Tony Mowbray and Steve Waggot

If it's Rovers you're referring to the manager got them all contract extensions on thousands per week so i doubt they were bothered about watches.

With that coming to light it might be better if we leave it alone it'll be better all round if he gets a move closer to home.

The way we transition from being a middling championship club to a top one is by buying in quality when we have the chance. A 7 million fee over a 4 year contract is nothing in the current market. We'd all have jumped at the chance to grab Tosin or Reed and we'd have been better off as a result of it. Loan fees for good young players from Prem clubs are coming in at 1 mill per season now. As for 7 million being terrible for average championship form i was clearly talking about him being a long term signing. If he costs that money and stays as captain for seven years it's still good value for money. He's our player steadily performing every season in our team so there's no headache or funds needed every year to replace him. That's how you build teams but it's hypothetical anyway because it would be a worst case scenario. I'm just pointing out quite reasonably that it wouldn't be a disaster. He's clearly better than that though so he would be worth a deal up to 7 million imo.

So you wouldn't invest properly in a good young defender to hopefully serve the club for many seasons instead of filling the gaps with constant loans who also cost money ? Odd way of looking at it i'd say treat this guy as a one off like Brereton. If he becomes really good there'll be a profitable sale in a few years. If he maintains average championship form season in season out we've got a good solid reliable defender of our own to build around. As long as they covered all angles on the contract and he wasn't on silly wages it's a bit of a no brainer to be honest.

Ince i had high hopes for and could see the logic in going for him but the reality was starkly different. His recruitment Robinson aside was very poor no bones about that and his management methods were lower league to say the least. The guy blew his big chance here and for once in regards to Rovers there was no one to blame but himself, good to see he seems to have finally grown into it at Reading for now.

A deal rising to would be fair enough he's only young and even if we paid 7 if we got 5 good seasons out of him it would be a bargain.

Waggot was on public record saying he had over a million left in the pot pre covid after that Jan window because Tony didn't spend it. That came from the horses mouth in an interview and when covid hit a few moths later they extended the contracts of several players who were never going to play. That's how Mowbray worked he was a players man a good steady hand but very little actual ambition other than to protect his own status quo. I can fully believe he'd always try and leave some in the pot if in his mind he thought he was keeping the owners onside. I can 100% believe he would never ask for substantial funds to go for a promotion push and make himself fully accountable. Other side of the coin i think if he was given 2 million and told to spend it he would've done.

Given decent money and TOLD to go for it i think he might have done better. Left to his own devises as we assume he mostly was then no i don't think he had enough appetite for it personally. So we got what we got and like i and many others said last season Markanday wasn't the striking option to make any difference to the promotion push that's clear now. Plenty hid behind that as an excuse for no striking options brought in.

Yes when you put it like that he's getting on with the job but we can't say he isn't responsible for recruitment then credit him with signing 3 players. It's his dept whether there is a HoR in place or not.

He has also signed players so it's down to him obviously.

Most of the signings seem to have been from the already compiled list so apart from getting a few over the line we are still waiting for something significant from Broughton imo

I think the journey or project is the pitch pushed onto the managers by those behind the scenes. Mowbray and JDT bought into it, Lambert and numerous managers interviewed this time around didn't. I don't think JDT of GB suddenly arrived in town out of the blue with a plan in hand. Mowbray just made his own version up as he went along the narrative for both however was already here, in the hands of a shadow man.

The remit though at this club isn't promotion as a priority that much is abundantly clear and has been for years. Promotion or the play offs would be a by product, a bonus on the way they operate. First and foremost it is blood youth and look for cheap players to polish up whilst getting the wage bill down. Any coach or manager has to operate this way and get as many bodies mins on the pitch as possible to get experience and value into them. Club is owned by billionaires but run by their bean counters who don't really care as long as things keep rolling and they stay in wages etc. So we'll always get needless rotating taking priority at times.

Vale has been thrown into it but i think he's one who needs easing in rather than the deep end first. The stats men might say he makes more short runs than Gallagher or whatever but it's having no impact and he carries no goal threat. Early days obviously but he seems no better than Dolan when TM persisted with him in a similar position. If your'e going to throw anyone in there it might as well be Dack, might not close down as much but a loose ball or half a chance he'll be on it.

Venkys have added the nervous twitch to the natural Blackburn pessimism.

Yep Rovers were badly tactically outdone last night they had a clear plan to target certain weak links so it should be a loud clear red flag to JDT and GB. I don't think they've had one yet since they arrived, a even harder day looms on Saturday imo.

No no it way pre dates that although the Venky era has doubled the pessimism.

They're a strong solid organised side who are dangerous on set pieces. We are quite a weak side atm with a sprinkling of quality but need hard work and intensity every game to cover the weakness. I think this one is all wrong for us coming off the back of tonight. Blades 2 Rovers 0

I've tried to hold off giving Pickering stick as i thought he made a decent fist of the step up when he came. Blamed the injury for his poor form afterwards but i'm beginning to feel he really shouldn't be at this level now. Watched him warming up all half time in the cup game and he has the pace of a 35 year old but doesn't have the experience to cover it.

Massive learning curve for JDT and his gang tonight in a few levels but it was always going to happen. This is the Championship and anyone can beat anyone especially early doors as we;ve shown ourselves.

Despite some of the pathetic stick hes had on here after being a decent player for us we clearly missed Lenihen tonight. His leadership and voice as much as the balance he brought to defence.

Someone is trying to get an auction going we've seen it all before.

Spurs aren't going to invest in him then see him sat here as 5th choice they'll want him playing somewhere. Probably in their youth set up so they can nurture him themselves into their way.

I don't agree with selling him to Spurs then loaning him back with them telling us we have to play him and develop him for them. What kind of kow towing charade would that be. If he goes and risks the prospect of disappearing into Spuds youth system being loaned out all over for years OR stays here breaking into the first team then gets an instant big money move upwards, that's up to him. Once he's gone he should be gone and we go and get someone else and move on screw the sentimental claptrap. He's going to earn more than any of us whichever way it goes. I don't care if he's 17 or 27 all i'm bothered about is Rovers first team progressing.