Burnley will have plenty of new fans in the heartlands between dingleville and Leeds, loads around Skipton etc and Leeds catchement area is huge so there is bound to be some rivalry up there. There's nowt else. A bit like there being a keen Rovers / PNE rivalry around Brig and Leyand, Lostock Hall etc back in the day.

Again not necessarily true. I used to go in at 2pm and watch the whole warm up routines a few years ago and watching John Keeley at work with the keepers was like a full on training session. I've said many times on here Steele started to go backwards quickly once he left and there was a very noticeable drop in the standard and length of warm up under Lamberts man who looked like he was on 5 pints a night. Can only presume from watching these things it was similar on the training ground. Bensons sessions always seem thorough.

He played better at Burnley away than Kaminsky did last time.

The stock answer will be because hes been away with Hungary. Which kind of contradicts the notion that he's here to immediately take over the keeper jersey.

He's better than Jake Kean was and about the same as Walton was here i'd say and very similar to Steele when he was at a similar stage of his career. Although slightly higher on the goals gifted chart but he's not really unusual for a keeper in only his second full season as first choice. Raya was gaff prone even when he went to Brentford but inbetween he was safe and often spectacular so someone without that level of ability is average at best and a liability at worst but he's still on a learning curve whether we like it or not.

Krull would be a number one but he's under contract and nobody is paying a fee and good wages for a 37 year old.

Whilst i agree we need a good steady number 1 i think you are being harsh with the rest of it you need to look around the Championship. The overall standard isn't good at all and i'd suggest Pears fits right in the average championship standard bracket. It's the reason the likes of Ruddy was able to keep going so long despite clearly on the wane two years ago and why Krull would be someones number 1 still if he'd play for sensible wages.

We heard all the same with Leo but he had to wait until Pears was injured which wasn't long but he himself was nowhere near ready or even any good in this league. We'll see, i want a proper upgrade and i'm prepared to wait as long as in the bigger picture we end up with a good keeper when he's ready to take over.

Everyone employed and paid handsomely is going to drop in an arse lick or two literally everybody has, even Lambert did, apart from JDT who was trying to get himself potted. It goes with the turf here and isn't worth getting worked up about anymore because nowt will change i think it's part of all their contracts to praise Venkys when the opportunity presents itself. Perhaps he thought like the rest of us that there'd be nothing hardly in terms of recruitment aside from a few frees and loans so he's grateful the club have gone along with some of his recommendations ? He clearly comes across as a guy that has a grasp on what the team needed and what Eustace wanted, i could never feel the same about Broughton and listening to Waggot is akin to listening to Starmer or formerly Sunak. Big up Rudy, keep up the good work 👍

You're more triggered about Pears than Burnley were at Rovers enjoying the draw. He's a bang average keeper prone to unforced errors but we can't or won't buy something guaranteed to be better so the next best thing is some direct competition albeit from another guy who may be at a similar stage in his career and has zero British Championship level experience. Therefore it's a case of getting up to speed and taking the chance when it comes along, which it will when Pears has a bad run, is injured or they just drop him in for a game to have a look. I'd deal with it if i were you because it migtt be a while.

Rudy came across well in the interview he clearly knows what he's talking about and it's good he is on board here to inject what Waggot and Suhail are missing, football brains and ambition. I gave his appointment a lot of stick but mainly because they couldn't tell us what he was actually doing and it looked like we were in for a novice apprentice CEO to add to the circus.

Mentioned this before but in the absence of Venkys funding or the usual amounts at least then technically the club have re-invested millions more than the small outlay of fees. Because wages on new addition contracts and add on fees will all be coming out of the future income instalments because it can't come from anywhere else. Aside from the clubs small non player related income of course.

Common sense and lessons learned approach just doesn't apply to some here but the actions of the head coach over the next few weeks just might.

We'll return to this further down the line.

No chance that's happening it didn't happen over the last couple of near do's but they've at least recognised players were needed to avoid relegation. It's 70/30 odds on there'll have to be a sale in Jan if their issues aren't sorted.

But he didn't get any of those goal keepers targeted. The plan here is to keep developing Pears and hope he has a run of form then someone fancies an English keeper and they get money for him then the next one steps in. Whether that comes to pass is a different matter but that was the initial plan.

My point is i don't think this guy has been bought to install straight as number 1 just the same as Leo wasn't despite the fee and alleged potential. He's here imo as direct competition for Peas who is clearly still the first choice keeper so Toth will have to bide his time. I've no issue with doing it that way Eustace wanted an upgrade but he didn't get the keeper he wanted and he isn't daft either so i still think he'll select Pears but after a two week break maybe he'll be bold and just swap them we'll have to see. My last quid would be on Pears starting again unless/until he's injured or has a real bad run.

Eustace wanted a proven keeper which costs money or he wanted the likes of Ruddy or Krull, any of those signings would have gone straight in imo. As it is we've taken a similar punt to last time again so the only sensible option is to let him get up to speed first as was the plan with Leo but Pears injury changed that.

And if Toth was chucked in v Dingles, cocked up and we lost what would the debate be now ? Oh shit bring Pears back and sack the recruitment team...... A bit like it was last season which is what we need to learn from and avoid, we are unbeaten and doing ok so we have time to let him train and ease him in.

You really haven't read what's been debated have you.

So in essence there are no actual grounds to throw him straight in just because a Pears cock up might be inevitable when we don't even know if he'll be up to the job himself.

I know someone who was a mason but he only went to the not so secret meetings twice. Probably because he hated golf.

Yep just the same as Leo but a good bit older and more experienced although still below championship level. The main defining factor i feel will be character, Walsted never looked comfortable he very much resembled a rabbit in the headlights on the pitch despite seeming of a confident nature in his interviews. If this lad is more grounded and steady that will make a big difference as at his age he should be ready to step up, Leo wasn't.

We were turned into a development club with Broughton in charge of all that and he was trying to implement a succession of players to sell whilst keeping the team competitive. For whatever reason he rated Wahlsted highly but the plan i was told was to keep playing all the younger players already in the team in order to increase value and attract buyers. Whilst bringing all the new back up signings up to speed the integrating them bit by bit so they were ready to step in one someone was sold. That was the blueprint moving forwards and Pears and Leo were very much part of that he was never bought to instantly replace unless the head coach felt the need. Obviously it didn't work out like that with any of them because JDT was non plussed and thought they were all behind the required fitness (and politely thought they were all crap having seen them in the flesh).

The fact Sweden were after him and he would be walking straight into another contract without compo if they just let him go probably complicated things further.