roversfan99

Another club may well be offering well above what we can afford. Which is why we should have offered these players deals far sooner, if we even have at all. No excuse. At least we can replace another proven Championship experienced player with a no mark from some backwater.

The gap between the 2 teams that night despite the scoreline was immense. It would have taken more than Wharton to change that. Zubimendi is very good. Not sure Wharton is better than him yet. And certainly not far better. Mainoo is not particularly good.

My objective is not just to parrot what Ismael says he wants. I can have my own opinions outside of this. It is allowed. I don't see how resigning Forshaw and Hedges fits into any of these profiles for example. Just wastes resources on inadequate players.

I suspect we will make wholesale changes, it might depend on how seriously Bradford take it. Our squad depth is obviously a problem. If we go for a mix of youngsters with barely any/in most cases no senior experience (Tyjon, LMM, Atcheson, Michalski), new signings gaining fitness (Miller, Tavares) and then just the odd more senior squad player who themselves havent had as many minutes in pre season, then I think they will fancy their chances.

Do you see the likes of Hedges, De Neve and Kargbo as capable of providing chances for the strikers?

If its a case of budgets/number restrictions as to why we can only bring in another right winger, and then replacements for any sales. Then some of the current business needs to be questioned. McLoughlin (although clearly wasnt first choice) makes perfect sense. Good value and at a good age. Signing 2 right backs obviously was necessary, both are cheap, question is how good either will be but they make sense. Obviously a right winger makes sense if we can ever get one sorted. Henriksson sort of makes sense too, although he has played in a slightly different position before, again purely in terms of being a goalscoring midfielder, cant say yet if hes any good. The decisions to sign De Neve (aside from being so cheap) and of course renewing the contract of Hedges make no sense. Not willing to write off De Neve, but purely on type of player, someone with no track record of scoring and assisting, and someone who often has played at left back before, thats not the profile we needed. And Hedges is just shit, especially post 2 bad hamstring injuries. They arent the profile we needed, we needed more goal threat and pace, even if it means that instead, one was a permanent and one was a loan. We also badly need a striker. Which brings me onto Tavares and Forshaw. Why we gave Forshaw a new deal, I have no idea. A waste of resources. And I am not commenting on Tavares' ability but unless he is a real find, which I doubt, seems strange to spend our highest fee on a 3rd choice midfielder. Our attitude to loans has gone from one extreme to another. We usually fill the squad with them, now we seem unwilling to even consider them. One or two to top up the squad with extra quality is something all Championship clubs need to consider.

I mean, at least you are considering that it might be financially restricted rather than just a case of exactly what Ismael wants. But you have just summed up that you just copy off what Ismael says/what happens. What we NEED and what we will GET are 2 different things. I am focusing on the former, you just willingly accept the latter. I said it probably was a penalty, why I would spend so much of my time following Rovers if I was anti Rovers and actively wanted penalties not to be given for us? I would accept any decisions going our way, but I am more concerned about our performance rather than pinning it all on the referee.

Can you please point out where I said that I dont rate him? You are literally making things up now. Our dallying makes it much more difficult to sign him. At a push, we could pay off Mafoumbi, a further delay, and then bring him in and use a last ESC slot totally unecessarily. You are at a peak of parroting everything the club does. For one, we dont know how much Ismael rates Baradji. But yes, he did have a medical here, which he failed! So just to clarify, you would be happy to replace Travis with Baradji even if he was out for months due to surgery, simply because Ismael must rate him? No concerns? And no concerns as to the quantity of proven players we are replacing with players playing in (and often relegated from) inferior foreign leagues? Do you still think we will be top half/top 6?

Someone who is massively invested in the club, with no interest to read them? Someone who is massively interested in transfers, not interested in the board and fans discussing budgets etc. Someone who is more interested than anyone in staff movements and even once demanded successfully that Waggott chased up putting staff profiles on the website. Not interested in staff changes being discussed. And other things. No thank you.

Yeah, some judge on the squad on quality and not just bodies you can write down on a squad list. Lacking any quality out wide, still short of pace, short of craft/technical ability, short of someone to take set pieces, and crucially short of goals.

Why?

So that means that the deal is no longer possible. Best case scenario is that we move on Mafoumbi, have to wait now and have wasted an unnecessary ESC slot. Most likely scenario, our pissing about has cost us this transfer and we move on to someone inferior.

I think it was probably a penalty, I suspect the main reason that he didnt give it was the unnatural way in which Ohashi threw him himself over. One that VAR most likely would have overturned. Either way, I come away more concerned about our team rather than aggrieved at the referee.

I am not saying to never use the throw in. But to specifically play tactics endlessly launching it to Gueye would not lead to any more goals.

But I am specifically saying that you said he was a terrible signing. How do you think he did yesterday? As you seem reluctant to comment.

I definitely think we need far more than just a right winger and to replace any outgoings. You now think that and have dropped previous requests because its what Ismael said will happen so you are parroting it. It may have been a penalty, although he definitely exaggerated his fall to try and con the ref. But I am more worried about our performance than pinning our issues on referees.

You keep avoiding this, what about McLoughlin? You said terrible when he signed, and dont seem keen to acknowledge his peformance either way. Even for Venkys owned Rovers with Gestede at the helm. To replace a key player and captain with a bloke relegated to the Swiss second division who potentially needs an operation that will keep him out for months would be absolutely ridiculous. Especially if he comes on, seems our pissing about has caused that ship to sail. That is one frightening prospect that I suspect would lead to even less goals I suspect. Did we look effective doing this yesterday? Didnt create a chance doing so.

To be fair, although some of the foundations may have been in place, Ismael certainly did an excellent job at Barnsley to finish 5th. He had a very direct style there and it was really effective. He also was a trendsetter in using the newly allowed 5 subs during covid really aggressively, he would burn out the starters for 60 and always make wholesale changes. He seems to have totally moved away from those successful traits though. Whether its the higher expectations at the clubs since, or the fact that it feels like results are almost becoming secondary in how managers are judged/how likely they are to be employed. It feels nowadays that youd be more attractive to a chairman and a club if you finished 14th but playing "pretty" high possession football over rough housing your way to 5th. Today we dominated the ball but didnt create a single decent chance. Boring to watch and ineffective.

He took him off at half time presumably due to the head injury he suffered.

What sort of thrill does he get out of pretending to have a mystery transfer source.

With the random obscure foreign signings, he has struggled to even pretend that he has any clue what is going on. This is one thing it is pretty easy to nail using his tactic of guessing based on what is in the public domain.

Not goals. Or many wins.

He wouldnt. So cant be.

Amidst talk about everything else, owners, board, signings, sales and contracts. The one variable that seems to have just been assumed as ok is Ismael himself. The way he speaks seems to have charmed many. His previous spells at this level were failure and although we ended last season well, his first 7 or 8 games were obviously a disaster. A lot of neutrals seem to cite him as the main reason why they think we will struggle. He has a hard job, and I am not sure either way yet. But I am certainly not convinced. Yet.

Was a half chance at best. Also was looking for the penalty and went down unnaturally. Do you stand by your suggestion that we was correct to keep Hedges? What does he offer that no one else sees? And do you stand by your justification of us only signing one more attacking player? Also, would sum us up to replace Travis with someone who would be out for months through injury.