One step at a time, I think he stands out for us but my excitement comes with him thriving at Rovers before we start putting him next to Bellingham.

Would agree to an extent, but we didn't last year and still the way we collapsed brought justified criticism. We "tried" with Obafemi and also Maja on loan but ultimately even then we wasn't allowed money to replace Armstrong. Also, Sunderland don't, Preston don't, West Brom don't really.

When you reel off the teams. Luton. Millwall having lost their star man. Coventry, we nabbed their best defender for a pittance during their run in in which they couldn't play home games. Sunderland, managed by Mowbray and left with no strikers with their star man having picked up a bad injury and his back up being recalled at the end of the window. Preston, barely spend a penny, team full of loans and journeymen. That's a big reason why dropping out of the top 6 would be so unavoidably frustrating.

One of my favourite things about Wharton is that (in game at least, allegedly) for such a slight kid, socks rolled down, he puts his foot in.

I think he will play Dolan there personally. Which is a huge worry.

As pointed out, its a bit of a false figure that could be avoided if we were run normally. We could have made over £12m within 6 months, spent roughly double the amount we did in the summer (£8m compared to £4m) and then would have had a net profit of £4m rather than a net loss on transfers. As it is, very limited in what we can do. Seems like frees and loans this summer. Next season is not the focus. We need to play the best players we have in the here and now.

Incredible how you watch a Rovers player play so well and instantly revert back to England!

I find it absolutely incredible that you repeatedly cannot separate the situations, obviously I am not advocating sacking Tomasson in the summer. I am saying if and when, maybe Tomasson will go elsewhere, maybe he will get fed up with the set up here, maybe a bigger side will try and poach him, maybe this summer, maybe next, whenever. I also don't get why you think Lampard would be unobtainable, he will be a free agent with at best a sketchy CV, I would be flabbergasted (not totally though, looking at some of the strange managerial decisions that clubs make in the Premier League) if any Premier League teams wanted him. So I will re-word. Whenever Tomasson goes, assuming Lampard would consider coming, would you take him?

But in his main season, he played predominantly essentially in a front 2 (Buckley floating in between) right up the pitch, or on occasions, as left of a three, as he played the season prior when he improved. Playing as a left winger in a 4231 is not the same, it requires a lot more running back and a lot less scope for playing on the shoulder. That is a huge reason IMO why he hasn't offered the same threat this season, the tactics don't suit him as much. That's why I think we need to have a re-think, the status quo isn't working. In the absence of any competent strikers, a situation worsened by Gallagher being injured who himself is not very good most of the time. The alternatives now are Dolan who showed how poor he is at offering an out ball last night, and Leonard who has played about 40 minutes of senior football. Having Brereton right up top would offer us at least some physicality, and also the option to go in behind. Plus he is our main shot at getting goals. He hasn't played up front very often for us but when he has been effective, it has been in formations which naturally lend themselves to him being far closer to the opposition goal and also narrower than he is in the 4231. His best game from the last 4 and the only time he offered a goal threat was against Huddersfield because again, the 433 let him be further forward. He was having chances and getting involved. Even if he stays on the left, which makes me worry about who we put down the middle, I would prefer at least to be in a 433 where he can be closer to the opposition goal. There may be a subconscious part of him that fears injury and I get that, it is a terrible indictment on the club (well the owners) that we have got into this situation in the first place. But I feel that every time he mis controls the ball or whatever, things he did even when he was at the top of his game, it is put down to his head being elsewhere which I don't think is entirely accurate. We have to make do now and I just think moving him as I mentioned above is the best way to get him closer to goal. As you said, yesterday why not have him down the middle?

Again, 4 blocked shots and a meagre 2 shots on target all game hardly scream exhilarating performance! Business end of the season, grind out a 1 nil win and deserved praise, that's all that matters but I can't fathom how it can be seen as a very good performance. Offered nothing in attack and sat back too long offering nothing on the break unfortunately. I would say that the last 5 games overall have been nowhere good enough both in performances and results. Continuing is not the mindset we need, things need to change to get over the line.

He has been crap but I feel that the questions over how much he cares are unfair. Today, every time anything around him broke down, you could hear moans around me suggesting that he wasn't trying. Tomasson's tactics don't get the best out of him, he is a player suited to being more central and further up the pitch than he plays. He is quite quick, quite powerful and offers a threat in behind. He can also finish. He has never been the best player technically or the most elegant.

If Tomasson went in the summer for whatever reason, would you have him here?

"Very" well? Like I said, had we won, it would have fit the grinding out a 1 nil win narrative but we certainly didn't play "very well." Very passive, no real intention to attack and never offering a threat hence why the only other chances you can think of were blocked! We played well at Huddersfield, that is the only game we have played well really since the international break, where the results have been won 0, drawn 3, lost 2. Continuing with things is not right, we need to have a re-think because we are again as for much of the season are not offering barely any goal threat. Performances are dull, we struggled to break teams down and we are not half as defensively stable as we once were. How were the subs bizarre? Going to a back 5 as we did unsuccessfully at Sheff United handed the initiative even more to Coventry. Taking Adam Wharton off was strange too.

He was hopeless. Very happy with the performance? Really? If we see that out, its your typical grinding out a 1 nil and thats great. But I didn't see a very good performance at all. Cagey, even first half, little in it. Did we ever look like scoring after that? We didnt seem to have any interest in pushing for a second and going forward we offered nothing. You say keep playing well, we have been shit lately. Tomasson calling for VAR post match.

Feels like a decisive night in a bad way losing those 2 points to such a dodgy goal. But controlling what we can, not good enough. We backed off and it felt somewhat inevitable. The subs didnt help, Dolan was shocking and couldnt keep the ball and Thomas was all over the place as a wing back, the third centre back invited pressure. Brittain was hopeless too. Wharton absolutely outstanding and the 2 centre backs and Rankin Costello were good. The attacking players struggled to contribute and Pears doesnt instill confidence.

I dont understand how Gallagher has maintained his place at all. Glad to see Wharton play in midfield but worried that they might over run us in midfield. Glad to see Dack back on the bench. I don't necessarily mind Leonard dropping out, there is a lot of pressure and it is a critical game and you'd fancy the 3 attacking options on the bench over him at this stage.

It seemingly doesnt "fit our recruitment model" to sign experienced players. Mainly because everything is done on the cheap with an overreliance on the academy to make up the numbers. I doubt it will change.

I guess if clubs are stupid enough to keep giving him jobs because of his name as a player then you keep taking the money. But management doesn't seem right for him, probably more suited to being a pundit, albeit he was hardly the best at that.

Laughable.

4 from 4. At least he knows the club and might win the Champions League.

So Buckley deserved his?

We will sell out I am sure, but yes, people will pick and choose especially in a cost of living crisis and with the game moved for TV.

They are but a footballers career is much shorter and earning more within that time can transform the life the player and their family live for the rest of their life.

You slag players off when they go for more money and say that they shouldn't move for massive pay rises...

There would be no reason for that money to at least be partially available. If it was essential for FFP or cash flow reasons, they would have taken whatever they could get. With Venkys, it is genuinely an uncertainty which feeds into the knowledge that they don't run the club in a logical manner.