alex l

Trying for a balanced, non-emotive view on this window, and God it's hard when players who have given so much effort leave en masse. I think it's fair to say fans were sick of players leaving for nothing. It's also responsible to have an affordable pay structure. However the club clearly has something wrong when it can't retain any senior players. The only scenarios I can think of where you'd usually sign so many players is either a) promotion and needing to improve your squad or b) following relegation and an exodus. A) has players you'll have awareness of, we're much closer to which is alarming for a club who nearly made the top 6. The board have gone all in on the approach. If it's a bad season it's all on them.

Show me another club, who, between the beginning of the January window and end of the August window, lose their entire starting back four! And yet the people who we want to get rid of stick around forever and a day

VI quoted over the weekend as having no interest in Browne and not looking to bring a keeper in, same old stuff about needing pathway for the younger guys. Also said whilst it can change and opportunities can come up quickly, no loans were being looked at.

Has Rudy done a good job? Well the proof will be told in time, but it also depends on how you define a good job. I'm not supportive or against Rudy, but I can recognise he's managed a squad overhaul pretty much in one window. He's got what is presumably the profile that VI wants - more athleticism and pace. He's got rid of deadwood - JRC and Bucko, who presumably were on decent wages within our structure. The blip for most would be the senior first xi players who were sold - but the balance is them leaving on a free which we've had enough of. If we can't offer extensions they'll sign is that Rudy's fault, or the budget he is working within? The unknown transfers are always a risk but, particularly under Mowbray, there was often talk of how our UK based recruitment was so unimaginative. Rudy feels he has better value from abroad so let's see. If rather try a punt on Tavares and Baradji than another Akpan and Williamson.

Is this not us following the Brentford/Brighton model but scaled down? Buy relatively unknown, youngish players for lowish fees in the hope some are a huge success and sold on for multiple times of their cost. As much as was said otherwise it does appear fees received are being to some level re-invested

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Sam seems like he can't believe it that Tony didn't ask for more money to push for promotion. I think I once heard how, when he wanted Salgado, it meant we needed to finish a couple of positions higher to hit the budget target. He went ahead with the signing - more cut throat than Tony.

Even with the emoji, quite a telling comment from the former player liaison

Mowbray on No Tippy Tappy. Lots of Rovers covered - budgets, Suhail, transfers... Some won't like what they hear. He seems a principled man in an unprincipled industry. ke

TBF, I fully expect Derby fans to react how some of our fans did when Mowbery was signing players from his old club 'use more imagination' 'jobs for the boys' etc. Unless you're signing genuinely great players relative to the clubs position, which none which have gone to Derby are, there's nearly always a greater level of scepticism of the signing.

Chuopo-Moting was awful and somehow played for PSG and Bayern. He had a genuine contender for worse miss of all time for PSG.

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2025/august/20/mafoumbi-departs/ Departure confirmed. Would be typical of this regime to now not sign a player, let alone one who needs the ESC

Jackson has said VI said no comment to all Travis questions - but he apologised for doing so. This has got JDT repeat all over it.

As much as many of us would like to think we'd take the moral high ground, for him it's his livelihood to support his family. I doubt his time at the LT and LancsLive has provided such a financial build up that he can tell them to sling it and abandon his job.

His through balls were promising. But he was nowhere for their first goal - I think he even looked towards the free man, but stayed still. Hedges at least has defensive discipline and work rate. Would it have stopped that first goal? Who knows, but Axel was asleep for it.