So does this mean that in December we can pack the DOF off on a plane to India to beg for new signings in the January window whilst letting the manager get on with, you know, football matches? Because if so that's got to be an improvement surely, knowing nothing otherwise about the bloke in question.

Ah, right. So the concern is less incompetence and more... the other thing. Gotcha.

100% agree, a bizarre appointment. All I'm saying is that anyone vaguely competent (anyone know if he was any good at managing a biscuit factory?) should have, in six years, gained the skill set required to do the job.

What does Pasha know about English football? I know nothing in particular about the bloke but he has been directly involved in the club since when - 2015? 16? If you dropped me into an industry that I knew nothing about whatsoever I'd like to think that in six years I'd have a fair idea of what's going on, assuming I gave a damn about doing a good job in the first place. Of course this works both ways - Pasha should have learned the ropes by now so to speak, so we should be expecting him to do a competent job. edit for clarification - Expecting as in 'After six years you should be doing a good job' not 'I expect he will do a good job' - two different things - I have no idea how much work he's put in or whether he takes the job seriously or anything about him to be honest. I don't think any of us do, we just assume he's useless because he's Venky's.

Ainsworth is probably top (or near top anyway) of my 'Would be fine and we have a decent chance of getting' list too.

I think most of us can boil the options down to three lists - the managers we really want but are largely not expecting to get, the managers that would be fine and we have a chance to get, and the managers we really do not want. The good news is that there are actually quite a few names on the first two being thrown about with a degree of possibility. The bad news is that when they inevitably appoint one of the third it will seem all the worse for the number of decent options out there.

Lenihan on the bench, does that indicate he may be signing a new deal or am I clutching at straws?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61337095 Love how the arguement is essentially 'look they might have done something wrong so kindly structure the punishment in precisely the way that benefits us the most' Still, outside shot big Ben might make it to Qatar after all

Great post, well presented, I'd glass half full a couple of things though. Markandy was extremely well rated at Spurs, to the point that some of their fans were saying that he should have been in and around the first team rather than being sold. Obviously he didn't actually play this season so from the point of view of the squad going into next season he is effectively a 'new signing' who on reputation should be a key player at this level - he'd more or less like for like Khadra in Joey's list, so possibly that is one fewer replacement needed. He may turn out to be rubbish, but that's a risk with all new signings. If we can keep even one of Lenihan or Nyambe it would be massive and if two or three of the u23s step up to fill the outgoing 'squad players' then I guess based on the original post we'd need to sign four key players and a couple of squad players? Still a pretty tall order, but not quite as bad as eleven all told. If relying on the u23s to fill the squad player positions then it becomes pretty important that the incoming key players are of a high standard. I mean it already is, but more so. I'm assuming a lot and of course that's also assuming no-one else gets sold in the mean time (which would be pretty devastating in such a thin squad unless for serious serious money)

Coyle relegated us, I honestly don't hold that one against Mowbray (though I respect those on here who do), he got us to a point where we'd have stayed up any of the previous 10 seasons or something ridiculous. First full season got promotion, brought in some players I've enjoyed watching and has over the following seasons kept us up, cemented us as mid table and then this season we've been in play off contention. On paper it looks very good. However. Having built a team that (almost) is a promotion contender built around a core of home-grown talent he's blowing it. It really is self sabotage at this point. We're going to look back on this season in the same way as the Rhodes/Guestede/King season of 'that was our chance, how did we not take it'. 7/10. 6/10 if and when we finish 7th or lower, 8/10 if we make the playoffs and have a good showing. Still would not renew contract.

Fingers crossed we put a clause in per international appearance, but somehow I doubt it.

All the probabilities and x% chance of making the top six if we get 12 points etc. is all well and good, but in the last relegation season after TM took over we reached all the points targets that would have seen us safe any other year and it wasn't enough. We don't have the best luck when it comes to stuff like this. Keep winning and pray we haven't blown it already.

interesting bench, The return of the Dack, Stergiakis back in the squad and Brown as the only real defender? I mean I guess Giles is a defender, but Mowbray seems to think he's a forward so

I'd go as far as to say that Lenihan, Wharton, Kaminski, Nyambe, Travis, Rothwell, Brereton, possibly Buckley and Dolan are as good as or in some cases better than some players who are contracted to premier league clubs as fringe players or back-ups or who play from the bench. I think that there are several Premier league clubs that would take any of those as squad players. But, there's a big difference between 'would do a job in a premier league squad' and good enough to be a premier league regular. You could build a squad around that core but every player you brought in would need to be better, ideally quite a bit better, than the players listed for us to have a prayer of survival.

With Gallagher, Buckley and Rothwell (ie. first team regular starters) on the bench we might actually see some proactive substitutes? Maybe? A plan B of sorts if things aren't going well? Probably a late switch to long balls to Gally, but still.

Brown is on the bench, he's nominally a right back, if he isn't good enough to play in that position when we need a right back then why is he on the bench in the first place?

Mulgrew, shame about the rest of his game really

I had missed the retrial somehow and stand corrected, thought it was a bit odd that less of a fuss had been kicked up

Ched Evans still playing in the championship and he was convicted by a jury and served time. If the player is good there will always be a club willing to employ them.

Cheers! That's honestly not as bad as I was expecting.

That's a very strong lineup, but what's the bench going to look like? (actually that's not a completely rhetorical question, I have lost track of who is injured and who is fit and who got shipped out on loan - if anyone can give me a summary that would be ace)

Will they be able to complete the registration before the deadline though? I've yet to see an official announcement.

Interesting if true that Bournemouth have pulled the plug on the deal to spend their money elsewhere, Rothwell can hardly hold a grudge against Rovers for that. If anything he should be pretty pissed at Bournemouth - they've made him look foolish.

For what it's worth I live not too far from Bournemouth and have a few mates who generally have a fair idea what's going on at the club and none of them think that it's a particularly likely deal to happen. Same logic as we're seeing here - 'why on earth would Rovers sell, why would the player commit early and risk picking the club that doesn't go up', no-one seems to have heard anything different that would change things. One of my mates who is a lifelong Bournemouth fan wasn't even aware that they were in for Rothwell, but he does have a new baby so I'll forgive him not being completely on top of the football comings and goings.

Edun into midfield, Zeefuik on the wing?