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Just the one change. Hickman in for the injured Sonny

Can anyone recommend a free stream please? In a hotel in Swindon and just found out you can’t access red button games on Sky Go app. Thanks in advance

Trade off is Forshaw has the right technical qualities and discipline, but can't see him being as effective in the tackle. Think id probably play Montgomery and TGH just to try and make us robust as we already have Mori in the midfield three who is quite weak physically.

I'm not even a particular fan of Forshaw, I thought he should have bene released during the summer. just he is the closest (of our available players) in style to Tronstad, which just shows how poor the summers recruitment was (talking numbers, not the individual players), with no adequate backup for multiple positions (centre back, right wing back, sitting midfielder, striker), whilst having a glut of box to box midfielders and "10s", and 2 left backs, neither of who play

that is a good shout to be fair - old head, able to read the game, not afraid to put a challenge in..

Agree that both TGH & Montgomery are more box to box. Don't think either of them has the positional discipline to play the Tronstad role Think they may try Forshaw as Tronstads stand in, and then prey his legs manage 4 games in 2 weeks (which seems fancifull at best)

Yes id say its both things. Tronstad is so good at the base of the midfield. No one else we have has shown they have the ability to anticipate the right place to be and strong enough in the tackle defensively, and technically good enough to retain the ball and pick the right passes. I think Tavares was signed to play this sort of role but he is so casual on the ball and unaware off it. Can totally see why Ismael doesn't trust him. We will need to play TGH or Montgomery there but they are more box to box and not really suited imo. Big loss.

I think that was Ismael's call so they'd back it anyway and it could also be argued in the long run it makes him look better, worth more and a more attractive proposition for any interested party. They forced out the previous captain without batting an eyelid.

Clearly not the executives at Blackburn Rovers who earn about a million quid a year between them for their 'expertise'.

Notable from that commentary that both Shearer and Sutton had 16 goals each by this point. A truly barnstorming start to the winning season for both of them.

Also, there could be an argument made that a leader/captain would fetch an extra few £100K or so

It could be both of these things (Tronstad & formation change) in tandem, it could be one of those impacts more than the other I guess we will find that out in the next couple of weeks whilst we have the back 3, but no Tronstad

They probably didn't realise until.....now what date was his last game?

I loved the QPR fan (DAVMAN) comment below the article. Now he's a real football fan!

To be fair to Ismael he seems to take a tough stance on players who aren't pulling their weight and isn't shoehorning everyone and anyone in where and when he can for the sake of it. That we've seen far too much of in the past from Bowyer through to Mowbray. Wouldn't be surprised to see him loaned out in Jan and that's probably the best move right now.

Surely they wouldn't have given him the armband if they knew that he was only going to play a dozen games this season? Even by Venky's / Pasha / Gestede standards, that would be a new level of stupidity.

Newcastle in the Cup? Or Celtic in the Anglo-Scottish cup when it is revived 😉 And surely the pre-season game against Barcelona is already being worked on by someone at the club?

Yeh it’s poor business and we have history of this interesting quotes from VI last month about the 2m man Tavares: When asked whether he is injured, Ismael has said, as per a report by the Lancashire Telegraph: “No, it’s a decision. At some point, as I said after the game, we were in a transition. So a lot of new players, 10 new players. I think we gave enough time to all the players to settle, to find an apartment, to make sure that they feel comfortable. To help them to understand the way we want to play, the way we want to train. “My feeling is now the players need to understand that the performance has to be judged now, in the training session and in the game. It’s all about competition now within the team. If you are ready to compete, you will have your chance. If not, the other one will take care of your spot. Now it’s about everyone fighting for his position.”

Me personally i just think a few of these signings have Gestede written all over them. Not saying they're dodgy just him trying to be clever through his own connections once Waggot was sidelined. On the back of Gueye i'm saying Kargbo and Tavares as well are through him thinking he can add some exotic flair who'll quickly turn into profit. Just pure naivety similar to Broughton's balls ups with Leo, Telovic etc. You can tell the players proper homework has been done on and the difference to those who it hasn't.

Such a joke of a club!! We’ve been doing this for way too long, there should be some governance or oversight of this stuff but there isn’t even in the PL it’s a joke

We limped to seven points from the first ten games WITH Tronstad in the side and at the time most people commented how badly he was playing and he didnt look interested etc etc. The key factor in our revival would appear to be the change to 3-5-2 rather than his absence or otherwise so let's hope that proves to be the case tonight and we can get the three points.

Or on the moon.

It does happen occasionally through incompetence even if there isnt necessarily anything nefarious going on. £7m for Grabbi (which Im told would comfortably have purchased the town his former Club Ternana was situated in) and when we bought Christian Dailly the story goes that Derby had a figure in mind for him and John Williams steamed in with an initial offer way in excess of that which of course they were only too delighted to accept. In this instance of course it would be no surprise at all if Tavares' agency havent done extremely well out of the deal and we've been saddled with a relatively expensive (for us) dud.

You might as well say “ The next time we play Barcelona “.

Then cue mystery interest him in January which the Club claim they weren't expecting but "the player received an offer and he wanted to take it". They really do take everyone for mugs and by rights Ismael should have a nose as long as Pinocchio.