philipl

Timing of the sacking on transfer deadline day is just weird. It is as though the Raos now have so little time to be bothered with Rovers that they have been relying on monthly bs reports from Pasha - injuries, refs, unusual monsoon weather, underlying financial plan working, blah blah - but suddenly noticed match day receipts falling off a cliff and the league table in the January month end report and panicked. Pasha gets a carpeting and Ishmael gets the chop. This could be opportunity knocks for Damien Johnson and not a case of a planned replacement

Club has just announced Damien Johnson in charge tomorrow evening.

Alebyosu trained today and available for selection tomorrow according to the LT. Logging onto Rovers TV is a high tension 5 minutes these days usually involving a no match being screened interlude then being told to buy a subscription (I have a season sub) before getting onto the match screen...

With 27 players eligible to be registered, who decides who misses out?

Mowbray ruled out according to the LT.

Really surprised they have fired him even though Ismael's demeanour for the Hull game was dead man walking. Great way to deflect whatever the transfer budget onto Ismael compo and have an excuse for the pitch not being renewed. Hiding behind the sofa until the replacement is announced and probably needing a tin hat and white flag when it is. Like others I think a replacement is already all but in the building.

Everton won't be letting Patterson go according to my link at the John Dickinson Stationery

One thing is certain, unlike Lambert, JDT and Eustace, Ismael isn't going to sack the club.

Amazed to see I am the first to use the term "must win" for this one. Not only for Rovers survival (a win lifts us out of the bottom three) but if there were any sanity at Rovers, Ismael's position as Chief Coach.

At least Dapo is recognition that deNeve isn't going to hack it. Highly dubious deNeve and Tavaeres would hack it among league 1 cloggers. If Aleboyosu were leaving I wouldn't have made the precautionary change at half time on Saturday. And no way would I play Cadamarteri ahead of Ohashi. I am hoping for a lost fax machine today to be honest. That is my vote of non confidence in Gestede, Pasha and Ismael.

Hull won the sort of game sides chasing promotion win. Out played, scored with an offside goal. Rovers lost the sort of game relegated sides lose. Had the majority of the play without really threatening and got sucketed. There were enough signs we can get out of our predicament and enough warning signs we won't. Be grateful for the Baggies implosion and Leicester disciplinary headache.

I confidently predict the paperwork will be done by 8pm on Monday..

I think this is where we get it wrong. The Rao wealth of 2 to 4 billion is a very old figure. What we do know was the late father benefitted from a deal which gave him ownership of a third of the collar of land which went all round Pune sometime in the early 1990s in return for making sure it was developed Pune has grown fivefold since then. A third of the land area of Pune today is worth over a hundred billions. Now cut that figure dramatically because they don't have an interest in the central areas then the Raos are still easily worth ten billion plus today and their growth in paper wealth each year has massively outstripped the cash put into Rovers.

Blackburn knows how to do a boycott. Tickets sold for the screening of the Melania film in Blackburn are ZERO

Folks with Rao wealth are wired completely differently.

Palace falling apart at the moment. On current form of all the teams in the bottom half, they will go down.

Whenever these two play it has been a nightmare for the home side in recent seasons. Incredibly Hull will be playing us with very realistic expectations of challenging for an automatic promotion spot. All I can see are the biggest thugs in our division.. We have gone 210 minutes without letting a goal in against the Tigers- another 100 minutes or so of clean sheet would be very welcome.

Between last Friday and mid February, 11 players are due to become available - 4 yesterday. The youngsters have all given good accounts of themselves which means Ismael will have 28 genuine contenders for selection or thereabouts assuming the pitch/lurgy/injury/transfers don't reduce the fit squad Ismael will have a selection headache, formation choices and absolutely no excuse.

From a Rovers TV perspective, the ground was visibly emptier than at any other point this season and the Rovers TV commentators were talking about the boycott. There was a younger person sat next to Gestede in the Pasha row in the directors' row. Anyone know who it was?

Cantwell had a poor game. Baradji looked good when he came on. First half, it was amazing it took Watford so long to score but from then on we shaded it without showing much quality. The Watford back line was there for the beating but we didn't have what it would have taken.

Watford need to bounce back from two rubbish home results if they are to keep top 6 dreams alive,

Another 3 points go begging. Mowbray JDT and Eustace would have stolen a win last night- Swansea were there for the beating. Goals 1 and 3 needed a proper left back on the field and we had two on the bench. All 3 goals would have been prevented by a decent centre half providing leadership and he plays for Wrexham now but George Pratt would have done better but he too was sitting on the bench. Powel did well, Jorgenson is lightweight currently but got himself where it mattered for our equaliser. Despite the Pasha Gestede demolition job, I think we have the squad to stay up but seriously doubt VI's managerial ability to use them to save us from relegation and pray the treatment room are doing their stuff properly.

Replacing Hyam with McLoughlin was probably the decision which has relegated us,

I had forgotten the transfer window is still open. I guess it is like an open window for throwing ourselves out of...

Into must win territory because the Swans are a team we need to be below us after the 46th game. Alebiosu as unused sub for Nigeria last night so he comes straight into the side for me. More controversially I would start Forshaw in place of Baradji and I saw enough of Jorgensen to be starting him too. Pratt for either McLoughlin or Cashin but that won't happen. Definitely keep Atcheson in the side.