Mercer

Mistakes get punished more but let's not forget the likes of Duncan Edwards (16), Mike England (18), Bobby Moore (17), David O'Leary (17), Alex-Arnold (18) etc - all top, top defenders debuting as youngsters, holding down first team places in the highest level of football and also representing their countries. Whether a defender, midfielder or forward, if you are good enough then you are old enough - simple as that, no ifs and buts.

The final kick in the teeth would be if Nyambe rocks up at Burnley. Think his versatility would appeal to Kompany.

Several postings as to the relative capabilites of Nyambe, Lenihan and Rothwell. Even if these lads aren't as good or influential as some would have us believe, we've lost 3 of our better players for absolutely nothing whilst as contracted players, we would have expected £7/8million+. These players have to be replaced and as a team we are intrinsically weaker just by having to use part of our budget to plug the gaps with replacements, never mind strengthening other areas of the team, who may prove to be not half as good as the lads who've gone. I think it's appalling, yet again, mismanagement and the buck has to stop with our CEO. One may question our owners but, if you have, IMO, a vacuous buffoon as CEO, you are destined to fail big time.

Good luck to JDT - I've no doubt he'll have the backing of all Roverites. Let's be honest, think almost anyone would have been better than, IMO, the bullshitting, antagonistic, 'we aren't a big club', 'the opposition are Barcelona', 'we are on a journey', it's all about me Mowbray. Don't think the appointment is without risks but already you can sense a far more positive feel everywhere. It's nice to have a bit of hope for a change. The lad has an illustrious playing career, won titles as a manager and his career and achievements alone should demand respect from the dressing room - just wonder whether Lowe and Benson will turn up with their autograph books! A great day, fresh hope for the Rovers, glorious weather - all worthy of a nice quiet red!

Why don't you ask all the journalists who were writing and posting about it? Anyhow, don't worry about me - also took a punt on JDT when he was 6/1 and will be handsomely in profit!

and you think of Mowbray's tortuous and depressing death spirals...............and nothing happens!

Maybe, however, inescapable. If I see Rovers back in the PL in my lifetime it will be a bonus.

I'd give him the whole of Nuttall Street!

Agree with your first sentiment! As for your second sentence, let us not forget Middlesbrough is also in the North East and boy, I think we've had some dross with those connections!

If Sam's football was 'absolutely dire' then words fail me about some of the sheer dross I think we had to put up with in huge parts of five and a half years with Mowbray. I'd rather watch dire football in the PL than dross in League One and the Championship. If Sam had been given the 5+ years Mowbray had, I think we would have become an established top 8 PL side. Sam took Bolton to the verge of Champions' League and if Gartside had given Sam the backing he wanted he wouldn't have left and look what happened when he did leave - perhaps a worse journey than even Rovers. As Bolton became more established their football got better and better (as I'm sure it would have done with us). Players such as Ngotty, Hierro, Campo, Djorkaeff, Okocha, Anelka etc were all quality footballers who provided some quality football. If Venky's could only turn the clock back................................

Tom might still be up for it at 64/65 years old but I think John's race has been run (83 years of age I think)

IMO, Rovers have been dumbing down in their personnel for years. Tom Finn must be mid sixties by now but I'd take him back in a heartbeat. IMO, Tom Finn's forgotten more than the likes of Waggott, Cheston, Fielder etc have ever known. I think Waggott is in his late sixties now and I think it's time he and Cheston were booted off the gravy train - IMO, neither have the drive, hunger or nous to add value to our club. As for our Commericial / Marketing department, I don't think it's ever been great, even under Williams and Finn, when benchmarking against what other clubs achieve, however, I think we've now plumbed new depths and are at an all time low in ability there. At the end of the day, you scrimp on key appointment like CEO, FD, Head Of Commercial etc and you pay a huge, huge price and, IMO, we see this with the club's very much below par executive management as seen with the managerial recruitment process, sponsorship and commerical deals, ticket strategy / pricing etc. Invest in quality staff at a cost of a few hundred grand more (which is chicken shit in comparison to the cost of some of the dross masquerading as footballers) and you get huge multiple paybacks in revenue streams etc. Broughton may prove to be an inspired choice as DOF but I think it's most likely he wasn't first choice and a late, and probably cheap, appointment. The lad will be on one mightily steep learning curve and for the sake of our club, I hope he swims rather than drowns. Whilst we continue to employ the likes of Waggott, Cheston, Fielder, Lowe, Benson etc, I think we will continue in failing to move forward as a club. IMO. under a new Jack Walker style ownership, not many of existing incumbents would remain in post.

Do you know your Liam's from your Leroy's? Blackpool's process swift and decisive. Think respective CEO's are comparative to a Blackpool donkey versus a Derby thoroughbred, the donkey being stabled at Ewood.

Well if he does come it will be without Rosenior who will be announced as new Blackpool boss today. That's the way to do it!

One of the constraining factors in our hunt for a manager is seemingly an insistence that our other coaching staff (Lowe Benson and Johnson) are retained. This means it's either penny pinching in the extreme (as their contracts don't expire on 30 June 2022 and we won't pay them off) or possibly one or more of the three "have something on the club'. All this begs another question, and IMO, underlines the incompetence of our Executive Management, just why on earth should any of those three be on anything other than a 12 month contract? If they weren't happy with that, I'd have pointed them in the direction of the door and I would have been staggered if they had walked through! As I have said many times before, IMO, Ewood and Brockhall are nous free zones.

@BigUtspost says it all. Given parameters club is working within, don't see any better options

Not seen odds so low for any candidate. When they get so low........

Ferguson now 1/5 with Bet Victor. That's a big shift.

But you say M'boro have higher income streams (twice as much as us) , bigger attendances (10,000 more) and a bigger wage bill. This is wrong. In the last season, their average attendance was 7,600 higher than ours - strip out VAT and that would leave them with roughly £2million extra (chicken shit in the scheme of things). Their wage bill in last reported accounts - there in black and white - is the same as ours. Sounds to me like you are trying to defend the loss of Lenihan on behalf of the club by distorting facts. IMO, the bottom line is we lost Lenihan through the club's negligence in not getting him nailed down at least a season ago and also a shambolic recruitment process which has left us managerless and rudderless for weeks. All these excuses have to stop. I think our club is probably the least well operationally managed in the Championship - simply a shambles and it's indefensible.

Latest filed accounts for both clubs blow your arguments out of the water. Rovers turnover £15million v M'boro £14million Rovers wages £26million v M'boro £27million

I understand that by the end of May deals with both Lenihan and Nyambe had been agreed - the contracts were there for signing and all that was missing was a feckin new manager who they were happy with!!!!

We now begin to see the consequences of our shambolic managerial recruitment process. Lenihan off to Middlesbrough is, IMO, an avoidable loss. Seems, quite reasonably from his point of view, he was waiting to see who our new manager would be but the lad wasn't going to wait for ever. The signs were the new contract with us had been agreed. Not a world beater but will be difficult and costly to replace at this level. This means immediately our new manager will have less to spend on strengthening other parts of the team as we will need a replacement for Lenihan because if anyone thinks we will get through a season with two from Ayala / Carter / Wharton then they need to think again. Don't think our owners and Waggott will ever learn - completely and utterly shambolic management.

Nothing wrong in saying: 'Our main aim has to be to secure a return to the PL as soon as we can - it's where the club needs to be. At the same time we need to put plans into place which will give the club a sustainable growth'. The fans want real hope today and not wishy washy bullsh1t about journeys and exciting futures for the tomorrows.

Always suspicious of guys with journeys in mind (Mowbray) and long terms goals (Broughton) "We want to become a sustainable Premier League football club. That's not going to happen overnight, but with a really clear plan and by sticking with that plan, I really believe we can get there." We've been promised jam tomorrow for far too long. The bottom line is we need results and fast - the only goal the club should focus on is promotion to the PL this coming season. Achieve that and all the 'nicer long term stuff' should more readily fall into place.

TBH, never heard of this guy but also willing to give him a chance. Big question is does he have the experience for a 'senior' role like this? Think it's a huge step up for him. To me, this is another 'cheap' option. The name I was given had a wealth of experience from Academy through to 1st team and is widely respected and still employed in a football capacity. I think we probably baulked at the cost of that experience / quality.