Carabao Cup - next round, moving on - draw.

[Upside Down]

20 hours ago, arbitro said:

I mentioned last night that the pitch was looking a bit patchy. And they are training on it again on Christmas Day evening under the lights before they leave for Sunderland.

Why? What's wrong with brockhall? Has swag flogged it already? 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

4 hours ago, bluebruce said:

It won't stay grass for much longer if he keeps training on it.

If the pitch gets bad the policy of playing out from the back will become more hazardous than ever.

[tomphil]

Don't we have grass pitches at the training ground ?

[Mattyblue]

… and an indoor all weather.

I’m sure I don’t remember them training at Ewood day after day whenever the temperature drops before the last couple of years.

[arbitro]

49 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Don't we have grass pitches at the training ground ?

Yes but no floodlights. On Christmas Day he is allowing the players time with their families, report to Ewood for 6 pm, train, have a meal at Ewood and coach to Sunderland at around 8 pm.

[J*B]

2 hours ago, arbitro said:

Yes but no floodlights. On Christmas Day he is allowing the players time with their families, report to Ewood for 6 pm, train, have a meal at Ewood and coach to Sunderland at around 8 pm.

Will Adam be allowed on the coach?

[roversfan99]

17 hours ago, J*B said:

If Gally is through one on one I’m expecting him to finish. If Hirst is through one on one I’m worried how the opposition will counter. 

Really? His poor finish 1 on 1 at Hull certainly wasn't an exception.

[Dreams of 1995]

Gallagher finishes more 1 on 1 that he misses 

Problem is he doesn’t get in them positions often enough 

He’s improved big time this year. The stats don’t lie - when he starts, we win 

Gallagher betters Hirst in every single department. He’s up there as one of the better strikers in the league this season for sure 

[roversfan99]

7 minutes ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

Gallagher finishes more 1 on 1 that he misses 

Problem is he doesn’t get in them positions often enough 

He’s improved big time this year. The stats don’t lie - when he starts, we win 

Gallagher betters Hirst in every single department. He’s up there as one of the better strikers in the league this season for sure 

Not sure he can be considered one of the best strikers in the league, and he often still plays from a wide position.

I think most of the best strikers are up there as top goalscorers, Rodriguez, Gyokeres, Yates, Sargent, Pukki, McBurnie, Morris, Akpom, Pedro, Piroe, even if you discount Brereton.

That being said, he is an important player for us, I think that stat is misleading in that our alternatives (Hirst, Vale) are so poor that it is at least as much that as Gallagher being good that causes us to struggle in his absence, but he definitely gives our attack something we lack when he doesn't play.

[chaddyrovers]

On 22/12/2022 at 13:03, roversfan99 said:

By the way, is Gallagher first choice for the number 9 role? He often plays wider still so we do need a competent striker ASAP.

He has played many games as the number 9 but we like our front players to roam and freedom from set positions when Attacking. 

5 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Not sure he can be considered one of the best strikers in the league, and he often still plays from a wide position.

I think most of the best strikers are up there as top goalscorers, Rodriguez, Gyokeres, Yates, Sargent, Pukki, McBurnie, Morris, Akpom, Pedro, Piroe, even if you discount Brereton.

That being said, he is an important player for us, I think that stat is misleading in that our alternatives (Hirst, Vale) are so poor that it is at least as much that as Gallagher being good that causes us to struggle in his absence, but he definitely gives our attack something we lack when he doesn't play.

We performed much better when he is part of the team then without. 

[roversfan99]

3 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

He has played many games as the number 9 but we like our front players to roam and freedom from set positions when Attacking. 

We performed much better when he is part of the team then without. 

Never said he isnt. I agreed but also mentioned that his most likely replacements in Hirst and Vale are so lacking at this level that when Gallagher misses out, a big part of the issue that follows is that one of those are playing and contributing nothing.

[chaddyrovers]

5 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Never said he isnt. I agreed but also mentioned that his most likely replacements in Hirst and Vale are so lacking at this level that when Gallagher misses out, a big part of the issue that follows is that one of those are playing and contributing nothing.

we have 3 options if Gallagher can't start games if you want a striker in Hirst, Vale and Dolan. I would have no problem in starting any of them if Gallagher can't start and I have faith in them

[Sweaty Gussets]

5 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Not sure he can be considered one of the best strikers in the league, and he often still plays from a wide position.

I think most of the best strikers are up there as top goalscorers, Rodriguez, Gyokeres, Yates, Sargent, Pukki, McBurnie, Morris, Akpom, Pedro, Piroe, even if you discount Brereton.

That being said, he is an important player for us, I think that stat is misleading in that our alternatives (Hirst, Vale) are so poor that it is at least as much that as Gallagher being good that causes us to struggle in his absence, but he definitely gives our attack something we lack when he doesn't play.

Yates is 26 and this is his first season in the Championship. Carlton Morris was a League 1 dolloper until this season. He's 27 and this is the first good season he's ever had. Goes to show writing off any player is a fools game. Just as writing off Gally is.

The time to judge Gally as a striker is when he plays as a striker for a full season in a team that plays to his strengths. I love Gally, he sacrifices himself for the team and is a far better footballer than a lot of the know-nowts give him credit for. 

[roversfan99]

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

we have 3 options if Gallagher can't start games if you want a striker in Hirst, Vale and Dolan. I would have no problem in starting any of them if Gallagher can't start and I have faith in them

Based on what I have seen from Hirst and Vale, that very much is blind faith as it stands.

2 hours ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Yates is 26 and this is his first season in the Championship. Carlton Morris was a League 1 dolloper until this season. He's 27 and this is the first good season he's ever had. Goes to show writing off any player is a fools game. Just as writing off Gally is.

The time to judge Gally as a striker is when he plays as a striker for a full season in a team that plays to his strengths. I love Gally, he sacrifices himself for the team and is a far better footballer than a lot of the know-nowts give him credit for. 

I havent wrote him off. He is an average Championship striker who I would rather was in the team than not. Not a top striker at this level but still a very useful one. 

[rigger]

8 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Based on what I have seen from Hirst and Vale, that very much is blind faith as it stands.

I havent wrote him off. He is an average Championship striker who I would rather was in the team than not. Not a top striker at this level but still a very useful one. 

From what I have seen of Hirst, it is more unfounded faith.

[oldjamfan1]

11 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

we have 3 options if Gallagher can't start games if you want a striker in Hirst, Vale and Dolan. I would have no problem in starting any of them if Gallagher can't start and I have faith in them

What on earth have you seen in Hirst that gives you any faith in him? He plays in the position I did many years ago and to my eye he lacks even the fundamentals of a decent centre forward (one of which is bravery, another is the ability to hold the ball up).

He surely has to be sent back to Leicester in January (if we can)

[Mattyblue]

Of course he knows he ain’t up to it, but he’s backed him for so long on here against all evidence, he doesn’t want to now lose face.

Nowt wrong in just holding your hands up…

[Wheelton Blue]

From what I've seen of Hirst, he doesn't exhibit a single attribute - not even a glimmer of one - which makes me think he'll make it as a Championship standard player. 

We just need to cut our losses, send him back, and find a proper replacement who can make an impact now.

[Darrenbot]

57 minutes ago, Wheelton Blue said:

From what I've seen of Hirst, he doesn't exhibit a single attribute - not even a glimmer of one - which makes me think he'll make it as a Championship standard player. 

We just need to cut our losses, send him back, and find a proper replacement who can make an impact now.

That would mean Broughton and JDT admitting they got it wrong with making Hirst their big summer forward target,i don't think they've got it in them so will keep flogging a dead horse and keep him here until the end of the season.

[Dreams of 1995]

1 hour ago, Darrenbot said:

That would mean Broughton and JDT admitting they got it wrong with making Hirst their big summer forward target,i don't think they've got it in them so will keep flogging a dead horse and keep him here until the end of the season.

What makes you say that Darren? 
they haven’t had chance to admit anything yet. You can’t expect JDT or Broughton to come out in the press and say they don’t think Hirst can make it, not least while he is at the club 

It may be that part of the loan agreement will be we can’t send him back 

So the time when they can admit the mistake would be at the end of the season when it comes to buying him. If they exercise the £5m option then it will be then doubling down; if they don’t sign him then they’d have agreed with us he isn’t good enough 

[Darrenbot]

5 minutes ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

What makes you say that Darren? 
they haven’t had chance to admit anything yet. You can’t expect JDT or Broughton to come out in the press and say they don’t think Hirst can make it, not least while he is at the club 

It may be that part of the loan agreement will be we can’t send him back 

So the time when they can admit the mistake would be at the end of the season when it comes to buying him. If they exercise the £5m option then it will be then doubling down; if they don’t sign him then they’d have agreed with us he isn’t good enough 

They send him back in Jan is admitting they got it wrong they dont have to say anything thats why they wont do it

[Mattyblue]

They may not be able to send him back in January as per the loan agreement.

[Darrenbot]

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

They may not be able to send him back in January as per the loan agreement.

stick him in the u21s for the rest of the season if he can't go back,hes a waste of space with the first team.

[Mattyblue]

Shows the daftness of the loan system if some 24 year old, who isn’t even our player, ends up taking one of our own lad’s spots in the youth set up.

[Dreams of 1995]

1 hour ago, Darrenbot said:

They send him back in Jan is admitting they got it wrong they dont have to say anything thats why they wont do it

Yes but they may not be able to send him back in fairness to them 

Some things work out, some dont. At least this was a loan with a view to buy - sensible decision, but not the right player 

The test for me is if they pay the money at the end of the season. I really, really don’t think they will 

I don’t think JDT rates him that much frankly