JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW

[MCMC1875]

2 minutes ago, Leonard Venkhater said:

What worries me is that such a policy could just see us hovering around 10th place or lower, season after season, having to start again every August,  as good loan players return to their parent clubs, our older players get older/slower and the likes of Dack get sold.

When is a good time to build on what we have, rather than merely stand still, consolidate (stagnate)?

In this context the money splurged on Brereton defies credibility... 

We have a good nucleus around which to build and we should be doing it now...

Vote Leonard for Chief Exec.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Leonard Venkhater said:

What worries me is that such a policy could just see us hovering around 10th place or lower, season after season, having to start again every August,  as good loan players return to their parent clubs, our older players get older/slower and the likes of Dack get sold.

When is a good time to build on what we have, rather than merely stand still, consolidate (stagnate)?

In this context the money splurged on Brereton defies credibility... 

We have a good nucleus around which to build and we should be doing it now...

Not in January. Impossible to do dealings in January that are of any note.

[JacknOry]

14 minutes ago, Tom said:

If I was Rodwell I wouldn’t be too keen to stay after this season based on that.

When everyone is fit he ‘may’ play occasionally when we have 3 games a week, clearly here just as backup and can’t see him wanting to do that for long 

Is quite an odd statement tbh and while I admire his loyalty to his core players, the fringe players are going to look at it as being almost impossible to get into the team. Travis only played because Smallwood was suspended, Rothwell barely gets a look in and now Rodwell (who has played well the majority of the time when selected) has basically been told he will not start if everyone else is fit unless there are 3 games a week when he 'might' get a chance.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

8 minutes ago, Leonard Venkhater said:

What worries me is that such a policy could just see us hovering around 10th place or lower, season after season, having to start again every August,  as good loan players return to their parent clubs, our older players get older/slower and the likes of Dack get sold.

When is a good time to build on what we have, rather than merely stand still, consolidate (stagnate)?

In this context the money splurged on Brereton defies credibility... 

We have a good nucleus around which to build and we should be doing it now...

I agree, the minute you start standing still in this game is the minute you actually start going backwards.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

42 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Ya, true. They need to be good, experienced loans. 

On the graduate loans, I see Harper started for WBA at the weekend. 

Yeah I saw that, I know he's only a young lad but he looked deeply average when I saw him play.

[Bigdoggsteel]

11 minutes ago, Leonard Venkhater said:

What worries me is that such a policy could just see us hovering around 10th place or lower, season after season, having to start again every August,  as good loan players return to their parent clubs, our older players get older/slower and the likes of Dack get sold.

When is a good time to build on what we have, rather than merely stand still, consolidate (stagnate)?

In this context the money splurged on Brereton defies credibility... 

We have a good nucleus around which to build and we should be doing it now...

Loans with option, not an obligation , to buy, ticks all the boxes

[Bigdoggsteel]

24 minutes ago, Tom said:

If I was Rodwell I wouldn’t be too keen to stay after this season based on that.

When everyone is fit he ‘may’ play occasionally when we have 3 games a week, clearly here just as backup and can’t see him wanting to do that for long 

I agree I was a bit taken aback by the comments , but then when I think about it, isn't Mowbray just being honest? 

As things stand Mulgrew and Lenihan are our 1st choice centre back pairing. In midfield then I would say we have a few ahead of Rodwell in the pecking order, Travis, Evans, Smallwood and Reed to name but 4. So unless we have 12 players on the field, where will he play? 

[Bigdoggsteel]

2 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Yeah I saw that, I know he's only a young lad but he looked deeply average when I saw him play.

Ya, rated highly there though it would appear 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 minute ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Ya, rated highly there though it would appear 

I thought he was the sort of player who can dominate youth team games because of his size advantage but when they get up against blokes their own size they lose that advantage. Maybe he just didn't fancy it at Rovers and his heart wasn't in the move ?

[Tom]

4 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

I agree I was a bit taken aback by the comments , but then when I think about it, isn't Mowbray just being honest? 

As things stand Mulgrew and Lenihan are our 1st choice centre back pairing. In midfield then I would say we have a few ahead of Rodwell in the pecking order, Travis, Evans, Smallwood and Reed to name but 4. So unless we have 12 players on the field, where will he play? 

I’m not sure myself, if Rodwell is at his best he’d be our first choice central midfielder for me I’d have him and or Reed in there with Travis myself certainly before Evans and Smallwood.

Theres a reluctance to admit he’s a midfielder but we are treating a 27 year old ex England player like a 34 year old being moved further back because his legs have totally gone.

Maybe there’s just more evidence of this in training 

[Bigdoggsteel]

5 minutes ago, Tom said:

I’m not sure myself, if Rodwell is at his best he’d be our first choice central midfielder for me I’d have him and or Reed in there with Travis myself certainly before Evans and Smallwood.

Theres a reluctance to admit he’s a midfielder but we are treating a 27 year old ex England player like a 34 year old being moved further back because his legs have totally gone.

Maybe there’s just more evidence of this in training 

Ya, but as it stands I don't see him as a first choice starter, maybe Mowbray is just putting a  bit of pressure on him to deliver more. He certainly has it in his locker. He looks classy at times. 

[SBlue]

27 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

Is quite an odd statement tbh and while I admire his loyalty to his core players, the fringe players are going to look at it as being almost impossible to get into the team. Travis only played because Smallwood was suspended, Rothwell barely gets a look in and now Rodwell (who has played well the majority of the time when selected) has basically been told he will not start if everyone else is fit unless there are 3 games a week when he 'might' get a chance.

I'm going to keep saying it until the fake news stops- Travis started the game at Sheffield Utd where Smallwood was sent off.

I'm hoping for Evans to be dropped for Smallwood - allowing Trav to get forward more.

Edited January 14, 2019 by S8 & Blue

[davulsukur]

21 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

Is quite an odd statement tbh and while I admire his loyalty to his core players, the fringe players are going to look at it as being almost impossible to get into the team. Travis only played because Smallwood was suspended, Rothwell barely gets a look in and now Rodwell (who has played well the majority of the time when selected) has basically been told he will not start if everyone else is fit unless there are 3 games a week when he 'might' get a chance.

Odd and slightly concerning statement really.

It basically makes Mogga a limited manager, weirdly he's handicapping himself as the club won't progress if we don't replace limited players like Williams and Smallwood, ultimately it would probably see him get the bullet down the line as we'd only drop further down the table if he persists with these players.

We'll know soon enough, as Smallwood must be back from suspension so we will see if he walks straight back in.

[Ewood Ace]

2 minutes ago, S8 & Blue said:

I'm hoping for Evans to be dropped for Smallwood - allowing Trav to get forward more.

I'm hoping that neither Evans or Smallwood play so that Reed who is our best central midfielder can play in his best position.

[Miller11]

Loyalty is all well and good, until it becomes sentimental and detrimental. Look at what happened when we made it to the Premier league first season. Speedie and Sellars went straight away... not to mention Garner. Price hardly got a kick, and Wright was soon upgraded. Kenny recognised the need to continuously improve, later Harford showed too much loyalty.

A couple of decent loans coming in will help us stand still. If there is a genuine desire for us to kick on, we need some players who will come in and contribute regularly. I suspect there are some pretty stringent financial constraints imposed by Venky’s, and there isn’t much that would convince me Brereton was their man, but as well as this Mowbray seems to not want rock the boat. If I were Rodwell I’d not be best pleased with those comments.

[SBlue]

Just now, Ewood Ace said:

I'm hoping that neither Evans or Smallwood play so that Reed who is our best central midfielder can play in his best position.

or that!

[tomphil]

He's being clever and keeping the main lads onside but as pointed out at the same time it's a bit daft to basically say the others only fill in when needed. You come in do the job well, better than the others in some cases, then you keep the shirt whoever you are it's as simple as that. 

If he's just itching to get back to the old formula so he can tinker about keeping the others happy by chucking them in here and there and making predictable subs we'll go nowhere it's just Bowyer mk2. It's also why we draw so many !

Thought Mowbray had a far bigger set of balls than that, to push this on you need to make changes for the better and when they work stick to it. You need to strive to improve and upgrade all the time otherwise it's the comfort zone drift.

[Ewood Ace]

Tony say's “I’ve talked before, I put a lot of stock in loyalty in players who have done well for this team and I want to see how far they can take us." Personally I think that this current squad has reached it's ceiling which is mid table of the Championship. I don't see a team with the likes of Smallwood, Evans, Bell, Williams and Bennett (as a right back) playing regularly as good enough to take the next step to the play offs. I also don't see a team that has no wingers and only 1 striker decent striker as a side that can make the play offs. If we are to take the next step of the play offs then we need probably 4-5 players to come in and improve the first team not just bit part players who sit on the bench and can come on and do a job here and there. 

Edited January 14, 2019 by Ewood Ace

[Leonard Venkhater]

50 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I agree, the minute you start standing still in this game is the minute you actually start going backwards.

And how long can they capitalise on the fact that fans of a former premier league club are just grateful not to have a manager, who is a ****  with a team of mercenary ****s, who got us relegated to Div 3?

[K-Hod]

47 minutes ago, S8 & Blue said:

I'm going to keep saying it until the fake news stops- Travis started the game at Sheffield Utd where Smallwood was sent off.

I'm hoping for Evans to be dropped for Smallwood - allowing Trav to get forward more.

I'm not, Evans has been far better than Smallwood all season!

That being said, Reed and Travis is looking like our strongest central midfield, but I can't see Mowbray selecting them in the centre together.....

[Stuart]

1 hour ago, Tom said:

If I was Rodwell I wouldn’t be too keen to stay after this season based on that.

When everyone is fit he ‘may’ play occasionally when we have 3 games a week, clearly here just as backup and can’t see him wanting to do that for long 

His reputation preceded him. It’s down to Rodwell to prove him wrong.

Rothwell should be more concerned about having a future here.

[RV Blue]

2 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

On the graduate loans, I see Harper started for WBA at the weekend. 

It was easy to forget that he was only 17 when with us. It was a silly signing as he was expected to make an immediate impact for us as he was a loan player and he ended up blocking the path of our own academy player (Travis). However there was quite clearly a player  there, a player who will play in the Premier League for the majority of his career.

[RV Blue]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Yeah I saw that, I know he's only a young lad but he looked deeply average when I saw him play.

He was only 17 Tyrone.

[jim mk2]

"I’ve talked before, I put a lot of stock in loyalty in players who have done well for this team and I want to see how far they can take us." - Mowbray

I would say the team as it stands has got as far as it will go - our position in the table shows where we are at.  Loyalty is fine but standing still isn't . We need to keep  improving and evolving ........Travis has shown he's an upgrade on Smallwood while Rodwell looks a class act and needs a run - possibly by shunting Mulgrew to left back. 

Mowbray does worry me. 

[Tom]

Not Rovers related but Nicko doing his best Nicko on twitter.

Been going on about how a young lad from Brum was off to Salford, he’s just signed a contract extension but Nicko said this wasn’t signed off due to an embargo, it was pointed out that Birmingham confirmed it to which he backtracks and of course he was right but something changed since his tweet.

Fud