roversfan99

We wont sign a new number 1. Itll be Pears as first choice next season, the club has no standards.

Does Ismael get any criticism for losing to 3 bottom 5 sides in the space of a week? If yesterday is his style then I worry. The players looked like they had no idea what they were doing. We were disjointed, and we seemed keen to pass for the sake of it, slowly and side to side with absolutely no purpose. When we got the ball wide, half the time we were reluctant to cross, when we did the crossing was appalling. How have you possibly ascertained that we want to play with pace and trickery? We have no pace and it looked like we were playing walking football. Have you got any doubts about Ismael yet and do you still think there is any chance that we make the top 6? Surely even you have given up on that. The club has.

Totally agree that if you think that recruitment this season has been anything other than poor, then your standards are far too low. The main issue is the budget, but even within that budget, any club with standards would look at Gestede's work and would get shut. He should never have got the job in the first place. Of the summer signings, Batth and Weimann (Eustace endorsed) have done well although their bodies have proven incapable of coping with more gametime than they should have needed to play. Beck has been a decent loan signing but his form had fallen off a cliff before his injury. Beyond that, both Ohashi and Gueye have scored 6 goals each. We needed some goals, neither has stepped up to provide them really. Toth is bad enough to not even get in ahead of Pears. Cantwell has been a shocking signing and hasnt scored beside 2 penalties. McFadzean and Baker were gone by January and ACD has been a total waste of time. In January, Dennis and Woodrow have been totally pointless signings. Sanderson and Forshaw are nowhere near good enough, they werent good enough for a League 1 side and bottom of the league. Ribeiro was ok at the start but has got progressively worse and Kargbo got injured as soon as he got in the team so impossible to judge.

You keep saying this despite it being totally untrue. I wanted him to be given a chance earlier in the season because Hedges and Dolan have shown for years that they arent good enough. We have seen since that the reason he wasnt given much of a chance is because he is shit. The recruitment this season has been again crap. The main reason is our budget is not competitive. That being said, Gestede amongst that has still shown no suggestion that he is the right man to oversee our recruitment. You are now advocating for Gestede to start basically ignoring what the head coach wants and just signing who he thinks is right. So the person who coaches the team and whose job depends on results on the pitch is potentially lumbered with players he doesnt want.

Further astounds me that any Rovers fans happily pay their hard earned money to a bitter, narcissistic, bullshitting hack for exclusive access to his predominantly fictional rubbish.

I was told that recruitment was good though? Its been absolutely dismal. The 2 attackers we signed have been abysmal and likely wont finish the season with a goal this season. Kargbo we dont know as he instantly got injured. Ribeiro seems to have got progressively worse and Sanderson and Forshaw have been terrible. Of the summer ones. Baker and McFadzean were gone by January. We signed a goalkeeper not even capable of dislodging Pears. ACD is as bad a loan signing as I can ever remember and weve had some dreadful ones under these owners. Ohashi and Gueye have been no better than average. Cantwell has been appalling. Batth and Beck have been the best two but have missed large chunks of the season. The main issue is a lack of money obviously but even allowing for that, Gestede has led a particularly dreadful recruitment push.

Our form had dipped but not to the extent of 3 losses back to back against bottom 5 sides. The tactics have been noticeably more passive, the players dont appear to have a clue what they are meant to be doing and numerous strange decisions have been made amidst it all. The issue is the owners, always has been and whilst they are here, always will be. The squad is crap, its been run down and Eustace was working miracles. But its not losing 3 on the bounce to bottom 5 teams bad.

Another perfect summary of Rovers ownership. A cowardly, inept performance full of poor players signed for peanuts and made to look even worse than they actually are by a desperate manager. No positives, not one good performance by any individual. Both teams were terrible and played out a dreadful spectacle. To lose all 3 games in a week v bottom 5 sides sums us up.

That season under Mowbray was also one where the taps had been turned off. We sold Armstrong and just signed loans. A common theme.

We have scored 41 in 37 this season compared to 60 in 46 as a side struggling against relegation. So down from 1.3 goals per game to 1.1 per game. We have failed to fill the void of goals that Szmodics leaving has caused, even between numerous players.

We made Norwich look good by sitting off and avoiding pressing their clumsy centre backs. Bristol City showing how its done.

You clearly dont understand what the word naivety means so best not to try and copy it. The quotes are meaningless and tell us nothing. Whatever his views on Ismael, and im not saying he thinks he is shit, he would come out with the sort of claptrap he did. Standard club media waffle, not worth anyones time taking any notice of. Against Norwich we had become much more passive, standing off, but obviously it was the following 2 games where he got things wrong. Especially midweek where all but you could see when the team was announced that it was going to be a long night. Not sure why you are going down a weird transfer rabbit hole. The head coach should have final say. Doesnt mean he will get it right. But the main issue is budget. Whoever picks will struggle working with the budget we have. No other supposed play off hopefuls would have considered Sanderson and Forshaw.

I already know the main reason why I think he kept playing them. Because a continued lack of investment left him with little alternative. The odd wide man we do bring in tends to be not up to standard. ACD isnt, JRC isnt a wide man, Dennis has been a waste of time and Kargbo looked promising but in his first or second start his hamstring packed in. I appreciate that they work hard, but you cant (especially Hedges) be wide men offering nothing going forward, no matter how hard you run back. Although I think their defensive work is overstated.

Hes not going to say this new manager is shit is he? You have incredible naivety towards the standard interview claptrap everyone comes out with. Dont expect anything to change in the summer, its been happening for ages. Lots of cheap dross brought in during the January window. Sanderson and Forshaw are not players you sign if you have ambitions at the top end of the Championship.

Exactly We came into the window needing players to help us maintain a promotion push. We decided to sign players unwanted by Plymouth and Birmingham. I dont hate them, they just arent good enough. They wouldnt get in many if any other Championship teams and they shouldnt have been signed for ours. I certainly never thought that ACD was great. At a time when he was barely playing if at all, and having grown long since sick of seeing Hedges and Dolan trudge up and down doing nothing, I wanted him to be given a chance. He didnt get a sustained one but I think hes just as ineffective. Lets hope Ismael similarly to Eustace improves massively as time goes on. Even if he does, it wont be sustainable because of the owners but I was not impressed by his appointment nor have I been by the tactics and the setup from his first 3 games which have already knocked us away from having any lingering top 6 hopes. Hes still contracted as Rovers manager so you will defend every thing he does until that changes.

Who else has said it apart from you that we were right to go to 5 at the back? We lost to 2 crap teams with it. I am not saying that we have a good squad with options everywhere. There is no tactical masterplan with the squad we have and having lost a good manager and seemingly habe brought in a dodgy one. I am not saying that we have loads of good options to cover Brittain. I am just saying that Carter is crap there, wide men have terrorised him when he plays there and he looks like a fish up a tree. I probably go with something like: Pears JRC Carter Hyam Ribeiro Travis Tronstad Dolan Ohashi Dennis Gueye But I dont like that team. I hate having to watch Pears in net. A total repeated inability to strengthen wide areas leaves us with those 2 who I dont think are the answer, especially Dolan) But the alternatives (Forshaw, Sanderson, ACD, Cantwell etc) are even worse. Recruitment has seen us stockpile poor players signed for a budget of a pack of buttons.

We had to change formation anyway, we should never have played 5 at the back in the first place. Ribeiro is not a wing back either.

But equally, how can anyone say he offers a goal threat. You could say Aynslea Pears offers a gosl threat but just has never been played in attack to prove it. Carter at right back is a big no. Proven in the past he cant play there.

Unsure whats worse. Michalski, Dunn and Tyjon all thrown in or starting with 10 men.

They seemingly arent doing that well in qualifying but im sure they will qualify and as the World Cup is over a year away form means nothing. Palmer, Foden and Bellingham have all been out of form but no worries there. But it doesnt require this narrative of England being unfairly perceived in comparison. I just think on paper they look strong all over. Alisson is a brilliant keeper, Gabriel is one of the best defenders around at the moment and Marquinhos is still a top defender. Bruno is one of the best midfielders doing what he does and its not just Vinicius in attack, him, Rodrygo and Raphinha are all top players and then youve got the likes of Cunha, Joao Pedro, Savinho etc around that.

Rankin Costello has 6 career league goals. Possibly deserves a start but not sure of much goal threat.

I think France, Spain and Brazil are the obvious 3 but obviously a long way away. The tournament is a farce with the increase in teams.

Archie Gray is a midfielder really but either way, we have always had promising players. But at the moment we feel like we are inbetween teams/generations. We have in recent years been built on a base of experienced defenders like Stones, Walker and to a lesser extent Shaw and Trippier but all of them seem to be past their best and/or unable to cope with the rigours of top level football anymore. They leave big voids and those wanting to take over are nowhere near that level yet. We still have some quality attackers but they all seem to want to play in the same position.

I suspect we will never fully agree, Hall is promising but its premature to say hes the complete full back, Guehi is a good Premier League centre back but nothing special and Konsa, meh. James has barely played for years and Stones was key but is unfortunately yesterdays man. Our defence has never been brilliant but its an area in decline and where we are in between generations with Stones no longer capable of regular top level football, Walker slowing down which for a player reliant on pace is trouble, Shaw a total write off and Trippier well below previous levels and no longer an option anyway. We lack options in central midfield hence Henderson being even a consideration and our attack is where all of our quality is but weve seen before that there is no balance to it so you are left reliant on individual moments. International tournaments though arent like a league where the best teams win as you touch on with Argentina. A fortunate draw as we repeatedly have had can see you go much further and alternatively a bad one can see you heading home early. One bad day and you are done. Sometimes you can grind yourself through without having the best overall team so that has to be the hope. When we have come up against good teams in the past we have fallen short and I think our available options now with certain players on the decline we dont look as strong as we have in the past.

You would say that as you have the chaddy style blinkers regarding England. A defence of say Trent Konsa Guehi and Hall is nowhere near a top level one. We have some very good attacking options but they mainly all want to play in that same area just off the striker. And Kane is included in that.