Perhaps Travis isn’t happy here anymore. Maybe he thinks he should be picked ahead of Wharton/Tronstad and makes his feelings on it known?

Update from meeting with Waggott tonight regarding the pictures and Liverpool Legends night…

Regarding the pictures dumped at the back of the Riverside:

It’s not acceptable, nothing should be getting dumped there and especially not pictures of Jack Walker. Thanks for bringing it to his attention and he will get it sorted right away. Things that are being thrown away should be in skips, but these could be put up around the concourses or used elsewhere. Asked me to forward him the pictures.

They are definitely from blues bar and were taken down several years ago (pre Covid) when the blues bar had a refurb as it was in need of one, it had got tired and a bit of a mess. It had a full refurb with new floor, seating booths, and obviously walls were decorated.

He found out about the Liverpool legends night via the Rovers media team (who had picked up on it yesterday or today). 

The booking of Rooms is done by Sodexo and a third party company has hired the space as many do every month. There is supposed to be a process where any sensitive/commercially conflicting bookings are flagged to the club. This hadn’t happened. He didn’t seem very happy that it was taking place and agreed with all the reasoning we gave that fans were angered by it. The use of Rovers name or IP in any of these externally booked events would be a breach. The entire matter is being looked at.

                             Hilton

Duru     Gamble           Wharton    Batty

            Travis   Garrett  Gilsenan 

           Leonard    Telalovic   Ennis

1 hour ago, Paul Mani said:

I think the only one we need to sell is Travis. If he can’t get in this team, with one win in eight, he is better to move on. It’s best for all parties. 

It looks like we’re replacing Hill with the Crewe lad.

Realistically, I’d expect us to replace Travis if we sold him and we could do with a couple of forward on Loans. 

Im going for…

4 out - Trav (sold), Hill (recall), Leonard (loan) and Markanday (Loan)

4 in (Crewe lad (buy), CM (buy /loan), 2x forwards (loan)

I think we’d need a full back considering the amount of time Travis and Hill have both played there. Maybe Buckley will be seen as the Travis replacement in midfield? I know he can’t really do the same role as Travis, but Garrett could.

All the pictures in blues bar came down and the walls were painted magnolia a couple of years ago. I may be wrong but I think it coincides with when Sodexo took over the running of the place. There is the odd picture on the wall including one of Mowbray and one of Elton John, but the murals have been gone ages. How long they have been sat at the back of the Riverside I can’t say.

1 minute ago, chaddyrovers said:

Did anyone think that post game when Carter cam to clap the Blackburn End it was him saying farewell to the fans? I remarked to one other Rovers fan as we were walking down the stairs. Also I wonder if Travis is on his way when him not coming on in either of the last 2 games. 

We need a full back, centre back who is dominate in the air, right winger with some pace and striker. 

Markanday can go for me, not good enough and doesn't work hard enough. 

 

I didn’t really register, but you may be right. Carter definitely made a big effort and walked right down the Riverside deliberately applauding the fans. Looking back he may well have been making a point.

I’d swap most players in our squad for Sean Morrison. He might be 32, but if he’d been playing for us today and not Rotherham we’d have won comfortably.

1 minute ago, RoversClitheroe said:

Pickering can't start if we want any hope of winning.

The other full back is far more of a liability.

5/1 on a Rotherham win, 8-1 Rotherham win and both teams to score.

Rovers win, I’m happy. Rotherham win, I’ll win more than enough to drown my sorrows.

0-0 draw incoming.

                   Wahlstedt (reluctantly)

          Travis    Hill    Carter   Pickering

                 Tronstad      Wharton

       Garrett        Szmodics      Sigurdsson

                            Telalovic 

The red card is completely on the manager. Hyam is clearly miles off full fitness, he was labouring after about 30 minutes and needed to come off at half time. Brittain is a waste of space, I used to think Tyler Morton was the softest player I’d ever seen but Cowardly Callum makes him look like Vinnie Jones. Hill looks a lot more comfortable at full back. Wrong subs too late. Were a soft touch and were too thin on the ground squad wise, but that was absolutely woeful. Again.

First goal from a ball over the top catching them out. Second one we attacked with a bit of intent, didn’t overplay and got a shot off quickly. Abandoning the principles has served us well when going forward here.

Low bar though it was, why leave out our best 2 players from Boxing Day? I don’t understand why we haven’t made some subs yet considering this silly 5 rule. Looks as though a lot of the players aren’t on board with these tactics any more.

Whoever is playing on the left for Hull will have a field day against Markanday and Brittain.

1 minute ago, Bethnal said:

Really didn’t want to see Brittain in the team after recent performances. Still not over the double-yellow petulance.

Doesn’t deserve to be in the squad. His lack of commitment and effort is ridiculous.

An ok signing on the surface, nothing to get too excited about, if it happens.

If it’s the sum total of our January business though it’s a joke. Seems a strange area to invest our limited funds in when you consider the glaring weaknesses in the squad.

3 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Friedel struggled at Liverpool then was outstanding when he signed here. 

This is kind of the worry. I think there is potentially a good keeper in Wahlstedt but his current form is frightening. If he continues to give goals away we risk him being ruined for Rovers, if not completely. I think he needs taking out of the firing line for a spell, and I expect he’s nervous as hell about another costly mistake - when that worry creeps in it tends to become a self fulfilling prophecy. I’d give whichever of our young lads has the most potential a go and let them concentrate on the basics.

15 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

woah, wants to play 17 years old in goal. Panic stations here.. 

I want a keeper in who isn’t throwing soft shots in his own goal. In the last 2 games we’ve conceded 3 goals that were tamely hit straight at the keeper.

Current form is cause for panic.

2 hours ago, Green Army 75 said:

How is Ennis doing?  I see he has now played a few games.  
We miss him as he was able to make nothing clearances into something and get us up the pitch.  He was also so super sharp in the box.  Whenever he played you sensed he was going to score.  
Just like Whittaker and Hardie (before his injury) he’d have a bucket load of goals by now.  

Struggling for fitness, minutes and not suited to the way we play would be my assessment so far. Aside from the very concerning injury and fitness set backs we don’t get the ball in the box quickly enough for him to benefit and his touch seems way too heavy for him to get involved in the build up play.

Just now, DE. said:

He's like the majority of our squad in that he can look quite handy when we're in the ascendency or in the lead, but goes into his shell and hides when the opposite is true. We have a glaring lack of leaders in the squad who can take players like Brittain (metaphorically) by the scruff of the neck and sort them out. Szmodics is probably the only player I'd put in that category, but he can't do it alone. It's why we can't come back from going behind and collapse against otherwise poor teams.

I think we miss JRC for this reason. He’s got a bit of edge to him and has been instrumental in most of the good things we’ve done in the past 12 months.

Just now, Sweaty Gussets said:

Brittain wasn't trying or had a bad game?

I think he's a shit defender FWIW (I've never seen a FB shit out of so many challenges) , but Hill has lost form over the last few weeks and has been dropped as a result. 

Completely agree on him shitting out of challenges. He is also slow to track back, goes hiding, shits himself if an opponent comes within 3 feet of him, won’t take responsibility for the ball unless he’s in a clear acre of space, is prone to silly cards for pulling people back as it’s easier than tracking back. I think he’s a cowardly player who is beyond useless when the team are up against it. His lack of effort in the entirety of his last 2 appearances has disgusted me.

2 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

If players weren't trying then that is inexcusable. But that's on the players, not the manager. JDT is no mug, if they aren't trying he'll drop them.

 

I suppose we will see on Friday. If Brittain starts it immediately disproves the theory above, particularly with Hill on the bench.

8 minutes ago, rigger said:

From what I have seen Hilton is not an improvement on Leo. 

How about Michalski? Anyone who won’t be responsible for 3 goals in 2 games due to relatively tame shots right into their body will do for me at the moment.