The fact all three relegated sides came straight back up from League 1 and Wigan and Rotherham are yo yo clubs means you cannot rule out all three going straight back down again. Championship is a very unforgiving league. I don't expect relegation but I certainly don't rule out a tough long season with more losses than wins. I think the squad even today is marginally better than the one that went down and Mowbray is dramatically better than Coyle. So logic suggests a finish around 16th. A great season for Dack and that becomes 8th without ever seriously being in play off contention, a couple of wonder signings will put us into the play off mix, a couple of nasty injuries to key players like Dack and Mulgrew and we are hoping for 21st.

Ages and ages ago I said Rovers activity will go to the end of the window. A closure this early is new to all clubs so they will all be cagey without having a few competitive games to see how things are shaping before it slams shut. So zero conclusions can be drawn yet. Inevitably given the part of the store we are shopping in, there will be duds - more duds than bargains. Just have to hope all this summer's signings aren't duds.

Just out of interest, where are Armstrong and Chapman these days?

Every season one or two bang ordinary Championship sides are made watchable by a Prem loanee or two.

Poor Blackpool https://thesternfacts.com/trump-jr-now-tied-to-banker-behind-russian-money-laundering-scheme-6664d24642fc

Just seen the final at last. Great game.

I have been in China where my VPN didn't work. Can anyone offer a helpful summary of the 73 pages added since I last looked?

Uruguay who have won it twice are smaller

So many positives for England to take from this World Cup. We have found a Manager worthy of the title. Almost all of that squad will be available for selection in four years' time while there are new generations of players coming through who have the winning mentality and experience of winning tournaments repeatedly at junior level. OK they didn't show tonight but players like Kane have the potential to mature into world beaters. At least there is one club in the Premier League in Spurs which seems to have the ability to produce a string of competitive England international players on the world stage. To be honest, I had felt that facing France in the Final was going to be one game too many and we might have faced a national humiliation. As it is Croatia will lose in all probability but are likely to pose a different quality of challenge than we would have mustered. We might still get right royally humped by Belgium in the third place game. Tonight was all about not getting at least a two goal advantage in the first half then not having the legs or the guile to control Modric in the second half- what a fabulous fabulous player he is.

Unlike last night's encounter with quality all over he park, there are weaknesses all over the park tonight. England coming into the game probably fitter. Both sides have players and systems which can hurt the other but sticking with my 60-40 odds in favour of England despite my 60-40 in favour of Belgium getting upset last night. Both sides will lose the respective Final/Third place game irrespective of which one is in which.

My tupence worth on the semi-finals. Any draw involving France, Belgium, England and Croatia which kept France and Belgium apart would have made France and Belgium overwhelming favourites to reach the final. As it is they meet each other teehee. So to tomorrow and Wednesday's reality. Belgium 60/40 to beat France because they shade the player quality in most positions on the field. Mbappe and Griezman are match winners for France if the reds lose either of them for a second anywhere near goal but Belgium been showing resilience and discipline. On paper this should be a classic and probably would be if either side score inside the first 20 minutes. However, if you are France, the only way you are going to tilt the Belgian advantage away from them is by playing like the first two Group stage games and squeezing the life out of your opponents. Do that and the French have enough fire power to be sure they can convert the odd chance that will inevitably come their way. For Didier Deschamps, this is the only low risk option he has got of making it to the final so my tip is Belgium 1 France 0 and the Belgians having enough cool discipline to outgrind the French. On Wednesday. I have England 60/40 to win despite Croatia clearly having the best player on the park in Modric. Plumping for England because as near as damn it this is an English Premier League game as much of he Croatian side has been in the EPL at one time or another. If you are Southgate, you have to play Kane as 1 up front to feed on the inevitable bits and pieces a defence with Lovran in it is going to give you. You are also going to niggle the easily niggled Croats into conceding free kicks in dangerous places again knowing Lovran's Liverpool reputation. Trying to play pass pass pass in the middle of the park will be an invitation for Croatia not only to show how ball control is really done but also to nick it and slice through onto goal. So although nothing like the quality of France v Belgium will be on display, this will be the better match with England to win 3-2 in an epic.

My showreel shows me curling one round an England u-21 keeper and off the post. Only there weren't any cameras And showreels weren't invented for another 30 years...?

Just been reminded that Belgium won 4-0 in the Stade de France three years ago- and France got off lightly that night too.

Pre-season games are meaningless. But its nicer to be meaninglessly happy than meaninglessly miserable. Nice goal by Conway by the way. Even though his Hibs marker was in Glasgow.

We don't know Chaddy- let's be honest

Hope you are right and I am wrong. More importantly, I hope Chapman won't have any more hamstring problems whoever he plays for.

I read that as a no Chapman reply.

Third Place Final...

I doubt Croatia and Modric in particular will be as dopey against us as they were against Russia. England v Croatia is a genuine 50/50 and could be a blinder of a game. Despite all the talent on show, France might go ultra cautious against Belgium in the other SF. Earlier in the tournament, I had ??? against four England players. Now this 4 rank: Young- magnificent Alli- coming good Walker- ok so far but still a disaster in waiting Sterling- WTF Having written that, it will be arise Sir Raheem after his hattrick in the Final

Uruguay without Cavani allowed France to play a few meters furher up the field than they would have done otherwise producing a routine win.. Brazil v Belgium was magnificent. A mix of Belgium really are this good (fabulous defensive effort and what a player Hazard is) and Brazil really aren't as good as they had been hyped. Sticking with that as the game which decided the eventual winners although France v Belgium will be immense. Croatia should have far too much for Russia to be able to handle and man for man England are stronger than Sweden in at least five positions, no worse in five other positions and decisively better in Kane. Yes Sweden can win, but if you played tonight's game ten times, England would win six, three would be draws and Sweden would win once.

Uruguay enormously dependent on Cavani fitness. If he is not fit, France can play further forward and Uruguay will be enormously in need of converting what few chances they will get. Brazil v Belgium could be a classic for all time- expect 0-0 after 120 minutes then!

This is asking for trouble but I just cannot see anyway England not overcoming Sweden and failing to make the semi-final. Reckon it will be hard fought but England will prevail with a two goal margin. I am more certain about this than I am about any of France, Brazil and Croatia proceeding from the other Quarter Finals.

Very happy with business thus far with signings and contract extensions. The key to whether we are OK or a bit of a menace in the Championship will come in the quality of Premier League loanees. I expect we are going to have to be patient and that Rovers won't be inactive on this summer's transfer deadline day.

Agreed. Worried about Walker though- he seems to be on the edge of making a catastrophic mistake all the time. I know he was cramping but he escaped from being caught in possession as last man by the skin of his teeth in the first period of extra time and gifted possession to a Colombian break in the second period. Otherwise all players are growing into their roles and the subs were not overawed coming late into a game for the first time last night. I thought Kane dropping deep during extra time was magnificently disruptive particularly in the first half of ET when the Colombians had some momentum.

Perhaps as many as 30,000 Colombians in the stadium apparently. Many Colombians are students in Russia. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jul/03/england-clinch-first-world-cup-shootout-win-in-intimidating-sea-of-yellow The crowd here in Malta was only 2:1 English:Colombian as there is a sizeable number of Colombians here as students and workers.