To the extent the early season table is a predictive guide, all the top 9 have winnable looking games this weekend.

It is pretty obvious that while transfer fees weren't splashed, the brakes were off on the wages bill this summer. Doing the deal with Dolan this Autumn is a litmus test for the club. I am encouraged by JE's comment. We have competition for places all over the squad which will lift performance levels but if we are in and around top 6 at Christmas then we need a couple of Prem quality players in the January window to seal the deal. We found the send button 11 times in the summer, let's hope its not taped over again on January 31st,

Given what happened to him at Birmingham and the Stoke chopping board (and the "opportunity" to reunite with players bounced out of Ewood... ), Stoke don't bother me. When Everton fire Dyche in November if we are continuing our run is a whole different matter.

Impressed by the Japanese lad from Celtic

Ohashi is a lot quicker than his strong frame and running style suggest. Quite apart from his skill at knowing the right place at the right time, he has the pace to get there. For the third goal, Hedges pass forced him out wide but he had the speed to get from near the touch line to the edge of the area before retreating Bristol City players could either intercept his drive inside or give cover to the bamboozled full back and they only had to run straight back to defend their goal. I would agree about Gueye up top and Ohashi in the number 10 role BUT - Ohashi has been scoring as the front man without Gueye on the field - Dolan is now playing the number 10 role really well with the set up for Ohashi's first perfect; tackled his man fairly in the centre circle, pace to break Bristol lines running straight at goal, strength to evade the tackle and played the ball while falling with perfect pace and direction for Ohashi's strike; no wonder he got a snog from Tronstad - and there is Cantwell building match fitness - and Weimann who undoubtedly provide effective halves and cameos as consistently one of the best behind the striker players in the Championship for years. What a wonderful problem for John Eustace to have... Starting at Deepdale

5,000 (3200+1000+800)

Watched bits of Pompey v West Brom. West Brom are very useful with some top Championship players but don't scare me. Pompey would have at least been level in the first half if they had a striker. Most Championship sides would be putting away the sort of openings Pompey created against West Brom 25% to 50% of the time, not going 0 in 5. They have League One bruisers up front. Overall, Pompey will be bottom half but unlikely to be relegated because they will score against worst sides with poorer keepers than West Brom have.

Just watched PNE v Sheffield United highlights of the season opener. I would start Gueye even if he comes off after an hour because the PNE boys are big and chunky with a long throw specialist as well as corners to defend. We need Gueye at both ends of the park. If he's ready, this is the ideal game for ACD given the way PNE had no idea how to handle Brooks in the Blades game. Just like Bristol City, we owe this lot rectification for some recent defeats. PNE look ponderous and will be vulnerable to the sort of breaks we have been springing this season from defence.

On the nose. I am struggling to think of a time since we were relegated from the Premier when we were going into the next game with 17 players deserving and easily good enough for first team starts and we'll over 20 I want to give game time to. The lesson of JRC to the whole squad is have a stinker and you might not get a chance at redemption for weeks or months. Pressure on places produced excellent performances from Pears, Beck, Batth, Dolan and Ohashi. Less so from Hedges and Baker who were both solid but solid is no longer good enough to keep your place in this squad. The Tronstad Travis combination will take some shifting though.

The stats lie- they would suggest we fluked it but that was as comfortable a win in this league as they come. Strength front to back, left to right despite the makeshift looking line-up which were causing vapours on here from 2 to 3pm. What I liked was our usually sloppy half hour was perhaps 8 minutes before half time and the ways we controlled the first 15 again then ripped into them at the start of the 2nd. Trav took his gift with supreme composure and Ohashi smacked them home at the end of two devastating moves with the ball travelling quicker than the Robbins could reorganise from us taking the ball from them deep in our half. Both previously first choice full backs out shows great strength in depth and so good to see the Cantwell, Tyjon and ACD cameos at the end. Here's hoping Pompey hold the Baggies tomorrow so we can have a week rather than only a night dreaming the season had just ended..

Waggott staggers on. Now with a great opportunity to sell more tickets and bond with fans he is cocking up Bristol City and PNE ticketing. Retire man!

Don't tell JRC against Blackpool. Perhaps that was half asleep under playing in retrospect.

Oh boy, I hope so. But I don't think we are secure enough in ourselves as a team and squad for that sort of certainty. I look at the Bristol City defense and am pretty certain we have enough in our likely starters and subs to get goal chances and listen to their boss and doubt he will have fixed the problem. So my hunch is more that they will lose than we will win if that makes sense...

International breaks do funny things to me. I have just watched interviews of Ryan Manning and John Eustace back to back by the respective local media. That's 18 minutes I will never get back- 9 minutes each. Stunning contrast For a city of the size and wealth of Bristol, the interviewer was a disgrace. Don't ever knock Andy Beyes! Manning was both vapid and specific- meaningless yet said too much about his players all of whom have an added y at the end of they surname... Manning wouldn't get me out of bed never mind motivated to run 12k during a football game. Had the right words but gave me zero confidence he really knew why they are leaking goals or if he had fixed it... Eustace on the other hand struck me as the accomplished cool diplomat/politician. He doesn't have the smoothness or the eloquence of JDT (whose press conferences were as much a weekly highlight as the actual games!) but behind the West Midlands voice and occasionally mangled grammar is a guy in control, knows what he wants to say, says it and no more. Of course the good start helps but I am becoming a big fan.

Assuming no training injuries and excluding Leonard and Gilsenan plus suspended Gueye, Rovers can now field two elevens of recognised senior players. So who is not even going to make the subs bench tomorrow? Are youth in Tyjon and Duru to be sacrificed?

After so long without that Rovers feeling of excitement twisted with apprehension of impending cock-ups, it's back again. Match day is approaching...

Apparently they expect to be without 9 players at Leeds in the game we all want both to lose.. Hadn't realised we had roughed them up that much.

Disgusting

On the profit over what was paid. Southgate not giving Wharton a minute in a competitive game has apparently cost us at least a million in add ons.

Would Chrysanthemum Somerville have got a minute playing for Arsenal last season? Perhaps a shot at young player - we can dream!

This post is in whispering mode We seem to have a Manager who has ambition and knows what he is doing and is ruthless and has the squad on board with him. We seem to have squad depth and a good balance of youth and experience and several goal threats And in ACD and Cantwell we have two shots at Championship Player of the Year if they come good First time we have had all three in combination since Souey. We might even have a good January transfer window OK gone for a lie down

He is even worse than he was reported as being!

Looking at it from Toth perspective. He has two keepers well onto their 30s ahead of him in the Hungarian squad and was getting all the game time he needed at his former club. He wasn't sold the Rovers on being a bench warmer to a younger keeper. Pears always has a mistake in him. Two unpunished howlers at Burnley. From our perspective, does Toth get a chance before or after Pears costs us points? And I am putting the likelihood of Beck starting this game at over 50%.

Excellent podcast. Enjoyed it very much.

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