Is Sky £30 a month all in including the Sports package?

3 hours ago, BankEnd Rover said:

Patrick Bauer been told he can leave PNE - Worth a shot.

Hes slow, injury prone and has been nowhere near their team for a while.

6 minutes ago, rovers11 said:

I think this will end up a draw and that will do us very nicely. 

Lose and it will be a nervous couple of weeks, but we'll still probably be OK after that huge Leeds win. We'd have to lose all the next 3 to go down.

Our rivals have some nice fixtures tomorrow though which is a cause for concern. Huddersfield should beat Swansea, Birmingham surely have to beat Rotherham even though they have a new manager, I fancy Stoke to beat Plymouth, Preston are rubbish and done for the season so QPR will probably win that one. We could well be just a couple of points off the bottom 3 come the time we play.

A draw won't do us "very nicely" a win would. A draw would not be a disaster but we have to be targetting the 3 points.

3 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

entertaining,really,i think it`s boring,a closed shop devoid of any unpredictability,uefa need to get their act together and just have one massive knock out,champions,second place and cup winners only and no seeding

thats just me being a fan and not a money counter,id`e like nothing better to see real madrid knocked out by panathanaikos or man city humbled by ifk gothenberg,like the good old days,steau bucharest for the cup😁

Very entertaining. Id have the first leg of Real Madrid v City as probably the most entertaining game of the season.

CI never thought that I would see empathy towards Legia Warsaw and Young Boys.

I get the argument about making the strong stronger, but I think the quality of the Champions League is stronger with a few teams from the top countries. The entertainment value has been brilliant from it in recent years, and I think that it would take away from that if it was only one of the Prem/La Liga/Serie A/Bundesliga etc in every season.

Even without Prime and BT, just the sky sports packages are extortionately priced. How anyone can claim they are value for money is crazy. Flawed logic just saying well actually I want to watch the sport, that doesnt justify the prices. And clearly many wont or cant pay those prices hence why so many are forced to stream.

I do think that if they made it Champions only, it would massively dilute the quality of the Champions League. The knockout stages tend to provide brilliant entertainment and that might not be the case if you made it one team per country.

We have to go into the game with the objective not to avoid defeat but to win and seal our survival. Its a game we have to be favourites to win against second bottom at home. Sheffield Wednesday have definitely improved under Rohl but their team on paper is nothing to fear.

Team selection wise, there should normally be the temptation to move away from the back 5. The only issue is beside the 3 attackers we played last week, I dont think we have anyone else in attack who is good enough, so that might force our hand to go with the same team again.

How anyone can justify the extortionate Sky prices is beyond me. That is a big factor in streaming being so common now, Sky have made it unaffordable to watch sport for many people.

Those prices will likely only go up, inconvenience to matchday going fans will go up with even more games moved, attendances will go down, ticket prices will go up, wages will go up, who is winning here?

Non parachute payment Championship clubs make considerable losses. Not saying that is just down to Sky, but still. 

Off on a tangent slightly. But there are no Premier League sides in the semi finals of either major European competition. Im not saying it is or isnt, but will it dampen the "best league in the world" narrative that Sky love to promote?

Sky prices are extortionate and you rarely watch a Championship game nowadays on TV without the song "Sky TV is fucking shit" such is their disregard towards fans. Leeds have been on basically every game, I bet they havent had many 3pm kick offs this season.

I think its just Elliott Jackson getting every last drop from his previous interview.

Of course age comes into it. If Kane was 5 years younger he would be worth more too.

No one will bid close to £20m for Szmodics. We cant afford him to go full stop as it wont be reinvested.

3 hours ago, J*B said:

Priority List - 

Keeper: Pears & Leo both shown they're incapable at different periods. Leo will likely stay and develop as No2, can't see Pears ego letting him stay as No2. Sell Pears, buy a No1.

RB: We only have one right back. Brittain needs competition. 

CB: Don't want either Koumetio or McFadz and we need five CBs in the squad. Carter, Hyam, NEW, Wharton, ORoirdon. 

LB: Pickering is our only left back. If possible I'd sign Christene, I think he's significantly better than Pickering.

CM: Existing viable options are Tronstad, JRC, Buckley. Will Travis come back? Based on what we've seen it'll either be Tronstad or Travis, will Travis accept that? Will Buckley ever come good? I don't want: Fleck, Garrett or Ayari. That means I need at least one creative CM with another needed if Travis doesn't want to stay.

Wide Players: Unlike others, I've been really impressed with Sigurdsson. He didn't have a pre-season and clearly signed for JDT who was subsequently forced out. I like Dolan, he can be frustrating but he's capable. Hedges is a very good player to keep within the squad. I make that three players and ideally want four. Hopefully Markanday is sold, he's shown glimpses but in the most part has been terrible. 

Strikers: Szmodics is obviously vital to our club. Gallagher should be sold in the summer - he has his positives but his contract is running out, he clearly wanted the Ipswich move and he's never achieved stats to back up what we paid for him initially nor his high contract. Telalovic and Vale need to be sold, frankly I'd be fine seeing both released on a free. 

I therefore think across signings, loans and promotions we need to fill the below, colour coded as 'green = must be experienced and permanent, yellow = could be a short term loan with a buy option, red = could be a young player either purchased or promoted'.

No1 Keeper

A CB that is fighting to be our third behind Carter and Hyam

A right back that can push Brittain

A left back that is better than Pickering

A creative CM that is tall, strong and can create chances. 

A tackling CM in the mould of Tronstad if Travis leaves

At least one wide forward who's at least as good as what we already have

A first choice no9 striker to replace Gallagher

A back up striker that is actually viable to replace Telalovic and Vale. 

That's 5 expensive, first choice purchases or free transfers.

3 top-flight loan players

1 cheap player - either a free transfer or internal promotion. 

Leaving the squad as:

New Keeper, Wahlsted, 3rd Choice Keeper

Brittain, New

Carter, Hyam, New, Wharton, ORoirdon

New, Pickering

JRC, Tronstad, Buckley, Travis, New

Sigurdsson, Dolan, Hedges, New

Szmodics, New, New

I make that 23 players, so we're allowed another two plus youth I believe? Youth can be: Leonard, Batty, Gent, Barnes, Gilsnan, Fyles, Eastham, Gamble, Finneran.

I get to an extent why people might adopt the attitude on Sigurdsson that he might be better in his second season having adapted and having been unlucky with injuries etc. But you've been "really impressed" with him? What about him? Slow, soft, cant beat a man, ducks out of challenges and after an initial flurry stopped being a goal threat.

I think Pickering is our most underrated player, nothing special but more dependable than Brittain. Chrisene has provided reasonable cover but no way is he better. We do need cover for both but I suspect lack of money will be excused with rubbish about not blocking pathways and versatility to cover not signing a couple of players.

We cant just release Vale and Telalovic, hopefully someone will come in for both for a nominal fee.

1 hour ago, Exiled_Rover said:

JRC just played the 'EFL Young Player of the Year' off the park in CM.

Why would you move him back to RB? Brittain is a better option there anyway (JRC struggles to get up and down - much like Pickering - and you have to cover for him). 

CM is the least of our worries. We need pace and physicality upfront, a proper GK and ideally a left footed Brittain to play LB. 

Im not sure that Brittain is the prototype for the sort of full back we need. Pickering is more reliable than Brittain IMO, but we only have one senior full back on each side contracted into next season so we need one of each. JRC is much better than Brittain at full back but I am not against having him as a midfielder more often, the issue is he cant be one of 2 full backs AND a midfielder so we need to choose where we intend to use him, midfield seems a good shout. Shame he isn't more robust and we don't have more than 1. 

Cant argue with your analysis of what we need. Id say 1 or 2 strikers dependant on Gallagher, 2 pacy wingers, another attacking midfielder, (if Szmodics stays, if not 2) 2 full backs and a new keeper are needed, we are miles short. A centre back and another midfielder lesser priorities. Obviously we wont get near that and itll all be with buttons.

25 minutes ago, M_B said:

I thought it was just wins he needed, I didn't realise they were now being categorised,when did that happen? 

Just for the record, will 1-0 do? 

 

You speak as if asking for a home win is me being needlessly pedantic.

Any win will do. We are playing 2nd bottom at home, the important thing is to win a very winnable game and seal survival. But its Eustace's 7th go at winning at Ewood, forget the must not lose stuff, lets actually win a game at home. 

7 hours ago, Eddie said:

Right, so think about it. How hard were we fighting to keep players when we'd made it a standard policy to put release clauses into contracts?

Under the Walker Trust and John Williams we had accepted the idea that we had to be a selling club and turn a profit on players when possible. In some instances, this probably helped us to sign certain players (Bellamy), but we also created a culture that made that the standard approach for contracts.

I'm not defending Venkys, but they would be crucified if they were putting in release clauses at the rate that we were in the 2000s. You'd struggle to find another club that not only put release clauses in for virtually all of their key first team players, but also set them at a relatively low number. 

Duff, Jones, Santa Cruz and Bentley raised nearly £70m (a long time ago) from a cost of probably £4-5m. With these players especially Bellamy, it was likely the only way they would sign up. If Venkys were regularly bringing in massive fees and continuing to sign top players as we continue to punch above our weight, I doubt there would be much uproar. 

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/24255816.blackburn-rovers-stance-ruddy-revealed-amid-transfer-link/

More Nixon crap debunked. People pay for his transfer nonsense...

35 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Talk about planning for next year is illogical - we simply don't know where we'll stand until late August and the resolution of that court case.  It's just about getting over the line imo. 

This season has been a disaster - we've sold our crown jewel, we've run off our competent ambitious manager and we still don't know whether the owners can put a penny into the club to keep us running. 

Survive then take a deep breath and brace ourselves for more horrendous news coming out of Ewood / Pune is my advice. 

Absolutely, but even from that perspective. Win and we are 100% safe. Home to 2nd bottom, should be a game we target all 3 points and then get it over and done with.

1 hour ago, M_B said:

Well, he's won 2 away matches,that box has been ticked. 

We could do with a win at home on Sunday, but that would only leave the Coventry game to get a home win at 3 o'clock on a Saturday. 

I know he has won away, but he has yet to win at home, including some games we should be targetting wins in, lets get that monkey off his back on Sunday, seal survival and go from there.

56 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

He tried to sell Scott Wharton before an injury crisis thrust him into the lineup.

Sent him out on loan in his early 20s twice 'cos he didn't rate him. 

Hypothetical scenarios aside, he was the one that brought him through, played him regularly and got the best form of his career out of him. The loans were because he didnt feel like he was physically ready. When he broke through he was nowhere near as well built as he was now so them loans did him the world of good.

We can say what if this or that had happened, but it didnt.

On 14/04/2024 at 19:26, philipl said:

I believe Wednesday have sold their 7,000 so the home restriction is to prevent Wednesday infiltration.

That really would kick off with a 27,000 crowd (assuming Blackburn End upper remains closed) with another 7,000 from Sheffield spread around the home areas and some Rovers fans unable to get tickets...

As it is, it will be a rum do if we can't get 15,000 home fans for this one and a crowd of 22,000+.

Back to my boring a MUST NOT LOSE game but a draw pretty well secures Rovers finishing above Wednesday unless they can get a 17 goals swing in their favour in the last two matches...

We will be playing knowing the Huddersfield v Swansea and Rotherham v Birmingham results so we could be playing for a win that makes Championship football in 24/25 a certainty.

 

 

I do get why its a must not lose, but bigger picture, say we draw, probably seals safety, but that would still leave Eustace yet to win at home having played Sheff Wednesday, Plymouth and Millwall. It would be pretty depressing and wouldn't bode well for next season.

Talk of filling the side with as many big players as possible to stop them. We are playing at home to second bottom, a draw and we are still catchable, a win and we are safe. Anything but a win is a huge let down IMO. A draw helps us limp over the line but lets just impose ourselves on them, win a game that we should expect to win and start to plan for next season.

If its deemed that Broughton isn't the man to spend the money, that can't be an excuse, "he'd only waste it anyway," if any functional club thought that then theyd replace him.

I don't think his record is great but he like anyone would likely have more success with some funds. When he has spent money, Szmodics is a massive success, Hyam and Brittain have been up and down and Wahlstedt a huge failure. Its the frees and loans where he has totally failed to find value barring Tronstad.

Venkys I am sure wont be reinvesting any of the substantial sums coming in. 

We cant (well shouldnt, but often do) just assume that players who have not played first team football of note will break through.

Barnes has been injured for 2 years, Finneran and Tyjon are 16, Michalski 17 and Duru has never played senior football. If any break through next season, consider it a bonus.

37 minutes ago, philipl said:

Initial fee 18.5m rising by another 5m in add-ons which Adam is well on his way to triggering all of them. 

Assuming we get 23.5m, the sell on is 15% of any Palace profit beyond what they paid to us. 

On current progress that could easily be another 10m and pretty soon.

At Anfield, it was noticeable that Wharton was tackling anything getting close to him and his lack of involvement was quite possibly because they were playing around that space in front of defence he occupies for Palace.

It was a sublime performance from him and not in the lest bit surprised his passing accuracy was almost 90%- I can only remember one pass going astray.

Entertaining your guesses on the sell on. Is he really going for £90m anytime soon?

45 minutes ago, philipl said:

Having seen the "highlights" of Wednesday v Norwich, a back 5 and doing everything we can to avoid corners will be essential.

Norwich were worth more than their two goal lead but Wednesday scored two identical goals from corners with the 6 yard box packed with bodies. We will need all of Hyam, Carter, McFadzean and Gally in there to compete in this version of alehouse football.

 

How about trying to take the game  to 23rd in the league at home?

2 hours ago, superniko said:

How on earth is Mowbray getting credit in that article 😂 he was atrocious at managing our young academy lads and regularly threw Raya and Nyambe under the bus and I seem to remember Travis only got called up when we had a huge injury list. 

Pretty sure Wharton never played a competitive match under him. 

He deserves no credit for Adam Wharton, but to say he was atrocious at managing the younger players is nonsense. Scott Wharton and Buckley had their best form in a Rovers shirt under him and have struggled following his departure and his 2 latest captains were Lenihan and Travis, the former who established himself under Mowbray and the latter who broke through under him and again has struggled since he left.

Obviously not perfect, after an initial phase where he wasnt, Nyambe played the vast majority of games under him although I think our fans over rated him, Raya was a poor error of judgement to agree to sell a young keeper for cheap although I dont think he becomes what he is now or close to if he stayed herem