Brighton win against Man U with Welbeck leading the line and players I’ve not heard of before like a German international midfielder Dahoud (admittedly, probably as I don’t follow the league too closely) - and Steele in goal. It’s so impressive - albeit, it’s just the start of the season and things can flip very quickly. van Hecke seems to have broken into the first team and it’ll be interesting and somewhat galling to see how far he goes. Had we made some money on some of the players we’ve let go for free, could we have tempted Brighton into a sale when the player didn’t seem high in the pecking order? I guess unlikely but you never know.

Ben White will be a big miss if he doesn't go to the Euros because of the fall-out or disagreement with England management. International football has become homogenised in style, in that all or most teams play possession football. For England, this has been beneficial because there is no longer the gulf in styles when playing other sides. If a match wasn't played at high speed and with aggression, England were exposed. And, so often, England simply could not impose that direct game and were made to look like boys - even some of the star studded teams of the recent past. It wasn't that Lampard, Gerrard and Beckham were technically far behind the best but they were not drilled from a young age at their clubs in 'tiki taka.' The current crop are and this makes Southgate's job easier. That said, I don't underestimate the team identity and morale he has built in the camp that was seemingly lacking in the past. I recall listening to an interview with Sean Davis of Fulham/Spurs talking about getting an England call-up, entering the team hotel having a look around and walking out, rather than mixing with the squad.

Just spotted that former Rovers midfielder, Brad Lyons, is on the bench for Northern Ireland today, against Kazakhstan. He was a curious signing as he was brought in, I think, in his early 20s, so not exactly a youth player but didn't make it into the first team but was still given a contract extension, had some loan spells, and then left for Kilmarnock when it expired.

The real test is the tournament and it looks like the FA have given Southgate one more shot. Should Maguire start or Colwill, Henderson or Ward-Prowse... to me it doesn't matter greatly. What really matters is how England create a creative fulcrum that will be able to open up defences. Foden or Maddison, with their ability to shoot, pass and dribble, need to be placed at the heart of the England team and pull the strings. I don't hold up much hope, not because of Southgate necessarily, but I have never seen any England manager, in my lifetime, consistently succeed in harnessing attacking talent. Moreover, in club football, increasingly, these type of players are shunted out wide, as a mechanical game is favoured.

My feeling is that we should get our own house in order before attacking other leagues, even if they make us nervous by taking some of Europe's best players. Incidentally, I wonder if Henderson's detractors like to discuss the UK's connection with Saudi Arabia. A Guardian article from this year stated that over a third of clubs from Europe's biggest leagues are invested in by private equity firms - which exist to ruthlessly profit. When the Russian oligarchs were pumping money into the Premier League, it didn't cause too much of a stir. Now, we have the UAE and Saudi Arabia investing heavily and, again, aside from a few grumblings, there is not much protest. I read that City Football Group (majority owned by Abu Dhabi private equity, with investments from US and China), have bought Bahia football club in Brazil, this year, to add to their growing roster. Our football is being destroyed as we speak and there is near silence. I had thought that the rise of Youtube fan channels would enable debate on the fundamentals of our game but, from what I can tell, it hasn't. The climate of fear and censorship imposed by media companies like Google/Youtube, mean that these issues aren't discussed.

He's quite often described as tired on here and some hints at an attitude. I have no idea if either of these things are true or, if so, just features of being a very young player. I would, however, suggest that the trajectory of John Buckley should be a bit of a warning - not just for the player but the management too. You can have all the talent in the world but performing consistently in games takes mentality and, also, guidance from colleagues. Unfortunately, for our young players, there's not many experienced pros shouldering responsibility week in week out.

I find the Jack Vale loan to Lincoln surprising considering that he's currently injured. Rovers U23s were thrashed by Spurs today, according to their website. It's going to be another hard slog for the team this year, it seems.

Burns' former forward partners in the Rovers U23 team have also been on the move. Connor McBride, has signed for Gateshead, after a bit of a struggle to make an impression in the Scottish second tier and Sam Durrant moved to Dundalk in Ireland after being released by Sheffield Wednesday. From that U23 side that finished, I think 5th in the league, only Garrett and Batty have made an impact on the first team squad, I think. Isaac Whitehall and Lenni Cirino are, I think, still with the club and also from that era, but as far as I can tell, they are still out with long-term injuries and it looks like they're running out of time to earn new contracts.

I suspect Villarreal made the signing on the basis that if they can get a bit out of him, they have a fair chance of profiting by selling him to an English club. He could possibly hit it off in La Liga as a centre forward, with an objective to finish moves, but it’ll take a lot for him to succeed as a winger/midfielder in Spain where the demands are different. It could be a bit like Adam Armstrong in the Premier League. Albeit, Brereton-Diaz’s Chilean experience and the quality of the squad should help him. That said, he has a habit of surprising people, so who knows. He will need time to try and adapt.

To state the obvious, our squad level is low compared to previous years. The reliance on very inexperienced youngsters as starters and on the bench without senior players setting standards and taking responsibility is very risky. It does seem that survival might become the main aim this season and, perhaps, longer-term. The days of Mowbray leaving Harvey Elliot on the bench and struggling to get Armstrong, Brereton, Rothwell, Harwood-Bellis and co. to function as a team will be long behind us.

I have questions about this and whether other factors are at play. I'm guessing but I suspect that the club have at times blocked loan move opportunities due to indecision or worries about the strength of the first team squad. Cases in point would be Conor McBride and Sam Burns who had stellar periods in the U23s and, in the case of McBride, had made a first team pre-season appearance and scored for the firsts. However, the club proceeded to keep hold of them in the U23s. Of course, I don't know if they had interested clubs but my guess would be they would have had at that time. If Tyler Magloire who had a difficult loan in Scotland, albeit, he played a lot, and was unimpressive in his appearances for Rovers found a loan move, you would think that some others would too. I have no experience in this area and am speculating but I think the club could, potentially, do more to release players for loan moves at the start of campaigns, when EFL clubs are planning their squads and their budgets. For example, the club should be, in my opinion, offering Jack Vale a loan move, unless, of course, they see him as integral to the first team this coming campaign. Edit: One thing I hope we see less of is the 1 month/very short non-league loan moves for key U23 players. Burns and Pike have gone on them and I can't see what point there is. If it's a 17 year old gaining some work experience or someone who's going to be let go and is not worth having around, that's a different matter. Also, a longer-term loan move in non-league, like Raya had, might have some benefit, but the very short-term bitty and low quality loans don't seem to serve much of a purpose.

I compare it to Rovers’ Worthy Cup win but the League Cup is an established tournament with all the Prem clubs involved, if not fielding full-strength. Rovers had a relatively charmed run that year with Sheffield Wed in the semis. However, we definitely didn’t have one of the biggest wage bills of all the teams involved as, I suppose, West Ham did. Regardless, it is infuriating how the powers that be are devaluing European football with tournament expansions that largely, I feel benefit the wealthy clubs and leagues.

For England, Rice has had games where he’s run at and beaten players in surging runs. He has the capacity, I think of being a progressive midfielder. I’d like to see how he performs with freedom to get forward in a way he didn’t really when he played deep-lying alongside Phillips. That said, he’s inevitably overrated because he’s English (via Eire) but still an excellent player. One concern I might have is he may, from my limited knowledge, be in with the world of social media personalities which can be a distraction. But helping his team win a tournament is evidence against that. I have been reflecting on West Ham’s win and I do wonder whether it is such an achievement. From my reckoning they have the biggest wage bill of all the teams in the tournament (based on pure guesswork, so could be wrong). Sure, they deserve plaudits and beat some prestigious sides like Fiorentina and Alkmaar, although not sure how strong either are.

That's an interesting debate (and a can of worms!). It's not straightforward to compare as Brereton-Diaz rarely played as a central striker - and the above rarely played as left forwards, apart from, Armstrong, I believe. Though, of course, some of the names are light years ahead. I do feel that playing as a forward is arguably more challenging in the modern game. As a two of strikers, you have a partner to support you with flick-ons and hold up, whilst, I feel, the modern game leaves the forwards quite adrift from each other. For example, how would Matt Jansen fare as a lone forward in a three? I'm sure he'd be decent but I suspect it would be tougher for him (albeit, I do wonder whether the standard in the Champ compares to before).

Was it a major net loss? Yes, just as pretty much every single signing we have made in this league, from Lewis Holtby to Joe Rothwell, whether we paid a fee or not and includes loanees. In the credit column, arguably, are intangibles of providing entertainment and satisfaction to fans, as well as raising the profile of the club. There's no doubt Brereton-Diaz did both at times. However, it is true that throwing huge sums at individual players and neglecting the rest and to consistently let star players leave for free is not sustainable and asking for financial calamity. Here's something to ponder. Tony Mowbray had Brereton-Diaz, Adam Armstrong, Harvey Elliot and Joe Rothwell in his squad and we didn't make it to the play offs. You might add Harwood-Bellis and Lenihan who are regulars in defence at the top of this league. Sure, not all were as experienced and mature as they are now but that must go down as a failure.

Talk of Szmodics and JRC as stalwarts is somewhat ironic considering their injury records. I’m not sure either can be relied on for a full season but I hope I’m wrong. Rankin-Costello seems to have kept healthy for an unprecedented spell, so hoping he’s turned a corner. We have had success with former England youth forwards in Armstrong and Brereton-Diaz, so wonder if keeping an eye there might be worthwhile and their showings for their clubs, of course. Though, we’ve had misses here too. I still have hopes for Markanday but we’ll see. Not looking promising at the moment.

I see your point but, perhaps, the wisdom of signing him can be separated from the wisdom of not investing in a central midfielder or a central forward, I feel - or turning down offers for him when it was clear he was not going to sign a new contract. Had we had a DM and a striker, Brereton-Diaz's goals may have helped to push us into a top six place. Moreover, had the club recognised that promotion chances were slim without aforementioned roles filled and that selling Diaz and reinvesting would sustain us long-term, then there might be less ambivalence about his time here now. It has to go down as a good signing, overall, which was not managed for the best of the club. Likewise, Rothwell, who also struggled for quite a long time, had his golden spell and then tailed off as he was leaving the club on a free. The club should probably have sold him in, at latest, January, albeit, they were banking on play-offs. Overall, I agree, however, that there is absolutely little point in buying big money players whilst neglecting the rest of the squad and then letting them leave on a free. It is a huge net loss.

I can seeing him doing ok, as he has done for Chile. Maybe, like Michael Owen did in a season at Real Madrid. After that, maybe a transfer to the Premier League or bounce around on loan in La Liga. It's good publicity for Villareal, probably, and a fair chance of making some money on the player. Personally, I'll say that I got it completely wrong about him. I thought he looked like he had talent but not the complete game to succeed at a higher level. To his credit, I think he has a level of self-belief which can go some way to overcoming technical shortcomings. I believe that Harry Chapman and BBD played together for England youth teams. When they were here together, I did not expect that their careers would diverge so extremely. The turnaround that really astounds me is his shooting. If I think back to the highlights I saw of him during his Forest days and his early time at Rovers, he seemed to scuff every shot. Now he is striking the ball very impressively - comparable to how Adam Armstrong used to, if not better. And he's able to do so on the run.

Biggest homegrown centre midfield talent since David Dunn, twenty or so years ago, or am I forgetting players? I think John Buckley, on technical ability, is up there but, perhaps, lacks in self-belief, at times, and will hopefully improve. But Wharton seems to have things together at a very young age, albeit, he hasn't played that much this season. With the right management and a bit of luck, a Wharton, Buckley and A.Nother could be very special indeed. The academy graduates continue to give us a fighting chance, when the club is generally mismanaged.

I haven't seen that claim but I do think the quality is lacking. We don't need to look too far, as we almost made the play-offs and yet we've barely had 'a team'. Aside from the defence, the midfield and forward have been chopped and changed and gone in and out of form. Our main defensive midfielder has, arguably, had a 5 or 6/10 season, on average. The central midfielders have been really inconsistent and only Adam Wharton might be considered reliable and he hasn't played regularly. This season's promoted clubs have barely a hope of being anything other than fodder next season. That, or they resort to anti-football to scrape points and survival. The gulf between Premier League and the rest is astronomical right now. Given the really low likelihood of Rovers getting promoted without a goalscorer and relying on teenagers in the spine of the team, the club really need to start selling to invest to sustain our future. Brereton-Diaz going for nothing is really galling, though we can never be sure reinvestment would've happened.

I can see Vale going the way of another Rovers Welsh striker, James Thomas, in needing to drop down the leagues and get experience to flourish. Clearly, the jump up is not easy - see Connor McBride and Joe Nuttall. We received a transfer fee for Nuttall, so if Vale was to score a few on loan but not do enough to turn things around, might be a chance for the club to recoup a fee.

Amari’i Bell too who is a regular there now. If forwards can’t perform individually, an alternative might be to play a partnership of two forwards to support each other. I would guess that a Dolan-Gallagher pairing would do better than either as a lone forward.

Not sure that we saw the best Tugay. He was a goal scoring midfielder for Galatasaray. Would be interesting to know.

With oligarchs, states and hedge funds taking over pretty much the whole league, it's going to be hard for us to stay in Prem 2. The change to five subs probably contributes to even bigger squads for those who can afford it. Our recruitment at that level has changed, it seems, as we used to spread the net further and get in youngsters from Scotland and Ireland regularly, whilst now it's much less, it seems, though, we're finding useful local talent. On Sam Burns, he desperately needed another league club loan move when it became clear that the current management didn't rate him highly at the start of the season. After that, injuries seem to have put pay to the campaign. Incidentally, I noticed that Jacob Davenport, erstwhile reserve/fringe player is now at Stockport, having been released by Lincoln. He was considered a first team squad player with youth on his side to establish himself. Without knowing the details of Davenport's career since, I wonder if it is a Jason Lowe situation, where a limited player is carried by other more talented players and catches the manager's eye for athleticism, leadership or other such qualities, until he is surrounded by less quality and his level becomes apparent. I'm pretty sure we paid a transfer fee for Davenport who rarely looked like he had any special qualities and didn't seem to have the physical attributes for a typical DM.

To be fair to the club, they didn't sell Brereton-Diaz or Rothwell when they could have. Nor Lenihan and Nyambe. The club should look to keep it's best players but part of the strategy must be selling now and again, when appropriate, and reinvesting. I'm not sure the club has such a strategy - or, else, I can't see it, because to me, selling Lenihan was an obvious move because he was arguably at a replaceable level. Diaz and Rothwell are more arguable, especially, as they were central to hopes of promotion, at those times, but letting them leave on a free comes at a big cost. Wharton's on a contract until 2024, with the notorious year option (which, if exercised and the player is any good, means they are almost certainly leaving). An extension should be on the cards this summer. The year option can give a false sense of security but, invariably, if it is exercised and no new contract agreed by then, it means the club are unsure of the player or vice versa.