The lad is single headedly keeping the club afloat.

What sell on do we have? Anyone know?

That's what I'd be starting if all are fit to play. Be good to have Carter back.

I've signed, how has this only got 521 signatures?

A few points of concern: A watching brief for the rest of the season Passed off the contracts question as an "opportunity" to shape the squad, which sounds suspiciously like no renewals and replaced with free transfers Brushed off the long term question by stating the short term was the focus of their discussions Back to bringing through academy players to sell for profit (and not reinvesting, obviously)

The lad is going to the very top. And that £18m fee looks more and more like our pants were pulled down. Palace really took advantage of our bad financial situation (fair play to them) and we're going to continue to regret pushing him out of the door more and more a his career rockets.

I don't really want him to change an awful lot with regards to the defence (keeper aside, Pears/Toth neither are great) but I really hope he tries something with the attack. The starting attack of Hedges, Weimann and Dolan was a borderline insult. Hopefully Cantwell & Ohashi are back so there are a couple of other options at least.

Agreed. Deffo a good player on his day but he must be so far behind in terms of match fitness/sharpness it was always going to take ages to back to his top level. Testament to how poor the guys at the top are that not only did they push through this deal when there must have been some red flags raised but they hailed it as a significant investment. He did get 30mins against Swansea (with 0 impact) but was left on the bench against both WBA and Plymouth. Like you say, running out of games now, he might be the difference towards the end of the season or, if we get there, in a playoff game. If we fall out of the playoff places and he plays a couple of dead rubbers at the end of the season, it's been a total waste of high wages and he'll back at Forest shortly after.

Something doesn't add up.... ....it'll be this 👆

He's looking like a significant waste of space, rather than a "significant investment" as the club tried to claim.

*Michael Appleton has entered The Octagon *

Eustace would have wanted a payrise. Ismael has taken a lower wage for longer.

Officially confirmed by the club

Sky now reporting

I think it would be crazy to switch to a back 3 with only 12 games to go. We've toyed with a back 3 under Mowbray and JDT at times and it rarely works out. Never really been a fan of a back 3, especially when you're looking at lesser teams. When you're a Man City (at their peak) or a Barca, you're good to go but not a Championship squad that survived on the last day last season.

We just need to get this announced now. As always with Rovers, we have to drag this shit out way longer than it needed to be. He wasn't a manager I wanted in charge but it looks like it will be him, so we just need to give him his chance and see where he takes us this season.

Way too sensible and with some actual forward thinking/contingency planning. Everything this lot have done for the last 12 months is incredibly short term.

Watford is always a special case, so I don't think that worries people too much. It's the 1 win in 10, which had 6 defeats, that cost him his job that is the concern. Wheels fell off and he obviously struggled to turn it around. After he was sacked they lost only 2 in 9, albeit with 5 draws and only 2 wins but that's nearly double the points with a game less.

So, Ismael it is then? Feels like a downgrade on Eustace, so Maggott and Co. have failed in that regard, the idea had to be to replace with a better manager. Could lightning strike twice for JE? ❌️ Sacked by Birmingham, Rooney takes them down ⬇️ 🍂 Leaves Rovers, Ismael takes us down ⬇️ (next season) Feels like this could very well happen.

What should I call him?

No, nothing official

Cheers Yeah, was thinking actually he might not get to choose. George Boateng or David Lowe probably

Who has Ismael had as his assistant? Same guy or varied job to job?

Final stages of appointing Ismael?

throw in that he hasn't made it beyond a full season at Barnsley (his only real success), WBA or Watford either and it just feels like an appointment that will only last a short time