arbitro

But we didn't sign Thomas-Asante though despite Pasha posturing in the lounges before the Portsmouth game telling people that he was having a medical on the following Friday. If he was right what happened? I'm sorry but you are just making excuses up for the ineptitude and lack of ambition by the club.

According to this £44.1m has been spent by Championship clubs so far this window. I'd bet that we have actually reduced our wage bill with Forshaw and Sanderson in against McFadzean and Baker out. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cj91z0zeklro

Why are you so obtuse? Do you get a kick out of it? It's really tiresome how try to be such a contrarian. Your ridiculous reply to JHRover sums you up.

So I'll compromise. Do you think if we had some new, quality players in the last three games (halfway through the window) we would have stood a better chance of getting more points. I don't buy this 'slow window' excuse. It's perpetuated by clubs like ours to cover up for inadequacies. We have had four months to identify targets and now almost four weeks into the actual window. Once again we have been let down by the hierarchy.

Let's assume we sign three players between now and the end of the window. Had we signed them before the Burnley game on January 4th do you think we might have more points than we do now? I think I know your answer but I'm asking anyway. In my view if we had added some quality to the squad and had them for the five league games we would have had more points. And from that perspective the window has been a failure.

On the subject of Sky match choices it looks like our match at QPR next Tuesday (which was scheduled for live coverage on February 8th had we not been in the FA Cup) isn't now being broadcast live.

Not quite Rovers Till I Die but more like Sometimes Rovers Till I Die.

There are already moves afoot by the top clubs and people in the HOL for the Independent Regulator to be scrapped or at the very least to have any proposed power scaled down. It was included in the Kings Speech in June and as yet nothing has happened. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6077532/2025/01/21/football-governance-bill-lisa-nandy/ https://www.osborneclarke.com/insights/new-independent-regulator-english-football-announced-kings-speech

I genuinely think that in the minds of some of them they feel that being critical is being disloyal so they simply support anything and everything that the club does to prove their loyalty. It's only my theory but having tried to converse with some of them I believe it to be true in most cases.I The most obvious ones are 'where would we be without them' and 'badly advised'.

I was awarded one in the summer (albeit thirty years late) and they are real quality and I would imagine quite dear. Your suggestion of not charging them might call on stony ground 😄.

Should that not read 'fat and improper owners'.

Nobody is hanging him out to dry or unfairly criticising him rather pointing out his glaring error. The really strange thing to me was that he clearly invited Twine to put it where he did and then never reacted. He has been far better this season and made a great save just before half time. Most of his errors are so elementary and thoroughly preventable.

It's strange how things can be seen so differently. After about twenty minutes I thought our midfield was stronger than theirs and certainly in the second half we controlled that area. Buckley got caught in possession a couple of times in the early part but after that I thought he was fine. I really think a lot of minds were made up about Forshaw before he kicked a ball and at Oxford he was poor (as were the majority) but yesterday I thought he was good. He made some good challenges and kept the ball moving very rarely giving it away. As the discussion was about him and Cantwell I personally would prefer Forshaw in games where we will have to scrap, be aggressive and match their physicality. Cantwell fails in all three areas for me.

Forshaw was good yesterday and contributed a lot to the team effort and collective. Cantwell doesn't. Did you actually see yesterday's game?

Your are swapping an arthritic statue for a show pony who plays with divers boots on? Seriously I would rather play Forshaw than Cantwell. At least he is a team player and doesn't play for himself.

About 2.50 pm yesterday the Bristol City stadium announcer introduced and gave a brief biography about an ex Bristol City player called Dariusz Dziekanowski who was then welcomed on to the pitch. He was there to receive his legacy cap for playing for them. It was in a frame and just like an international cap. He then walked around the pitch to receive warm applause and there was even a banner on display bearing his name. It got me thinking about what we actually do on match days for ex players and apart from the half time draw (when most are on the concourse) with some banile questions. Could something like legacy caps for ex players be brought up at the next Fans Forum and the possibility of them being awarded.

But why would you assume that any new signings would be behind Travis and Tronstad if they are better players? Both have been really good this season but to improve we have to bring in better players irrespective of where they play. If O'Brien does (miraculously) sign will be be back up to them? The only concession I would make us that there are other positions we need to improve on as a priority. But it is my belief that this simply won't matter as on February 3rd we will all be, once again disappointed.

Surely we should be signing players to improve the quality of the squad and increase competition for places. I don't want players who are a 'back up', I want players who will improve us.

We were right behind the free kick for their first goal and I said to my granddaughter that Pears was offering his right side to Twine. If he hadn't had been sloth like moving his feet he would have saved it. There was no pace on the ball and it was low down so for me it should have been an bread and butter save. It's on Pears, nobody else.

Most unusual for me after a defeat but purposely stayed after the final whistle to applaud the team. We deserved something from the game and the contrast in performance from the Oxford match was stark. Yesterday the players gave it their all and this included a few who clearly wouldn't have played had we had some strength in depth. Eustace too deserves praise for putting out a team and coming up with a system that on another day would have got us something. The players and staff are so deserving of our support simply by getting us to where we are and still in with a shout of getting something despite the efforts of the cretins at Ewood and in India to derail another season. These people are the real enemies of Rovers and if we do drop down the league it's on them as it has been for several years now. Eustace, his staff and the players aren't stupid. They can see exactly where the problem lies and that three weeks have been wasted, three weeks when some new, quality players would likely have contributed to earn us some points from these recent defeats. F*** Waggott, Pasta (or whatever his name is this week), Gestede and the Punekars.

I think it will be and perhaps they are identifying decent players but I can't help but think there is a huge void after that via Swag, Gestede, Pasha and the owners as they prevaricate over potential fees and contracts. I dread to think of any of the three stooges in negotiations with other clubs and players agents. Either way move on, there's nothing to see here.

There are four months between the August and January windows. Targets should have been identified and approaches made as soon as possible. Too many are falling for the official club rhetoric of it being a difficult window. Lots of other clubs don't view it that way and have got deals done. The only certainty in the window will be the disenchantment of many fans and possibly Eustace too. And the latter could have disastrous consequences.

I'm certainty not my friend. My expectations based on previous years are as low as can be and stay that way. The vast majority knew of the urgency of new players weeks ago and with ten days to go we have next to nothing. Waggott was yesterday, in my view trying to temper expectations but anybody can see through him.

Eustace has said Travis has had a full week training. Providing there is no reaction by tomorrow he should definitely start in my view. He will undoubtedly add a lot to the team with his presence and should he start will be an important factor in getting a result.

He has his pride and reputation to consider. His good work is in danger of blowing up due to a situation out of his control.