That *was* the January Window

[Mercer]

1 minute ago, philipl said:

On hopeless keepers, Jason Steele at Ewood but watch him last night.

Just hope we don't have to wait ten years for Leo to come good...

He looked a basket case here - a remarkable transformation and you have to ask how?  When he came here, think he had some 200 games under his belt so certainly not an inexperienced young 'rookie' (older than Leo and Pears when he joined us). 

[Mercer]

18 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

JDT brought in 2 of his staff with him. He was happy with those 3 staff as he publicly when he got the job. Also I think if JDT wanted to change them now he would have done. JDT sees them at work all the time. We dont

Rosen is good bit fatigue is down to lack of options to rotate players in 3 games week. 

JDT was hardly going to publicly express his dissatisfaction with the three was he?  I fear if he has wanted to changed them, he hasn't been allowed.  JDT does not have 'carte blanche' as evidenced in various press conferences - his frustrations are plain to see.

Think you've been brain washed by Mowbray who was always banging on about 3 games per week.  3 games per week are almost as rare as rocking horse sh1t.  The usual pattern is a midweek game (either Tuesday or Wednesday) followed by a Saturday game - that is 2 games per week.  Very, occasionally we will play 3 games in a 7 day cycle ie Christmas and should a game be moved to Sunday for TV where we would then go Sunday/Wednesday/Saturday - this has only happened twice this season (once in October and at Christmas) and is not scheluded to happen again in the 2nd half of the season.

Edited January 3 by Mercer

[tomphil]

17 minutes ago, Darwen Rover 007 said:

Quite mental there are 3 x ex Rovers keepers now playing in the prem... two of which were deemed not good enough by our fans

To be fair Steele was terrible at Sunderland and hounded by their fans after he was here and he spent a long time as Brightons no 3 then no 2.

When he was here he came from being Boro's no 2 and 3 and was expected to instantly replacing former England number 1 Paul Robinson.  So no he wasn't really good enough as we regularly saw and he was awful in the relegation season and replaced by a rookie.

Well done to him but lets not rewrite history.

[Mattyblue]

December is a mad month, but on the flip side in September, October, November and March they get two weeks without a game, August and January is one league game a week all month. There are plenty of other empty midweeks through the season. Yes, there’s cup ties but we usually play an academy side for early rounds anyway.

Tell players they’re tired and they’re tired. Though at a professional club there are usually other options in the squad in order to rest a fatigued player as some do have an all action style and do need rotating from time to time, I.e Sammie, but not here so he’s been flogged.

Edited January 3 by Mattyblue

[ben_the_beast]

The really depressing thing about Wahlstedt is that the bulk of our money spent in the summer was on him. If we were forced into selling Kaminski to keep the lights on, then surely there was a cheaper option and any money available could have been spent elsewhere. 

Others have said it but the major thing which worked in Wahlstedt's favor when we were looking atoptions was his age. Rough diamonds, creating assets etc. But put simply, he's not ready. I think he has some potential but we needed somebody for now, not a couple of years down the line. He looks terrible. Usually when a goal goes in his reaction is to yell at those on front of him. There was no reaction to Rotherhams first. He knows he is culpable and his confidence is shot. It says everything that Pears will be a major upgrade when he's fit again. 

[chaddyrovers]

17 minutes ago, Mercer said:

JDT was hardly going to publicly express his dissatisfaction with the three was he?  I fear if he has wanted to changed them, he hasn't been allowed.  JDT does not have 'carte blanche' as evidenced in various press conferences - his frustrations are plain to see.

Think you've been brain washed by Mowbray who was always banging on about 3 games per week.  3 games per week are almost as rare as rocking horse sh1t.  The usual pattern is a midweek game (either Tuesday or Wednesday) followed by a Saturday game - that is 2 games per week.  Very, occasionally we will play 3 games in a 7 day cycle ie Christmas and should a game be moved to Sunday for TV where we would then go Sunday/Wednesday/Saturday - this has only happened twice this season (once in October and at Christmas) and is not scheluded to happen again in the 2nd half of the season.

We aren't going to agree and neither of our opinions are going to change. Wish you well for the day

[joey_big_nose]

39 minutes ago, Mercer said:

There will come a point where his frustration boils over and he will not want to see his reputation sullied.  As an intelligent lad, he will then walk away.

Think hes well past that now, he hasn't got a very long cv and we are at the top of it.

He may well walk away but he will do well to get a sideways move. His reputation has taken absolute battering.

[ben_the_beast]

On Telalovic, I think he's beginning to show some promising signs. Just needs to hit the back of the net now. It'll come in time. Hopefully in the cup against Cambridge which will get the monkey off his back a bit. 

It really is depressing under Venkys though. 3rd lowest wage budget in the league. Its no surprise we are where we are. When a few players are fit again I think we'll pick up some more points when the fixture list is a bit lighter and finish lower midtable. JDT won't stay forever though. The managed downgrade of the club will continue to bite and unfortunately I think it will hit a critical point around the time he moves on. Unless there is fresh investment the only way is down under their tenure. 

For the first time in a long time we have wiggle room under Ffp. It's just come at a time when there is no wiggle room regarding Venkys funding of the club.

[tomphil]

In the case of the keeper dept no lessons were learned whatsoever and we are back to the Steele/Jake Keane days after waiting years to actually improve it.

To lose someone like Kaminski they should have looked for proper experience and as has been said surely there was someone out there who might have cost a bigger wage but maybe a loan or free.  That should have been the target then there is a safer pair of hands to call on and a more experienced guy to work daily with the others keepers, learn from their peers.

This 'model' might be lower risk money wise but it is very high risk in everything else and too late when we end up in the shite.

[Bohinen1983]

35 minutes ago, Mercer said:

He looked a basket case here - a remarkable transformation and you have to ask how?  When he came here, think he had some 200 games under his belt so certainly not an inexperienced young 'rookie' (older than Leo and Pears when he joined us). 

If you actually look at Steeles stats at Brighton he has been atrocious there too- his period between the sticks coincided with Brighton shipping goals for fun. He hasn't had a miraculous transformation.  Raya was already quality when he was here,  quite clearly the best young goalkeeper in the country- sold him for a pittance.    Kaminski was quality, saved us countless times at the start of last season- we accrued points we had no right to. This season those shots go in and then there's a mistake or two every game. We've gone from last season needing a goal to win a game due to having a class keeper to needing 2 or 3. We just don't have the team to do that- when we go chasing we leave gaps everywhere and are so vulnerable. I'd be out there right now finding a proper keeper in the Kaminski mould or I genuinely fear for us.  I think that's the difference between us being around the play-offs or bottom 8 at the moment.

[joey_big_nose]

1 minute ago, ben_the_beast said:

On Telalovic, I think he's beginning to show some promising signs. Just needs to hit the back of the net now. It'll come in time. Hopefully in the cup against Cambridge which will get the monkey off his back a bit. 

It really is depressing under Venkys though. 3rd lowest wage budget in the league. Its no surprise we are where we are. When a few players are fit again I think we'll pick up some more points when the fixture list is a bit lighter and finish lower midtable. JDT won't stay forever though. The managed downgrade of the club will continue to bite and unfortunately I think it will hit a critical point around the time he moves on. Unless there is fresh investment the only way is down under their tenure. 

For the first time in a long time we have wiggle room under Ffp. It's just come at a time when there is no wiggle room regarding Venkys funding of the club.

Not to harp on about it but whats the source for that number? Based on the most recent accounts from @wilsdenrover it looks like we are spending around £20 mill on wages, not the £12M that was shown on a list.

[JHRover]

51 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

But is Travis going to start ahead of Wharton and Tronstad? Does he fit our style? Can we replace him with better player suited to our style of play? 

Also I don't see JDT walking away from Rovers unless he has another job line up overseas. 

At the moment no, assuming that we continue with the same formation or that Wharton and Tronstad remain fit and available for the rest of the season.

Does he fit our style? What is our style?

Our diabolical run of results has occurred with him out of the team, so perhaps his absence is causing more of an issue than people think. On the flip side he played almost every minute of most games last season and the season before when we were entrenched in the top 6. So perhaps we need to think more about cold hard results than this mythical 'style' which I am becoming less and less convinced is a route to success and more convinced it is a route to winning plaudits and putting £££s on values.

Can we replace him with better? Possibly, but with no money and alleged government restrictions I'd wager that we won't replace him at all, or at best with a loan and that doesn't really get us anywhere.

For the record I am not suggesting that Travis is a great player. But I am suggesting that he offers important attributes that few others in our squad offer. I look at the young lads shoulders slumped as Huddersfield and Hull are banging in goals against us and want someone in there with some fire in his belly, which Travis offers.

Too many 'nice lads nice footballers' in there not enough warriors already.

I think JDT would be insane to stay here beyond this season unless something drastic changes with the owners and the budgets. He will know by now if he didn't last summer that they only way is down whilst the club remains fixated on cutting corners and costs every window.

[phili]

2 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

Not to harp on about it but whats the source for that number? Based on the most recent accounts from @wilsdenrover it looks like we are spending around £20 mill on wages, not the £12M that was shown on a list.

Last season was around £20m this season with Venky's imposed 25% cut we are looking at around £15m. I have no idea where £12m has come from.

[Mattyblue]

10 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

Think hes well past that now, he hasn't got a very long cv and we are at the top of it.

He may well walk away but he will do well to get a sideways move. His reputation has taken absolute battering.

Has it? Poor form since the 2nd December (after a good 18 months) has ‘absolutely battered’ his reputation? 

Edited January 3 by Mattyblue

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

50 minutes ago, Lancs Rover said:

Travis situation became obvious last game of the season against Millwall when he was subbed at half time.

We need players sharpish.

Cash in on Wharton and buy quality now - not in the summer. It'll be a tragedy if we end up flirting with relegation again.

Inertia will kill us as a club. Get moving, Venkys.

Anybody expecting the Chicken Chokers to do anything to help Rovers must have been in an induced coma for the last decade.

[Blow-in]

3 hours ago, Paul Mani said:

I think the only one we need to sell is Travis. If he can’t get in this team, with one win in eight, he is better to move on. It’s best for all parties. 

It looks like we’re replacing Hill with the Crewe lad.

Realistically, I’d expect us to replace Travis if we sold him and we could do with a couple of forward on Loans. 

Im going for…

4 out - Trav (sold), Hill (recall), Leonard (loan) and Markanday (Loan)

4 in (Crewe lad (buy), CM (buy /loan), 2x forwards (loan)

Selling to fund loans sounds like suicide, what do you do next season to replace the loans? Sell more? Follow that on to it's natural conclusion l.

[tomphil]

13 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

Not to harp on about it but whats the source for that number? Based on the most recent accounts from @wilsdenrover it looks like we are spending around £20 mill on wages, not the £12M that was shown on a list.

There is the football wage budget and overall wage budget so are the two being confused ?

[neophox]

What about loaning Adrian from Liverpool for the rest of the season? Third choice there. 36 year old.

Edited January 3 by neophox

[roverblue]

We don't even have any money to pay the bills till the Indian High Court hears the case for the next round of funds needed. I think Waggot said the last lot ran till the end of December so we are already in the brown stuff.

Anyone going out the door won't be replaced and the cash just offset against the running costs. On that basis I would be dead set against selling players or ending loans as we will just end up in an even worse position.

One injury to Tronstad and we are crying out for Travis (we already are in my opinion and would go to 3 in midfield with Travis back in).

Edited January 3 by roverblue

[davulsukur]

4 minutes ago, roverblue said:

We don't even have any money to pay the bills till the Indian High Court hears the case for the next round of funds needed. I think Waggot said the last lot ran till the end of December so we are already in the brown stuff.

Anyone going out the door won't be replaced and the cash just offset against the running costs. On that basis I would be dead set against selling players or ending loans as we will just end up in an even worse position.

One injury to Tronstad and we are crying out for Travis (we already are in my opinion and would go to 3 in midfield with Travis back in).

That's my concern, players will be sold just to keep the lights on.

Nothing will be reinvested into the squad, so I'd rather we didn't sell anyone.

[joey_big_nose]

16 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Has it? Poor form since the 2nd December (after a good 18 months) has ‘absolutely battered’ his reputation? 

The huge numbers of goals conceded across the season, inability to beat promoted teams, inability to get any points once going behind  etc all add up to other candidates being preferred for roles a step above us.

Just my view but I doubt there are many owners / CEOs thinking they need a bit of JDT in their life at the moment.

He needs to look like a manager who can setup a defence and get team to perform when its tough.

[Mattyblue]

CEO’s make far dafter decisions then appointing JDT.

[rigger]

1 minute ago, Mattyblue said:

CEO’s make far dafter decisions then appointing JDT.

Especially at the Rovers.

[tomphil]

18 minutes ago, roverblue said:

We don't even have any money to pay the bills till the Indian High Court hears the case for the next round of funds needed. I think Waggot said the last lot ran till the end of December so we are already in the brown stuff.

Anyone going out the door won't be replaced and the cash just offset against the running costs. On that basis I would be dead set against selling players or ending loans as we will just end up in an even worse position.

One injury to Tronstad and we are crying out for Travis (we already are in my opinion and would go to 3 in midfield with Travis back in).

Sense.

They'll probably just take out another finance loan secured on something until summer when it'll be a fire sale or they'll be able to cover it themselves.

Edited January 3 by tomphil

[wilsdenrover]

21 minutes ago, tomphil said:

There is the football wage budget and overall wage budget so are the two being confused ?

I don’t think they are being confused.

I think people (well I certainly am) are looking at the difference in the two figures and don’t believe this can be explained by the ‘non football’ element of the wage bill.