riverholmes

I'm finally calling it (for myself) after seeing recent highlights in which Buckley struggles to track back or defend. He's an attacking midfielder or second forward.

Not sure if it counts as I don't think he had a pro contract at Rovers, let alone an appearance for the firsts, but Flavien Boyomo is racking up appearances in La Liga. He turned down a pro contract here, moved to Albacete and got a move to Valladolid and now at Osasuna. Villa and Fulham are rumoured in the online mill to be monitoring him. Though, Osasuna are struggling, so not sure how he's doing individually. Back on Tyrhys Dolan, he'll be in Turkey, Cyprus or the UK in a season, I would think, but good luck to him.

Jalil Saadi was given a one-year extension and Jordan Eastham, when neither had any future at the club. There's many others - Harrison Wood, the forward who is on the books now. I think it is about numbers and maybe, in some cases, about maintaining good relationships with agents, perhaps.

Seeing Devlin sent off for Portsmouth against Sheffield Utd brought back memories of Paul Devlin, the Sheffield Utd player. He was at his peak as a midfielder in the days Rovers were on the rise from the second tier with our own stars in Duff, Dunn, Jansen and co. Football seemed more exciting back then, though could well have to do with the fact of our current fate.

3-0 defeat to Tamworth. BBC has Stritch playing in CM, when he's an attacker/forward. Only 5 subs on bench of the possible 7, according to BBC. Without knowing the details, just this alone looks another embarrassment. What sense to send out U21 players on one month-loans to non-league and then not able to field full squads in matches - and to weaken a poor side. It looks like self-sabotage. Though, it must be said, no guarantee that the full-strength reserves could beat Tamworth these days. (Looks like other bigger teams struggled in the other fixtures). Edit: 26 yr old Michael Mols lined up for Tamworth, formerly of Rovers Reserves.

Montgomery has it all to prove. He had a decent game at right back and he was being talked of as the replacement for Callum Brittain. I doubt we'll see him at right back much going forward. If he makes it as a DM, fair enough but I think he'll be a very limited squad player in this new degraded era.

I agree but, regardless, I don't think England could've done anything. Technically and, probably, psychologically , English players simply couldn't play or deal with possession football, which was dominant internationally. The Guardiola/Spanish revolution changed things a lot, I think, and now playing styles have converged. It might be shifting away again, now, but nonetheless, the 'rondo' is here to stay. I distinctly remember a Euro U21 tournament, when David Dunn was England captain and hailed by David Platt as the best young player in Europe. The squad had Crouch, Defoe, Gareth Barry, Alan Smith, Jenas, Konchesky - only to be made a fool of in matches by Hugo Viana and Massimo Maccarone.

There's talent and application. Then there's the team. Scholes put it all together to get to the heights. Wharton might be technically there in talent already but the rest has to come. Bellingham seems to have it all but I don't see the application and teamwork to put him on a par - yet.

The highlights don't show up Wharton well. Looked unsure positionally and no moments on the ball in open play (albeit, looked like Bellingham was determined not to be outshone by him). But that's just the highlights and understandable given the moment. I hope he gets more chances, maybe, with a defensive player alongside him.

Maybe one of Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone or Keira Walsh?! How Rovers women have also fallen...

He can certainly tackle but I don't think he has the intensity or anticipation at the moment to be a lone holding midfielder at the highest level. It's why I think Palace have played him with someone like Hughes, who is more physical. That's not to say he couldn't do a job at times.

As important as the standard is the length of the loan, I believe. A work experience loan for an U21 player of a few weeks gives no time to adjust or gain meaningful playing experience. Moreover, it's a recipe for getting injured. I cannot understand why the club persists with these bitty, risky non-league loans which also disrupt the U21s without any reward from what I can see. By all means, send out someone you're letting go or isn't involved, but a Joe Boggan who is probably second choice striker for the U21s deserves much better. If not, keep him here, grab some goals and get a better loan in January or next season.

I find the claims about wingers lacking end product often to be lazy analysis. Even worse, sometimes, it seems to me a resentment against wingers and other such 'Fancy Dans'. A winger that runs at players and tries to make crosses whilst going at full pelt is going to lose the ball more than other players. Theirs is a high risk, high reward style of play. The alternatives are the Grealish at Man City winger that acts as a wall to keep possession or the winger that only passes/crosses. That said, there's no doubt that there are some 'dribbler wingers' that are wasteful. But Doku has always struck me as a player who makes things happen and unlocks defences. Is he at the Mahrez level - maybe not yet - but I think if he plays regularly, he will be.

The commercial takeover that isn't being discussed much. I believe a fair chunk of the Championship is now majority or minority US owned.

Damien Johnson - never in the category of David Thompson, Keith Gillespie or Brett Emerton, but a fine right-sided midfielder in his day. Incidentally, I firmly believe we had the new Johnson at the club in Alan Judge but somehow we failed to appreciate or use him.