Wheelton Blue

Tell that to the Lionesses.

He's not even been in the squad for a lot of games recently. That suggests to me that Tomasson doesn't rate him. If he's not playing, it's only a matter of time before he goes somewhere where he is.

Every chance. Buckley is a professional footballer. He'll go whereever to get game time.

JDT must sign off on them though, otherwise the whole thing is unworkable. But then again .... 🙂

I'm hanging onto some hope that, given a transfer window or two, he will find more suitable players. In the meantime, he has to be more pragmatic, foresake his philosophy, and play to our limited strengths. My faith is wavering though, and as MattyBlue said somewhere else, things could unravel quickly.

One moment of magic is all you need at that level.

I think you're right re: Venkys. It will take a season of monumental fluke to get promoted under them. All this tippy tappy shite, however, is nothing to do with Venkys. It's solely on JDT.

Rice needs to move to one of the 'elite' CL clubs where he plays regularly with and against elite level players. He could be, but he's not world class at all at the moment. 'World class' to me is prime Busquets, Iniesta, Xavi, Modric, Cassemiro...

The writing is on the wall for Tomasson. It's been gradually building for quite a while, ever poorer performances being masked by an elevated league position. Fans voted with their feet today. I've never seen a ground empty so early in a game. Fans are seeing through his smiles. Come February, after a transfer window in which he has the opportunity to bring in players of his own choosing, unless we see a marked improvement, then the knives will be out big time.

I was thinking the same on the way home. On one hand, I'm thinking 'let's give him a proper transfer window so he can bring in his own players'. But on the other hand, if Szmodics, Mola and Hirst are anything to go by, we'll just get lumped with another load of crap who aren't good enought to play how he's wanting to.

I'm looking forward to getting back to Ewood. The World Cup has been great, but nothing beats watching the boys in blue and white. 2-1 Rovers

Kaminski was with Benson in Tiggis on Sunday evening, so they must get on pretty well I imagine!

I must be in the minority, but - when it works - I really enjoy watching tika taka. As has been pointed out, Spain are currently lacking top class forwards, quick thinkers who can find space. I think as a result, tika taka breaks down. They have an abundance of young players coming through - Gavi, Pedri, Balde, Garcia, Fati et al - who will only get better.

Morocco hung in and deserved that. Well played.

Dembele will fancy his chances against Maguire.

I certainly am, Chaddy. The difference being that I know he's ripping me off, much as it grates. I have a breaking point though with pricing, and I'm not far off it. I know I'm being fleeced, but I'll only be fleeced so far.

There's Dembele on the other wing also. He's no slouch.

I suspect people are negative through fear of deja vu. I know I am! I personally don't expect us to beat France, but I think with a bit of luck we could do. And if we do, I reckon we'll get to the final. Portugal and Spain - who we'd likely meet in the semi - look less of a threat to me than France.

You're Waggot's ideal customer, mate! It's no wonder he offered you a cup of tea and a bourbon or two 🙂

I've not seen the game, just the score. How have we played?

Chaddy - with respect, you're not getting the point. In Waggot's world, he knows that there are hard core fans like yourself who will pay whatever he asks to get their Rovers fix. He knows that he's overcharging, and that a dwindling number will pay up no matter what. There's enough fans in your position who will pay whatever to enable him to hit his financial target. That number will reduce year on year, but to alleviate the financial hit, he increases the price year on year to make up the shortfall. This takes no effort on his part. He's simply rinsing the hard core. Where it does require effort - ie finding inventive ways to grow the fan base - he can't be arsed.

Won't they likely have to beat Brazil in the semi to get to the final? That would be one to look forward to.

I've been lucky enough to see him in the flesh a couple of times at Camp Nou. He has a God-like status with Barca fans (and Argentina fans, by the looks of it). When you see him live, you realise why.

You're precisely Waggot's target audience. ie a customer who he can rinse with ever increasing prices, without a murmur of discontent. Those who should be his target audience - ie the lapsed thousands - he doesn't see as such.

Agreed. The Dutch just have that that little bit extra which the USA don't quite have yet. The first goal was high quality. Netherlands will give most teams a good game.