I think there is a real situation where the owners are reducing fan expectations at every aspect. Whilst Rovers senior side play at the same level as PNE, one academy is an elite Category One set-up, the other a Category 3 set-up, without an U23s side. That’s no guarantee of results but it’s worth recalling.

A major problem will arise if Owen Beck is recalled by Liverpool in January. He was recalled in the last season midway through his loan spell at Dundee after Liverpool got some injuries. I think they have several options at left back - so not sure - but the possibility is always there.

If a club comes in, Rovers have to sell Dolan in January, I feel. Really, it should have been sorted in the summer or before, either way. But it's obvious he's going, barring the unlikely promotion. That said, I can't imagine Rovers would get a lot for him, given it's got to this late stage and he's been very inconsistent.

And with that money (and throw in the Finneran compensation, whatever it was), did we scour the lower leagues or the fringes of the Premiership for the next Wharton for our midfield, or did we only get in Ayari on loan for a game and a half, sign Lewis Baker on loan and pray that Rankin-Costello (and Buckley) would transform into a central midfielder? Edit: Not to undersell the club, Jalil Saadi was given a new one year deal. (With all respect to him, as he's done well, considering he is not at the level required - and hope he forges a decent career).

Imagine Rovers getting promoted back in the early 2000s and losing Souness and Damien Duff before kicking a ball in the Premier League. It happened to Leicester, effectively, with Chelsea taking Maresca and Dewsbury-Hall. Even with the compensation and bringing in big-money signings, it makes it nigh on impossible these days, I believe. We saw it last season with Sheff Utd selling Berge and Ndiaye before kicking off in the Premier League.

You may have a very fair point about Tyjon's goal to games ration - he's also scored a few away on England youth duty, I think. But, he really should be getting more support up front, given his age and slight size, but the squad is threadbare. Boggan might come in, eventually. I think it's evident that the basic problem is lack of quality. And that's been depleted further by injuries, many outgoing loans and the new recruits not making much of an impact yet. As far as I can tell, the national league clubs that the team have faced in the cup, such as Carlisle and Rochdale, have played weakened sides, which puts the season in a slightly different context. That one of our 'top scorers', Bloxham, was being converted into a full-back, lately, says a lot. To my mind, the management have all but given up on U21s football. It all looks rag-tag and about getting players out on short-term non-league loans anywhere at the first opportunity.

Rovers U21s have played 17 games so far, by my reckoning - quite a few of them in various cup competitions, some against non-league, some against continental opponents. Tyjon and Bloxham are the best bet for goals in the U21s (aside from Leonard) but even they aren't scoring often. U21s goalscorers this season: Harry Leonard - 5 Tom Bloxham - 4 Igor Tyjon - 4 Amario Cozier-Duberry - 3 James Edmondson - 2 Zack Stritch - 2 Leo Duru - 1 Lewis Bell - 1 Exaucé Mafoumbi - 1 Freddie Leatherbarrow - 1 Brandon Powell - 1 Adam Caddick - 1 Matty Litherland - 1 Paul Murphy-Worrell - 1

No strikers coming through at U21s level? Tyjon is leading the line lately, though he's 16, and more of a second forward, I suppose. Joe Boggan was on the bench recently, having not featured much, as far as I can tell, since he went to Macclesfield (where he didn't play, it seems). Otherwise, we don't really seem to have anyone, now that Leonard is returning to the first team squad. Looking very threadbare.

There could well have been financial imperatives to it but letting Palmer and Delap go is increasingly looking like something like (but not on the level) of Mourinho letting Salah and De Bruyne go at Chelsea. (Again, don't know the precise reasons that they went). Away from any financial issues that might've affected player dealing, my complete guess is that Guardiola is not being challenged by pragmatic voices at the club. He wants cosmopolitan aesthetes but also needs rugged players, which he seems to overlook often. Moreover, just maybe, the thrall of negative possession football is waning, and his team are being challenged with more direct football these days. The paradox of Guardiola teams, I think, is that they are based on his rigid collectivist vision and micromanagement - but the times they come alive, is when players like De Bruyne or Foden, have got into a roll and started to express themselves as individuals. There is a balance to a system and individualism and my guess is that City have got lost. But, of course, because of the players they have - and the manager - they will surely bounce back with avengeance.

If England were genuine about winning trophies the media would pay attention to the U21s and other youth levels a lot more. That's the stepping stone for many players and where the winning ability and mentality is developed - though, admittedly, the best few will by-pass it. England U21 just drew 0-0 in Spain and, it seems from highlights and reports, got battered. The result could have been 6-2, with England not hitting the target once and Spain fluffing many chances. And the FA's title for their Youtube video highlights? "Jobe impresses on first start". It's all very well paying eye-watering sums for managers of the national team, but most of the work is at the lower levels.

Dredging this up again as I noticed Ayari starting for Sweden again. He's had some starts for Brighton too, though, probably is going to be a squad player this season. Also, noticed the other day that Ben Chrisene made an England U21 appearance. Thinking back to Branthwaite, Clarkson, Harwood-Bellis (he was decent, I think, for Rovers) and others, it does seem that a lot of the times Rovers are paying for the 'privilege' to develop Premier League players for relatively little if any gain for the club. Fortunately, Owen Beck has been a success story, as loans go (thus far, because if Liverpool are still flying high, I can see them trying to recall him). It would be more palatable if we were getting comparable benefits with our outgoing loans. In most cases not, though Markanday is doing well and adding a bit of value as an asset, if nothing else - and Gent's loan success earned the club a fee. The system looks very flawed - with relative added value skewed hugely to the Premier League clubs. No doubt, Beck's transfer value will rise a lot if he finishes the season with us as player of the season. Rovers are surviving by loan patch-ups - and will do more so as our academy pipeline looks like its drying up. However, we need to have a longer term outlook. If we get a Chrisene on loan and he looks promising, we need to consider signing him up permanently and retaining and growing the value we've added. It's tough to compete for Prem players, but I think there'll be cases where it can be done, if there was a will.

Given what the handball rule looks like now, it seems that smashing free kicks and, perhaps, in other attacking situations, straight at defenders might be more fruitful than anything else. Northern Ireland won a penalty as a Belarus defender in the wall instinctively tried to protect himself - it seemed to me. On another point, looking at the highlights, it seems Scotland and Rep Ireland had some joy with traditional wing play, with Ben Doak and Mikey Johnstone running at the full back. Looks like it’s coming back into fashion after all.

George Gent looks to have done well with his move. Had a difficult start but is now one of Barnsley's best players, from what I've read.

I think it's a shame for Buckley, on a personal note, to not play. He might have passed rings around the 17 year olds and got a trial at Athletic Bilbao. At this point, it seems only a move to a slower paced league might bring the best out of him.

From what I have followed, which admittedly is far from thorough, Markanday’s performances are being misunderstood. He’s doing well and improving - holding down a first team spot and getting some goals, but he’s not blowing away the league yet. This is a league where Tyler Magloire (all credit to him for what he’s doing) can be a starter, before his terrible knee injury.

Back when Rovers closed their official fan message board, I seem to remember emerging social media was given as an alternative by the marketing/web team.

Aren’t these games perfect for the education and development of our best youngsters, to match up against opponents from probably the world’s elite nation in youth football? Why are Buckley and Baker in there? And would it serve Montgomery and Edmondson to be there (fog permitting) than away in non-league? Seems self-defeating to me. Edit: Match abandoned!

That’s Buckley’s game too but sadly doesn’t seem to have the mentality to apply it, for whatever reason.

Fair point, you could argue, also, that extra-time and pens is the best bet for a cup upset, rather than a replay. Though, I do feel 5 subs (rather than 3) gives teams with better squads a greater advantage, especially in extra-time. To me, replays gave smaller clubs greater representation in the game, reminding us all where the roots of the game lie.

Sad to see no FA Cup replays any more from 1st round onwards. Weston-super-mare would’ve taken Bristol Rovers back to their ground in yesteryear, as it was a draw today, but under new rules, Rovers went on to beat the semi-pros in extra-time. The replays were removed to free up spaces for the expanded European tournaments at request of Premier League. Not much else to be said, except that the heritage of domestic football and lower leagues are under serious threat.

Maybe, Mike Sheron should ‘get out there’ too and stop waiting around for relegation/jeopardy-free U21 fixtures? In all seriousness, it has some logic but not, in my opinion, the scattergun manner occurring now. More reasonably, some planning takes place and a select group are sent out early for a whole campaign away - with time to adapt. The remainder stay behind to build a team unity and grow together at U21s. Then, in January, you revisit. I await examples, beyond the anomaly of David Raya, of a player showing serious improvement or added value after a spell in the national league/confernce. I don’t doubt it’s useful for an Eastham or Saadi who’s leaving. And maybe it could be so for a player who has a whole season to adapt and gain experience. Edit: Beyond this point, there’s not much signs of the levels of serious talent seen before on the conveyor belt - though there’s hopes for a few and Duru and Tyjon are on the fringes. The club are surviving off academy graduates and if that dries up, the future looks bleaker. Moreover, none of the new U21s recruits are making too much of an impact, though, again it’s still early for them.

"We took the final decision [on Wharton], he will have surgery. He tried [training] but the pain is too much and then it makes no sense. He has really struggled in the last weeks and months."

Selling McTominay seemed like an attempt to undermine the manager by the upper echelons. Never the most popular, but a very useful player to have around. It’s a different era but Utd have forgotten that players like Nicky Butt and P. Neville emerged as integral squad players and McTominay seems like a better player than them.

Without knowing the details of the injury, but the fact they know he needs surgery but are delaying it just highlights a paradox of professional football. Investing huge sums at every level on players (down to schoolboys) and their health but still relying on injured players in their first team. Wharton has been poor to average the past few months and they surely would not lose anything by playing Kamada or someone else. Perhaps, the league is more competitive now and that is why, but I recall Alex Ferguson getting tunes out of the likes of John Curtis, Luke Chadwick and the like when his regulars were absent. A different less competitive era but there seems like no room for giving such players a chance these days. Guardiola, in his wisdom, prefers two goalkeepers on the bench than have a reserve youngster take another spot.

I have no experience in footballer youth development but the argument that any men's football at, seemingly, any time in the season, is beneficial leads me to wonder why Premier League clubs don't send their youngsters to non-league on a regular basis to toughen them up? In fact, as I understand it, they try to match their best young players with the highest standard possible and teams that play the 'right way' for their charge's development. Or so they say. Ultimately, however, a basic requirement, I think, for a player's development is stability. So, if they do go on loan, whatever the level, they need enough time to adapt and gain experience. That need for stability also applies to the U23s team. The approach at the moment seems too scatter-gun and unstable for me..