It would be a fair question to wonder, repeated Mols debate aside, whether Hearts would mind you talking about the pros and cons of an employee on a Rovers messageboard, that the club are trying to keep him and that he is a "shithouse" of a defender? Not a criticism, what are the do's and do not's associated with working for the analysis side of a football club?

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/19748971.hes-coming---bradley-dack-nears-blackburn-rovers-return/ Something to really look forward to early next year, especially if we can keep all of the others. Dack is our best player and 100% gets into the team so there is no way that this is anything other than really exciting.

They are not reasonable to them which is all that matters as they have remained unsigned. That being said, each to their own, you seem keen for us to sell numerous key players mid season when we are currently 4th in the league. Even if the replacements were of the same quality which considering a likely small fee and it being the January window I severely doubt, there would be a period of time in which the new players need to adapt which could potentially cost us points which could be fatal when we are doing well. These players may well be happy to see what is out there at the end of the season rather than be pushed into whatever's available mid season when they are still under contract, and they won't attract normal bids because their deal is about to expire.

Mowbray has himself admitted that the squad isn't particularly deep. I'm guessing that your 24 includes the likes of Clarkson, Butterworth, Carter, Magloire, Rankin Costello who is made of glass etc. But I mean more in terms of massively reducing the quality of our team rather than the squad when we are in such a good league position. The point is more that to lose any if not numerous of Lenihan, Nyambe, Rothwell and Brereton in January would massively deplete us as individual bits of business, I don't think that can be argued against. As I said, do I think that teams will offer decent money (that we can't turn down regardless of league position) knowing that they can have those players for free (beside Brereton, slightly different situation but we still shouldn't sell in January unless we get an extortionate bid) in the summer? Almost certainly not. And the cost to us of losing those key players in January means that to justify a sale, we have to charge a premium. Ideally, we can offer reasonable terms to get them to sign, that is what we want. The wage guesses are purely speculative, we don't know what those players are on or how much they have been offered. Also, I presume that any purchases would have to be funded by those sales so could not be brought in prior to our players leaving. But if we cannot afford them, with seemingly the taps in India having been turned off. Then I do get that we may need to be slightly open minded towards a sale. But should we actively court interest? No and if we don't get bids above the going rate, then I know it isnt ideal but they will have to run. I think your idea that we can in January receive suitable bids for those 3 players, that our club is organised enough and players are willing to be lined up waiting to sign, that those players coming in are of equal quality and that changing 3 key players mid season will not cause any disruption to an up to now successful season is living in a fairytale.

The thing is that I cannot see teams offering reasonable amounts for players that they know will be out of contract in 6 time and available for free. We would IMO need to be offered massively over their current valuations in order to justify selling and leaving a huge hole in an already small squad at such a critical time of a season that has started well. The fact that there has been negotiations with all of these players suggest that there is at least some willingness and some consideration in regards to them being willing to stay. Ultimately Nyambe signed his last contract prior to making himself an established and key member of our starting 11, Rothwell signed his last contract signing from League 1 Oxford initially as a squad player, and Lenihan has become captain and critical to us since his last contract. The first 2 should be near the top of our wage bill, and our captain should be paid as much as anyone really. The idea that they are all expecting to "smash our wage structure" seems to be the easy go to assumption but I am very sceptical that it is the case. But even if its assumed that they wont sign a new deal, they should only be allowed to leave in January if we get really high bids due to the gaps they will leave mid season.

These players linked will mainly just be newspaper gossip that will never materialise. I don't doubt that there are good players in League 1 but selling key players in January would be massively counterproductive and send out totally the wrong message considering our current league position, I would be very unhappy if that was to happen. I also think that the idea that we could easily replace Nyambe by signing a player for a couple of hundred grand from League 1 seems a naive and over simplistic suggestion. And no name was specified as to who this mystery player is/could be. Pickering and Nyambe are both 2 good and totally different full backs who ideally would both stay at the club.

Possible of course, Edun less so as he is yet to convince or establish himself at Championship level. Pickering is a different player to Nyambe but seems a shrewd addition, but there will be far more examples of players unable to make that step up. Also Pickering did have to acclimatise which any replacement would have to do. To suggest that we could replace Nyambe for a couple of hundred grand from the League 1 seems a hell of an oversimplification especially without a name of someone if there is someone specific. Also, if it was that easy, anyone interested in Nyambe would surely cut out the middle man and do that themselves!

Yep, it doesn't make sense to rip apart a team when we are 4th in the League. Brereton in particular has another season after this so if needs must and we cant give him a big wage suiting the second top scorer in the league, then sell him then. Not sure how much demand there would be to pay anything other than a nominal fee for the other 3 with less than 6 months on their deals. @Paul Mani (if im not blocked) which League 1 right back do you have in mind that is of equivalent quality to Nyambe for a couple of hundred grand? Or is it an oversimplification based on Pickering? Surely we should also go and get a Dack quality attacking midfielder for a 6 figure fee from the same league if its that easy?

The standard of football in the Championship is poor, watching some of the best players in the world and Rovers competing against the best surely would be the biggest thrill. I have never understood why it is anything but desirable to want the best. Im not sure why Premier League players are "mercenary journeyman" anymore than Championship players either. VAR has become far less subject to criticism because the teething problems in the main have been ironed out and ultimately it means that decisions are invariably made correctly. How often do we bemoan the standard of referees at this level, who get no help? I also dont get the lifeless stadiums, if anything they are bigger and more full, and our own stadium would likely be fuller.

Imagine having such an empty life that you create a fake twitter profile for John Souttar.

Brilliant win today and a comfortable performance against a depleted Stoke who offered next to nothing. Buckley had by far his best player in a Rovers shirt, and the back 3 were all superb, as were Rothwell and Travis. Poorest players were Brereton and Khadra, with the former looking shattered and like the player we saw 2 or 3 years ago, and Khadra lost the ball everytime but then scored the winner from nowhere so certainly has a reason to pat himself on the back, Dolan offered energy when he came on. Fair play to Mowbray too, he is doing an excellent job this season and he deserves the credit for that. Such a shame that the owners are going to allow the core of this side to depart very soon.

Absolutely no chance he comes here to a club who cant afford to keep inferior players.

We have done well with forwards in general but it wont work like that every season otherwise every team would have a prolific goalscorer.

Bradley Dack is the best footballer at the club.

I didnt say he was, you need to read it again.

I conversely think that such is your steadfast desire to pin everything on to the manager, that you are implying that even the things that he has done well have happened "grudgingly" or purely through luck and circumstance. You cannot acknowledge that Mowbray has done some things both well and on purpose. Both have been dealt with well by the manager and have progressed as important first team players as a result. Both players also prove that Mowbray will stick with a young player over experienced alternatives if when they come into the team, they play well. You do surprise me. If they all wanted to leave solely because of those 2, which in itself would be bizarre, then no negotiations would have taken place in the first place surely, it would be a case of will you sign for us, they would say no, end of negotiations. And in your scenario, they wouldn't have signed 18 months ago anyway! If these players could have been signed up long term a year or 18 months ago, we still should be able to offer that same wage now, but it seems that Venkys are not keen to invest at the moment.

And even in Breretons case, we could still get a sizeable fee in the summer with a year left after that. Also love the fact that Waggott can be blamed for not agreeing new contracts with players when he has publically said that he has offered them as much as we can, therefore the issue clearly is not being given enough in the first place.

Was from a few posters on the previous page, mainly 1864roverite leading the argument. I suspect that it is much easier to agree a deal with an older player who is in a weaker negotiating position knowing that if they are a free agent, it will likely take them much longer to find a new team. We don't know the 100% position though you are correct and never will. My stance is that for so many to be in the same position, the wage ceiling must be too strict to be able to afford reasonable Championship players at this moment in time, which is counterproductive to making money on such assets in the future.

Like I said, I dont think that there is as much in it as you make out in regards to their general all round game, as I said, many games this season have seen Brereton score and do basically nothing else, in the last 2 games hes done very little aside from score but when you score goals at the rate that he is doing then hes very much going above and beyond to earn his money because there is a reason that goalscorers are worth the most money, its the hardest thing to score a goal and Brereton is banging them in. Its down to personal opinion anyway, I know you was never Armstrongs biggest fan which is fair enough so happy to agree to disagree on the difference between their all round game. Yes, Brereton is a clumsy, awkward, ungainly player, quite unconventinal is perhaps the best way of describing his style. When things arent going for him especially in his first 2 years it makes it all look worse. He very much uses his style to his advantage now, he isnt graceful or elegant but he takes some stopping when he starts running at defenders. By aloof I meant the way that his character is portrayed off the pitch, he seems to thrive as a bit of a class clown from the snippets we see, and ssems like a genuinely likeable guy. You throw in 2 years where he looked lost, and a total turnaround in fortunes throwing in the unique Chile fairytale too and its impossible not to be made up for him.

Sheffield United seemingly tossing away any ambition and settling for a stay in the Championship. Jokanovic is notoriously a slow burner, the same happened at Fulham, I get why they might question his future but to sack him to be replaced by someone with such an underwhelming CV on such a long deal? Crazy.

If people are going to question anyone who is criticising the owners for the fact that so many key senior players are so close to the end of their deals, implying that they are probably asking for too much and querying how people can lambast the owners without being privy to the inner details. How can those people defend the owners without being privy to those details either? If it was one for example, then maybe you could suggest that it is the player being unreasonable. But a few at once, surely not.

Brereton has had numerous games this season in which his only real contribution has been getting on the scoresheet. I don't think that there is a disparity between their all round games as you are suggesting, he often mis-times his runs, his clumsiness is still fairly regularly apparent, and I don't think that he is this all round team player constantly helping others, he has only 1 assist in half a season compared to 5 assists by Armstrong last season. Their worth comes from the goals that they score. I know that you never seemed to particularly warm to Armstrong but he had a phenomenal personal season last season getting one of the highest goal tallies in Championship (since its rebrand) and if Brereton gets the same or a similar goal tally, then he will have had a similarly brilliant season. I think that part of the general esteem that he is held in compared to Armstrong comes from the back story, the first 2 years, the Chile call up and also how he seems as a person, a bit aloof.

Last night the atmosphere was non existent, such a small crowd and you can totally understand it, there is even evidence on here of people not rushing back from work or braving the cold etc when they can watch it from home instead. We were 4 nil up but there were simply not enough people to create a reasonable atmosphere, the decision to televise these games is killing atmospheres. I don't get why everything has to be spun as a slight on the manager. There is plenty of things that can justifiably be aimed at the manager that he has done wrong, the development of both Wharton and Travis under him are undoubted successes. Wharton kept being loaned out with many cynical as to whether he would ever make our first team, Mowbray was keen for him to fill out physically as he kept saying, and he said last summer that he had filled out and would now remain with our first team. There is nothing "grudgingly" about his selection, last season he was selected above Ayala at least once and in the last 2 games he could easily have been taken back out for him but he hasnt. Travis played WITH Smallwood at Sheffield United, you can create hypothetical situations whereby Travis goes out on loan in January and never establishes himself here (everything in life is somewhat down to circumstance) but Travis kept his place not only in those 3 games but permanently going forward, seeing Smallwood (an ex Boro favourite of Mowbray) out in the cold as a result, purely because of Travis' performance.

Brilliant win against lets be honest an appalling Peterborough side who are a perfect case of a typical promoted team desperate to "stick to its principles" despite all logic and that is a decision that will see them back in League 1 next year. We were hungry to pick up on their regular mistakes and clinical and professional after that. Mowbray deserves plenty of credit for how we have started the season, exceeding expectations with a thin squad off the back of a summer where he had to rely on filling the numbers up with kids on loan. Our shift in style has been necessary and has shown that the manager is perhaps less stubborn than I initially thought. Pickering is so much steadier than Edun, Nyambe possibly doesn't suit wing back but he was of course untested but very steady, and Lenihan and Wharton were good making the central 3 seem so much more balanced. Kaminski did well to keep a clean sheet with an important save after a sloppy start to the second half and Ayala clearly does not like working in the cold. Rothwell was the pick of the midfielders and ran the game, and Buckley was good too with a very good cross for the first goal, Travis was quiet and is in my opinion somewhat shackled by having those 2 more attacking midfielders next to him but he can cope in there. Dolan was full of energy as always and Brereton got 2 more goals, mentions in this chat of comparisons to Armstrong are perhaps premature, the acid test is more or less than 28 goals, if he gets near as you would like to think he will, that is 2 successive seasons in which Mowbray signings have or are racking up outstanding goal tallies. I thought Butterworth was desperate to impress but he appeared a little too selfish for my liking in a last half hour that was a non entity otherwise.

Absolutely backwards on behalf of the whole league. It is little wonder that attendances are so low with this and the red button.