I totally get and share your enthusiasm as to going to Rovers games after such a lengthy spell out, I cannot wait either. I fear that is almost certainly not going to be close to a full season of attending games but that is another matter and I cannot wait to return. That said, those feelings are an irrelevance when constructively critiquing our chances for the upcoming season. I still planned much of my life around Rovers when Kean and Coyle were here, it doesn't mean that I was optimistic in those times either. Being happy to go back doesn't mean that a constructive person would totally remove the manager from their analysis. Being happy to go back doesn't mean that you need to pretend that you genuinely think that a top 6 finish is a possibility, yet don't give clear reasons why. Being happy doesn't mean that you can't criticise our inability to make signings or indeed avoid an unnecessary embargo, batting off the incompetence as it being a case of "we are where we are." And being happy to go back doesn't mean that we have to assume that it is good to have so many unproven kids all expected to come through together. Also, your team is built around a striker almost certain to go, and half of the other 10 have a year left, and there are no signings.

If I gave you a straight choice, Mowbray or McCarthy for the upcoming season. Who would you choose>

I never once said that I was jealous of other teams signings, you have for the second time misinterpreted what my point was. That again, partly down to a self inflicted embargo, we are working so slowly on signing new players, we are in a small minority of teams yet to anyone. And that wasn't/isn't a tactical ploy whilst waiting for players, it was due to the aforementioned unnecessary embargo preventing us. In regards to a supposed "agenda" about being negative, again, what is there to be optimistic about? Disinterested owners, incompetent manager, transfer embargo for some of the summer, no signings 3 weeks prior to the season, the loss of key players in potentially Armstrong as well as Elliott and Harwood-Bellis, is it really an agenda to be feeling a little less than positive? Patrick Roberts hasnt even been linked to us, so being unsure on him coming in (as a replacement for Elliott so a downgrade) is not even me being pessimistic about Rovers. He has had a few really ineffective loans, he is talented but not much at the end of it.

I would be very surprised if Johansen doesn't go back to QPR. Spent last season there, they are strongly linked again and are looking in much better shape than us. It is also hard to get excited about players fitted to the exact same flawed way of playing that Mowbray adopts, we need a re-think. Roberts is a weird one, he definitely has ability but he repeatedly wastes loan spells aside from some success at Celtic. Poor at Norwich, Boro and Derby.

I am pretty sure that when Harvey left, the message coming from the club was that it wouldn't affect things this summer. The following quote suggests that maybe it did cause a road block: "it’s now full steam ahead to find the players to ensure we have a competitive squad going forward."

Why advertise in the first place? I agree that a manager shouldn't interview 87 candidates but it seemed pointless to even advertise if they already had someone in mind, and the fact that it strengthens the position of a rubbish manager is infuriating. Not sure the preparation is particularly going very well to be honest anyway. Mowbray in charge, no signings, and in the only game so far it was essentially a Rovers under 23 side, only Nyambe, Pickering, Travis, Rothwell, Johnson (who got injured) and at a push as fringe players Buckley and Davenport you would think would be in the squad on the opening day.

It seems that people are split in their attitude on Mowbray at this moment in time. Half want to bury their head in the sands, call a fresh start from the start of the season and put people down for "not getting behind the team, COYB!" I sort of get it and maybe wish that I had such willingness to do the same, but it makes no logical and rational sense. Talking about signings being made, none of which have and with no urgency to do so may I add, we are reliant on the recruitment of a manager who has a poor record in the market. Tactics and formations, again we rely on Mowbray-ball and his wide striker and false 9 rubbish. So it is impossible to rationally look ahead to the season without considering the manager. I am not one to go into calling him corrupt etc, I just think that he is incompetent and well out of his depth. I have no evidence that he was being cunning behind the scenes and indeed even surrounding himself with people he knows is very common, the worry is that it only strengthens his position and shows how trusted he is, not that he is doing it deceitfully. But I cannot fathom how people can just start afresh because a manager is critical to the success or failure of a football club. And to clarify, I am definitely aware that the problems are and have always been the cunts over in India, but Mowbray is a huge, horrid symptom of that as a failing manager taking us backwards. Seems like a re-hash of the Daily Mail article, which in itself seemed to be based on the Sun at the weekend. Either way, we need to get our arse in gear at getting players in.

Cant argue with any of that. But on Joe Bennett, he is a left back of real proven quality, not over the hill at 31, would give us real experience that we sorely lack and would I expect be first choice over Pickering who is obviously yet to prove himself at this level. Well all that would be true if it wasnt for the fact that he injured his knee ligaments in March and wont be fit for at least a couple of months into the new season which is why Cardiff released him. Signing him would be totally senseless so expect a 3 year deal any day now.

The difference is that Souness surrounding himself with familiarity and strengthening his own position was not a problem in that he was a successful manager. Mowbray shouldnt be in the job so surrounding himself and helping to vet a further familiar face isnt a good sign.

If you would like to be unnecessarily patronising, at least count correctly.

That is grotesque!

Both sides seem to be run proactively but I am not convinced by Luton, any side that signs Amarii Bell is always going to raise question marks and in general their recruitment is a little peculiar, Cameron Jerome and even Henri Lansbury seem to have long since had their day, Burke in defence, Campbell in midfield and the trio of Gomes, Muskwe and Onyedimna are a little more interesting but not sure that they have enough to really overachieve. QPR on the other hand seemed to be really strong in the second half of last season once they made signings that bar Johansen they have made permanent. Never been totally convinced by Warburton but they do seem to be putting something together there. You would expect the relegated 3 and Bournemouth having retained much of their crown jewels and added Marcondes to all be up there, less convinced by Barnsley having had their manager and captain nabbed and Swansea without Ayew, Woodman, Guehi etc so maybe there are 2 spaces left. The front runners aside from maybe QPR for the top 6 would have to be Cardiff, Boro and Stoke for me, all managed by good managers and ssemingly improving on the pitch. Warnock always leans on experience but seems to be set to spice it up with a South American binge, McCarthy at Cardiff improved them so much last season and has added some more options so I think they will be up there and Stoke will miss Collins but Wilmot, Vrancic and Doughty look like decent additions and with the likes of Fletcher, Campbell and Fox to return to fitness they might be up there too.

Is this true that we have 19? The rules are that you can have 25, these 25 include loanees but exclude those who are permanent and are under 21, presumably that this season will be those born after the 1st January 2000: https://www.efl.com/clubs-and-competitions/sky-bet-championship/championship-squad-list/ From our 25 man squad last season, we have lost Bell, Bennett, Branthwaite, Douglas, Downing, Elliott, Evans, Harwood-Bellis, Holtby, Lyons, Trybull, Williams, plus there is no need to register Magloire and Armstrong is obviously set to depart. So that is 14 more spaces available. Pickering will take one of those, Chapman will take one of those, Carter will (by 2 weeks) as will Butterworth, lets for now assume that we keep those 2 around the squad. As will Buckley and Brereton who didnt last season. So that is 6, leaving 8 spaces for my calculations. 9 if you assume that Pears is loaned out and we bring in alternative back up in goal.

It surely only further strengthens Mowbray's position, that is I suspect peoples issue with it.

And why 5? 5 is not enough.

Usual replies.

Yeah the season will definitely be decimated by isolation and positive tests. Most players may not have had 2 or even 1 vaccine either.

The issue is not that the manager has had a hand in selecting the head of recruitment. The issue is who the manager is, and indeed how allowing him to help to surround himself with familiar faces suggests that the job is his for a long time and only strengthens his grip on the job.

There is a lot of rubbish in this league. Sadly, the formula of a squad lacking its prolific goalscorer and main creator, with the same incompetent manager and with an increased dependant on too many untested kids isnt a positive one.

Neil Etheridge (Birmingham goalkeeper) is in hospital with covid. I saw that Ipswich had issues with friendlies due to Covid and also on here the rumour that our game v Gateshead was cancelled due to Covid. I wonder how many games will be cancelled this season due to isolation/positive tests and if the players have been vaccinated yet?

Is there absolutely any evidence of what I have put in bold? We have absolutely no idea what it was, there was a rumour of that on here and also a rumour that he was offered a pitiful wage. Is 22 close to retirement age? Carter has plenty of time, he is very, very young for a centre back. I suspect that you will be right and we will become overly reliant on kids, mainly because I don't think we will sign many players. But it is a risky strategy. By all means give the young players a chance, which with a squad of Nyambe, Pickering, Brereton, Armstrong (if he stays which he wont sadly), Wharton, Rankin Costello, Buckley, Davenport, Chapman and Dolan all in it, we will have plenty of youth either way. But we need more experience and more proven quality on top of that, which is sorely lacking. Rankin Costello is seen as a left winger anyway, not a right winger, according to Mowbray. If we do become too reliant on kids, it doesn't bode well for as and when we get embroiled in a dog fight at the bottom, we don't have the characters and the experience to cope.

Firstly, of course I very much wish Appleton well in his fight with illness and hope to see a full recovery. But I find it hard to understand why anyone would have a fond memory of him as a manager here, admittedly there were mitigating circumstances throughout the season but he was very much (a bit like Lambert) a "good talker" but we regressed in his short time in charge, he served up the most drab football of a generally woeful season and that Millwall game will always be remembered for the wrong reasons.

Do any teams have so many in pre season?

I would agree in that I have wondered myself why we are having a 2 week gap between our first 2 friendlies. I did wonder if there is a game behind closed doors, and if @JHRover is correct in saying that we have a game behind closed doors at the weekend v Wigan, then that would make sense from a fitness perspective and indeed it wouldn't be "awful prep" that "shows the state of the club" after all, 5 friendlies seems perfectly normal. Saying that, Wigan are playing Oldham at the weekend so I do wonder when any game with them is, although after the first game in pre-season, having 2 games on the same day is very common with the first team squad split into 2. But either way, if we are having any fixtures behind closed doors this weekend, in terms of preparation, then that completes the pre-season as I did find the gap a little curious. Addressing your point about revenue, thats a more genuine point but even then, we tend to only play Premier League clubs at Ewood in pre-season, it would be very rare for us to host a lower league team in the second match of pre-season at Ewood, so would that be our decision? So then you look at the likely revenue of a friendly against testing costs etc, and maybe it has not been deemed worthwhile on our opponents behalf to open the game to the public just prior to "freedom day." Wigan v Oldham is being played behind closed doors for example.

There are many aspects of the club that you could argue are in disarray. A "Rovers 11" fixture being cancelled is not really one of those, not a first team friendly. Unsure why a game v Wigan is behind closed doors though if that is true. When will Leeds tickets information be released?