AspRover

On the one hand, I'd like us to sell Pears, on the other hand any team that sends scouts to look at signing Pears and is in desperate need of a keeper will surely make a bid for Toth instead.

If he's got any sense he's got a relegation release clause

Keith 'fifth in the premier league' Andrews is out of our league. We couldn't afford him, and even if we could he wouldn't come here. That's how bad it's got.

Phenomenal

Both our wing backs are out (and have been for a while, and we knew they wouldn't be available) but hey, this is the formation we play now I guess so we absolutely can't change it now, plan B's are for losers... As an exercise, here is a line up using the squad who have travelled today - Toth Ribeiro Atcheson Cashin Pickering Tronstad Henriksson Baradji Cantwell De Neve Ohashi Like, it's still arse, but when defending De Neve drops back and Pickering tucks in, which covers Pickering's lack of pace and De Neves lack of defensive awareness. Ohashi, Cantwell and Henriksson rotate a bit, and with Tronstad playing the holding role and helping to cover the (defensively weak) right side you encourage (one of at a time) Henriksson and Baradji to make runs into the box to provide a goal threat from deep. Crying out for a striker, but that's the story of the season. Got to be better than TGH at right wing back. I'm sure there are plenty of folk on here who can come up with something better than me! edit - I rescind my decision to play Cashin 😅

I have said it before, but with Hedges out and potentially Alebiosu off it wouldn't be daft to re think the system a bit - we might genuinely be going back to playing with wingers, Morishita and this guy on paper might be pretty good. Not that I can remember how long Morishita is out for... he's back soon, right??

Swedish lad then, we reckon?

Current Pope is Leo isn't he? Messi incoming confirmed??

Are we signing Nick Pope?

Absolutely agree here - the point I was trying for was more that you absolutely know that there are people who have seen the success (purely from the marketing potential/tv deal/media coverage) of Wrexham and thought 'I want a piece of that' And I'd almost guarantee that anyone with ambitions to replicate Wrexham will have looked at Rovers as a possibility, for the reasons I outlined and more. Which suggests that there are reasons (presumably Venkys) that have prevented it. In many ways I think that new owners coming in to 'do a Wrexham' could be a massive red flag, knowing our luck we'd get someone who absolutely did not have the clubs best interests at heart first and foremost. Of course I could be completely wrong on all points.

I would absolutely believe that at this point probably multiple people have looked at putting together serious bids to buy us. There are plenty of reasons that we are, on paper, an appealing prospect - particularly for anyone wanting to 'do a Wrexham' - run down old club with plenty of history, a distinctive kit/badge for marketing and a fanbase ready to welcome just about anyone with open arms. Lots of people are being linked with/actively buying clubs smaller than us all the time. The idea that there is a group willing to put down 'substantial' figures isn't unlikely, I'm happy to take that at face value. But it is meaningless unless Venky's are actually willing to entertain the offer, which so far they have shown no inclination to do. People can 'approach Venkys' all day long - the scoop will be if and when someone actually coaxes them to the table.

I'm not a prolific poster on this message board, but I have been a member for 18 years now, and I'm close to signing out too. My dad was my last tangible connection to the club really, I guess my brother too but we haven't really spoken about Rovers in a very long time. Dad passed away a little over a year ago. Dad grew up in London, he supported Rovers because his dad, who died long before I was born, was from the town. Even Grandad had left Blackburn during or around the second world war - though I am told he maintained the accent immaculately - by the time I came around the connection was already getting a bit frayed. I now live on the south coast, I guess Bournemouth are my local 'big' team, I used to go to away games with dad but haven't set foot in Blackburn in years, let alone Ewood. I probably have some relatives in the town - dad certainly had cousins who were still about, but I don't know them and wouldn't know how to find them. I genuinely, sincerely, love this club, but it increasingly feels like that one relative you gradually grow up to realise isn't a very nice person and you actually don't enjoy spending time with. I deeply resent that the rovers of the last years of dad's life was this version. It's gutting. It should be a source of joy, and memories - I want to see results and think 'dad would have enjoyed that', 'dad would have liked this player' etc. and I can't. He wouldn't have. The fanbase feels increasingly fractured, even on here. I have encountered other Rovers fans in the wild and been almost reluctant to admit that this is my team for fear of the reaction if my views on Venkys or recent history don't align with theirs, if I am not sufficiently 'getting behind the boys' or whatever. A prolific poster late of this parish accused me of being a dingle infiltrator a few months back for suggesting I'd like to see the academy players get a run out in the cup. Supporters of other clubs are unsympathetic or ignorant, and I find myself fed up of explaining, or attempting to explain the situation, so I shrug and move on. I used to be proud of this club, and I find myself wondering when I lost that. I guess it's just been worn away gradually over the last fifteen years. At some point it will be gone entirely and I will probably have to make the same decision as Devon Rover. I'm tired lads.

To paraphrase a tv show about a nuclear melt down; not good, not terrible. Defensively looked fine - Atcheson, O'Riordan, Pratt all look decent against a Hull side doing well in the league. Cashin looked ok too, effectively a clean sheet over 120. Toth the best keeper at the club and it's not even close. Play without strikers, can't score a goal shocker. Henriksson isn't a forward, but a Henriksson Baradji midfield pairing looks more than serviceable. Can't help but feel that Baradji knows he won't be here next season one way or the other. Ohashi, for all his work rate, has really gone off the boil since we've lost Gudjonson - I'm not sure how well we can carry a striker who needs to play in a partnership when we are insistent on playing one up front. Our formation in general has become a problem for me. We switched to this three at the back because for whatever reason the formation we used last season wasn't working early doors, and it stuck because Alebiosu is very good and Hedges hit a run of form and that made it work well enough for a while. With Hedges out and particularly if Alebiosu gets sold we simply have to re-evaluate the formation, because not one of our other fullbacks suits it in the slightest, but Miller and Ribeiro are (relatively) fine further back. We narrowly missed the playoffs last year with a four at the back so I'm not sure why we are so allergic to it now, other than perhaps the lack of wingers. Poor game in general. Green shoots but not enough of them.

Or, determined to make amends

'he did alright, but didn't save enough penalties in the shootout so Pears keeps his place...' Or something, I don't know with this club any more