Who does Boltons isn't it the same mob ?

That's the one that always springs to mind and I think he was misguidedly assuming that lot would steam roll the division in the home games at least. Disaster on the day .

Christ he was doing that from the word go last season and the formation that he had in mind and had maybe influenced his recruitment went tits up in the first few games. Having a strong strike force and being able to get away with strikers on the wings and the signing of Dack is ultimately what got us out of league 1 along with Mulgrews class left peg and head. All that put together meant we were stronger than everyone else bar Wigan, not always necessarily better just bigger and stronger options wise. Almost to a man we said that won't be enough to prosper in this league although we still should be good enough to get something from half the teams in here, which at times we have. He's also just more or less admitted it was the promotion (and new contracts) bounce that played a big part in giving us a good start and decent overall first half season. Sadly as soon as that faded and it came back down to the basics again we resemble to team that went down and he resembles the guy managing it, honest, hard working but toothless front and back and pretty clueless as to actually how to go about it. We'll need a damn good start next season again that's for sure and personally i'd like to see it built from the back on a solid defence and system and let youth give it some verve further up the field. I think though with his current favs likely to be first choices again he'll have to come up with a hard to beat ugly football system instead because his usual mish mash approach will see us in the mire that much is obvious now.

Don't say 'bint' apparently Mr Screenshot looks for offence in it in his latest effort to tarnish.

Have they ever done this in any specific plan or pattern ? Just seem to issue it when the mood takes or we are flying close to the wind. I'll take a punt and say it's for instalments on Brereton and Armstrong or it's to cover the bills until an early summer player sale ?

I wonder if the closure of the DE had anything to do with a drop off in 18-25s not renewing, i'd wager it did ! O.G !

She's trying hard for column inches is Olivia i'll give her that.

I'd love to see the Rovers version of Savage chasing Evans around in training matches everyday it might get some life into that particular passenger but yes it would be good to see Hendry, Moran and Speedie get amongst our present lot and hand them their arses.

We had this before about other loans and share capital being north of 250 mill and i'm sure it was put to bed there's no way they've poured that lot in and somewhere in there is probably the purchase of the club and original debts etc. If it stands at 250 mill they really are cooking the books and diverting coin elsewhere. Sorry hadn't fully read above post by PLJPB, great post probably the best explanation yet of that particular scenario. 250 million my arse !

Isn't it just but the long contract he's on, TM saying we are covered in that area when he let Downing go and his use of Williams all point to him being moved there eventually and back up for now to save a few quid. His potential for that and him ever being consistent at LB lie firmly in league 1.

I'm thinking Williams will be 3rd choice centre back next season that would probably explain it.

Steady on he was brave being ever so slightly critical in his recent piece for the first time this season aside from match reports so we can't expect him to over step the mark just yet. They'd probably ban him from the club for asking that plus the LT comments section would be on fire with mock outrage at such a suggestion !

To be fair I think you'll find similar post on Mulgrew in the first season he was here certainly from me as I've always thought as a centre half he's often struggled a bit in this league. He's a good footballer no doubt and he was a cut above last season but lets not forget the OGs and bad back passes as well as other lapses. Maybe it is just a concentration issue with him but he's been caught out time and time again this season and whilst his goals have been class and vital his other stuff has been a real mixed bag. He deserves pulling up for the body language and lack of getting a grip of it on the pitch he's the team captain, runs the dressing room, has an input into everything else as one of TM senior group men and he's probably not far off the best paid player here. He's also worshipped by most fans and has the loyalty of his manager. He needs to up his game ! although he isn't alone in seemingly switching off halfway through this season so we need to ask why they suddenly all looked like they lacked motivation after January ?

Something I've also mentioned a few times since he's been here the old hands in the air hands on hips is normal for him and to me there's always been a touch of big time Charlie i'm too good for getting my hands dirty in this when things aren't going well yet when they are he's very much a hey look at me aren't I great character Never rated him defensively as anything other than average on a good day I don't think he's good enough at all at this level but as a footballer he's a cultured left foot obviously. Like Evans and one of two others he never leads and never takes responsibility. Fact he was signed under Coyle, came around same time as Stokes and practically runs the team as alluded to by Mowbray gets my tin foil creased a bit. He's also usually a shoe in when fit. After reading SydneyRovers post coming from someone who is detacthed from it yet highlights the things we've now become used to and don't really notice anymore i'm more convinced than ever we really need a big change. Trouble is it seems the same old shit and largely same old key players whoever manages and i'l never ever move away from the suspicion there's more to team selections than meets the eye at Rovers whilst under this ownership, never !

Shocking we'd have to rely on that scenario though. I think seeing as we'll come across some others who are on the beach like our lot we'll find at least a win and a draw from somewhere. Wonder if it'll be a tenner a ticket and 20k on Ewood last home game celebrating this wonderful season ? There's enough going on about settling for just staying up so will they turn up ????

Mowbray did his job well taking us up i'm grateful for that and I've always liked the bloke for the way he comes across although like most managers when they start to lose the plot he's seriously beginning to grate. I will say though if in the unlikely (?) event he takes us into a last ditch relegation battle or worse he should be suspended by his under carriage from the Wainwright Bridge until he confesses he has Steve Keans mobile on speed dial for advice because it would be a cock up of such epic proportions there'd be no reasonable explanation.

Tying it up in a 19 year old who isn't ready for your first team and hasn't been signed for any real purpose in it because you don't know where to play him anyway is completely unheard of when a team has just come up and desperately needs investment elsewhere to be completely sure it'll stay up. As a couple of Preston fans scoffed at me last weekend when asking what that signing was all about because they thought he was crap " that's just typical Rovers under Venkys they do everything others wouldn't then wonder why it keeps going tits up" !!!

There were similar comments on the football about Coyle and his promotion with Burnley plus their time in the Prem briefly back then and his brand of that type of football disappeared when he engineered his judas flit to Bolton never to be seen again. I guess some of it might come down to what they are told is expected of them from those employing them. Here at the moment I very much think it's a case of plod along playing a few peoples players, blood a few youngsters, give people games to get value in them and sell a few for good money along the way and it'll be fine. Oh the owners would like promotion but say the right things and do as you're asked and they'll understand especially if you can produce players to sell to cover the finances in the meantime. This summer will either reinforce this or blow it out the water !

Trouble is at Rovers for anyone coming through or coming in like that the centre midfield berths are spoken for by a lower end lightweight Championship plodder who also gets selected for his country and often saves his rare good games for them. And whoever can do the things he can't like run around a lot and tackle, it's been that way since Evans pitched up he's just had a change of dance partner. If Travis was 6 ft he'd be slotted in at centre half or more likely out on loan somewhere and I think as long as this manager is here and more so as long as Evans is here Travis will suffer a similar fate as say Alan Judge for example. So annoying when managers miss a trick that's staring them in the face.

5 for me.

Time for a poll on how many points we expect to get from them, just for the hell of it ? Packet of 6 month old fruit pastels for the winner.

It keeps being mentioned TMs points total over a full season in that relegation half of one would've seen us safely in midtable which is fair enough. But it's now only right to point out that his points accumulation from the second half of this season over the course of next season will see us rooted in the bottom 3 comfortably. I'm not sure whether he/we have been found out or the early season form was just new league promotion new contracts 'bounce' and without that, well ..?

Correct . When you buy a player supposedly to cover Dack in that role then don't play him there when the opportunity arises it's no wonder many questions get asked. Can only assume he wanted Bennett there to close down and graft a bit more in an effort to defend from the front but imo maybe if there wasn't such a hole in midfield because of starting two deep lying defensive mids it would allow whoever is in that position a bit more freedom to have a go knowing someone will put a foot in on the halfway line on the occasions they inevitably lose the ball. And breathe.......

But many did with Rhodes and some do with Graham but totally agree strikers are paid to score and creative players to create those chances, they can often be forgiven for other limitations because you tailor your team to cover that if you can.

Yep if TM makes it to the end of the season and we stay up comfortably then he's delivered promotion, a season in the Champ leading to another and the icing on the cake will be the sale of Dack. However or why ever that may come about he's turned a million pound player into a ten million one and that's how you impress this lot so who'd rule out yet another contract extension for him especially if he agrees to operate with nothing but the first instalment on Dack as his summer transfer pot ! They'll only get shut if/when they want to and usually at advice or back stabbing form elsewhere. I wonder how the now official middleman views all this ?