5 minutes ago, RoversClitheroe said:

If he plays that Poveda ahead of Butterworth I'll be fuming, he's bigged Butterworth up in the media 3 times this season and yet to give him a chance.

Meanwhile Poveda who has been nothing short of a disaster is getting game time off the bench.

I'd go a front 3 of.

Dolan Butterworth Kedira 

Burns to come off the bench for one of them and bag a Hatrick in 5 mins

 

Agree - fitness of Dolan/Gally depending.

I think the only case for not starting Butterworth if we're missing at least 2 out of Brereton, Gally and Dolan could be ongoing concerns about his fitness, but if he can't even manage 60 minutes by now then that's a really bad sign. 

20 minutes ago, CrouchingNunhiddenCucumber said:

Loss no.3 of death spiral no.417 

Have a bad feeling that you're right.

Coventry are my bogey side. My first game watching the Rovers was against Cov in 1996 (7?) when we lost 2-1 after Sherwood scored in the opening minute. Probably still the earliest goal I've seen live some twenty odd years later.

Since then, despite us having beaten every decent-sized club in the land several times over, I don't think I've ever seen us beat them in the flesh. Missed the odd victory when we played them in the league, then there were those God awful games in the cup under Sparky. 

Hopefully we put the Ghost to rest on Saturday! But with their start & our lack of options up front, I'm going 1-1.

13 minutes ago, TheRovers1994 said:

Has he got got a trigger on his contract ? If so that’s a relief 

After the Chapman fiasco I still wonder, but quite a lot from the local press in recent weeks suggests that one exists. Like you say, a massive relief that at least we shouldn't lose him on a free after the time and money invested.

We're not the only side with a couple of potential fitness issues tonight. Apparently their key man Lewis O'Brien is a doubt, alongside fellow midfielder Jonathan Hogg.

9 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

Just been down the ticket office...the main Rovers section  is virtually full just single tickets, the family bit has some with seats together.....looks like a decent following 

Good to hear. I know it's local and we're on decent form, but with Blackpool at the weekend I could've seen the turnout being a bit low. 

15 hours ago, briansol said:

I think that's a fair comment. There has been couple who seemed to have an agenda against him, but mostly people have recognized that he had some ability but question mark about being able to handle the physicality. Personally I've been a massive fan since his U23 days where he was dominating match after match, but I also thought he struggled more with the transition to senior football than I expected. 

Never saw him play for the youth team, but bar his first one or two of sub-appearances where he looked like a lost little boy, I agree that his talent has been pretty obvious in flashes. I think players of his type tend to develop slightly later than wingers or ball-winners like Travis who rely more on physicality. A bit of an extreme example, but I mentioned on here a few months ago that Paul Scholes was well into his twenties before really becoming the player we all remember him being, and I can see patience with Buckley being rewarded in a similar way. 

I guess something which maybe didn't help his progression was that he hasn't really had much of a run of starts until this season. Almost always in the squad, but only usually getting the odd start/sub appearance here and there. Given where we find ourselves his season, I think we should see it as an opportunity to start him as often as possible and hopefully going into next year we'll have a player on our hands who is more likely to really impose himself on games, rather than show his talent in flashes like he has so far. 

27 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Not sure there is much need for the provocative style of posting on this. 

But lets be clear, the Buckley we see today is a world away from the one we saw once or two years ago. I still have a big question mark over his lack of involvment and his final ball a lot of the time, hopefully that will come, the Barnsley game was an example of the frustration with numerous overhit passes etc. His biggest improvement in my opinion has been the way that he puts himself about and presses the ball which he didnt do when he first broke into the team when he seemed a little lost. Im not sure with Buckley or Brereton that these performances looked likely anytime soon a year or 2 ago with how off the pace they both seemed but it is good to see.

I'd add that I never got the sense that any more than a small minority of fans were really writing Buckley off. A pretty big number questioned his physicality and consistency (not that unreasonably!), but at the same time most seemed to acknowledge that there was some obvious ability there too. The disagreement tended to be more about whether he'd be able to reach his potential whilst eradicating the weaker parts of his game, which you'd have to say is still a fair debate even if his progression so far is promising. 

I guess there have been one or two comments likening him to Jason Lowe which look a bit silly now, but on the whole I think he's been treated pretty fairly on here. 

34 minutes ago, JHRover said:

Mowbray is performing above expectations so far and I hope that continues. Amidst the hysteria though I do have to remind myself that we dished out a few impressive beatings early on last season (Derby, Wycombe, Coventry) and then as time went by our good start ground to a halt and then the wheels came off and we ended up looking at a relegation scrap. So I won't be falling for that one again and won't be hailing a new era either. Same manager and same coaching staff, lets hope lessons have been learned and the same mistakes don't happen again.

Mowbray has form for these purple patches especially at the start of seasons. His career shows he struggles to maintain them - Middlesbrough and Coventry both got off to blistering starts and then collapsed.

An old boss of mine is a big Cov fan - I remember bumping into him in the L1 season and being a bit perplexed by him saying something like "I hope you enjoy being top by Christmas and not winning another game all season". Makes a lot more sense now!

My view is that he was obviously very lucky to keep his job after last season, but his record was still in the black until that point, even with our form being worryingly streaky at times. A good couple of months doesn't mean he's anywhere near deserving a new contract, but I'm happy to see it as him getting back some of the credit in the bank that he lost last year. If we're still up there in February, then maybe the conversation changes. 

10 hours ago, booth said:

Sadly they are playing bottom of the league Norwich next. A good chance to kickstart their season.

Marks the start of a big month for the Dingles. Four league games, three of which are against Norwich, Southampton and Brentford. They haven't been cut adrift so far, but if they don't get start picking up points now then they soon will be. 

Excellent from Buckley.

Bit annoyed that Butterworth didn't make an appearance, but we've not had nearly enough clean sheets over recent years for me not to take some pleasure from that one. 

Had this down as a win, so wouldn't say I'm happy with the result or performance, but an away point is never a disaster in this league. 

On 16/09/2021 at 08:39, Colt Seavers said:

I think that one of the main factors in our decent start to the season is the quality across the back five. The infamous "defenders are coming" has actually happened. I am very happy with four of the five and wouldn't swap any of them. I still maintain that Lenihan is not a natural centre half and I would love to see someone else, maybe Carter, or Wharton when fit, alongside Ayala for a few games. Lenihan has never faced a genuine challenge for his place which isn't good.

Also to Mowbray's credit, he has assembled a young, fearless set of lads going forward. They can be exciting to watch. He looks to be finally jettisoning this 'big man playing wide' debacle which has hamstrung us for so long. 

 

I think Lenihan has suffered a bit from needing to be the senior player in our defence before he was ready. He hasn't ever struck me as much of an organizer, so being partnered with so many young defenders of the last few years can't have helped his own game. 

I was pleased to see him get motm against Hull - even though it was Ayala who got the goal, Lenihan was the better player over the 90 in my opinion. I suspect that Ayala still takes quite a lot of the credit for that though, being a calming presence alongside him. I see the two of them really complementing each other to be honest, I just hope that they can stay fit. 

I can see the temptation of Keane - he seems to have a lot of the opposite characteristics to Mowbray and so it's easy to imagine him coming in and having an effect in raising the standards of the group, calling a spade a spade etc. We've also had the experience of Souness coming in and 'sorting the club out', so to speak, so there are comparisons to be drawn with Keane being a similar character. 

It's still a massive risk though, and one which I think is more likely to backfire than not. It has been almost 15 years since he managed to get promoted with Sunderland, where he inherited a good squad that just needed a bit of a kick-start. In the meantime the second tier has come on leaps and bounds. It's possible that he could come in and do a good job, but I'd be much happier with someone with a more recent track-record, like Hughton or (if possible) Wilder. 

Our recent record in games which are either i) at Oakwell or ii) could realistically result in us being in the top 6 is absolutely appalling, so it's good to be going into the game with a bit of genuine optimism. 

I understand the nervousness about playing Ayala three games in a week, but for me he's too important to leave out, especially with a full week to recover before the next game. Same back five, but I'd like to see Davenport in for Clarkson to give us a bit more bite. Going for a 2-1 away win.

Brereton hits the post!

2 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

Luděk Mikloško. A great keeper in his own right and not just because of that game.

With an amazing song on the terraces:

"His name is Ludo Mikloško, he comes from near Moscow..."

Mikloško is from Prostejov, Czech Republic, which is somewhere in the region of 1,000 miles away from Moscow.

29 minutes ago, rigger said:

Personally I would put Sam Burns ahead of Vale for a first team opportunity

Given our lack of options up front, I'd be shocked if they both don't get some game time this season. 

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

I'm flummoxed by the Chapman stuff.

It has been quite clear since the day he arrived here, even on loan in League One, that Mowbray doesn't like, trust, rate him enough to play him with regularity in our team.

Fair enough, you win some you lose some.

So why on earth was he given a new 12 month contract only a couple of  months ago? I've no idea how much he is on but suspect we are talking 5k a week territory. A 12 month deal must be worth a quarter of a million easy. Why do that and then loan him out to League One again? For what purpose?

I could see some business logic to it if we had extended his deal and then sold him on for a fee - that would be understandable although unlikely as any sensible buyer would have got in there first and told him not to sign a new deal here.

I wonder if he was another with a 12 month extension option in the club's favour and someone (not Mowbray) decided to activate it in the hope of recouping some value in him....then as the window went on and there was no interest and to make space on the wage bill for the Brighton loan lad we decide to send him off to Burton for a few months.

I don't think Burton will be paying his wages in full so we are back to subsidising a loan for him to play elsewhere.

Good post - pretty much exactly how I view this too.

The best case I could make for the club here is that they recognise that the club who gets the best out of Chapman have a very decent asset on their hands. Getting him in the shop window for 6 months could mean that, alongside the productive loan at Shrewsbury, we could get a half-decent fee and a sell-on percentage come January. 

All highly speculative, of course. 

5 minutes ago, Gavlar Somerset Rover! said:

Next summer is going to involve a ridiculous re-building job though, it won't be a case of spending just a few more quid. If we think we're shy of numbers, and quality now, then we're in for a treat this time next year with no Nyambe, Rothwell, Lenihan and potentially Brereton/Kaminski.

I agree if it turns out that all/most the out-of-contract players leave. If it turns out that Lenihan, Brereton & possibly even Nyambe sign new deals then the rebuild doesn't need to be that dramatic.

Agree that there are reasons for pessimism on this front by the way, I'm just agreeing that it is possible that our poor window could be better justified if it was a part of a longer term strategy which means we can use our resources better over the longer term. Probably won't turn out that way of course. 

1 hour ago, rog of the rovers said:

Whilst its hardly a thrilling transfer window when you lose your best two players (Armstrong for money and Elliott to a loan return) I think its important to try and see the bigger picture.

Going into the season, some four weeks ago, mine and plenty of forum members fears where that we'd be relegated. The fear we'd be cut adrift and face a season like the one under Coyle in 16/17 with us battling from a home thumping by Norwich on the opening day, to the heartbreak at Griffin Park months later.

With signings like Gordon Greer, Tommie Hoban, Anthony Stokes, Wes Brown, Stephen Hendrie, Jack Byrne and Martin Samuelsen.......shudder 

This season has been surprisingly pleasing so far, we've put 8 points on the board, shown a togetherness, team spirit and most refreshingly of all have shown a willingness to dig in, scrap and stand up to the physical battles, which was missing from last seasons squad in abundance.

It took us 9 games to get 8 points in 16/17

The squad we have is good enough to better last seasons dismal performance of 15th place, but lets face it, we're more than a striker away from pushing for the playoffs! And with that said I'm happy to sit tight, let the FFP clock restart next season and take things from there.

We've bemoaned the fact Gallagher has played as a right winger for two seasons, now lets see him down the middle. BBD similarly, the challenge has been set to both of them to get 10-15 goals this season, which they should both be capable of.

Who of last seasons squad (bar the aforementioned Elliott and Armstrong) would anyone actually want at the club? Harwood-Bellis perhaps, but we were never going to be able to match the lure of Champions League football.

Williams, Mulgrew, Bennett, Downing and Evans were all too old and ready to drop down the divisions, or move to new leagues.

The collective cheers around Blackburn when Bell, Douglas and Trybull departed were palpable, whilst the youth fringe players also had proven that their futures were at pastures new, see Grayson, Lyons, White, Mols et al.

Lets see how good or bad Poveda, Khadra, Edun, Clarkson, van Hecke and Pickering are?

This board and other Rovers fans are also quick to criticise loaning in players from other clubs and not giving our own youth a chance...

Carter, Magloire, Cirino, McBride, Pike, Garrett, Annesley and Vale all should see time in and around the first team squad this season (bench time or playing) lets see how good they are.

Dack, Rankin-Costello and Johnson to return also.

Hopefully some of the cash from Armstrong can be spent on tying down Nyambe, BBD and Rothwell to extensions.

This season was always going to be a transitional year, its proved to be so far. 

We have a squad that should finish between 12th and 18th, which is where we are at present.

The highlighted bit is crucial for me. I agree that we'll be okay this year, and so if it turns out to be the case that we're able to spend a few more quid next summer as a result of tightening our belt this one, then fine.

If that isn't the strategy though, and we've just found ourselves in this position, then serious questions need to be asked about our squad management. Suppose we'll only know one way or another further down the track. 

13 minutes ago, Paul Mani said:

The one positive now is that SG will get his chance up top. Fwiw I think he can get us 15-20 goals from there….Brereton will have to cover him until Jan at least and the likes of Poveda, Rothwell, Dolan, Buckley, Butterworth and Khadra play in the wide attacking & number 10 positions. 😬

I think 20 is very optimistic to be honest with you, but I agree that having him as a striker is one of the main silver linings of a broadly terrible window. He already has two, and if he stays there all season I'd definitely back him to reach double figures, but I'd be ecstatic if he manages over 15. 

Just now, JoeH said:

Manchester United chased him only a year or two ago. He's not a bad signing in isolation. It's when you look at all of our other business that it seems odd

I wonder if there's a slither of a chance of turning this into a permanent deal next summer? Probably not, but would explain our apparent  determination to get him in, giving him the number 7 shirt etc. 

1 hour ago, Silas said:

 

Still, our league seems to be by far the most significant drop. 

Prem = 1.5 bill, 1.36 bill, 1.1 bill    27% drop

Champ = 215 m, 74 m, 35 m        84% drop

League 1 = 5.7 m, 3.44 m, 2.1 m   63% drop

League 2 = No figures.

 

Even in Europe:

Germany = 843 m to 353 m         58% drop

Italy =   1.24 bill to 472 m            70% drop

Spain = 1.35 bill to 226 m            83 % drop

France = 734 m to 315 m             57% drop

 

So, our league and La Liga appear to be Top of the Pops.

Guess it makes sense as both league's spending was probably out of sync with the income each produced. 

 

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/championship/transferbilanz/wettbewerb/GB2

Without claiming to be an expert in football finance, I'd read that as us (along with La Liga in a slightly different way) as having lived most beyond our means over the last few years, therefore being most exposed to a 'shock' event like a pandemic. Clubs in the top flight still have their main income stream from TV, whereas many clubs further down the food chain are already used to the pressures of needing to balance the books. 

6 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Nah, I think the Nyambe thing is one of those narratives that just becomes gospel, without it being true. Like that Mowbray favours 3 at the back, when in reality we have started maybe 3 games max with that as the formation, in 5 years. 

I suppose it makes no difference to the players whether they sign now or in January, so they are weighing up their options. It happens at most clubs these days. Not great, but what can you do. 

 

I think there are games you can point to where Nyambe should have played and didn't over the last few years, but I agree that it's been well overdone in the face of the evidence.

He is a 23 year old who has played almost 130 games over the last four years, and that's with considerable time out injured and hamstrings which at times have needed managing. That is not a sign of a player being left out too much in my view. 

2 minutes ago, Kie_BRFC said:

Really struggling to understand why we made the effort to resign Chapman, he's shown a bit of promise, and instead we're bringing in a Brighton winger who's injured and has barely any experience. Then again I rarely understand decisions this club makes

I can only imagine this way we can get something in the way of a fee (or sell on) that wouldn't have been there last year had he gone to Shrewsbury. I certainly hope so, otherwise it makes absolutely zero sense.