Apologies Rev. I didn’t mean that at all. I’m sorry it made you feel that way I was just thinking out loud in terms of a link between mindset and general happiness / fulfilment of potential etc...us guys chat a lot on here (prob more than we do to our wives) ?...I often wonder about the person behind the persona...if that makes sense. For the record I 100% respect everyone’s opinions, whilst the negativity grates on me, I didn’t mean to offend mate.

Great thread and info Chris....maybe the focus could be around potential targets that the likes of you, Joe and a few others seem to find, watch and analyse? Be a cracking space to develop and refer back to as we continue to bring players in from Europe....the Norwegian national team left back could / would be our 4th European capture in 12 months. ??

Thanks Stuart, whilst I think the criteria that you segregate with is slightly off, I respect your choice and your opinion. What would be interesting would be to map the personal and vocational successes of those who apparently “bury their head in the sand” vs those who you report are “very concerned” (essentially happy clappers vs mood hoovers).....though that’s a completely different debate! Anyways, how’s our Norwegian left back progressing guys?

Shock!!! ?? Hows about these two camps whilst you’re magically making stuff up...Hypothetically speaking of course.. Camp one - Choose to be happy with the current situation and want to see the upward trend continue to improve. Camp two - miserable bastards who have to find something to moan about every single day. There you go, Two perspectives. Who’s to say which one is correct?

I think you are enjoying it. Im just flabbergasted that people are coming onto the transfer to bang on about how shit the manager is and comparing him at a time like this... The Dolan point is completely moot too. The manager set up the recruitment team and pathways. He installed the staff in there too. The signings, good and bad on his watch belong to him. Managers do not go out and scout potential players they put trusted teams in to report back to them and they trust those opinions. They’ll likely watch a first team target but will be happy not to watch an 18yr old.

It’s not realism though because none of anything being said is fact. You have a choice mate. A choice between being positive or negative, between feeling happiness or sadness...you can actually choose!! The point I’m making is that maybe by Christmas the dream will be over. Who really knows? But today, 7th October 2020, we as Rovers fans have a lot to feel happy about in terms of the way things have gone this summer and the early part of this season. Let’s enjoy it!! Even for a short while! Kinell we’ve waited long enough!?

Can’t believe how hard some posters are working to find negativity.... We’ve had a good start, signed some good players, are playing our young lads, winning and entertaining. Yet you have some hammering this thread with tedious chat about Chris Houghton being better than Mowbray, every good player signed either fell into our lap or wasn’t actually signed by the manager but every signing with a question mark is hung around the managers neck. Fuck me lads. I don’t think we’ve had an opportunity to be positive like this since those lot took over and sacked big Sam. Can we not just enjoy it for while? ????

Eh? Raya wasn’t sold from under Mowbray. He didn’t rate him. Opinions on Watkins and Arma. My point was, i would only consider selling for around that mark based on the reasons I provided. As for the reinvestment figure. Just being realistic. We aren’t getting 100% of any sale to reinvest.

I don’t think so mate. Tbf we’ve set our stall out now and they haven’t sold anyone from under Mowbray yet. My guess is that we’ll only sell for BIG money and if we have replacements lined up. Watkins form in the PL won’t be going unnoticed for admirers of Arma. Young, English and prolific at Championship level...but I’d want the same as Brentford got for Watkins and then at least £15m to reinvest.

Think you’re talking about Harrison Reed but your point stands. They’ll both (TA and HR) be on £60k+ per week now. 4yr contracts? They’re set for life. That’s the real difference. Oppositely, SG took a considerable pay cut to join us.

Mowbray told a couple of us that he was on “more than double our top earners” at the fans forum when he was asked about him signing permanently. I nearly fell through the floor

I don’t think there would’ve been a problem if we’d offered them £60k a week.

No we couldn’t. Firstly, I doubt very much that the fee is £2m but either way, Tosin was on £40k a week at City which will now be somewhere in the region of £50-60k at least now. Reed will be on similar, probably more.

?

Spurs signing Rodon a young CB from Swansea may see them reignite their interest in Williams. I’ve always thought Williams was a decent Championship cb. Wonder how many of our fans would still ‘personally drive him’ to Swansea for £1m now??? Id want at least £3m btw if they have £18m burning a hole in their back pocket.

I know we’ve had a decent start to the season but at what point did we get so good that we no longer think the current Norwegian LB isn’t good enough to depose Amari’i Bell?

Was around 12 months ago that I first heard from a member of the Rovers youth set up that Buckley is the jewel in the crown that is our academy. That accolade seems even more impressive considering they were including those from our academy who are already involved (Nyambe, Trav, Lenihan). At the time I hadn’t even seen Buckley play and then only saw a couple of cameos last season which didn’t blow me away. Then I saw the Everton and Leicester scouts are the games pre Christmas and wondered who they were watching. Both claimed to be there for Buckley. There was a lot of talk buzzing around the lounge that day that if Bucko had a run in the team then there may be a bid in Jan. There was even a suggestion that Rovers had said they wouldn’t accept anything other than 8 figures. Apparently those two and another PL team had been tracking him for a while. Since this time I’ve followed him more closely and he is just SO highly regarded by everyone I speak to. Ability, mentality, work rate, personality...they’re adamant that if any of the lads are going to make it BIG it’s him. I’ve seen a change in him too but one things for sure, if / when he starts effecting games for the first team like he does for the 23’s we are going to have one, if not the best player in the league. Hope so!!

I’m not sure on the opinions Joe but having checked Transfermarkt, I’m pretty sure that a player who has represented Norway 30 times and has started every match (apart from two) for his country since October 2018 is better than Amari’i Bell. Up until the last two weeks I was adamant that I would play my 8yr old in front of Bell and fully expect her to perform better.

Yeah, there might have been a couple. But those weren’t scouted as you suggested. The truth is we haven’t signed anyone good from abroad since the last European scouting network was taken down....post PL for JA to weave his magic ?? So we set up a new one and hey presto, two good signings in the last 12 months for not a lot of money. It’s not rocket science.

We hadn’t signed any players from outside the UK since SK and JA left the club. So we set up a European scouting network and have signed Holtby and Kaminski in the last 12 months. Holtby being well known and Kaminski having a fall out with Gent were obvious catalysts for them moving / leaving their clubs. But they are NOT the reason they turned up at Blackburn Rovers. The European Scouting Network ie feet on the ground in Europe, means we are scouting lots of players via analysis and have ears to the ground for potential moves. You’d have to be an absolute crank to believe we’ve randomly tripped over two 27-30yr old high performers from Europe for next to no money after not being able to find any for years.

Was always going to be a difficult game. The stats tell us, as do my eyes, that we were by far the better team. Having said that I thought that was the least fluent we’ve been since preseason. Though I’d put that down mostly to Cardiff’s Defensive skills than us being poor. Was always going to come down to a couple of good chances, which we had and didn’t take. Arma and Gally had guilt edged chances. On another day, one of those snapshots from the likes of Arma, Holtby, Rothwell or Johnson outside the box flies into the top corner. In these types of games you have to take your chances. That’s why top quality like Mitrovic is so revered. Maybe Dack would’ve found a way? 7pts and +8 gd from four games is a solid start from what looked like a tough set of fixtures when they were released.

Just like a load of “pro Raya” brigade, last seen basking in the ‘I told you so’s’ when he was supposedly on the brink of a PL move are now less visible to the board....That’s just life on a message board mate. Raya was a decent keeper for us. Excellent in some areas, pretty shocking in others. He’s still young and has time to correct his errors but £3m and a sell on last summer (after a very inconsistent season) was imo good business. At £10m, Arsenal we’re having their pants pulled down I believe and someone has realised and pulled the plug. The problem wasn’t selling Raya. For all those re-writing history about him being top class, he wasn’t. The problem is that we didn’t replace him. Had we signed Kaminski last summer for £500k it would’ve been seen as a master stroke.

Going to be an interesting game. Two VERY different styles of play. Our defence will face a big physical battle and lots of high balls into the box. I’m not sure we’re well equipped for that. On the other hand, their big, strong defence will be very fearful of the terror that the likes of AA, TD & BB could rain down on them. The battle could be won By either team in stopping the supply into the forward lines. Rovers 3-1 for me. Confidence high and Cardiff unable to deal with our midfield passes into a mobile and youthful forward line. Only change - Nyambe in for the injured JRC. Which also provides us with more physicality to nullify their threats.

To be fair, we’ve had decent success in the loan market overall. Of course we’d prefer a permanent signing but a Reed / Tosin / Cunningham level recruit at LB, and an experienced no.2 keeper on a free would keep us on the upwards trajectory we’re on right now. I still think they’ll have their eye on a CM & a forward loan too. Wouldn’t surprise if someone came out of nowhere. Not sure if he’s been mentioned but with United about to sign Telles, I think Brandon Williams would be a cracking loan addition.

That’s just my opinion mate. If you’ve got the means then don’t hide behind your ‘disgust’. Get your hand in your pockets, support your club and crack on! We’ll agree to disagree ??