We learnt absolutely naff all from that interview

Feels like a very different approach to scouting with John Park. Under Broughton it felt like everything was stats based whilst under Park it feels a bit more old school. Someone who has bounced around a lot and has a lot of contacts in the game. Strikes me as a bloke with a notepad of good players who knows who to call to get the deal done. Last time he was here we brought in JpVH and Khadra who were both huge parts of our promotion push (plus Hedges). Gives me a little hope that those we've brought in will be better than last seasons unknowns in Wahlstedt and Telalovic. The Japanese connections definitely feel like players he's watched whilst up in Scotland. Time will tell whether they cut the mustard. I personally liked Broughton and felt with proper backing he could have done a good job, but his bargain signings proved to be dreadful and a major blot on his record here. Hopefully this new approach bears more fruit.

I'd be very happy for Szmodics to stay. There would be damage in August as I doubt we'd see him on the pitch and he'd need a couple of games to get upto speed. But then, what choice does he have? If he's not playing for the club he'll play for himself to potentially keep a move alive in January. Ipswich are taking the piss big time. If Szmods was younger we'd be demanding £25million plus. Just because he's nearly 29 it doesn't mean his value is a paltry £6-8 million. In my eyes £12million is fair and if Ipswich want him, it's about time they paid the fee. You can guarantee if there were another club showing genuine interest they'd shit the bed and pay it in a heart beat. In this instance I'm very happy for us to walk away from any deal. I'd be reasonably confident of survival this season if he stays and I can't say the same without him.

I think everyone is right to moan. We have the worst owners in English football, holding us in a purgatory hell. We're reportedly signing a couple of complete unknowns, whom fee or not, when you factor in wages are coming in only because they're cheap. We're looking to sell the leagues top scorer and the only reason we're still in this division. I hope the new signings hit the ground running and strengthen us but even the most optimistic fan must admit they are major gambles. It'd be all well and good if they were calculated gambles, adding to an already strong squad, but we're literally pinning our future on them. The only caveat is if we reinvested a huge portion of the Szmodics money and even then I'm being kind considering the money which has flowed into the club the last 12 months. And if I've learnt anything about Venkys and Waggott over the years, the chances of that are slim to non. We're on our knees and people are saying some posters fail to see the positives in anything... It's going to take a hell of a lot more than a bulldozer with a worse touch than me and a gamble on the Japanese lad to get me seeing the positives. And I've not even gone into Telegraph pretending Mcfadzean is some kind of new signing.

I really don't think it is too far fetched with Waggott in charge, that we consciously wait until the end of the window to bring players in, in order to save a measly amount of money on wages.

Agree with most of this. I don't think we'll see the Trent experiment again. Even the stubborn Southgate seems to see this has failed. My biggest worry is though, that these group games are about getting the job done AND building momentum. Southgate's befuddled tactics have seen us not having a clue. I think he'll slowly begin to stumble upon a system which works, but it'll be too late. Either that or once again he'll come up against a manager with a bit of nous and won't have a clue how to react. I'm pretty sure he's scuppered any chance we had. Or at least seriously limited them. Thankfully he'll be gone after this tournament. I'm grateful he restored some pride in the England shirt. For me, that's his legacy. I'd like to see Gary O'Neil given the job. Love listening to him talk tactics.

To me Trent looked utterly lost. He didn't have a clue where he was meant to be positionally. He's a wonderful player but a CM he's not. He'll always get one or two on the highlight reel as technically his long passes are superb. Unfortunately you then get the pundits waxing lyrical about that being the reason he's in there. What I saw though was a team with no balance. Nobody to make things tick, being good under pressure, when to play short, when to play long. We had one player in Bellingham grab the game by the scruff of the neck which somewhat bailed us out and people screaming that Foden was awful. It's no wonder when we fail to control a game with meaningful possession (not just passing around at the back). Wharton is tailor made for this system. I guarantee if he were in there the players around him would begin to shine. That's what he does. He controls games whilst finding players in small pockets with forward passes. Trent and his Hollywood passes are going to mean we struggle in this tournament. Southgate is doing the age old England manager trick of shoehorning the big names into his side. If not Wharton then I'd at least like him to give Gallagher or Mainoo a go as they are actual centre midfielders. I wouldn't drop Bellingham back there as it makes no sense to move our best player away from where he just got a man of the match performance.

When Nicko is getting good info on Rovers it's usually a sign all is not well at the club. He's a chancer journo hack and his contacts in the game are usually slimeballs. It's no coincidence that Waggott has his slimey fingers everywhere is the same time Nicko is on the money with what's going on.

Though Grealish created some chances against Bosnia I think he slows things down way too much. He holds onto the ball forever. Quite pleased he's not going. I've been a fan of his over the years but feel he's regressed at City, not to mention his lack of game time this season.

Thought he actually made us disjointed though. Hanging onto the ball for an eternity every time he touched it. Though obviously I'm being bias as it was annoying me when he wouldn't pass to Adam. On his debut I thought he did well. Difficult to do when the game is being played at such a pedestrian pace. But he played some good incisive balls forward and as always didn't look out of place. Super Adam Wharton is a class act.

That's the last thing we need. We already had Mowbray the unsackable since he was working with his best bud Waggott. All these mates working together just creates a cosy club with no accountability and standards drop. I'm not sure why I bother though as Waggot clearly has the club in a stranglehold again already.

Been on holiday and disconnected this last week and playing a bit of catch up. I'd seen the BBC article about Broughton leaving and thought I'd take a nose at the LT to see if they could shed anymore light, only to find there's nothing there. If the LT aren't publishing an article on the second highest ranking person at the club leaving (we all know itw 3rd most with the shadow man), then what is the point in them as a Rovers focused media outlet. Again they are just a mouthpiece for the club. No proper journalism, no difficult questions asked. Positive news only. It really feels as though the fans are back in the dark with no allies. Jdt at least tried to raise standards and talk honestly for a while. Now it's back to shut up, give us your money and accept the downgrading of every facet of the club, all in the self-interest of a select few. What a time to be a Rovers fan!

We all know we should have sold him for more but couldn't due to our terrible owners, however the 15% on any profit is the final insult. Best mate is a Qpr fan and I'm certain they have a 20-25% sell on for Eze, however it is for the whole fee rather than profit. Big, big difference, especially when you consider we gave Newcastle a 40% sell on with Adam Armstrong. We had our pants pulled down repeatedly with the AW deal. The only light it looks good in is against our own record of repeatedly letting players walk for free.

How predictable.. Two years on from Mowbray leaving and us bringing in an exciting young manager supported by a DoF, they're both gone amid much infighting and power struggles. Can't be bothered to get into the nuts and bolts of individual performance.... At one point we had a plan, now all we're left with is Waggott.

I can never seem to open these links. Are the articles only for subscribers or is it a problem with my browser?

I think JDT is by far the best manager to walk through the door under Venkys reign, but was really hamstrung at every turn and not given the tools to do the job. Our ceiling was higher under him but with the chaos and financial restrictions meant his and the clubs potential was never going to be met. We ended up being a poor match. Our chaos held him back and his footballing principles were to the detriment of the club. Eustice on the other hand strikes me as a practical bloke. If finances are sorted and he is backed, I think a point will come where he takes us as far as he can. But he will bring some stability and meets our current needs better than JDT did. I must say though, I do miss JDT's interviews, his determination to raise standards at the club and him holding Waggott and Pasha to account. I'm grateful for what he tried to do here.

The timing of this interview has been orchestrated perfectly by Gregg / the club. I'm a fan who will usually go out my way to consume anything Rovers related, but I don't care enough to even listen.

With the latest delay we are fucked financially. However it surely ramps up the pressure for them to sell the club. Even Venky happy clappers must now see their ownership is completely unsustainable.

World class saves in that penalty shoot out. He looks as though he's thriving and developing further under big game pressure. Fair to say there's an argument for him being in the top 5 keepers in the world. Nice one Tony.

Stay up or go down I'm sure Szmodics will be leaving this summer. I don't think the squad has ever needed a rebuild as much as it does now. If he picked up an injury between now and the end of the season I can't see where the next goal would come from. He's actually outperforming his Xg by 5 goals this season. He's an absolutely brilliant finisher.

One of two things will happen. Funding will be approved or it will be delayed again.

Had Pears not picked up his injury we'd be placed far higher in the league. He's not of the standard of Kaminski but he's a good goalkeeper at this level. Given the drop off to Wahlstedt he's arguably our most important player along with Szmodics. I'm pleased he's beginning to gain some of the credit he deserves. He was outstanding last night and after his horror show a couple of years back against Wigan has continually improved. He seems like a key member of the dressing room as well. Hopefully this security and confidence will see him continue to get better and better.

Some might think it is being dewy eyed about JDT etc, but he's the best person to walk through the door under Venkys reign. Articulate, charismatic, honest, intelligent, ambitious, respectful. Eustice is a major downgrade. At best he might reach Mowbray levels of being able to get us plodding on, but we've gone from a man doing all he could to raise the standards and expectations at Rovers to a bloke grateful to have a job. Another downgrade, another watering down of the standards of our great club. #Venkysout #Waggottout

Agreed. It also seems pretty foolish if there is a thought process around a complete switch in style of play from us under JDT. We were way too open under him and we've lost a key player for that system in Adam Wharton. However, even the biggest JDT critics can't deny that there were aspects of what he'd implemented that we were doing very well, but there was just no balance. Like with anything, the answer often isn't ripping up the script but making tweaks. Tighten up and empower players to make the decision to be pragmatic when needed rather than playing out from the back at all costs. From his interviews this is similar to what Eustice has been saying, but we've yet to see it. Hopefully this will show when he has more time on the training pitch. I actually think Johnson and Lowe have a big role to play here, as do the senior players. Relaying what we were doing previously so Eustice can tweak the style. Fingers crossed him having more time on the training pitch will see this happen. As we're desperate both in terms of points and in terms of the atmosphere around the club. I think we're a week or two away from the club turning truly toxic, which could be no bad thing, so long as we survive.

Really hoping Eustice does well but the fact he's Waggotts man unfairly taints him. I really liked JDT. Flawed tactics at times, yes, however he gave me a connection to Rovers. He wanted what was best for the club from top to bottom. Eustice has to do his talking on the pitch as I can feel the fans turning on the club in a far more volatile way if he doesn't. It's very risky business if you end up being seen as a puppet.