Pears showed frailties again last night even with the limited amount he had to do. 2 more goals from set pieces!!! Going forward I think we looked excellent. Gueye worked hard, held the ball and Dolan took his chance when the game was tight. Szmodics, Ohashi and Weimann showed their additional quality when the game opened up. JDT used to speak about needing 4 players on the pitch who can attack the ball from defensive set pieces. We had 3 when Gueye was on and 2 when he went off. My idea of a left back we need is a Derrick Williams style, decent in the air, can fill in at left back or centre half, can’t afford to keep shipping goals from set pieces, don’t think they had a clear cut chance otherwise.

I agree, but are there any other proven championship goal scorers in this league? I can think of a few who are likely to score 10-15 (Latte-Lath, Rutter, Sargent, Conway) but there aren’t any stand outs. Must be 18-20 clubs without a proven goal getter who are hoping someone steps up.

I actually think we aren’t far off a decent championship squad. A couple of unknown quantities but also a couple of older heads that are tried and tested at this level. We desperately need a first choice goalkeeper, and some width and cover for JRC/Hedges. We need 4 players, GK, left back, 2 wide players. Team for tomorrow night Pears Brittain Carter Hyam Pickering Trondstad Travis JRC Dolan Hedges Gueye. Subs; Hilton, Batth, Siggy, Ohashi, Tyjon, Buckley, Duru, Weimann Not far off IMO. I don’t buy all this “We lost 6 so we need minimum 6 to compete”. Moran non contributor second half of the season, Koumetio non contributor, Ayari looked promising but didn’t really play, Gally a trier who couldn’t trap a bag of cement (worst pass completion of any player in Europe) despite running around and heading defensive corners away for 20 out of 46 games offers very little and hasn’t for years. We need a couple of exciting players who offer us something different going forward. Bring on tomorrow night. Imagine if we could go and spend 50% of the Wharton/ Raya money 😳

Describes the club as a “mid table” club in the daily mail article. He’s from Chester and is only 18. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s us or Preston. Will surely be a cheap loan.

Wonder which championship club Lewis Koumas is off too. Comments on twitter saying he’s signing a long term deal before signing for a championship side on loan next week.

De Lange is frustrating. Clearly a good goalkeeper as Ajax and now Marseilles after him, I’m sure there are others around and one needs to be found quick.

Agree with this one, Actually feel that starting eleven looks pretty solid. Only a matter of time before the goalie throws one in and JRC/ Hedges pick up injuries though. New goalkeeper and depth in wide areas required over the next couple of weeks.

My concern is his availability and fee he’s available for is now very public. There will be others who have looked at him and now it gives them opportunity to get in there ahead of us, for the sake of what? 2 weeks worth of losses on running costs? If it’s really an extra 400k for a first choice goalkeeper, surely just pay it and secure him. No issue with us playing hard ball with Szmodics. We hold all the cards with him having several years on his contract. If we are selling him, get every penny we can.

They are trying to bring one in from Sweden but not been able to so far. They have Josh Vickers, who’s never played in the championship and is generally a number 2. They are looking for a number one

Derby no goal keeper either… hope they don’t swoop while we penny pinch.

I presume Dolan is asking to join the group of top earners on circa 15k a week to sign a new deal. Tough decision for the club, give it him and look daft in a few months if he doesn’t do much? Don’t give him a new deal at that level, he starts the season well and we look daft come September…. The type of decisions a good board of directors generally get right…

I think we are too far down the line with de Lange, I think there’s been a change of TACT and they probably think he’s someone who will develop and they will be able to sell on.

Don’t think it’s a coincidence we struggled so much last year without a top goalkeeper compared to the two seasons before. We also struggled pre-kaminski. I think a top goal keeper can earn 12-15 points a season. I feel like there was a spell at the turn of the year where it felt like every defensive set piece we were going to concede. What were we doing? As much as JDT did a decent job and wasn’t supported, that spell was an utter disgrace. His toys had well and truly been thrown from the pram.

Fee yet to be agreed but expected to be between 2 and 2.5 million euros.

If it’s about immediate cash flow why are they making cash signings? I think the “push” is about selling players at their highest stock, regardless of how it affects the team. Rovers want rid of Szmodics for this reason and if they are trying to offload Travis I imagine it’s for the same reason, regardless of what the manager wants.

I would surprised if he’s anything other than a major upgrade on Pears. Ajax academy player and played every game in the Eredivisie over the last couple of years. A couple of million they probably won’t loose on a 27 year old goalkeeper. If he has a solid season clubs WILL come calling for a player of his pedigree.

Don’t think so, showed everyone else’s face and the audio changed to “shots fired” when it showed whoever it is. Unless they are announcing a new deal for him 😂

Yeah I think that’s a new player at the end. Certainly not Travis

De Lange has got to be the priority this week. Not sure about this Germain. Looks like a centre forward to me. I wonder if it means Vale is off and with Leonard’s fitness issues he wants 3 options. He could possibly play off the right as well with that strong left foot, but don’t think he fits the bill of a direct winger with pace that Eustace is crying out for every time he is asked about recruitment.

A main strength of Baker is dead balls, which there will be a lot more emphasis on under JE, especially with a centre forward who can attack the ball. We don’t really have anyone else who can fill that role (think Pickering and Britain have been doing it pre-season). That’s the only reason I can see that we would be looking at him. Still don’t think it fits with our recruitment pattern over recent years and can’t see a decent contract for him being handed out.

Germain doesn’t fit the bill unless he’s coming in for next to nothing. Can’t see that happening, we won’t be giving him 3 years aged 29. Same with Baker unfortunately. I wonder if all this talk is him trying to push a move out of Stoke? He’s moved around a lot in his career. Can’t see either of those happening.

He’ll be off will Szmodics. The club want the money and Szmodics wants the move. If we are haggling and waiting for the fee we want we have to respect that to a degree, as we would be the first to complain if it came out that he’d gone on the cheap. Personally any fee of £10 million plus for a player of his age and only one stand out season when we signed him for less than 2 million 2 years ago represents good business by the club. I can see low fee buys for a GK, left back and a wide player (probably all coming in from abroad) with a couple of loans to bulk the squad up at the end of August will see our business done.

If they’ve gone to the trouble of speaking to the player, Rovers will know the fee is affordable. Whether they want to pay it or not will be another question.

Unfortunately for Pears, he’s been good in pockets, but the error against Wednesday was the nail in his coffin as a possible number one at Rovers. Sounds like they could be trying to move him out if they want Ruddy as well He may want a move if he knows we are bringing in a new number 1

There was sudden movement in the transfer window last week. There’s been a financial u turn somewhere that’s allowed us to sign players. I wonder whether venky’s have had good news about their upcoming court case? One article reads that deLange was one of the standout keepers in the Eredivisie last season and is linked with a move to Ajax as their number 2, he must be commanding a decent fee with 2 years left on his contract.