This is a totally different season. Two games a week every week. The prize goes to a club with a system and a big squad capable of playing it. Expect many players to be appearing in 20 to 30 games.

We will be fantastic if we can get 20 players on the pitch at the same time.

If Pears is needed as cover for the two internationalists, he had better sign by 5 this afternoon to be eligible for Forest.

Big opportunity for Buckley

I am not re-writing that. And there is still more dirt from that time which never reached the public domain. Thankfully the major players at that time are no longer on the scene.

Covering operational losses.

Swiss Ramble's tweets are linked to by the FT this morning.

Probably as good as anywhere to stick this but both the Issa Brothers (EG) and Boparan (Two Sisters) are featured in the FT today as having serious corporate governance concerns. The Asda take over is by the Issas personally and the Hedge Fund they work with, not by EG whose auditors resigned yesterday. Still heads in the sand by most over Venkys. There is zero realistic alternative even in people's dreams as far as I can see. Apart from suffering the same fate as three northern towns just to the south of Blackburn..

Danish manager did a job having seen how the Belgians' boss didn't.

Nobody would chose to have Rovers players injured suspended or sent off. But when as we inevitably will get reduced to ten, Bennett would be my go to sub.

That's a lowe blow.

The club have already said the plan is for Fisher to go on loan and Eastwood to be the under 23 keeper. Nixon probably stirring the pot to drive interest in a transfer somewhere else or perhaps simply running late not having noticed the Rovers signing. Pears was always going to cost a transfer fee from everything I read.

Kicks the can down the road but doesn't resolve anything.

Championship clubs can get a means tested bail out by the PL now. This obviously means no splurge of deals before the transfer window closes. Voting reform has been killed today but the strategic review keeps all other big picture ideas under discussion.

Harry Maguire was outstanding for Leicester. Transferred to Man U and he's gone all David May/Phil Jones.

Aleesami missing from another Norway squad tonight- I expect I won't be typing his name again. King playing for Norway.

Rovers and Downing apparently talking. Obviously talking and signing are two different things. He has apparently being keeping himself fit and he has only had the equivalent of a normal summer break away which at 36 cannot be begrudged.. I don't know if he is into coaching but having someone like Downing around the club must be fantastic for Dolan, Chapman and Brennan.

Easily £100million of that is sadly down to Venky's own mistakes which have cost the club, the town and the fans far more in psychic anguish. But we are where we are and they are sticking by us and providing the club's lifeblood in hard cash. And I will say thank you for this latest £6m. For without these capital injections from India we would be Bury.

But a very different offer for this season.

Even if we get Douglas, I would still take Downing if he accepts the contract we offered him. It is a long hugely demanding season with typically two games a week. There will be games where having Downing's class available will make a difference between drawing and winning. Let's not forget he turned in at least two man of the match performances in 2020 so far and he never let us down.

Fans used to big up our own players. These days we big up everybody else's. Another Championship Manager game by-product?

The resignation of the EFL CEO effective April and the Championship arrangements still to be agreed possibly still point to re unification

Effectively the PL are paying the L1 and L2 playing staff wage bills this season.

Only a problem if there is somewhere for them to go. Outside the Prem there isn't in the Covid times.

That is why I prefaced that second part apparently. It is from a Leeds website