Tuchel would seem a decent appointment if true.

A team build around Dolan with Cantwell stuck out wide. No thanks. Toth JRC Carter Hyam Beck Tronstad Travis ACD Cantwell Sigurdsson Ohashi Sigurdsson was the hardest to pick but we dont have a natural option there so its his turn. I think the likes of Dolan, Hedges and Pears will still play, and players like ACD and JRC will stay on the bench. Hopefully we can keep winning at home to maintain our perfect record especially with the negative tactics away leaving us unable to win.

Obviously he shouldnt be "axed" (can you be axed as interim manager?) based on one game but it might make it slightly more difficult to justify giving him the full time role, of which most would agree would be too big a risk.

It might turn out to be a blessing in disguise. A meaningless glorified friendly nearly 2 years before a tournament but makes it more difficult to justify employing a naive novice like Carsley. He made a rookie mistake of just trying to cram in talented players leaving us imbalanced, then he went the opposite way and stuck 2 up front which again is not something they are used to. I do think though looking at the players we have, people have been perhaps blinded by a few select individuals but its not quite the golden generation. @roverandout may disagree but its not close to the 2004-06 level of squad. Yes, we have sne stand out top level players but most want to do the same thing, Bellingham, Palmer and Foden all want to be number 10s and putting them elsewhere really hinders them and the team, and Kane when fit also wants to drop deep. We have the odd player in other positions (Saka, maybe Trent and if played probably maybe Rice) who are also quality. But we have not one single left back who is even reasonably good, keepers dodgy, centre backs average, big issues in midfield where Rice is good but not sitting and nothing else of the required standard, and as mentioned some quality attackers but mainly ones that want to do the same thing. Bring back club football.

People always say how brilliant our side is on paper but tonight is the perfect example of what happens when you try and stick our best players in together. In 1 or 2 positions there is an embarassment of riches but across the team there are big weaknesses hence why we get beat when we play anyone good.

I acknowledge that maybe their fans feel he should be playing more. But I dont think that they are taking the piss by not playing him more. Hopefully he will break into their side soon. IMO he isnt anywhere near of a sufficient quality at the moment to be playing Championship football. It was the correct choice to loan him out but unfortunately he doesnt seem to have done enough to earn regular League 1 football at the moment. If Travis/Tronstad missed out, would you play Garrett over Baker, Buckley and JRC?

He cant be recalled outside a transfer window, so before January. But he isnt ready to play Championship football, we saw that last season. Even when our main 2 are out, we have better alternatives than Garrett. It also seems over the top to say its taking the piss without watching them to decide that he should be playing. We obviously want him to play every game but just like when we sign loanees, there should never be any additional motivation to play him just because it suits the parent club.

Why do you find yourself unable to criticise Eustace for the defeats? You touch on his tactics frustrating you, which is in itself suggests a criticism. And its a fair one. I think his approach of leaving our better attackers on the bench and just trying to cling on until they come on has been a big factor, as well as his team selections.

I dont think anyone has said that we havent had a good start.

Work and family commitments are indirect factors that the club cannot control, but are also surely not factors that will massively dent sales in any one season. Im sure each season there are some people that could have gone previously that wont be able to anymore, but on the flip side some who couldnt previously go who now can. That sort of thing youd imagine would level itself out. The main 2 factors are success and in particular, cost. The thing with the cost is its not only the original price which was still too much, but its the very small window before the prices then rocket to ridiculous prices. Waggott will be able to say that prices went down but sales didnt follow. That will be purposeful manipulation of a campaign that saw a tiny decrease for a very short period of time. We hadnt even signed any players before the first leap in price came into play. 4k adult season ticket holders is embarassing.

I dont even think we need to go really attacking by any means. But yeah, to try and tactically leave your better attackers on the bench for an hour as a ploy is just totally bizarre and doesnt reflect well on the manager. You need to try and impose yourself on the opposition, to admit that your intention was purely to cling on for an hour before having a go made no sense. The thing is, we werent even defensively solid by any means. Probably partly because we didnt offer a threat at the other end, Plymouth should have been further ahead such was their dominance. Eustace needs to prove that he can get the best out of our flair players like Cantwell and Cozier Duberry.

I answered that before, but yes. My reflection on the season so far is that we have made a good start. Perfect home start, 12 from 12, well done Eustace. Crap away start, only 3 from 15, big question marks on Eustace's approach away from home. I think thats balanced and fair.

I dont think anyone has suggested that we have not had a good start overall. But it seems some get a kick out of making out as if everyone is going well over the top. Mercer is an exception but he is purely on here for the wind up.

Even if it has been consistently at that level, its just as bad.

Preston was a disappointing result but again, we seem to have the same mindset of trying to sit in and struggled to create chances even against a man less for half a game. The Burnley game was obviously a good result of course but obviously that was solely from a defensive perspective especially when Gueye was sent off.

Hes not "dug out" unfairly or disproportionately. There are a number of players who regularly get criticism, he is only one of a few. Him, Hedges, Pears, Hyam, Pickering.

Our overall away record so far this season is clearly crap though, I dont think there is panic but equally I dont think its just a case of a couple of away losses, it can happen. Our overall points tally is good and if we kept accumulating points at the rate we are doing so now, then everyone would be happy. But the difference between a perfect home record and a rubbish away one is stark. We arent going to win all 23 home games even if the approach to those games has been more than justified, but there needs to be a change of approach and a rethink ahead of away games. Eustace admitting that he left our better players all on the bench as part of a gameplan that clearly didnt work is a worry. We need to try to exert ourselves and get out better players causing problems for the opposition. I get wanting to build on a solid base but I think a mindset of trying to cling on for two thirds of the game has also led to our defence being under more pressure than it needed to be, with them often appearing all at see.

People have said similar about Dolan, as if hes been scapegoated after the weekend. But fact is that a number of players have received plenty of justified criticism, the blame has been widespread not including the manager. Dolan, Gueye, Hyam, Carter, Batth, Hedges. The question is, is anyone convinced that he is going to score a reasonable number of goals? Everyone seems to be in agreement that technically he is really poor. There is no doubt that a forward is somewhat reliant on service, but there is also a responsibility on the player himself to be able to create chances through his movement and anticipation. Take Szmodics last season, the chances he had werent from a cohesive side creating loads of chances, his movement, his runs and his anticipation led to chances.

@ruggles1995 you have gone down the route that many do of trying to make out as if you are a level head amidst the general fanbase as if they cant react rationally to a defeat. But then you have gone on to constructively point out areas where the manager messed up at the weekend, notably the defensive set up, and a generally imbalanced starting 11. Isnt that what those who you accused of being bots such is their overreaction were also doing?

Do you realise the hypocrisy of trying to play the role of portraying others as "doom and gloom" merchants by trying to make out that you are analysing the full season, only to then mention individual games to try and dismiss concerns about our overall away record? I have never said that I wouldnt have taken 15 points at this stage, but that tally doesnt obliterate the potential to find areas of weakness (and strength). Our home form is perfect, easier games on paper but to win every one is brilliant. No debate to be had with anyone as no one could possibly argue that our home record is anything other than fantastic. But 3 points from 5 away games is definitely crap, in my opinion anyway. So without mentioning our overall record and deflecting away from the question. Are you happy with our away record so far this season of 3 draws and 2 losses from 5 games, with 0 wins? We need to build on and continue with our excellent home return so far, with harder games to come. Away, I see big red flags. I feel like Eustace's approach is counterproductive, even admitting that he left our better attackers on the bench with a gameplan to try and get them involved from the hour mark. Overall points tally is good, broken down into a perfect home record and a crap away record.

Why is it strange? He was never going to walk into any other club in the Premier League and be a regular. So its either take probably his last chance at experiencing Premier League football, or stay at a middling and unambitious Championship club that he single handedly kept up from relegation to League 1 but where he is guaranteed to play every minute.

I dont think that issues fall around expectations. Any attacking players who contribute as infrequently as he does and ones who lack the intelligence to develop their game, reduce their weaknesses and show signs of increased consistency will naturally frustrate. Maybe he will have a sudden increase in productivity but over the course of his Rovers career, he has been tried wide, up front and now in attacking midfield and none of the changes have yet managed to allow him to be more consistently productive, and he still keeps trying to be over elaborate.

He has got what is likely a last career opportunity to experience Premier League football. Thats not factoring in the massive increase in wage. It doesnt in any way make it a case of the grass not always being greener just because he isnt starting every game. He has already scored at the Etihad, put it this way, he wont regret moving even 1%. Im not sure he is better than that, he isnt of a standard where he is a Premier League player at a club as a key player. No one in their right mind would have chosen to stay as the main player at a club with no ambition or imminent likelihood of promotion when a chance comes to fulfill a dream move. Even if he doesnt start again this season, he was right to make the move because it wouldnt have come again.

Its not some sort of scapegoating. The ratio of poor to good performances is still far too heavily weighted towards the former and that balance hasnt really improved over a number of years. Despite a number of different managers he still is prone to over elaborating and still produces very little in the final third. He would only ram it down peoples throats if he became more productive not just in occasional games or spurts but over a period of time.

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