roversfan99

The entertainment value has been close to nil for much of the season. Stay in 3rd until the end of the season (I very much doubt we will personally but hopefully we can sustain it) and that will do me regardless. Today the game was boring again, but we won so I am happy. The owners cut corners with the pitch, promising a full 30 year overdue revamp only to just stitch a couple of bits at both ends. Was in no way having a go at fans. Purely at Sky and their lack of care for match going fans. And I never wrote off Garrett long term, and praised him today. But he isnt very good on the ball and is too rash.

I still cant fathom why people would "write off" a whole season, especially considering the standard and the fact that we have made the short term focused decisions to keep our best player with a year left on his deal as well as signing a mixture of reasonably experienced players and loanees. It can be boring and also satisfying if we win.

Won't happen in a million years, but one ambitious target would be Ben Pearson who would give us everything we lack in midfield. Leadership, tenacity and good on the ball. Even if he is a knobhead.

He may well not have had final input but under this structure that surely could reoccur therefore judging him after x transfer windows becomes pointless.

Obviously Tomasson deserves to continue, it is a crazy view of a very small minority who would actively want him sacked with us 3rd in the league. But I don't totally take in the view point that Tomasson has been dealt with a really bad hand, I appreciate that the window was particularly difficult due to the timing of the appointment, and that also Tomasson may have not had full/final say on incomings, but we have had one window nonetheless. You look at the squad today, again Brittain was injured and both Hirst and Mola cannot make the bench even when the squad is looking thin. I think Tomasson seems to put a lot of emphasis into organisation off the ball, which of course is a positive. We have a healthy number of clean sheets although we have also conceded more than a number of teams in the bottom half, which shows that it is somewhat feast or famine.

We don't play as if much emphasis is put in training on combinations and patterns of play in attacking areas. Dack has intelligence beyond any of our other attackers and often initiates one twos and flicks around the corner but otherwise it is all lacking in ideas. Contrast that to (usually, the last 2 defeats aside) when we don't have possession, we appear well drilled and like the players are comfortable in terms of knowing what they are doing.

I would think you would be right to assume that, as that would seem particularly steep, but ultimately none of us will ever know the fees.

What is the truth? Fees that nobody knows, and varying opinions of the success or otherwise of those signings. So a mixture of guesswork and opinion. I am sure that the Lancashire Telegraph had the fees estimated at £1.7m for Szmodics, £1.5m for Hyam and £900k for Brittain, but estimates being the operative word.

Not closing the door on sending loanees back, lets hope Mola and Hirst never play for us again. (as an aside, I like that he has mentioned the stupid kick off times more than once. Our manager seemingly has more empathy for our fans than some of our fans!)

I know they did recently during the freezing weather a couple of times but did they during the World Cup? Either way, you'd be hard pushed to find a pitch as bad as ours in this league, and it's impossible not to point to the owners reneging on the intention to do an overdue, proper relay. It's a fair way to sum up how Venkys have run our club since they sadly took it over, we used to win awards for our pitch, now its a right state.

Great to get a win and a crucial one regardless of a poor performance against terrible opposition, clung on in the end. You'd have to be glutton for punishment to find a Jon Dahl Tomasson Rovers side to be entertaining but it is a results game. Credit to Garrett, I was underwhelmed v Sunderland but today was his best performance, I still think he isn't a Championship top half player or even close and he is so limited on the ball and a red card waiting to happen so for me he should go out on loan in favour of some more experience but he really gave us some energy in a game where good passing football was off the menu. Dack is the stand out player on a different level, his flicks and one touch balls round the corner are the redeeming feature in an otherwise impotent attack at the moment. Brereton had a couple of half chances but he is off form and Gallagher was really poor again, more than once his first touch was a tackle. Hedges did some good things but is so one footed and isn't a wing back. Hyam as ever so reliable alongside Ayala who heads everything away. Those who have a brew with Waggott may have been pacified but the pitch is an embarrassment, Venkys trying to cut corners by not relaying the pitch as promised. Yes the weather has not been good but we had a big break for the World Cup, the ball wasn't bouncing due to the mud. Sky got what they deserved for sticking 2 fingers up at match going fans, so many empty seats, no atmosphere and a drab match lacking quality and drama on a boggy pitch. The standard of this league is so poor.

He has energy and can run around but he struggles with basic control and passing. Sometimes I wonder if he miscontrols the ball on purpose to allow him to crunch in. (Suppose thats not far off with Travis but he has a bit more composure in comparison)

Struggles to control a simple pass a lot of the time. Has to improve fast surely.

Tells you a lot when Hirst cant make the bench with our squad so stretched. Still cant believe how thoughtless Sky are sticking Rovers v Cardiff on TV at 12 on new years day. Pricks.

Jake Garrett?! I just don't get it at all.

My point is that nothing has happened to have ultimate faith that everything has changed since the summer. Loads of players have signed new deals in the last few years even amidst the other inconsistencies and discrepancies so why would I have total faith that everything has changed? It might change and great, it might not, point being I am not going to assume that it will without seeing it do so. This bollocks about seeing instant results is a myth but it easily gathers momentum in making our fans unfairly seem like an impatient mob. Our best asset will leave for free next summer. Nothing has changed, YET. Maybe it will, maybe it wont. Ill wait until I see different signs that it has before assuming.

That is true, definitely agree there!

I did feel some frustration but not at the manager, the early goal and the general first half performance helped but then the Blackburn End really turned on the ref in the second half.

Sunderland are up to 4th to be fair now. I do think that there is credibility in the argument that dropping to League 1 and then getting promoted did earn Mowbray a level of loyalty with some, but I don't see the fanbase turning on Tomasson to be honest. Such is the apathy surrounding modern day Rovers, things would have to get pretty bad.

I don't get how this was anything other than a normal, civilised debate, I am not sure of the purpose of the need either of people contacting you privately or indeed the patting yourself on the back afterwards. Absolutely bizarre. Regarding the Brown signing, I don't understand what could possibly come to light that could add context. Just a cheap signing that hasn't and probably won't work out.

Buckley was really good in the first half, but it was made irrelevant when he cost us the game by being petulant.

I think your posts are lacking in soundbites that you have heard from the club. Constantly echoes the "transitional season" rubbish, yet strongly approves of letting Brereton run his contract down.

A number of years? You mean this season when he has been an embarrassment (although you cling onto an hour in a drab home loss v Stoke in which he missed a couple of chances as if he was excellent) and also a highlight reel from last season?

Szmodics may not be on par with Hirst in terms of impact but he wouldn't make our best 11 and I think more often than not he is ineffectual. It told me a lot that Peterborough fans seemed unconcerned by his departure and with a track record of success at League 1 but not really beyond that, and him being not at an age where we are likely to make a profit on him, also factoring in a decent fee, I certainly wouldn't deem it as a successful signing. Maybe a 5 out of 10 if you are being generous. Morton plays unconditionally in what I think is our weakest area of the pitch and only rarely does he excel IMO, again 5 out of 10 at a push. Neither have unconditionally failed like the 2 dollopers (Hirst and Mola) but there is a middle ground between a success like Hyam who has slotted in very well indeed. The best right back of the Venkys tenure is not an award to be proud of, but he cannot be deemed a success until he stays fit. He has looked pretty steady when he has played (in his correct position) but until he does stay fit across a length period of time, it is a case of if my aunty had bollocks she would be my aunty. There are lots of other variables, emerging youngsters (absolute nonsense that Mowbray wouldn't have brought them through, he brought through plenty through) and injury recoverys included, but I was just judging just the transfer window which I think was bang average. What further insider information could make any difference in judging the deal? I don't see how you see a plan from Venkys. They have allowed the putting together (and subsequent tearing apart) of backroom teams throughout their time here, the transfer window was not a stand out one and they continue to allow assets (Brereton) to run their contracts down. We have seen new deals signed throughout the years, Kaminski, Travis, Dolan, Buckley again, Scott Wharton, Dack etc, but its on the most valuable assets where we literally have bids on the table that get fucked up.

I think its incredibly generous to imply that a couple of million on a League 1 standard player and an underwhelming loanee who wasnt what we needed in that position are good signings. Average at best. Brittain has been decent enough at right back but its little use when he is made of glass but even when he hasnt, he has often been used out of position and for a bit of context, a player we had all written off has put in the best 3 performances that we have seen from a Rovers right back this season. Hirst and Mola have been beyond poor too.