I will refrain from posting until we have our annual oops missed the deadline farce.

There is one absolute certainty. We will miss a deadline with a screw up.

Extremely noticeable that John is fluent throughout the interview except when asked about transfers when his every second utterance is um. So is he choosing words carefully because A - he is covering the reality that SWAG and Suhail have got nothing and/or B - he is checking himself to avoid letting something slip When asked about Kargbo the answer was " he is somebody the club likes". Not "we like" or "I like"...

So deadline day a week today which means zero chance of a new face being available for Preston and another 3 points in jeopardy.

This is bonkers. Eustace can get a tune out of a shredded car tyre given the performance he got from that ragtag starting eleven at Bristol. Rovers will never have a chance as good as this to get to the Premier League so cheapo cheapo. For goodness sake give him the bodies he deserves.

I desperately hope Pears hasn't seen that Toth Coventry performance and psychologically registered his position is no longer under threat.

Stepping back for a moment, we have taken 5 points out of the last 27 and are 7th. The competition for places 5 and 6 ain't up to much but somebody is going to go on a run and get out of sight. No way on paper should that line up at Bristol have been competitive but we could/should have got a win. JE can get performances out of otherwise completely useless players so I am quite relaxed about who we get in. That said, this is the week the internet gets disconnected at Ewood so I am expecting Eustace to be left stranded and the rest of us fuming in frustration.

What a frustrating disappointing defeat. When I saw the selection I was expecting a repeat humiliation but we played really well within our limitations and in the second half Bristol city were there for the beating. John Eustace could do no more than set that team up as well as he did Now the drama switches to the recovery rooms and the fax machine.

This is a BIG game for Bristol City. A win puts them right into the play-off mix and a defeat makes a mess of their season. Not a fixture to be going into with almost half the squad out.

There were three walking wounded last night at the end in addition to the two who had already been replaced because of injury and the 8 unavailable to start. Did anyone say we aren't counting Gilsenan or the other 5 who normally would be of an age to be challenging for first team places but who have missed complete seasons and more and so not progressed from the youth ranks? Enough feeling sorry for ourselves. We should save that for after another 5-0 drubbing..

Three positives Sanderson and Farshaw gave us two bodies who didn't disgrace themselves when they came on. Didn't see any game changing pace from Thomas-Asante who wouldn't get into a team ahead of either Ohashi or Gueye. We didn't spend 7m on Simms

Gueye was fantastic last night. Eustace did his level best. Swag should resign. Coventry had done their homework on Toth sadly. Can we recall Duru?

If the meeting is after the window closes, they can demand Swag's resignation

Cannot see any way we are going to win this.

Coventry gave a stronger Rovers than we can field this week and absolute battering in our away fixture. I'd be tempted to stick Sanderson in alongside Buckley in midfield. At least he will get the crowd going and will disrupt any plans Coventry may have had.

There are many words that can sum.up that performance - none of them polite. What a contrast in second halves after Wednesday left me feeling exhilarated and optimistic.. Buckley would have been ok alongside Tronstad but Forshaw showed us why he is nowhere near selection at the club rock bottom of the league. Midfield melted to nothing. I fear our play off hopes left the field with Tronstad.

12 pages added in 13 hours. Who have we signed?

Plymouth gave Oxford quite a chasing at Home Park but Oxford were clinical with their chance. Here's looking for our defending to be strong again and having the belief we can score on the turnovers and when on top. As for selection, the back 4 and Tronstad pick themselves, Cantwell undroppable after his second half display and put the rest into a random number generator. Fortunately, Eustace will be watching them going in training and done much more homework on Oxford so will be a bit more scientific.

Seen the extended highlights. Pears undoubtedly conceded a penalty immediately prior to our second but Bishop had been (and continued) diving in the box and wasn't carded for it. The build up from the goal line clearance was sublime, particularly Cantwell not only getting away from two Pompey players tight to him but the pass he played through them was inch and weight perfect.

Although they have had an extra day recovery and it wasn't a bruiser by all accounts, at least Oxford also had a midweek game.

Well it is the first rational reason I have sén for their continued ownership. How old is the son? What is he doing currently?

Asante - Thomas has pace. We need pace. He needs confidence and career rebuilding. We have a boss who is good at that. Venkys can apparently afford him and the link has come early enough in the window to screw up the paperwork and get it corrected. If we had had him on the pitch in place of Hedges the first half probably wouldn't have been as awful and boring as everyone says it was.

We can point to the ref homing and them hitting the bar but it should have been academic had we taken the two chances in the first 15 minutes

Just looked at extended highlights of recent Portsmouth games. There is no doubt that their defence bring gifts and have become expert at last ditch emergency rescue! Callum Lang is a very good winger who comes inside and scores regularly. Josh Murphy looks as quick as his brother at Newcastle. Almost all Pompey goals have come from the sort of opposition mistakes we are suffering less frequently this season (except at Coventry) aided by Pompey deploying a very effective high press. If we suck them in and pass the ball quickly and accurately through midfield we should have joy this evening. If we trap ourselves playing it around too much at the back with Pompey pressing us we will be inviting trouble. If in doubt, find Row Z and regroup. Too many recent teams playing Pompey haven't done that and paid the price.

Given the way Eustace has us set up, pace is what we need above all else. Even a headless chicken who can stay onside would give the other 10 (including keeper's option of the long punt against a high line defense) new possibilities. Rover having pace would change the whole dynamics of how teams set up against us. Oppositions are comfortable deploying a multiple player high press knowing there is nobody from Rovers who can simply run away from them and not be caught. None of our forwards is capable of breaking clear of a Championship back line. We have seen all our forwards get out sprinted when they have had a clear run at goal, most notably ACD v Hull and Gueye at Boro recently. If Asante is genuinely quick, he could be what we need. I cannot remember specifically when he's played against us but my recollection of associating his name with being a real threat in games we have faced him in.