39. Rudy Gestede

Something that hasn't been mentioned from the Gestede interview...at 5 minutes in he says that Toth was a Ben Benson recommendation. Benson looked at the data, was impressed with Toth's and told the recruitment team to look into it further in order to sign him. "He's a very good goalkeeper" according to Benson. The recruitment team then did their checks and agreed. Let's hope he is good, as the latter haven't got much wrong so far in terms of signings.

At no stage over the last few years would I have believed anybody telling me that Rovers would be signing Cantwell. To get him for as little as that is superb business. He seems determined to silence the noise about him too, which only benefits us. This could be another Bentley or Bellamy moment for us. Fair play to Rudy, Park and Eustace. They are streets ahead of, actually, no, they are in a different country to Broughton and his team, when it comes to finding a player. Duberry and Cantwell are going to bring us a spark in the final third and all done on a low budget too. £500k or whatever it was on Markanday, similar on Ennis, similar on O'Riordan? Fack sake, you must be joking. THIS is how it's done, Gregg.

Duberry could be a cracking signing. I saw a couple of Brighton pre season games (for fantasy football reasons) and he stood out. Quick, direct, tricky. We often see players labelled the 'next zidane', 'next Henry' etc and it's almost always hyperbole. The Saka comparisons are spot on with Duberry though. That's exactly who his style of play reminds me of. He's got to do the business of course, but this looks an exciting pick out from the recruitment team.

A shorter version too for you @riverholmes and anybody else:

Meanwhile, over in India, Pune residence hears the name 'Cantwell' for the first time: "Cantwell? Isn't that a cake in England? How many cakes is Steve wanting?" "No, that's a bakewell you're thinking of, Mrs Desai. Cantwell is a footballer according to Google". "Oh, ok. Tell Steve I'll get back to him on Saturday". They probably haven't got a clue who Cantwell is and whether he is any good or not and will be relying on somebody to sell it to them. If that somebody is shadow man or his car salesman buddy, then I think we can move on. Just get it done! A player of his quality doesn't become available for £500k very often. It's a no brainer. Lewis Baker was highly rated as a Chelsea youngster, but doesn't seem to have done a lot since. Not seen much of him at Stoke, so will have to wait and see what he looks like here. Tomorrow is going to be interesting to say the least. Can Park and Co pull out a couple of left field signings that nobody has mentioned?

I remember Cantwell looking like a special player in his Norwich days. He might not have the g/a that the kids these days look for, but the eye test suggests that there is a serious player there if he sorts things out upstairs. Most of the reservations about him appear to be around attitude, not ability. I think he has it in him to be a Dunny type player for us. As Eustace was the one who first mentioned wanting pacey wingers, let's hope it is a case of Cantwell and a winger they are looking to bring in, rather than just the former.

There's too much of this "ah well, it's only the League Cup" sentiment among football fans these days. I'm not referring to anybody here, but fans in general and it is something that I can never understand. The aim of the game is to win and this is one of three domestic trophies on offer. How many fans around the country are looking down on the League Cup and coming out with "but, but but Man City?" If that's the attitude and thought process, why bother playing in the competition? Just hand it to Pep now and cut out the fixture pile up. The prize money shouldn't matter to us fans, we just want Rovers to win. Simple as. Now, I'm not saying our expectation is to win this trophy, but the mindset has to be, imo, that we are in it to win it, to go as far as possible. There has to be somebody at the club thinking 'I want us to go all the way in this competition', even if the likelihood is that we would meet a big gun at some point. Our League campaigns have generally been dull for the most part under these owners and cup runs bring a bit of excitement, especially when we are up against Premier League sides. I would start with a strong side and hope to get the job done before making changes in the last 20/25 minutes. I think Blackpool could be in for a pasting tonight. It has got that feel about it, but let's see. I'm going 4-0 Rovers with a brace from Mak.

I'm not advocating it, but if a club in Italy or France had made this move after clawing in all that money, their fans would be storming the training ground tomorrow looking for answers. It sounds extreme but scrambling for loans despite outgoings shows the extent of what intent there is at the top. Zero, despite the best efforts of Park, Rudy and Eustace to improve the squad. All we're hearing right now is 'loan to buy', 'looking to loan', 'loan'. All summer it has been said on here by various posters that 'we'll be getting a kid on loan from Liverpool' and here we are. £30m and you're bringing a cheap loan in and hoping the weight of his parent club makes him look a smart move. Have some shame. They have already wiped out Clarkson and Koumetio from their memory banks, it would seem. Harvey Elliott was a one off gem, the rest of these Liverpool kids can stay where they are, imo. This is Blackburn Rovers, a club that used to regularly trouble Liverpool in the Premier League. We aren't a flaming creche for their youth development. F"(& off Waggott and the rest.

Almost all successful sides in modern history have had a few players like that. Arrogant (not in a bad way) on the pitch. We could do with a couple of those IMO, as those players are the ones that tend to drag a team over the line. I think Dembele and Cantwell have that edge and would offer us something different. Can't see us landing both though.

Beck looks quick, that's all I can say. It's the loaning in of a kid that is the issue for me. Don't try to use Liverpool's name to make out we've signed some kind of wonderkid. That's aimed at the PR machine. That's the thing, there is no plan. Bullshit about projects and developing players to sell on is good for lip service and for PR spreading hacks. The reality under this lot says something else. If there truly was a 'project' or a desire to follow the Brighton/Brentford model, they would have no issue in spending reasonable amounts on genuine talent or potential rough diamonds, in the hope of making a big profit a few years down the line. Poku, Matondo, Stansfield fitting the tag. They have two flaming examples right before them in the Armstrong and Szmodics signings to go off, but still they don't give a shit! I have no doubt that Eustace, Park, Gestede genuinely want to improve the squad and for us to have a tilt at promotion in the near future. I don't believe that of the owners and their stooges for one second though. It is likely that the trio above have some good 'uns lined up in their player shortlist, but the money men are saying 'no can do', so they are left squabbling over 'either/or' scenarios. My own theory is that bringing in a few good/decent players for £1m here, £2m there, and a 'special' outlay on a Stansfield for £6m would result in us being in genuine danger of winning promotion back to the Premier League. I am looking squarely at the owners when I say, I don't believe they want it. Let's see what the next few days bring. They have five days to show us something different. I'm expecting Ruddy, and a couple of loans though, with Kaide Gordon being one of them.

Power struggles have seemed to be a constant under this regime from day one, which naturally leads me to two questions: 'wtf is going on?' and 'who is calling the shots here at the top?'. 14 years in and the clowns that own the club and their senior employees still seemingly don't have clarity on the best course of action. They wing it from season to season and week to week. Changing like the wind, forgetting what they had previously decided. If I was to write a comedy script based on how the last few years have unfolded it would go something like this: 'We need more experienced heads now that we have returned from L1. If you want Rodwell, Downing, Holtby or anybody else, Tony, you just say the word'. 'Erm. Oh, sorry Tony, actually, we want to see a passing game now and also want a younger team on the field, those older players you signed...erm'. 'Focus on signing younger players and bringing through the Academy players from now on. Thanks, Tony'. 'Oh, hi Jon. We're looking to play continental football and we love your work and football philosophy. Can you join us for our project, our aim is to become a sustainable Premier League club. We will back you with the tools you need'. 'Oh, hi John, we were really impressed with the job you did at Birmingham and were wondering if you could come and help us avoid the drop. Keep us up by any means, it doesn't have to be pretty. If you can do that you can bring in a few signings in the summer to shape the squad. 'Erm, yeah about those signings, John, you will need to work alongside John and Rudy on finding targets'. 'We still want to develop players and sell them on, but if we can be around mid table and close to the top 6 that would be great. Thanks, John. 'We're looking to sign young players with potential to bring in a big profit. 'Ah shit, yeah, John wants experience. We are now looking to bring experienced players in too. Ruddy sounds fantastic'. I think a big problem is the owners not knowing wtf they want or what they are doing. Do they want to sign young players with potential? Experienced players? Do they want a direct, more defensive style of football now? Or tippy tappy? Do they favour Rudy/Park or Eustace when it comes to transfer strategy and player suggestions? (As if Pune has a clue about that). It feels like they've got voices on one side telling them 'Brighton/Brentford model' and voices on the other saying 'experienced pros, more direct football. It's a shit show imo which makes things challenging for the people on the ground. This shit way of running the club has, imo, led to several managers looking worse than they really are whilst here, as well as particular scouting and recruitment teams looking like a waste of time over the years.

It reeks of Waggott, imo. There are a few things in there that he has said in recent interviews. Emphasis on 'legal and technical issues' being one example. 'They have supported the club even through difficult moments' is another one of his go to themes. I'm still waiting to hear another CEO in the top two Divisions come out publicly with this rhetoric about their respective owners. The last paragraph of that statement is a bloody joke. That has to be a wind up.

I had a brief chat with Bennett a few years ago and found him to be a good guy. He was genuinely friendly and happy to talk just like a regular football fan. He was aware that the club had higher standards before Venky's and that things had declined under their ownership. He wanted to do his bit to help get us back into the Premier League. This was maybe a year or so after our L1 promotion. Obviously, he couldn't say much about those upstairs, but there were a couple of times where it was clear he wanted to say more but stopped himself. Bennett wasn't the best player and I agree, he wouldn't have got near our sides before these owners, but I think that can be said about 99 percent of the players that have played for us since late 2010. We've had a sea of crap and tossers rock up here under Venky's, but Bennett is one of the good guys to have appeared during this shit show. An honest pro who wanted to do well and gave it his all, but one who wasn't a top player in this Division. I think the fans appreciate his efforts and he did manage to build a rapport with that fist pump. It's very strange for those of us that have seen the real deal at this club to see Bennett receive such a reception and for Mowbray to have his own flag etc, but as we know, it's all as a result of what these owners have done to the club and fan base over a long period of time.

They prefer to hear comforting lies, rather than the truth, and are being fed them in barrel loads by the car salesman. It keeps the charade going on and on. The liars carry on as is, whilst the ignorant convince themselves everything is going to be fine as long as they stay positive and 'trust the process'. The fly in the ointment for both parties though is fans like us that speak the truth and say it as it is. Just like in the wider world, the people who speak out against bullshit are painted as being "crazy", "negative", "conspiracy theorists", "entitled" and so on by those who have fallen for the lie. I've come to realise that a lot of those who are blindly supportive of this hierarchy online aren't really arsed about winning. Anybody who is, would not be defending this lot. It's more about vibes and toxic positivity for much of the facebook crew, imo. The youngers who know nothing but the Venky era, I can understand. The older fans though, that saw it all pre Venky's and have fully experienced the decline should be ashamed about trying to dress this crap up. A prime example of it being about vibes is fans being blocked on certain FB pages recently for being "negative" and for posting a few truths on there. "Why can't you just enjoy our start to the season and our new signings scoring goals?" I.e 'Why are you spoiling the vibe'. That's the kind of response that has been seen over the past few days to criticisms of Waggott/Venky's. Rovers winning a couple of games or scoring 12 goals so far does not cover up or excuse this shoddy hierarchy in any way. It is possible to be pleased with and positive about our new signings and results so far, whilst also calling out the bastards upstairs for the way they are running the club and holding the club back. The latter anger is rooted in wanting Blackburn Rovers to succeed and to be back in the Premier League, where we were before these idiots ruined the club. What is the facebook crew's defence of the hierarchy rooted in? It most certainly is not a desire for promotion. So on what basis is their positivity? Comforting lies that have been repeated over and over again. That's the basis, along with the added bonus of looking like a superior fan. "The owners are committed". "The owners want promotion" "They never refuse to sign a cheque" "They have been so generous, we must give them something back". Tell me lies.

£27 for a walk on in the Riverside...to watch us against Oxford United. Ridiculous. £2 cheaper if you buy the ticket online, but that's not the point. Think we'll do well to have as many there as we did for the opening game. As for the game itself, it will be tougher than it appears on paper but I think we'll have enough to earn a win. Another Yuki goal and a 2-1 win, is what I'm going with.

38. Billy McKinlay

Was always good to get one over that lot. Second season running where we got a late goal at the Reebok to silence them:

One season with us only, but this fella was electric for us. Worth the entrance fee alone:

7 minute highlights of a classic:

Last season there were times he was in ultra cautious mode and I am beginning to think that was due to the situation we were in. It was a case of 'just don't lose the game' and draws were almost viewed like 'we've collected another point, one step closer to safety. Phew'. Of course, there was justifiable criticism from many of us here at the time about Rovers looking shit scared against the likes of Plymouth, Millwall, Sheff Wednesday etc, but I think it might have been to do with the overall situation, rather than a case of Eustace being a loser or not wanting to win. For me, he has already shown so far this season that he wants to win. I was pleased that the first thing he said after the Norwich game was that he was disappointed with a point, as he felt we should have won the game. That's the attitude I want to see from a Rovers manager. There have also been good noises from one or two who have been observing him by the dugout and how he has been a tough taskmaster after games. It doesn't look or sound like he is here to just plod along to me. He's not a JDT, but I don't think he is a Mowbray either. The problem as always, is the pillocks at the top and whether they will back him or not. Whether there is any truth in the leaked transfer targets and there being disagreements between Eustace and Rudy/Park, remains to be seen. It could be a deflection tactic for all we know. I wouldn't put it past the car salesman. However if true, part of me wouldn't mind us signing some of the alleged Eustace wishlist. Dembele could be electric for us, there's a player in there, it sometimes needs the right club. Baker as an addition without selling anybody would be fine (too much to ask of that lot though). Stansfield would be a quality signing, but again, a big ask of this lot. The tricky part is, I'm also happy for Rudy and Park to pick out signings for us as they look to have delivered so far with Gueye and Ohashi. Who else can they surprise us with? They have supposedly pleasantly surprised Eustace too, so let them carry on with it, is another thought that crosses my mind. They need to reach a compromise pretty quick, if a disagreement exists at all. I'd personally let Eustace go after Dembele if the choice is between him and Germain. I would love to see Dembele on one wing and Poku on the other. That would scare teams imo, along with them having Yuki and Mak to deal with too.

Aye, Mashed. Nothing to see here. I'm not sure what people are complaining about. Things aren't that bad. The last 14 years haven't been the disaster people make them out to be. The club still exists and Venky's are paying the bills. Jack would be happy about that. This forum could do with a bit more positivity.

Yuki!! What a header. Get in.

This was one of the tougher Championship fixtures in years gone by, but not so much today, imo. Not taking them lightly, but they are there for the taking tomorrow. They've lost a few quality players in recent years, they have a new manager who is trying to figure things out, this Rowe fella seems to be causing a bit of a rumpus too and they have Hanley and Duffy at the back. Any club that is relying on those two must be desperate (as we know). Looks more of a challenge than Derby, but these are a poor imitation of previous Norwich sides in this Division and are doable. Norwich 1-2 Rovers.

37. Sammie Szmodics