Think Leeds are away in Austria so will likely be one for the kids left behind.

Presumably playing half the squad in each then, or perhaps a younger team at Leeds given it is unusual to play a league rival pre-season?

Don't remember a Bruce managed side at this level ever struggling. Birmingham, Hull, Villa always there or thereabouts around the top 6, four promotions and a play-off final, very decent record at Wednesday last season too. Maybe not promotion ready but certainly won't be in relegation trouble under him. In the Premier League he struggles but in the Championship I'd class him alongside McCarthy and Warnock as extremely good at what he does. Maybe not easy on the eye but results speak for themselves.

Think it needs someone with a bit of gravitas either as a player or manager. Johnson had 'been there' as a player. I'd like to see Terry McPhillips get the job but if my suspicions are correct we'll get someone more low profile than that. Probably another internal promotion

From our point of view I hope Bruce gets the Newcastle job. If he's at Wednesday I think they'll be there abouts this season. Without him probably mediocre.

Rumoured to be selling Kauzer or whatever he's called to Villa for 12 million. Now that's a scouting system paying off. Not noticed them collecting academy players. A clear strategy and good at it. Bit different to the muddled and mixed messages here.

Could you enlighten me as to what any of those players have brought to the party since arriving here some time ago?

Correct, and thus can only be classed as good signings when the manager that signed them plays them.

Presumably their pitch work was planned some.time ago and people on here were raising it as a major concern a few weeks ago. Therefore there was time to call it off or arrange an alternative. Also known some.time ago were the rugby fixtures that seem to take priority judging by Rovers' website.

Chapman, Rothwell and Brereton in their cumulative 3 years at the club have contributed next to nothing. Cant really go any further than that at this point. How much do you reckon Brereton is getting paid? Bearing in mind his contract at Forest, England youth appearances and substantial transfer fee. Reckon he'll be cheap? He needs a new agent if he isn't one of our bigger earners. Anyways, we aren't going to agree. You seem to think everything is hunky dory and all going to plan and I think it's a shambles.

Not falling for that one again. We had this talk all last summer of Mowbray sticking to his guns, not budging, not gambling, waiting for his preferred targets to come rather than going elsewhere and risking things. What happened? We started throwing silly bids around as deadline day approached, ended up paying £7 million on Brereton, spent 12 months pursuing Patrick Bauer only to see him join Preston and failed to strengthen in January. This noble 'sticking to our guns' approach isn't so good if we end up empty handed, overpaying or picking up dross (which has happened in the last two windows). I thought things were meant to be better planned these days?

Goalkeeper and defence are the priority. Even if Venkys aren't putting money in this summer there's the Raya cash plus what was left over from January. No excuses. Sick of hearing it.

As ever under these owners and those they employ to hold the fort in Blackburn the approach is a short sighted and ultimately damaging one in the long term. When you're passing through on a 2-3 year contract judged on numbers on a balance sheet or completely deranged and based on the other side of the world the damage of these policies won't really concern them. It concerns me and I expect a large number of Rovers fans but we should be used to this sort of thing by now. We'll be the ones dealing with the ramifications down the line.

I suspect they'll play it at Brockhall but we won't find out until after it has happened. Neither side will want to lose a friendly at this stage as 6 is the magic number. Not many teams play less than that. But as you say, playing a side Bury have dragged in off the street, non league Barrow, possibly a knockabout on Brockhall with Rochale, Mansfield of division 4 and Rangers 2nd string isn't exactly impressive or likely to be very testing ahead of an important season.

All part of the plan. Then the Telegraph will be adding them as new signings to try and give the impression of more activity than there is. New signings for the u23s were previously announced as such whereas nowadays it is all about 'initially' with the u23s.

Looks like it's going to be another one of those windows. Defence and midfield 'addressed' with free agents or loans whilst we collect forwards eating up the vast majority of our budget. Dont mind Gallagher provided we use him properly and provided money also finds it's way into the problem areas. I dont expect it will do. It didn't last summer and didn't when Coyle was here either.

Even if it does go ahead is it going to be of any material benefit to Rovers? Other than a few hundred fans helping to fill the Bury coffers I cant see much use to our team of playing a side cobbled together through trialists. Would have been nice to have had a pre season with testing games against decent opposition rather than this shambles. We knew Bury were knackered and Rochdale's pitch was being relaid weeks ago. Could have played other teams but risked it to make life easier and now its mucking up our pre season.

Expect it to be moved to Brockhall or behind closed doors somewhere. Shambles.

Absolutely. Whilst Johnson is working wonders with the u23s and has relative autonomy running them and managing them on matchday he can be judged on results and performances, and boy have they been impressive over the last couple of years. By 'promoting' Johnson to the first team he's no longer demonstrating his managerial credentials in the public eye and is no longer delivering results in games. He's behind the scenes on the training ground. In creating this position is Mowbray effectively admitting that there was a gap in the coaching team that needed occupying.

Not been on enough Scottish grounds. Been on Celtic, Kilmarnock, Hearts, Hibs and Annan and soon to be Rangers with Rovers, wish we'd arranged more games up there over the last few years but as with everything else we've kept it more local.

To be fair to Rodwell I suspect that he was on a very low wage last year given what happened at Sunderland. We might now be offering some sort of increase but it won't be a lot of money relatively speaking. Suspect we're just happy to box off cover and would be quite happy if he accepted whatever we are offering so will leave that offer on the table. Doubt we're offering him much at all.

Apparently the grey away shirt will make its debut in the Rangers match.

He can make up figures which the Telegraph will regurgitate but suspect his employers in India won't be conned as easily.

So he's never going to play for anyone away from the South coast of England. Can't see his career going so far.

Waggott has shown zero lateral thinking in his time at Rovers. It's a simple approach of up and up the prices and squeeze what you can from the regulars. With woeful season ticket sales to date this can be interpreted as a last gasp attempt to try and drive up some sales. At the last count 2500 behind last seasons summer total sales and 3000 behind sales in the Bowyer days. Quite clearly unless there's a significant take up over the coming few weeks that he's succeeded in diminishing ticket sales from 5-6 years ago despite all the on the pitch progress. Some achievement that. Suppose we need to pay Gladwin's new contract somehow. Completely out of touch and frankly I'm sick of it. Effectively guaranteeing that walk on numbers will never get above a few hundred.