arbitro

Batth hardly played for Norwich the season before last. Using your logic we shouldn't have signed him and get he turned out to be our best defender and will be a huge miss next season.

It isn't an exact science but he is not on any of the pictures from yesterday's training. I can just make out a small group in the background of a couple of shots. Purely a guess but if he has missed the bulk of per season so far he could be doing individual sessions to get him up to speed.

It emerged in February that Eustace offered to resign in the premier Summer over the slow transfer activity and the lack of support/ambition the club were showing. I really wonder now if Batth and Weimann were appeasement signings done to placate Eustace to prevent him leaving at a crucial time and that Gestede didn't actually want them so in turn low balled the offer made to them both for another season. Quite often there are clauses in older players contracts such as a number of games which automatically trigger another one. It appears nothing of the kind offered to Batth and Weimann. My theory is supported by the latest 'project' as esposed by the three stooges where Rovers are looking to buy/produce youngsters and increase their value to be sold on.

That applies to every player.

Any signing is a gamble, some more than others. Batth was consistently our best defender last season and will undoubtedly improve Derby defensively and leave us weaker.

Then why sign any player?

I don't understand your point.

So some of the ITK's were wrong about Batth by saying the stumbling block was the length of the deal. It wasn't - clearly it is down to wages and it is so disappointing when, after seeing his worth to the team last season that we can't pay more than Derby. Our loss is Derby's gain.

My understanding was that all deals including loans run until the end of June as per contracted players but I can't find anything to substantiate it.

I had around £70k in mind too.

From tomorrow Rovers won't be paying the wages of the out of contract players including loans. How much will they be saving on the wages of Dolan, Batth, Weimann, Woodrow, Beck and Dennis?

Alan Biggs is a well respected, Sheffield based journalist who has had the inside track at Wednesday for ages. It looks like today could be huge for them in terms of their immediate future.

That is exact where I get to when I have the energy to think about them and some supporters theories. Your second paragraph is correct too in my view but I would throw in the word arrogant.

New ideas of innovations should only be done when there is a tangible benefit. I don't see any upside at all in this. Your view is your choice but for the majority of football supporters it's unnecessary and gimmicky.

It wasn't the football authorities in England who wanted VAR. The clubs wanted it and fund it. Had it not been for Covid it would have been in the Championship a few seasons ago. It has it's bad points but has also righted many wrongs which is the main purpose of it. Reading through these posts it appears that you are the only one who likes the idea of pitch side interviews and dressing room cameras. I think that ratio would be reflected throughout football as I believe the vast majority will see it for what it is - an unnecessary, superfluous sales gimmick.

How on earth will it develop and grow the game? If might well a few more Sky subscriptions in Philadelphia but it adds absolutely nothing to the game. I want to watch a game of football not feel closer to the players. It achieves nothing in my view. VAR gets a lot right too but I agree with your wider point.

O'Riordan showed some good form in the latter part of the season for Crewe and chipped in with a few goals. The odd thing about the loan to Doncaster is that Ismael hasn't seen him play in any game for Rovers so what is the thinking behind loaning him out less than a week into pre season. If it's paving the way for a new arrival then surely it would make sense to let him go once another player has actually signed. Still at least our Head of Loan Players will have something to do. Strange.

Of course it's pandering. I honestly don't care whether or not it is used in other sports so that to me is irrelevant. It doesn't matter who they are speaking to it's the traditions and values which should be protected. You intensely dislike VAR but you are happy to accept something like this. It adds absolutely no value to the game.

So you are happy to be pandering to an overseas audience by using a gimmick to reach out to them? For me it's just razzmatazz and has no place in our game.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c1k84zyml2no I guess it's another case of He Who Pays The Piper but for me it's just another America like gimmick. The Sky generation will probably lap it up but for me as a traditionalist it's awful.

I think that's a really good idea Carl. There will be quite a lot of media attention (national and hopefully global) and a vocal and visual protest could not be ignored. The theme could be along the lines of the 135/15 year comparison which I believe would capture the imagination and hit home as to what a shambles the last decade and a half have.

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2025/june/26/ball-number-confirmed-for-today-s-carabao-cup-draw/ The First Round draw is at 4.30 today live on Sky Sports. Rovers are ball number 4 in the Northern Group.

Relegated from the Premier League.

I saw a still of him in the gym.

Paradoxically we didn't lose against and of the three relegated teams away from home last season. Could anything be more Rovers than that? 😂