Mercer

and what do you expect when, IMO, the fan base have had to put up with 12 years of sh1te!? Go and feed that to your lord and masters.

For goodness sake, the six I mentioned are 23 years old and older! They are not lads! Given the general nature of your posts, I suspect you are a Rovers' plant and some of the stuff you come out with is, IMO, very reminiscent of mogadon Mowbray.

I did not say Hedges was poor last night! I just think he is a poor footballer! Think even Pears kept a clean sheet last season - that doesn't disguise the fact he's a poor footballer!

Consider the standard of opposition! From what I've seen of Hedges in a Rovers' shirt in the Championship, he looks to me like a fish out of water. God help us if he's seen as a 'mainstay' this coming season.

As a season ticket holder and often user of Rovers' corporate facilities he's more than aware of who is who! Furthermore he's an ex pro who played at a good level until a knee injury did for him (no reconstructive stuff back then) so he knows the game! Only reason he went last night was because he was not far away from the game being already up there for The Open and he was intrigued by our new manager and his professed style of play. Like me and others, he thinks we have some very poor footballers in our squad with the likes of Pears, Rankin-Costello, Magloire, Edun, Hedges and Butterworth; think the youngest one of those six is Butterworth at 22 who turns 23 this year so let's not kid ourselves last night's team was "predominantly u18/23's". IMO, these are players who will never be a good enough for Championship football, in fact I'd go further and suggest some would be found wanting in Division 2. As I've said before, I think our squad is threadbare and it's frightening. Reading between the lines, I think JDT knows this too. Big question, has GB the wherewithal or financial backing to address it!?

Friend of mine who's in Scotland for the golf went along to the match tonight. Quite scathing in his phone call - felt 4 or 5 out there tonight were stealing a living as so called professional footballers and tonight just underlined what many think, our squad is threadbare and we need a minimum of half a dozen quality additions.

Think it must be his pay packet slowing him down - probably secure for life following, IMO, Mowbray's generosity and folly!

Van Hecke and Khadri were loan players but integral parts of last season's team and would be in the starting 11 of 99 out of 100 fans - so we are two down! As for Rothwell and Nyambe, I would suggest that under 9 out of 10 managers they would be automatic selections. Sadly, IMO, Mowbray fecked them off big time (as we saw with Raya, Reed to name but two). Bournemouth have signed Rothwell as a PL club so obviously think he's going to bring something to the party whilst Wilder, who I think is light years ahead of Mowbray, is pretty keen to land Nyambe. I think it's indisputable we've lost 5 very good first team players and not a penny to show for it nor a single replacement in sight.

Nyambe, Lenihan, Van Hecke, Rothwell and Khadri.

!7 days to go to the big kick off. Players out the door - 5 first team automatic selections and 5 first team squad players. Players in - none. IMO, totally shambolic. Would love to know the thoughts of JDT and GB. Didn't necessarily expect things to go off like a house on fire but feck me, I think the owners and Waggott should hang their heads in shame - it's an embarrassment. Think Davies would be a good signing. Need to recognise Liverpool do drive a hard bargain and get big bucks on the sale of players who aren't quite at their races. I think we do pay loan fees for players and my understanding is Tosin from City cost us mega bucks by our standards. GB brought in as DOF and needs to earn his spurs and show he too is a hard nosed businessman - he needs to either sh1t or get off the pot. Rovers can't afford to carry passengers or have folk learning on the job and costing us dearly.

Rovers just have to back JDT to make the signings he wants whether they be 18/19 year olds or 31/32 year olds. Clearly, he has to get the age balance right with both signings and the squad. Not to back him would be lunacy but then again, didn't we see something similar with Lambert!? His demeanour is like a breath of fresh air after, IMO, that old sweaty jock strap of a manager Mowbray - a likeable guy who you are just willing to succeed.

Enjoy! Seen some great artists over the years at Lytham.

But your happy to pay Ayala twice as much! Just because Waggott has agreed to see you on Monday, don't let commonsense go out of the window. Give him feckin hell and tell him to earn his £300k+ pa.

Ayala is not 6 times the player that Nyambe is nor is Gallagher, relatively, 5 times the player Nyambe is. IMO, the management of our wage 'structure' (if that's what you can call it) is a total feckin joke and absolutely indefensible. And for what it's worth, I've done consultancy work for a number of organisations on pay structure, bonuses, reward schemes, share options etc so I speak from experience.

Spot on. Nyambe's flexibility underrated. If we'd signed Nyambe on a free and were paying him a combined signing on fee / wages of £3million over 3 years, I'd think that would be good business. Would think Ayala has cost £4million over his 3 years - a joke, IMO.

No provocation at all. Shown around Brockhall AFTER JDT appointed so not a discard from Park's list. He chose Derby when almost certainly he could have come here.

If something is shared in confidence then you should respect that. I was confident Hourihane would become a Rover and he ticked a number of boxes. As he has now joined another club, I did not think it is unreasonable to share what I am confident was a real Rovers' interest/target. I don't need to provoke despair as you claim. Such despair has, IMO, been provoked by Rovers for some 12 years now - they do not need my help! As I posted the other day, 5 automatic selections gone, 5 more squad players gone, not a single signing, the season kicks off in 25 days - who the feck wouldn't despair. I have had a belly full of 'journeys' and 'players are coming'. Time some woke up and smelt the coffee.

Refer to my earlier responses to two posters who rubbished it. At least two/three other posters on this MB know it's almost certainly correct.

Bullsh1t. See my response to @islander200

At least two other posters on this MB know the apparent story about Hourihane being shown around Brockhall - source, a Rovers' player. I would think this is almost certainly correct.

Understand he was shown around Brockhall before the squad left for Portugal. Are we now unable to compete with Derby?

To those who think there is no need to get uptight about the lack of a single signing so far, let the following sink in. We are 26 days from the new season starting and from last season we have lost Nyambe, Lenihan, Van Hecke, Rothwell and Khadra who would all be first team certainties. We have also lost Zeefuik, Davenport, Giles, Johnson and Poveda. That is 10 players from last season's 1st team squad. I think it's a fair bet Ayala and Brereton will also soon be out the building. I think we need a minimum of 6, more likely 8, very decent new signings just to stand still. Given the time sale and the need for a rebuilt squad to gel and to adapt to play in the way JDT wants, it's a simply frightening proposition. A huge, huge task. I posted earlier I thought our club was fecked - to me, if we survive in the Championship next season then it will be a result. Hope all the Mowbray 'happy clappers' are still clapping because, IMO, he's left one hell of a mess to clean up.

Despite all the 'soundbites', not sure there is a plan! As posted before, first plan should have been to sell Brereton quickly and then the new regime knew exactly what they had to play with. Let's not beat about the bush, think it's pretty certain Brereton is going. Second plan should have been to make a signing that made a statement and built upon the initial optimism following JDT's appointment. To me, we seem to be in limbo with indecisiveness prevailing.

Think the 'reports' are incorrect - understand a couple of 'enquiries' but sub £15million.

I think our club is fecked......end of. Optimism after appointment of JDT all but evaporated. A long walk needed tonight followed by a few drinks.