bluebruce

I'd do a victory lap of the UK if we sold those two off at a small profit.

Yep, we were linked. Maddison can play all across the midfield, so if he performed well there's no reason for him to be dropped to the bench.

You're doing him a serious disservice. Just the League stats: 2015/16 - 11 goals, 13 assists. 2016/17 - 9 goals, 17 assists. 2017/18 - 8 goals, 16 assists. 2018/19 - 8 goals, 15 assists. 2019/20 - 9 goals, 6 assists (so far). I don't know if you think he's a striker or something, but he isn't. Those goals are at least primarily from midfield. Attacking mid (in what I assume is a broadly Dack-like role) and RW. I think he has been moved around in the past, CM, LW, occasionally striker I think. I think continuing those stats in numerous different positions over a season is even more impressive. The goals might not be Dack numbers, but he's an assists machine. 'A few assists' is like saying Dack scores 'a few goals'. That many goal contributions over the last four-and-a-half seasons is definitely lighting up League One. As for why is he still down there, his contract has a 2.5 million release clause and Peterborough have been insisting on it being met. Fairly sure he has been transfer listed since last summer? But 2.5 million is still considered a lot to gamble on a League One player. Players do move out of there for that kind of money or more, but there aren't too many. Point of reference, we paid 750k for Dack. If I remember rightly he had been available for about 1.5 million the season before after winning League One POTY and nobody bit. Since the summer, he has only had a year left on his deal. See Bauer for how clubs deal with League One players on the last year of their deal. If the fee is fairly big, they'd rather wait, as they know the player will step up in the summer for free now they know higher league clubs are looking. Sure we can all agree that Dack and Bauer are good enough for the Championship, but neither we nor others were willing to pay in the millions for either.

No, he won't.

He's not too old. He's 32. Peak age for a goalie.

I remember it being said some years ago that our academy focused a little too much on physical development rather than skill. This might explain why we churn out so many good defenders vs attackers. Then we hoover up the ones who escape through the cracks of the elite clubs' youth systems, who have been schooled heavily in technique, for our young attackers.

He's 32 and a gk, so let's say about 2 after next season is done. Three and a half seasons total works for me.

Surprised how little discussion there has been of this one. Keeper is our number one priority as far as I'm concerned, and Bialkowski has been mentioned a few times on here as a good un.

Amazing how many we have heard about over the last few years, and yet the only one who made it despite our dire defensive difficulties was a converted DM. And then there was O'Connell of course...

Lots of chances but couldn't finish...caught on the break... Lost 2-1, our goal was a penalty, the opposition team ended the game with 10 men yet we still lost... Sounds creepily like the Birmingham cup game we just played.

Exactly what I was thinking. If Mani's source is the first team staff directly, I would think they have more reason to lie about there being nothing doing, than the Wigan players have to lie about the Rovers players saying Dack was off.

No Davenport. Injured again? We don't play until Saturday so no other reason not to give him game time.

20 years old. Was only 20 in November I think it was though.

You're going to find yourself disappointed on the manager front, as we all (mostly) are. Not much point talking about it, it's not happening any time soon. That's why I'm more focusing on the areas where things could happen.

Not seen this link posted, apologies if it has been. Linked to George Tanner, 20 year old Man U fullback on loan at Morecambe Out of contract in summer. Permanent move supposedly being considered.

Yeh I don't see why he would sign for a Prem club at just 10k a week. He was probably on similar at QPR, maybe more.

Even as a Rovers fan, not on your nelly. They both go at the ball at the same time, both using a high foot, Brum player gets it first. Don't think Buckley even knew he was there. I'm not actually blaming the lad for that one, despite the temptation as at first glance it looks a little shambolic. But he absolutely was not fouled. Thought he did a lovely pull back to lay a pass off at another point. But christ he is easy to push off the ball when players get close enough. Needs more core strength. Not necessarily muscle, but definitely strength. And physical knowhow. And a loan.

Again, I can't subscribe to this theory. The manager regularly plays people out of position, drops them when in form or plays them when out of form and generally mismanages the team. I refuse to accept that we wouldn't be several points better off with a manager who didn't do these things so often. The league is tight enough that that would make a big difference.

Mental health issues are relative. Some people endure awful personal lives well, whereas some people can be thrown into a tailspin by what are comparatively small issues, but are huge to them. Some people just have their brains take over the whole process and fill them with toxic negativity even when things are going quite well. Don't judge someone else's experiences when you don't know what they are. I can imagine the pressure of the big money move on a young lad who probably thought he was going to go from strength to strength after the move, only to see it look increasingly like his career is collapsing, the injury when it was coming together for him a bit in pre season, plus moving away from home (I assume) and everyone he was close to, has taken a fair toll on his mind state. Plus whatever else could be going on that we don't know about at all. Sometimes it feels like everything is going against you. Money doesn't fix everything, not by a long stretch. From what has been reported he isn't on that much in footballing terms anyway. The 'flex', remember? What I would say is it's not looking good for him if he is currently so low he is in tears at coming off. I fail even more now to see how this is going to turn into an asset gain for the club. But I'm certainly not going to judge him for letting his emotions creep out a bit.

But still shit, and shitter than in his previous spell. Missed some more sitters today I understand.

But it's 'yet another' striker, too. In fact we have even more of those. And TM has shown he has no ability to pick them out. Frankly we are buggered regardless. We don't have the money to recruit known goalscorers in those areas. Maybe we get lucky with a loan.

Dack has been our chief source of goals. So to flip your point, it's a bit like saying we don't need a striker who scores regularly, we have Gallagher, Armstrong, Brereton, Graham and Samuel. Make do with them.

We have no idea or indication that he was paid peanuts. I saw it described as an 'extension' rather than a short term deal, which implies the same wage. Fairly sure I've seen his wage put on here at about 3k in the past. Even for the six months, that's about 75k, enough for the yearly salaries of several normal members of staff. Like the ones who got fired when we got relegated. There was no sympathy contracts from the club for them, and they actually contributed. If he was paid nothing, why put him under contract at all? Just tell him he is free to use the facilities and physios. It was a farce. Not like we owed him anything, he was here for two seasons already whilst contributing nothing. That was plenty of charity already.

I guess I could live with temporary, whilst actively looking for a proper replacement. Problem is we are in a transfer window, and temporary can't be trusted with those decisions. We would just end up with loans and we need to start bolstering the defence long term or the summer will be a nightmare.

Eh. I don't think we will get much better from the king of calamity Joe Hart. Just be a much more expensive, slightly better version.