5 hours ago, paullarrygher said:

Southgate on Wharton: “He has settled in really confidently with the ball. I like the fact he likes to play forward as quickly as he can.

"He sees pictures when he receives [the ball], and we have been short of these types of players for seven or eight years, if I am honest. At times, that has had an effect on the way we have been able to play.”

That £18m was £32m short of what it should have been.

Sounds like he could well be heading to the Euros.  Hope he does and he is sensational.

2 hours ago, J*B said:

Will any of my season ticket renewal go towards a new sign for the training centre? It's been like this for years and seemingly, despite driving past it every day, nobody seems to be in a rush to get it fixed. 

Think sadly, it replicates the club - broken and disintegrating.

Jack Walker would have had that sign replaced in an instant.

First impressions count for potential players, agents, young academy recruits and their families and also would be employees.

Just now, Forever Blue said:

The tweet from Roverinsider implies that there is a release clause if a PL club comes on for Szmodics. Presumably that was put in when he signed his new contract.

IMO, there has never been any doubt SS would be offski in the close season - this latest snippet from RoversInsider (whoever he or she may be) just doubly underlines the inevitable. 

3 hours ago, Moptop1 said:

Start with Waggott, then target Pasha and watch the house of cards fall.

Problem is, does anyone have the fight anymore?

Generally, Rovers' fans are a placid lot and our owners, Waggott and Pasha get a very easy ride.

In my more 'militant' days, if it felt change was needed, we were on the pitch, in the enclosure in front of the directors' box (right in their faces) and outside the main entrance on Nuttall Street in vociferous numbers. 

Sadly, we have far too many happy clappers who can't see past their own nose.

IMO, our club is just one unholy mess.

Think all these comings and goings tell their own story.

We aren't even shopping in Home Bargains or B & M - we are trawling the charity shops for the cast offs, damaged goods and the cheap unwanted.

IMO, until the Raos, Waggott and Pasha are gone, we will continue to be in a race to the bottom.

IMO, we need an owner of the  ilk of Sugar or Ratcliffe to tear the club to pieces and rid it of all that is rotten and incompetent.

7 minutes ago, BankEnd Rover said:

If we’ve no budget then I’d of thought we’d of brought a freebie in by now.

Might well be indicative of how cash strapped we are.

Firstly, wage bill might require cutting beyond 25% in order to create 'headroom' for new players (even frees).

Also frees not necessarily cheap with agents' fees, signing-on fees and then wages.

17 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Well chaddy is basing the Lampard links on widespread media links, and you are basing your Robins prediction on a bloke who happens to pay for the more expensive seats at turf moor, passed on by someone with a terrible track record. So I would say chaddy is more likely.

And I hope he is. Because Lampard is a terrible manager.

Do you have difficulty reading and understanding?

Where did I predict Robins would get the job?

I said a friend, with good connections at Burnley, said he'd heard Robins was in the frame (along with others one would assume) which is totally different than predicting he would get the job.

My challenge to Chaddy was he was in no position to say 'no way' would Robins get the job.  How the feck can he justifiably come out with a statement like that unless Alan Pace has told him!?

I don't mind being challenged but do me the courtesy of getting your feckin facts right first.

3 hours ago, Mercer said:

Friend of mine who is a big Burnley supporter has heard Mark Robins is in the frame.  Had a little flutter at 25/1.

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

They live in Manchester if Lampard moves here or in the Ribble Valley

I reckon it will be Lampard. No way is Robins going there, 

He might do, he might not!

Which way should I lean and who is likely to be more right - a friend who has had a hospitality package at Burnley for years or Chaddy who has no knowledge of the workings at either Burnley or Coventry!?

Chaddy, I said he was 'in the frame' - presumably you do understand what that means?  A contract for Robins at Burnley, who is a Manchester lad, which would at least double his salary and probably give him financial security for the rest of his life might prove tempting particularly when out of the two squads, I think Burnley's would get him to the PL quicker.

If it was my choice, I'd take Robins over Lampard every day of the week.  Think Pace needs to decide if he wants a'name' who he would go all wobbly over or someone who would be much more likely to deliver.

Friend of mine who is a big Burnley supporter has heard Mark Robins is in the frame.  Had a little flutter at 25/1.

3 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

We need find a better shirt sponsor who would commit to a long term sponsorship deal and commercial right for Rovers. Plus more sponsors around the ground from a range of different companies. Firstly you need an experience commercial head to run the operation to improve Rovers commercial. 

 

Yes, we do need more sponsorship and also better quality sponsorship.

I agree our commercial department do not seem to cut the mustard.

However, a big, big issue is the product they are trying to sell - Rovers and their brand!!!  Good quality companies are very careful with what and who their brand(s) are linked with and they will not throw their money about willy nilly.  These companies are looking to increase their own brand awareness and reputation and connect with target audiences mainly within the sporting arena and through tv coverage of games.  Sadly, IMO, the shambles Rovers are, makes it a well nigh impossible task to attract big money and sponsorships.

1 hour ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Really!!....who the feck scores our Goals then?

Depressing this situation having to flog our best Players,just get them Season Tickets bought.

Sadly, income from ST sales is relatively chicken shit in the overall scheme of things and won't make much difference.

17 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

high turnover of staff? really, Some of the staff have been there for 20 years plus. 

Footballing staff, there will always been natural turn over in staff for various. 

Also we had the same CEO for 6 years plus, Cheston was here for around 10 years and club secretary since our relegation from PL to championship.  Yes we have just replace with experience people. 

I would suggest there is a reason Waggott, Cheston and Silvester  have been (or were) at Rovers for many years!

IMO, unimpressive and unwanted individuals, bereft of nous, drive and ambition, with nowhere else to go and therefore very happy to top up their retirement pots in a cosy, pressure free zone.

FFS, get real - IMO, as a club, we are severely under-managed and the results are plain to see.

An owner of the ilk of Sir Jim Ratcliffe would rip our club apart from top to bottom and my goodness, I think it feckin needs it.

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

I think we will spend some money on transfers fees. Around the 5 mil mark I think

There is a better chance of me having dinner with Taylor Swift and persuading her to buy Rovers.

What world do you live in!?

I think Alan Pace goes all wobbly when in the presence of perceived football 'icons and celebrities' etc hence his 'love affair' with Kompany.  Given this, I would expect the appointment of Lampard - Northcote Manor and Shajan watch out!

39 minutes ago, KentExile said:

Luke Griffin (Rovers Head of European Scouting) also off this summer.

 

So that's no UK or international scouting at the moment, may as well close this thread for now

Rovers do have an advert posted in linkedin for Head of International Scouting, which I guess replaces the Head of European Scouting and gives that slight hope (which will likely not come to fruition) that Rovers may sign a load of South Korean or Japanese wonderkids for next to nothing

Think there's a clear pattern emerging!

Other than the desperados, difficult to imagine who would want to work for Rovers?

I think our name must be mud out in the football world (clubs, players, agents etc).

26 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Came from Oxford 2 years ago. Was our head of UK scouting. 

Nicko says he will be replace btw 

Can't blame the lad given, IMO, the chaotic state of our club.

Think Sutton is a Blackburn lad with links to Kevin Gallagher and he used to live just down the road from the Wharton family.  Think it says it all when local lads want out and find Huddersfield a more attractive proposition.

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

I think Burnley will struggle next season and depends who they sign, but they have huge squad already so that will need downsizing, Plus who they appoint aswell cos play a key factor aswell

Wilder is very experience Championship manager and I thought the all point of Wilder was to assess the said and what he wanted for next season. 

If Burnley make a half decent appointment then they will walk the Championship next season - they have a squad who are different class to ours and many players who will excel in the Championship.  It will not be a rebuild job.

There are fine margins in football in particular in the PL and I think Burnley weren't far away from getting it right enough to survive; they were obviously on a steep learning curve in the first half of the season and were a tad unlucky in a number of games but read somewhere they were averaging a point a match over the last dozen games or so despite their poor results in the final 3/4 games.

I would appoint Cooper who transformed Forest from 'no hopers' in very quick time to get them promoted to the PL - if they do, they will be a real force next season.

6 hours ago, lraC said:

Wasn’t Marshall Burke with us first and signed for them, when he was passed his best?

Started off at Burnley then moved to Leeds where Kendall picked him up on a free for Rovers.

Never a world beater but gutsy with an eye for goal - think he averaged about 1 in 5 which aint bad for a midfielder.

Always remember the sitter he missed at the Town End, Preston, as the season drew to a close, in Kendall's second season with us - we drew that match and if Burke had notched, as he should, we would have been promoted to Division 1 (and done an Ipswich) instead of missing out on goal difference - it was heart breaking.

6 hours ago, lraC said:

For the teams that do make the premier league, you would think it’s the end of their money problems, but it often isn’t.

Plenty think if we get there, things will be okay, but would they? 

47 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

I suspect once you go up, so do all your costs.

Didn't a Dingle chairman/owner say something along these lines a few years ago?

Should be a fantastic boost to a club both financially and structurally provided you have the executive management in place who know just what the feck they are doing.

Sensible player trading, sensible contracts with relegation clauses and sensible plans to improve the club structurally (stadium, training ground etc).

If the worse comes to the worse and you are relegated, you are stronger all round as a club than when you were when last in the Championship and not financially hamstrung and have a great opportunity to bounce right back.

@sympatheticclaret  @Tyrone Shoelaces @roverandout  You have all suffered close family losses and it does takes time to grieve and move on.  A few years ago, in the space of just a few short weeks, I suffered three close family losses including my mother whose passing I learnt of whilst at one of the other two funerals.  You find an inner resolve that will possibly surprise even yourselves and with the help of spouses and children, you will be surprised how relatively quickly that glimmer of light, at the end of the tunnel, becomes brighter.  

24 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

at least £15m should be the bench mark, He is peak years as a footballer and just scored 33 goals in a season. 

Sadly Chaddy, he's going on 29 and never played above Championship level.

His goal record was highly impressive last season but so was Armstrong's in his last season with Rovers and he struggled in the PL!

We signed Telalovic who was banging them in for fun with Borussia 11 but he looks like he couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo at this level!

Realism is called for. 

Without doubt SS is desperate for a shot at the big time and it would be the height of idiocy to deny him that opportunity by holding out for a ridiculous price - you just end up with one wholly unhappy player.  I think £10 to £12million with some add ons as a bonus would be a fair deal for all concerned.

Leeds certainly seem to bottle it when they need to produce.

Their 'famed four' go missing.

In a week when they had Sunderland and Rovers at home, they took just 1 point - that's what cost them.

All credit to Martin - seems to have adopted a more pragmatic approach in the 3 play off matches and shown signs of learning.  He walked into a chaotic situation and turned it around.  Well done.

2 hours ago, rigger said:

That doesn't mean he will reproduce the same form next season. Knowing when to release a player is a major part of running a football club.

and Bob Lord at Burnley was a master of the art!

11 minutes ago, Wing Wizard Windy Miller said:

I'm not convinced Szmodic will leave and if he does, it won't be anywhere near the £15 mil people throw about. 

My guess is Waggott will accept a bid of £5-6 mil in the last knockings of the transfer window. None of which will be invested. 

I would be absolutely staggered if there is no bid greater than £5/6million.

All this stuff about £20million is nonsense given SS turns 29 in Aug. and has not played at a level higher than the Championship.

Pretty sure someone will take a punt at £10/12million.