Miller11

If we play Dolan on the left and Brereton as the centre forward I’d be happy. Won’t happen though. Tactics are a bigger issue than personnel.

Hyam and Adam Wharton both starting for the U21s so should be back in contention soon.

Pears JRC Carter Wharton Pickering Thomas Travis Buckley Hedges Dack Brereton Back to basics, get the ball in the box. Hedges just gets the nod over Dolan by virtue of being left footed.

Promotion wasn’t possible for a good chunk of those 53 seasons as we were in the top flight. No, the failure is Venky’s. They’ve not only overseen the worst period in the clubs history, they caused it. I know some people will say that we were worse in the 70’s, but that ignores the platform Jack gave us. Venky’s trail of destruction is like winning the lottery and a decade later ending up on the dole. The entire reason we weren’t able to sell players ins reinvest the money is down to them. Our model falls at the first hurdle. You are absolutely right to have worries about this “projects” execution, because none of it is working either on or off the pitch.

Which only makes any sense if your primary objective is to develop players rather than to have success on the pitch. Fine for a chicken farm, but all we will do in football terms is become a blue and white Crewe.

Everything about our “project” is massively flawed. It’s like an off the shelf plan that isn’t fit for purpose. - Employ a director of football. Ignoring the fact that the club is dysfunctional from top to bottom and expecting him to change this - Play out from the back. So basically try and do what everyone else is trying to do. Not only is it causing all sorts of short term issues with results, even if we do it well, there will be teams that do it better because they can afford better players. The only way to buck the trend of the monied teams being the best teams is to do something different effectively, not doing what everyone else does averagely. - Develop players. In theory, as soon as our players become good enough to get in the Premier league we sell them. Hardly conducive to long term on pitch success. In practice we are hamstrung by poor negotiations, a limited and unswerving wage structure, and owners with unrealistic ideas who don’t care but like interfering. On top of this it’s also now being used to dampen hopes and expectations and shrug off failings. The journey went nowhere for 5 years. The project will be the same.

I wish I was that optimistic! I don’t think many of them have any fire in them.

I think I’d agree with this. It was interesting at the start of the second half last night when we seemed to change the system a bit. At one point it looked as though JRC had moved up front and he spent a good 15 minutes all over the park. There was obviously an instruction to try something different for a spell. I haven’t been overly impressed with Brittain, and he certainly hasn’t had a run of good performances like JRC has. I think JRC is susceptible defensively, but no more so than Brittain has shown to be so far. Joe has offered more going forward too.

Can’t agree on this. He’s having his natural game squashed out of him to become a 5 yard passer. A player with a bit of individuality and who offers something a bit different being stifled by the tedious playing style Tomasson prioritises above all else.

Thomas should have come off 5 minutes earlier. He was feeling his hamstring and/or cramping up. Wouldn’t be surprised if he now missed the next game with a strain.

He is killing Dolan with the whole “needs to take less touches”. He terrifies teams when he runs at them, but he’s been coached to pass it back to the centre halves.

That was absolutely painful. Travis was much more like it first half, got up and down the pitch box to box like any half decent midfielder should, never mind this CDM/CAM tripe. Had to go pound shop Sav late on though and blot his copybook. JRC is fast becoming one of my favourite players, respect him for becoming the hard man of the team, but it’s laughable really. We have put ourselves in an impossible position with Brereton. He was shite tonight but we have to play him from now until the end of the season or else why didn’t we sell him (or at least encourage or accept bids before anyone says he might have refused a move). Jack Vale summed himself up on 25 minutes. Thomas was running with the ball, down the wing, trying to make space for a cross. Vale ran across and onto the outside of him. Baffling. Couldn’t care less if he dragged a player over, he ensured Thomas had no target to cross to. Sorba Thomas had a few jitters to start, but a really good debut. Looked hungry, grafted. A proper winger! I’m worried slightly as his performance was a bit like Giles against Swansea last year where he crossed all day to nobody, or at least nobody who could do anything with them. Feel for Dack getting hooked - didn’t look happy. Dolan should be unhappy not getting a look in. Sick of Morton - him and Hedges should never be allowed another set piece ever again. Most of the rest were pretty average. Broughton - aside from the debuting Thomas, the 10 players who started the game were all here this time last year. Pretty damning of our recruitment. Tomasson - I hate this football. It’s completely dull and uninspiring. Feel for him in terms of being let down in the window, but don’t know what difference personnel would make when we play like this. ”Wee with the willy we’ve got” is a popular phrase amongst Rovers fans… Tomasson appears to want to use his willy to do something completely alien to it. He’s forcing shit out of it.

I put a pound on this every game for over 2 years. Got a feeling today is the day!

There’s enough for volume 2 now.

Couldn’t be more right. I expected a defeat, but I also expected a performance befitting the occasion. Our performance was embarrassing and shameful, and those feelings stem from a lack of effort and fight.

Agree with that, but I’d switch the wingers round. Get them on their good feet and get some balls into the box.

Presumably you think we shouldn’t have sent him back and he should still be playing games for us then? If you haven’t changed your opinion?

Some fair points here, particularly the question about what Vale is being asked/instructed to do. If he’s been asked to play as a traditional centre forward he’s failing, but I doubt he is somehow. I personally can’t see him ever being close to prolific, he doesn’t seem to take up good goal scoring positions instinctively. I’ll have to take your word on his finishing ability, because as you rightly point out he doesn’t seem to get many clear cut chances in a game. I’d actually put that down to our style of play - which I absolutely hate. I think most strikers would struggle. I’m hoping Sorba Thomas is pretty much the second coming and he can transform us into a team that actually puts the ball in the opposition box occasionally.

On the surface another wide forward looks more Mowbrayesque than Cloughesque.

Here’s an honest answer, which I must stress is my personal opinion. So far, perhaps not. If discussions had been taken on board we wouldn’t have as expensive season tickets as we are currently seeing. Some suggestions have been taken on board, but nowhere near as often as we’d like. I’m hopeful that there will be a positive change of the back of the fan led review. The upcoming government white paper is a big deal for us. Hopefully it will result in clubs having to commit to meaningful engagement with a broad range of fans. Hopefully it’s a start in breaking down the siege mentality that exists at Ewood.

I’d be very surprised in JDT and Broughton were delivering joint messages. Judging by their recent interviews they are working in silos, and I’m not sure how well they are getting on currently. I reckon it’s Broughton who JDT is furious with.

I couldn’t care less about hard luck stories and excuses, they don’t get you goals. We failed to bring one in. If it was a priority and a striker has failed to materialise the Broughton is as useless as all the other wasters Venky’s have employed.

Agree. It’s a disgrace we didn’t prioritise one this window.

Because we didn’t get one.

This suggests that “the project” is a cost cutting one. He’s again played a blinder here to control the narrative - a couple of million more would risk the future of the club, when in reality it’s just another month or two’s standard losses. The “if it wasn’t for Venky’s we’d do a Bury” lot will love this. Obviously our finances have spiralled out of control since the minute Venky’s came along, and attempts to rectify this are long overdue. But it seems that there will be no gambles or calculated risks, this reads like promotion isn’t wanted until the finances are dealt with, and it could be a long time before we get a glimmer like this again. Of course the irony there is a promotion would solve all the money issues and then some.