Also in the case of Coventry, you have to remember that they were in all kinds of trouble less than 12 months leading to a fire sale of one Don Hyam. They are now in the fortunate position of having a season where they had a negative transfer balance counting into their three year FFP average. Rovers showed competent management in getting Hyam how and when we did.

1 - Middlesbrough 2- Sunderland 3- Sheffield Wednesday 4- 4th 5- 63 6- Adam Wharton

My forecast four weeks ago was second. I was being bullish and taking the GB and JDT project of achieving a sustainable premier league position literally, simply deduced that meant promotion this year. JDT has now said that "the project" has changed. What does this mean practically absent any solid information? I had assumed that like last summer, 4 million pounds would have been found for recruitment. Now at best that figure will be net nil and probably a negative 4 million pounds. I had also assumed that we would do (including the paperwork this time) a Lewis O'Brien type of deal in the January '24 window. There are still strong fundamentals to expect this season to be better than last. - the entire Club is now attuned to JDT's thinking and way of playing so the win one lose one first half of last season erratic performances should be improved on. - we are a young squad so another year's experience should mean that on average every player should be improved. JRC and Carter are dramatic and unexpected bonuses compared with expectations twelve months ago and we should be able to get full seasons out of them this time. - irrespective of results, we did play very well at the end of last season and that improvement in play seems to have been continued through the pre-season. The Girona game was very reassuring irrespective of the result. Let's look at where there are changes in personnel Goalkeeper- TK's save at Middlesbrough is one of the great saves of Rovers history and nobody's going to forget that. But let's not overlook TK making a number of mistakes when he was in goal and his distribution causing a lot of hearts in mouths moments we got away with. Pears surprised everybody by being an able deputy and if we get Leopold, it will appear we will have two top keepers vying for the number one shirt again. Central Defense- were either Ash Phillips or Daniel Ayala going to be starting ahead of Carter and Hyam? Sam Barnes thankfully has recovered and he is very highly regarded while it has been commented that the one thing we're not short of is extremely talented promising central defenders coming through the Academy. Midfield- I have seen enough to be completely convinced that Tronstad is a significant improvement over Tyler Morton of last season. Tronstad instinctively moves the ball quicker, is a more accurate passer, has a fearsome shot and is unlikely to have the sort of total brain farts Morton had at Wigan and Bramall Lane in the Cup. Up front- we hardly saw Dack last season and whilst his four goals were extremely helpful, he was overshadowed by Sammy Szmodics. Ben Brereton Diaz gave us half a season of Chilean International and half a season of clueless youngster signed from Forest Redux. We simply don't know what Sigurddson and Ennis bring to the party but would it be fanciful to suggest they could chip in with 15 goals and assists between them? Markanday could be better than Dolan while Harry Leonard could be good enough to continue his prolific form shown throughout the age groups into the first team. Adam Wharton could be good enough to win Rovers promotion on his own. We are extremely fortunate with our August fixtures to see us through until last week loan deals are done. And let me ask you this- if you are a young potential Premier League hot shot, are you going to opt for a club with no recognised forwards or go to one where there are strikers already well established? My revised forecast is fourth.

Watching it on Portuguese TV. Half time analysis included a coat rack of Portuguese players' shirts from the PL. Of course they chose Nuno Gomes' Rovers shirt.😍

JDT miracle worker!

Great opportunity for the second string to continue their strong pre-season showing.

The August fixtures are very kind to us. West Brom also a club in crisis. Expecting Rovers to move the ball as sharply as we did against Girona and West Brom not to be good as Girona.

Talking of shrinking, Cadbury's products are only 85% of the size they used to be.

Having helped Ukrainian refugee families escape from Z, yes I am sensitive. We have just signed a player because of the Ruzzian War. Were we to try to sign anyone of Ukrainian heritage, they would have a very big issue with that shirt. It is beyond stupid crazy to have that design feature.

Sorry but that Z motif on the 3rd shirt is off the scale stupid and insensitive. Might as well use a swastika.

Yes, the pies can be exceptional- they have enough practice baking them! I doubt Timpana would have rabbit because rabbit doesn't have a strong enough flavour to go in a bolognaise type sauce successfully.

The saving grace is Fenkata- Maltese Rabbit Stew- which when done to perfection is just about the tastiest food imaginable.

Top to bottom; Pastizzi are filo pastry filled with either ricotta cheese or mushy peas Qassat are short crust pastry with either ricotta cheese or mushy peas or spinach laced with anchovies Timpana is macaroni in bolognaise sauce baked in a pie Maltese will also bake your cheeseburger patty with onions in a pie and sausages with cheese in a pie. And yes Maltese kids are the fattest in Europe. There is the Mediterranean diet then there is Malta..

Much more fun than the transfers thread. So many food memories coming back when it suddenly struck me that within half a mile of home there are: - supermarkets with Italian, Spanish, Thai, Malay, Polish, Russian, Chinese sections - Bulgarian food shop - a fantastic large Asian food supermarket - brilliant Dutch fish and Chips - Estonian, Hungarian, Lebanese, Greek, Australian, Brazilian, Peruvian restaurants (plus all the Italian, Turkish, Chinese, Indian and fusion places, even Maltese...) - M&S selling all their own brand stuff sourced outside the UK Basically Britain has disappeared off the face of the retail earth in the last 7 years. PS whenever I am in the UK, I make a point of eating a Melton Mowbray pork pie- is it just me having inflated memories of how good they used to be or have they gone down hill terribly?

🏆 #Rovers have been drawn in Group A of the Premier League International Cup alongside Sparta Prague, Hertha Berlin, Nice + PSV. Each English side plays each European side once, with Leeds, Nottm Forest + Wolves also in Group A. The top two (and possibly third) go through. I hadn't appreciated Rovers had qualified again. PSV usually have a crop of exciting youngsters.

Those Istanbul derbies are beyond mental. Souey first managed Tugay there..

Back before my first marriage I took a young lady to a lovely restaurant in Annecy. I completely lost it on the cheese board- Epoisses, Vacherin de Mont d'or and Reblochon all in their most perfect gooey stinky perfection accompanied by a perfectly golden Sauternes. Poor girl realised cheese could give me far more pleasure than ever she could.

Sadly Brexit has done for all the M&S chocolaty wonders but we do occasionally get a consignment of Fox's biscuits which have managed to self declare on 19 forms to escape Blighty and make it to Malta.

Plain with a very crumbly Stilton. Oh happy memories.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/07/25/britain-is-a-poor-country-determined-to-get-even-poorer/ So sayeth the Torygraph

Cadbury's is now adulterated Mondelez crap and dramatically worse than when I was a kid. Cadbury's Creme Egg doesn't even have chocolate around it. Although Cote d"or is also owned by Mondelez, it hasn't been bastardised like Cadbury's has so that is my go to when needing a choccy boost. I find the high %age cocoa bars not as pleasant although living in Malta we can get the produce from Modica in Sicily which are exceptional- https://www.modicachocolate.com/

If the Cornell University team's LK99 really is a low cost easy to produce superconductor at ambient temperatures and pressure, the world has just changed in ways that are almost beyond our imagination. Rapid phase out of hydrocarbons for electricity production because currently 70% of power is lost in transmission Quantum super computing enabling explosive AI advances Fission power generation becomes a reality Battery performance leaps enormously and no more putting the mobile in the fridge... Maglev will become commonplace

Just renewed and my history of buying flashed up- looks like I have paid to be able to see every game since the rules were changed to allow live streaming overseas.