Rovers ask for 1700 more tickets at Derby

https://x.com/RoversXtra/status/1891853235146694959

Are the Doherty's related?

Just watched extended highlights of Swansea's last two games and it is hard to detect any particular style beyond all purpose Championship level fitness, robustness and skill level. Front play is opportunistic at best so if we keep our discipline we should be able to handle them in defence. They are not the tallest except for the two central defenders so this is a must start for Gueye. They look vulnerable on the flanks so will be very disappointed not to see Kargbo starting. They also make mistakes in their passing so the high press is called for. Despite Forshaw scoring and being very tidy against Plymouth, I would opt for the greater range of passing of Buckley for this one but would having Cantwell on the pitch as well risk playing two error-prone lightweights? Swansea look like they snap into the tackles. It is the Norwich game when we can expect Carter, Tronstad and Ohashi all in contention (and Beck, Batth and Dennis?) so the selection shouldn't be too taxing for Lowe's (last?) game in charge.

If we are in the play offs and Burnley need us to beat Sheffield United, I'd pick the team from the girls under 15s squad.

After tonight's Preston v Millwall, one club, possibly two, will no longer be in play-off contention.

Just like with JDT, JE is a pure football guy who found what passes for Rovers behind the scenes hard to stomach. Assurances weren't kept in the summer and the break down between him and the club was on the slow boil all this season. I am grateful to Eustace for 1) being in charge of coaching the squad so expertly to produce an unexpected play-off chase 2) probably giving us two new manager bounces at a critical part of the season (Lowe and the new guy) 3) 3 points at Derby- surely self Pride is going to have the lads absolutely flying at pride park

If it is O'Neill then 1) Surely he will have nailed conditions for financing the club after his personal experience at Wolves and knowing the way JDT and JE departed. His appointment OUGHT to signal good news on the club getting serious about contracts again and he would be a wuss to take the job otherwise. 2) If we get into the PL, he is as good a bet as anyone to pull off the nigh impossible and keep us up. I still expect some relative unknown non-British manager to be revealed who is desperate to get a gig over here.

Those pumping arms are going to be adding awkwardness to the pace defenders have to face. His set-up for Dolan's goal also showed signs of great spacial awareness and quick eye to boot execution. Let's hope it wasn't a fluke.

Great shame- plagued by injuries. Let's see if the 26th player is better than Siggy. I doubt it.

Wayne Rooney has retired and taken a coaching job in the Middle East. O' Neill maybe, foreign unknown probably.

So Boateng is being interviewed then... If anybody from the club reads BRFCS, they would have known to be succession planning some weeks ago. And that is assuming the board wasn't doing the job they are supposed to do and has a plan for key vacancies arrising.

Apparently Gary O'Neill and two foreign managers coming in for interviews this week.

Hopefully, Beck, Carter, Tronstad and Ohashi will have recovered to be coming into contention creating a wonderful selection headache. The line-up is as big a mystery as who will be selecting it. Swansea halted a horrific run of results with a win at play off hopefuls Bristol City then lost again home to Sheffield Wednesday and away at Stoke. They took some real batterings too from Norwich, Cardiff and Portsmouth. Swansea don't score many either so if we turn up like we have in the last two games we should be able to keep them out and take a chance or two ourselves. We beat them 1-0 at Ewood through a Dolan goal so can we get the first double of the season?

I think we can all draw our own reasoning for Eustace's departure (hint, it is the same as for JDT's departure) but there is one strikingly obvious conclusion. John Eustace was absolutely convinced he could not get Rovers promoted to the Premier League and he rated his chances of guiding us successfully through the play-offs (if we ever got there) were vanishingly slim. Even a sporting chance assessment on his part of taking us to the Premier League would have outweighed the discomfort of working with cretins and the "allure" of managing inferior players in the relegation zone. Whoever replaces him has got to have a different assessment of our prospects and use the contract negotiations to neutralise the loons- at least between now and expiry of contracts on 30 June.

If Leeds beat Sunderland, it will turn the current 2 from 4 top of the table into looking more like a Yorkshire parade in the automatic promotion slots. While the dingles don't let goals in, they have only scored the same number as us making them 13th = in the Championship goals for column.

We passed Argyle off the pitch. Really surprised by how little they offered considering the run they were on. I too had the Plymouth commentary as the only working option and he immediately spotted Forshaw celebrating in front of their bench. So many good performances. Cantwell's best game for a while but why didn't he hammer that shot? Dolan great second half, another promising Kargbo cameo and Trav and Ribeiro immense. Another wobbly Pears afternoon but fortunately he was well shielded by those in front of him. Table looking nice with a dingle derby at Wembley in prospect...

I am sure whoever wrote the words "significant investment" would like to see those significant assets on the pitch. Kargbo on the left is a no brainer if Ribeiro is considered sound enough to be left with less protection than Hedges offers while isn't Dennis a number 10 rather than a right winger in which case Dolan goes wide right.

Of the 11 clubs realistically chasing 2 play off places, only Watford are on a worse run of current form than us. Quite how we have come through this to be 5th is a statistical freak show. I will put QPR as the major threat. In terms of comprehensively out playing us when we actually turned up, only QPR and Sheffield United come into that category. The thrashing of Derby last night was more because QPR were excellent than Derby being rubbish.

We have flogged off Szmodics and Adam Wharton. Spent bugger all and are 5th. Someone is doing a great job in player recruitment!

All the teams are much of a muchness. I am just grateful for the 3 points buffer and hope it stays that way after this afternoon. I don't know the other clubs' injury situation or new signings not being fit position. We have Beck, Carter, Tronstad and Ohashi all due back before the next break plus you'd hope Kargbo and Dennis could put in 90 minutes by mid March. So that is what was arguably the backbone of the team returning plus a faster winger and a forward who was lethal at this level three years ago. On balance and ignoring the Venkys and trying not to have blue and white lenses, I would rather be us in 5th today than in the position of any of the others. By the way, I would add Preston to the list of contenders. They have a bit of bite about them and Heckinbottom has been there done that.

Absolutely couldn't be clearer. Eustace is blameless This is 100% on the club and Venkys.

All kinds of undesirables were floated as names to replace JDT this time last year. Keeping my head down on this one but last night's heroics should encourage some quality hats being thrown into the ring.

Yes, then he looked at our final three games of the season...

This one frightens me and I don't care they are in a relegation scrap. A classic Rovers let down after a superb win is on the cards unless we are on top of our game. They will be coming to Ewood absolutely certain they can win and who would blame them on their recent results. Nobody plays Liverpool first team reserves the way they did without being very useful and they gave Millwall a thrashing. OK Millwall self-destructed but Plymouth are clearly playing with a belief and confidence that everything they try can lead to a goal. I wouldn't fiddle much with last night's line up and it would seem we won't have much choice as Batth and Beck don't appear to be injuries that will be safe to risk the day after tomorrow. I'd like to see Kargbo in place of Hedges but I don't think that will happen. We are going to have to be every bit as disciplined and playing a pressure game as we did at West Brom to frustrate and deny a Plymouth side who will be more direct and carry more threat than the Baggies. At the same time, they are unlikely to go 90 minutes without offering us a gift or two in front of goal- can Geye turn poacher? Gut says we will be feeling Lowe after this one, head says if we keep our heads we should be ok but not without some hairy moments. Could be high scoring for a change- Rovers to win 3-2?