Absolutely, but even from that perspective. Win and we are 100% safe. Home to 2nd bottom, should be a game we target all 3 points and then get it over and done with. I know he has won away, but he has yet to win at home, including some games we should be targetting wins in, lets get that monkey off his back on Sunday, seal survival and go from there.

Hypothetical scenarios aside, he was the one that brought him through, played him regularly and got the best form of his career out of him. The loans were because he didnt feel like he was physically ready. When he broke through he was nowhere near as well built as he was now so them loans did him the world of good. We can say what if this or that had happened, but it didnt.

I do get why its a must not lose, but bigger picture, say we draw, probably seals safety, but that would still leave Eustace yet to win at home having played Sheff Wednesday, Plymouth and Millwall. It would be pretty depressing and wouldn't bode well for next season. Talk of filling the side with as many big players as possible to stop them. We are playing at home to second bottom, a draw and we are still catchable, a win and we are safe. Anything but a win is a huge let down IMO. A draw helps us limp over the line but lets just impose ourselves on them, win a game that we should expect to win and start to plan for next season.

If its deemed that Broughton isn't the man to spend the money, that can't be an excuse, "he'd only waste it anyway," if any functional club thought that then theyd replace him. I don't think his record is great but he like anyone would likely have more success with some funds. When he has spent money, Szmodics is a massive success, Hyam and Brittain have been up and down and Wahlstedt a huge failure. Its the frees and loans where he has totally failed to find value barring Tronstad. Venkys I am sure wont be reinvesting any of the substantial sums coming in.

We cant (well shouldnt, but often do) just assume that players who have not played first team football of note will break through. Barnes has been injured for 2 years, Finneran and Tyjon are 16, Michalski 17 and Duru has never played senior football. If any break through next season, consider it a bonus.

Entertaining your guesses on the sell on. Is he really going for £90m anytime soon?

How about trying to take the game to 23rd in the league at home?

He deserves no credit for Adam Wharton, but to say he was atrocious at managing the younger players is nonsense. Scott Wharton and Buckley had their best form in a Rovers shirt under him and have struggled following his departure and his 2 latest captains were Lenihan and Travis, the former who established himself under Mowbray and the latter who broke through under him and again has struggled since he left. Obviously not perfect, after an initial phase where he wasnt, Nyambe played the vast majority of games under him although I think our fans over rated him, Raya was a poor error of judgement to agree to sell a young keeper for cheap although I dont think he becomes what he is now or close to if he stayed herem

How can anyone possibly think we dont need an overhaul in the summer considering the season we have had and in particular how thin on the ground we have been regularly naming terrible subs benches and a couple of injuries floors us. The squad needs gutting. Markanday, Sigurdsson, Wahlstedt, Telalovic and Garrett aren't good enough. Vale likewise. The 4 loanees will go back and not be missed. Gilsenan and O'Riordan are totally unproven, as is Gent. We need a new number 1 keeper. We need a right back, Brittain has not had a good season so realistically a first choice. We need another left back. Centre back, we certainly should not renew McFadzean, we have 3 there so maybe could do with another body. In midfield, Travis coming back is key to add to the current 2, not sure Buckley is the answer but those 4 are a stronger area of our squad, its whether 4 is enough in such a position. The attack is the biggest concern. If Szmodics does go then we are goosed. Even if he stays, we haven't any cover there, then aside from that, we have Dolan and Gallagher who are good to have around but not start every single game, and if either doesnt sign a new deal then we have to look to sell. Hedges quite possibly will be injured again with a recurring injury heading into the season. Even if all 3 go, we need a goalscoring striker and a couple of quick wide men. We won't get what we need, but lets not pretend naming players that arent up to it sees us well covered and just needing a few tweaks.

Im not convinced that a point per game is above par. Well, i am convinced it is not. At best par, maybe below.

Id understand if you said that you have seen enough to have some hope with him as manager into next season, or something similar. Whether people agree or disagree. Its the idea of wiping the slate totally clean. Opinions are being formed, areas that we feel he has shown promise in, areas of concern and a general opinion. I dont get why that has to be parked at the door and for the majority it wont, positive or negative.

Might be an easy link for Nixon to make to justify his patreon in the dry months. And/or might be a common occurence where managers go to former trusted players. Not sure its a signing id be overly enamoured with, if something like this did happen im guessing it would need Wahlstedt out the door.

I dont really understand this clean slate demand. People cant just discard any opinions held of him already. There is a lot of manipulating stats going on. Only 4 losses, but only 2 wins, an average of exactly a point a game is the only true gauge really. Also, averaging goals conceded ans taking out the time we conceded loads. Our goals scored under him is poor but you wouldnt take the 5 at Sunderland out. Ive said before, surviving considering the buffer he came in with is IMO not particularly impressive, you think it is and that is equally valid. But im not going to totally wipe the slate clean. I have concerns about his ability to get us scoring goals and winning enough games. I have also seen signs that he is capable of getting clean sheets and organising the teams. Those opinions both bad and good I won't discard going into next season but obviously they are fluid and can change as time goes on. Its not a fresh start though.

He hadnt shown that he could play for the first team because he had never played any first football before. Point being, it is impossible to be confident enough that a player from the academy teams is suitable to the point of not signing adequate senior cover until he has played game time at senior level, even if at least its in League 1 or 2 out on loan. Totally untested academy graduates shouldn't be assumed to be ready to be second choice in a position having never played senior football, as we have seen there is a chance that they aren't ready, whether now or ever. In this case, we only then had Pickering, had to play a right back at left back when he was unavailable and then sign someone at the next available opportunity in January to cover. The reason it happens is here is because of budget cuts but it leaves us inadequately stocked to cope with a Championship season.

Im trying to say that the gap between academy football and Championship football is so vast that we cant afford to just assume that someone will break through and cope competently without recruiting in that position. As a result when he didnt break through, we had one senior left back.

With Batty, it is another example of how we run the club under these owners, with their constant cut backs. We didnt sign a left back because we apparently "didnt want to block Batty's pathway." We then had to react because it was assumed that a kid with no first team experience would seemlessly step up and compete at Championship level and he didn't. You can only consider graduates to be first team worthy once they have at least shown signs of it.

It was a difficult game for him but I dont think he did much at all today, his lack of pace really holds him back. But his assist was exceptional, perfectly done.

Fantastic result and backs to the wall performance today and fair play to both the manager and the players for getting such an unlikely win. Pears was IMO no way the man of the match, not because he didnt play well as he did but it had to be one of the defence who were brilliant. Hyam embarassed himself midweek but was absolutely superb today and Carter slotted back in like he had never been away, the man of the match was one of those 2. Both full backs also bounced back and did really well as part of a great defensive performance across the whole team. In attack, it was occasional flashes with all the onus clearly on defending. Szmodics is the only one who gets the goals but Dolan and Gallagher both contributed excellently in the build up. I still am not sure on Eustace either way, the last 4 days have seen the 2 extreme results in his tenure that can cloud judgement either way, his overall record here is still poor with less than a point per game but he has at least shown signs that defensively we can become more solid with 4 clean sheets now. Today wasn't ever going to be the game to prove otherwise but there are obviously big question marks over whether he can get us operating effectively at the other end, if Szmodics leaves that becomes 10x harder, we need not one or two but three or four attacking players in the summer, we need goals and we need pace and the big question is will that happen.

If we are in the game of taking out one game anomalies, what about taking out his solitary win?

He made a massive mistake against Southampton too that thankfully went unpunished. Remain captain? Travis is the club captain or was before his temporary exit. And he actually shows signs of leadership. Lending him out becomes more and more baffling with each passing week.

For sure. 9 of the same starters that got embarassed 5 nil the other night, plus a LB on the wing and the forced absence of the player voted man of the match on here. Can definitely get a result at Leeds with that.

You could rid any manager of any blame with that logic though. Kean and Coyle werent playing either.

He couldn't say anything last night to make up for the utter embarassment he has a big responsibility for, no. I doubt he will go into next season with anything other than backing in ground but people judge managers (and players) as they go. Even if we scrape over the line, considering the buffer of points and teams we had when he came in, im not having that he deserves a clean start in terms of judgement, and if people feel that he needs replacing as part of that clean start then fair enough. 1 win in 13 or 14 is shocking no matter how anyone tries to twist it and he has not shown much if anything to suggest hes the man to take us forward.

As @Herbie6590 touched on, those conclusions are incorrect. Looking at the accounts doesnt factor in the various costs throughout those years that are exempt from FFP calculations. Waggott has boasted that we should make a profit this year after selling Wharton, I am unsure too whether the Raya sell on will be in these upcoming 2024 accounts or whether the deal to Arsenal will be in July. But either way, factoring all this in, we have plenty of room and FFP isn't a pressing concern nor a reason should as is likely we don't spend on the squad. Problem is, there is a lot of misinformation/incorrect assumptions about FFP and it can cause people to believe it is the reason we dont spend more.

He repeated post match that we have been "fantastic" in his time here up until tonight. Weve won 1 in 12. Kean, Coyle, Berg and Appleton will (I think) all have better win records.