A week to sell 800 otherwise we will have to give up our play off hopes.

It's a league at a much quicker tempo with much more physicality and ultimately quality. No way would he thrive more.

If you can attend every single game, and most will miss at least one or two games a season as a minimum. I don't think that is cheap even in isolation for one game of the standard of Championship football, but obviously that price only stands when you buy 23 at once.

Your last two lines are hilariously contradictory, even for you. The post I quoted implied that we don't deserve a side fighting for the play offs if we don't fill the away end at Birmingham. That is really ignorant and provocative bollocks. There are so many factors to consider, a big one of which is the cost in the current climate including travel etc, especially with issues surrounding train strikes and costs. To suggest that people will just "find a way" if they want to go is equally as ignorant. For example, ideally I would go but I won't be doing mainly due to cost. A Wharton is with the England youth setup.

It is probably based on what has happened in the past numerous times, therefore was a very fair assumption. £20 off and your first thought before barely anyone has posted (and those who have have been positive) is to childishly mock, as if anyone who is buying will be annoyed that they will be paying slightly less.

Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Ruben Dias would get into our team, likely Joao Cancelo too. I think Neves v Rice would be a judgement call.

What meaningless and provocative nonsense, especially amidst a cost of living crisis.

No I don't think that Italy are one of the best at the moment, but I do think that it was an impressive win last night especially away from home hence why I cannot fathom the over-emotional responses of @roverandout reacting so strangely to winning the hardest game of the group. We will qualify for the Euros, there is little doubt about that as half of the continent will almost, but it was still a bit of a statement to go to Naples and win last night, we were much the better side in the first half and held strong in the second. Italy are poor compared to the Italian sides in my life time (admittedly quite a high bar) and they haven't qualified for two recent tournaments no matter how that is dressed up. North Macedonia are not a team you should be losing to if you are one of the elite and Switzerland are always at a consistent level whereby they will always struggle to match the best teams around, a solid and organised side but nothing special. Of course, that doesn't mean that they aren't a squad full of players playing in top leagues. I don't necessarily think that the 3 Italian sides going through means that Italian sides are particularly strong at the moment, obviously it is very draw dependant and considering who they could have got, the Milan sides got decent last 16 ties, Napoli are one of the best teams in Europe at the moment but you look through their side and the majority are not Italian. I sometimes have on Serie A games of a Saturday or Sunday evening and I don't think that the standard is comparable say to the Premier League. England do have a fairly considerably better set of players IMO at the moment compared to Italy, looking at yesterday's side only Phillips and Maguire are the questionable choices, plus Pickford is not as good as Ramsdale (or Pope) but has obviously got Southgate's trust. But beyond those starters, we have Foden, Rashford, Sterling etc who are obviously a couple of levels up from the likes of Scamacca and Gnonto, in the area where I think Italy are probably weakest. At centre back, that Bonucci and Chiellini partnership was crucial in those Euro's and with one ageing and injured and the other no longer an option, I do think they are much weaker there too. Beside England, Portugal and France, I also think the likes of Spain and probably even a Germany side in transition are stronger than Italy in terms of players, possibly Holland too. Italy are a level below that.

Dear to get too on the trains though and even if the strikes have been cancelled, there has been a lot of uncertainty.

We can believe what we want, interesting that you didn't comment on the gossip the other day that Sorba Thomas is not a popular member of the squad. But either way, the owners didn't sack Mowbray regardless of results, that was my point.

They obviously have a number of players playing at a good level but compared to previous teams they are massively inferior and also aren't one of the best teams at international level at the moment, as proven by their inability again to qualify for the last World Cup. I thought it was very interesting that although 3 Serie A clubs are in the last 8 of the Champions League, there are only 7 Italians betwen them. They still have a very canny midfield bur are lacking up front even compared to the team that won the Euros. Pelligrini is better suited in midfield, Berardi is nothing special and they are looking weak up front hence their desperate intervention to get an Argentinian to declare for them. Scamacca has struggled in the Prem and Gnonto is a player with a very bright future and I rate him but he is not comparable to our wide men. They miss Chiesa who stood out in those Euros. I also think they miss the experience that they have lost in central defence especially with Bonucci out injured. That being said, to win in Italy is certainly an impressive result.

@roverandout I have never seen someone as full of outbursts and as irrational as you during England games! The ref was a jobsworth but he wasnt against England nor was he worth a punch. And we saw the game out well in the end, that Italian side is not very good (as bad an Italian side as I can remember) but even with 10 men we saw the game out. I would likely agree that I don't see Southgate taking us to a trophy but how that result can seemingly heighten calls for his departure is beyond me. We know we will qualify as half of Europe does nowadays but that is on paper the hardest game in the group and we won.

Yet football is nothing without fans according to Sky.

It isn't comparable to us giving 2k out of 8k because they have season ticket holders I think in the same stand as the away fans.

Or people were repeating the same nonsense. Either way, whatever happened, they didn't sack him which is all that matters, hence my point about not judging on results.

I am torn to be honest. I think it is a bit petty and it never sits well when seats are empty yet fans are left sat at home. That being said, I do like the idea of trying to gain a competitive advantage. Although I prefer the atmosphere with a full away end.

By suggesting you mean rumours that turned out to be bollocks and he got another season anyway, regardless of how low we finished?

As has been pointed out, if they invest right up to FFP regulations, why did they refuse to invest in the necessary pitch revamp and why is Ewood looking so worn? Letting management manage is laughable. With both Rothwell and Brereton, they overruled anyone below them on the sale, on at least one of those occasions aggravating the manager at the time in the process! Yes players leave clubs on frees, but that doesn't make it acceptable to lose an eight figure plus total within a year due to incompetence. Mowbray turned into a decent, at a push good appointment but they seemingly had decided not to bother judging him on results, hence when he finished 15th there was no suggestion of sacking him. And Waggott amongst the top quartile in the league is hilarious, and the comment of someone not in touch with attendances/ticket policies and the general feeling. You mention "dramatic improvements over what went before at Rovers under Venkys," that benchmark could not possibly be any lower. There was one attempt in the last 6 years under these great owners to downscale the academy, but even forgetting that, do they deserve much credit for merely not pulling it down? The academy is not something to credit the owners with. Regarding other owners, probably only the ones who have seen their clubs deducted points rank lower.

I always can only presume that the very bad exceptions that lead to point deductions trick people into thinking that Venkys are good owners. That cannot be the benchmark, avoiding deductions. In the last 2 seasons, we have allowed 4 big assets to run down their contracts, 2 of whom had bids totalling an 8 figure sum between them that the owners intervened to veto, and another being our captain who is a key part of a side with a great chance of a top 2 spot. We have had a manager that was allowed to run his deal down with no communication as to what was coming next following a spell whereby his performance was seemingly not being judged. Our pitch has become one of the poorest you will see in the football league because they decided to withdraw funding on a planned and necessary revamp. Our ticketing policies continue to show a stadium with I think as low a % of filled seats as you will see in the division, with the CEO again not coming into question. And not for the first time under their ownership, we have been embarassed by the ability to get paperwork signed in time to make a January signing.

If Huddersfield rotating their side is unforgivable then what is appointing Owen Coyle, selling all your assets and replacing them with desperate freebies. (Just before the birth of a new reign under owners in the best 10% in the country according to some)

What would noticeably change against the benchmark of Premier League standard if we went up in say 2 years time? I can only presume that you accidentally typed the 0 after the 9.

Never said that either. I am torn, it undoubtedly is more accurate, but takes away spontaneity.

It can never be a "catastrophe" to get promoted at any point. Any promoted side will be up against the odds to stay up regardless of when that is. Promotion will allow us to strengthen so worst case scenario, we come back down with a stronger team compared to now. It breaks that psychological barrier, it improves our ability to attract players and staff, it will likely give us a big chance to expand our regular going fan base. We no longer would be a side that has been in the wilderness for over a decade. Tens of millions of pounds will also be generated, but the benefits go beyond that. In the grand scheme of things, whether it is this season, next season or the season after, the calibre of our team is unlikely to be much different relative to the Premier League.

If we are worried about Ukraine then we may aswell not bother anyway. These games do not carry the importance of the Premier League run in, the FA Cup semi finals or the Europa League quarter finals.

I don't think I have ever said that I like it.