arbitro

To be fair this should have been played on January 27th but our involvement in the FA Cup that weekend meant it had to be out back. Another tough match in the offing but with Cardiff in worse form than us and conceding goals it's a difficult one to call. I don't think it will be one for the purists and I expect it to be a game of attrition with perhaps one goal either way. With in form Norwich at home next Saturday a win would put us in a decent position going in to that. A loss and the pressure could be back on.

Football is all about results and in my opinion the manner of winning is immaterial. Under this ownership and the presumed power struggle we are never going to be anything more than a mid table Championship club and from that perspective Tomasson was ideal as even in defeat we would generally concur that our football was entertaining and that tempered the losses generally. The platitudes he received from other managers were all genuine in my view. A bland, predictable style of play will certainly make the defeats less bearable and attract far more criticism. Clearly I want Eustace to do well and win lots of games but irrespective of how we play success will be a pipedream for us all with these owners.

Has he grown a small pair of wings on his head? 😃😃

Like many Rovers fans I would have snatched your hand off for a draw at 3 o'clock but that is slightly tempered by the fact we were 2-0 up. I said we needed to keep it really tight until half time after we scored our second but a recycled corner and a corner did us, effectively two set pieces not defended properly. There were lots of positives though and our defending in the second half was probably the one to highlight as we blocked, headed and kicked the ball away. We did look more comfortable with Scott Wharton in the back three, I think he is more suited to that system than in a four. Our goals were really well taken and I thought the ball over the top would have been better against a slow defence but we didn't play it that often. Perhaps if Fleck hadn't got injured we would have got more from the game as we had our best period when he was on. Hopefully the players will take some heart and confidence from what was overall a decent performance. With some tough games on the horizon we need to keep picking up points.

Thanks for sharing this. It saddens me how poorly he was treated in the Summer of 23. It's telling that he let thirteen players go and had plans to replace them when his budget was slashed. I suppose it was inevitable at that point that the best manager we have had in over thirteen years wouldn't see his contract out. F**k Venkys and all their acolytes.

I'm assuming Waggott was at the PL and EFL meeting of chief executives this week to try and sort out a deal for the redistribution of finances from the PL. From this it appears an impasse has been reached despite the intervention of the culture secretary. It looks like the new football regulator in waiting has his work cut out. https://news.sky.com/story/frazer-urges-clubs-to-seal-football-new-deal-ahead-of-legislation-13072975

On a thoroughly dismal night for any Rovers can something made me smile. Rovers fans were taunting the Brummies with the 'Champions of England, you'll never sing that' chant. They came back with 'Champions of England, you weren't even born' which I thought it was funny (and probably true for lots of Rovers fans).

I can't remember a recent match where I went into it with such little expectation. I'm normally reasonably confident but the events of the last two weeks have knocked the stuffing out of me. All I have seen from the players since Tuesday is big talk like 'we go again', 'we're all in it together' and meaningless platitudes. If we lose (which I am expecting to) the fans will turn. There is no hiding place for the players tomorrow, talk is cheap.

I think he has some talent, just no heart. When I think about the likes of Jim Branagan who was of limited ability but knew the importance of the physical side I know who I'd prefer.

It should be but it's very rarely enforced.

Personally I wouldn't have Brittain in my team on Saturday. He is a real weak (literally) link and in my view doesn't have the heart for a scrap. Having watched his marked improvement this season I would be promoting Leo Duru who has something about him. I know it would be a big ask of a young lad in a local derby but I have faith in him. He can also play in a four or a five.

They accepted a bid from Palace on January 29th and Adam was told about it then. By a strange, very strange coincidence it was a few days after the Indian judge adjourned the hearing into whether they could transfer money for us to keep the lights on. My deduction from these amazing coincidences was that Adam was some so we could pay the bills in the interim.

How did you view it when we went on a long run without winning under Dalglish and got promoted albeit via the playoffs? It's about points accumulation surely and at the beginning of December we had enough to be in 7th. That is what any manager should be judged on. I remember asking you if Tomasson was sacked who would you like and you called Eustace so well done. He, like any manager will be judged on results.

The intention was to add all time but I agree that has eased off from many of them. The going off for thirty seconds has been circumvented by players simply not having treatment. They go down, the referee goes over and they tell him they don't want treatment. Miraculously a short time later they are up on their feet and their team has its full complement of players. Job done. Also keepers having treatment is more frequent as they don't have to go off. Preston have one where a player deliberately tries to take a throw in further up than they should in the full knowledge that the referee might send them back and it wastes time. If he doesn't send them back they have the advantage of moving up the field. Win/Win.

He lives in Kent, Sevenoaks I think. He rents a house locally.

To try and justify your dislike of Tomasson you are obtusely ignoring facts.

It was February 3rd last year when Broughton spoke publicly about the O'Brien and Brierley farce and he accepted full responsibility. This year he won't be speaking until some time in March. That's a long time to concoct a story. He will probably have been to Orlando by then and secured McGuire on a pre contract as some from of appeasement to us. It doesn't wash with me.

I watched a bit of Nobbers game last night and was the usual shithousery from them. Wasting time at every opportunity, players going down but not wanting treatment so they don't have to go off, the keeper holding on to the ball for ages, slow to restart the game at throw ins, goal kicks etc and other things. We need a strong referee but we haven't got one. It's David Webb who last had us at Sheffield Wednesday when he missed a clear foul on Hill and then went Tomasson off. that appointment has just added to my concerns about the game.

I have just seen their goal from an angle behind the goal and can't believe how badly we defended it. We look like a kids team who all get attracted to the ball leaving Dozzell unmarked and able to pick his spot. I expect better from professional footballers.

Based on the evidence of the first two games under Eustace it seems we have gone from one extreme to the other. Under Tomasson we created many chances (and in fairness missed most of them) with a higher tempo and incisive movement in the final third. Under Eustace it doesn't appear we will create nearly as many chances as he looks to adopt a far more pragmatic style based on defending quite deep and in numbers. I really think this will impede Szmodics who flourished under Tomasson and his goal against Stoke aside has looked ineffective.

Clearly Eustace is getting to know our players and it might take time and it can be argued that he knows the Birmingham players better. If so why did he play a system including three centre halves which left us woefully short in midfield, an area where they completely dominated us. The two Asian players for them had the freedom of St Andrews at times in the first half whilst we had three centre backs marking one player. They cut us open several times and only good grace saved us. Not one player comes out with any credit for me and I don't but this 'torn between two stools' excuse as the adapt to different managers styles. Birmingham are not a good side and on a poor run but at times we made them look like Real Madrid such was the collective ineptitude. I am honestly dreading Saturday as Preston always exploit our weaknesses and right now there are many to go at. Eustace has to come up with a proper game plan and ensure the players have the capability to carry it out. Now that might just be a problem.

Same shit, different manager. That was as bad as anything we produced under Tomasson and had Birmingham took half of their chances we would have been on the end of our heaviest defeat for some time. Too slow in possession, wanting too much time on the ball and pedestrian was the name of our game for me. I'm too tired right now to go into my full feelings. And after Brittains bit man talk yesterday he gave another performance that was almost an impression of a jellyfish - spineless. If he had a heart as big as his ego he might make a player.

I get that too Tyrone but find them compelling. Boys From the Blackstuff could almost have been a documentary at that time. It was Alan Bleasedale at his best.

The real testing time for Eustace will be the Summer transfer window when, at the whim of an Indian court he is likely to have his budget slashed for both wages and transfers. I don't believe anything will change and if his is misled or is ambitious it will frustrate him as it did Tomasson. Thee name on the managers door can change but we still have the elephants in the room.