starting on Saturday. 

Come 5pm on Saturday, then we can have a more balanced debate on the match and players. As Oddball would say “What’s with the negative vibes”. COYB

Obviously avoided all the political threads then ?

I expect the players will be really up for this beforehand after having nothing competitive for months.  Whether that lasts or indeed transmits itself beyond the first 15 mins on Sat who knows.

Rovers   3    City   2

27 minutes ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

Definitely. When I was younger the local ABC was ran by "Mad Frank". MMA was up and coming back then and most of us went to Frank's to box. Some of the roadmen lads at school would come down occasionally and Frank was perfect at bringing them down to 'normality'. He'd put them in the ring to spar with one of the better lads and they'd walk out with a different mindset. Mad Frank died when we were 15 sadly, and unfortunately a few of the roadmen lads who boxed with us are either dead or in jail now. I can't help but think if Frank had stayed around a few of them might have stayed out of trouble. One of the best boxers I've seen is doing a 10 year stretch for armed robbery right now. There's certainly a dozen or so success cases from the gym. I think it has since shut down. 

Personally speaking I was always a bit of a tearaway as a youth. I always lacked mental discipline and it got me in a bit of trouble. I started wing-chun and Brazilian ju-jitsu after hitting it off at Dark Circle MMA gym in Wolves when I was 17. Without blowing my own trumpet them two martial arts have instilled a discipline I never thought possible. Whether it was solely the art or a mixture of that and maturing I'm uncertain but, without it, I wouldn't be the person I am now.

From Birmingham there are two big success stories: Leon and Fabian Edwards. I saw Leon train at the Erdington UTC (now a washing machine wholesalers!!!) and he's a whole different animal physically. The level of fitness them pro fighters have is breathtaking. Fabian is a bit different: he recently done time and has come out the other side. He's now in the Bellator and smashing it so will no doubt see him in the UFC at some point. As a final note, both of them have said in the past without MMA they'd probably be in and out of jail all their lives.

 

Good story mate ?

Yep there's definitely an important place in society for those local back street gyms i'd even make these sports an option at school. For the older kids obviously although this present attitude in society would never allow it.  

The story of the Ingle gym in Sheffield highlights all that perfectly along the lines of your Mad Franks.  The rules he implemented there were amazing.  The Brendan version obviously not the latter day PEDS tainted Dominic one.

2 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Another old boxing saying - " The only thing square in boxing is the ring ".

I boxed at school. Three x three minute rounds. I was a fit as fiddle and it was still by far the most tiring sport I ever took part in Half way through the third round you had a hard time keeping your guard up.

The thing about boxing is when you meet up against somebody better than you it can go South pretty quickly. In football if you meet up against a team better than you then you get beat 6 or 7 nil and it's embarrassing but it's not the end of the world. In boxing you can get physically hurt.

It's great leveler though you can have one person who'd win in a street fight 9 times out of ten. Put gloves on and abide by some rules and the balance might go the other way. 

No better way to sort out differences.

You're right about fitness though the top guys take it to another level.

17 hours ago, Darrenbot said:

I may be showing my age  here but Wasn't there an early 80's private eye tv programme called Shoestring set in Bristol ,maybe he could have helped lol

Eddie Shoestring !   I don't know why i know that as it's all i know of it.

Even he couldn't solve some of Rovers team selections and tactics.

Fury for PM ?

Old saying in boxing that always rings true -- Nothing signed, nothing agreed 

This is just verbal publicity just wait till they get around to trying to thrash out the finer details.  The Fury mob and Warren won't sell their soul to Hearn no chance. Meanwhile Hearn won't fancy a load of gangsters setting it up no doubt this fella has links to the same underworld as Fury's family.

Don't hold your breath for this one all they've done so far is agree it's a 50/50 purse split. That could soon change again.