https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/19539904.tony-mowbray-blackburn-rovers-talks-brighton-loan-deals/ Both injured, and no mention of a permanent deal for anyone.

Or is Khadra right, Ben Brereton left and Poveda in the No.10 behind Sam Gallagher of Tony Mowbray's preference? Tyrhys Dolan and Harry Chapman are important factors in this discussion. Then there is of course John Buckley, who's proved effective in an advanced role while the menacing Joe Rothwell can be unshackled from the pivot. Leighton Clarkson, too, and we can't forget Joe Rankin-Costello, who is edging closer to his return from injury. This hurt my head.

https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/transfer-news/blackburn-rovers-transfers-poveda-brighton-21400500 According to Jaquob Crooke: The signing of Poveda could lead to a tactical reshuffle that means that "Joe Rothwell can be unshackled from the pivot." Poveda can help us "when when looking to operate on transition." A positive of Van Hecke is his "ability to pick a pass through defensive lines." I think he has swallowed all of the latest footballing jargon.

Kaminski Carter Lenihan Ayala Pickering Travis Clarkson Poveda Rothwell Brereton Gallagher

Unsure how you can come to that conclusion. Carter has played 2 Championship games at centre back, we conceded 3 in both and one in particular he was all over the place in. Seemingly done very well in a weak League 1, im guessing neither of us saw much if any of him there, and he has stood in admirably in an alien position that he clearly isnt totally uncomfortable with, so he seems to have matured after his loan. But massively premature to suddenly rank him above Lenihan. Lenihan isnt perfect by any means but hes underrated perhaps, missed 5 last season in which we lost 3, and missed 9 the season before in which we lost 6, with 2 wins within that 14. We miss him when he doesnt play. Wharton looked good for a couple of games last season, but again, minimal evidence. I think both look like very good prospects who have benefitted hugely from loans. But far too early to suggest that they are our best 2. We need 4 centre backs though, as much as I agree that Carter could do with a loan, ideally at a better team than Burton for a different challenge, it cant be before January with Wharton out for a fair while.

The managers contract situation is irrelevant. I have wanted Mowbray out for a while and I again judge Venkys on not bothering to sack him, in line with their general incompetence and negligence from day 1 regarding either appointing poor managers or allowing very average ones to stay on far too long after clear signs of regression. The fact that Mowbray is in charge means that Venkys still trust him to be in charge, this idea that I sometimes see that previous transfer indiscretions have caused Venkys to lose in trust in Mowbray is nonsensical, if they did lose it, again he should be sacked. Not many teams have sold their best player for a considerable amount and managed to offload such a big chunk in the way of high earners. My expectation is certainly not to spend even half of the saved money necessarily, its just not to be quite so strict with reinvestment. Maybe a couple of million on a forward, maybe one more cheaper young player, a couple of loans (not the expected 5) and then a couple of frees to give us some experience, ideally without an unnecessary embargo. FFP is not an excuse for how they operate, key assets have often been sold only under duress, all at once and at knockdown prices. Reinvestment is never consistent, often sales are followed by an absence of any reinvestment at all, this summer, the one with Coyle and the one when we sold Gestede and Cairney under Bowyer. This lack of strategy goes well beyond Mowbray and Waggott, as much as I want both out. Like you said, it is not the end of the window yet and maybe I will be surprised.

We need 4 centre backs, and with Wharton injured long term, we only have 3 and one of those is Ayala. A kid on loan isnt ideal but thats down to those setting the budgets that it is the only option.

Mowbray has repeatedly said in press conferences that he would like more experience but is signing kids on loan because that rather than be in a positon to contribute much financially, he has to convince the Premier League team that we are good for their development. The youngsters on loan arent a choice of luxury, they are a choice of frugality.

But who give/decide on the budgets?

Why Longstaff? If there is anywhere that we dont need reinforcements, it is a defensive midfielder. We have Travis, we have Clarkson in that area who is naturally a sitting midfielder, we have Johnson who is one of our only senior players, we have Davenport, and Rothwell and Buckley often play deeper too. If we was going to get a central midfielder, surely it would be a goalscoring one.

https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/19537358.brightons-jan-paul-van-hecke-join-blackburn-rovers/ Van Hecke, 21, has been sidelined by injury but is now close to fitness.

Seems like both of these Brighton kids are or have been injured too.

Gallagher out wide is 100% madness. But not sure I have ever seen any evidence of either of those being true. I think the old theory runs true, you finish where you deserve to finish across the course of a season. Last season was 46 games long, not 17 games, and we finished 15th deservedly. Which was a frustrating regression on what went prior, and there was enough evidence in that to sack the manager. Equally, Mowbray could point toward us being quite badly affected by Covid at one point, but those were just excuses too The pressure comment is something I worry about this season. Devoid of experience and leadership. Would be piss poor to let them go for free, but I am not sure how higher those 2 will get clubs. I don't see a Premier League or top 6 Championship having him, especially in their first 11, perhaps the latter might pick them up as freebie squad players.

If ever anyone loses track of what we have become under Venkys, consider that we have sold a player for upwards of 15m and are about to borrow 2 players from Brighton that no one had ever heard of because we still have so little money available. Does anyone have any belief that we will sign a striker on a permanent deal before the deadline? If I had to guess, it will be these 2, some unheard of left back and thats it, all on loan. For what its worth, I try to be quite open minded about loans, the key is not to rely on them, but 5 is going to be too many and piss poor on the owners behalf for not giving us a competitive chance. We do 100% need a centre back, you need 4 competent centre backs even before considering the fragility of Ayala. If Lenihan does sign a new deal, that area of the team for the next 2 years looks as strong as any part of our thin squad, but Wharton is seemingly a bit away from being ready and even then, with the severity of his injury and also the position (you cant give a centre back 20 minute cameos for example) we are looking very light without him. Ideally, Carter could go out and play regularly but we need him until at least January, centre back is a tough position in that if Ayala does stay fit, Carter wont play. I have never heard of this Brighton player, at least he has a small amount of first team experience though. The idea of Poveda playing central is a worrying but inevitable one, no doubt in the false 9 bollocks position. Him and Khadra would be 2 players, both of whom are total unknowns.

I think West Broms football is much more entertaining than many teams. Take 2 examples, West Brom constantly have the ball in the box, so many chances, could have had 6 or 7. Constantly in your face, high pressing, full of energy. Or say a Swansea with their "principles" passing it out and obsessed with possession. Give me West Brom every day. Suppose it is personal preference.

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2021/august/EFL-STATEMENT-INTERNATIONAL-CALL-UPS/ Good news. Brereton wont miss 3 games.

It couldnt otherwise it would have. We finished 14 points and 7 places above relegation, it wasnt ever a close run thing. I pointed out to Mercer earlier who claimed that we was in reverse for most of his tenure, that simply and objectively isnt true based on the results each season. Only true for the 4th of his 4 full seasons. Obviously, avoiding relegation wasnt a satisfactory season last season and it was a significant regression on the previous season, rather than moving towards the top 6. That alone is enough to justify his sacking without dreaming up hypothetical alternative seasons in which x y and z happened and we ended up being relegated. That didnt happen.

That would be a shame. 2 specific runs of form amidst seasons whereby we ended up in mid table, never in any real danger, over a full successful season.

We definitely need 4 or 5 more players, so whilst this initially is a worry, there are a few on there that certainly are not Say we bring in a left back, a centre back, a striker and an attacking midfielder, whether that is another wide man or a goalscoring midfielder from the middle. 2 would be registered automatically to take us up to 25. Then you have decisions to make. Magloire looks a million miles off a Championship player, short term we will have Lenihan, Ayala, Carter and hopefully a new centre back, with Wharton to return in a couple of months. Even long term, with 2 prospects looking well ahead of him, he should be allowed to move on permanently and forge a career in the lower leagues, so that is 3 spaces. Stergiakis doesnt need registering either, he doesnt make the bench in the absence of Pears with Eastham preferred, so he should be loaned out rather than taking up a place as an untested fourth choice keeper. So there are your 4. Even beyond that, Butterworth could potentially be loaned out to get regular game time if we got a couple more across the front line. Why dont they take any blame for trusting someone not capable of doing the job anymore? Blatantly not true. He had the first half a season when he failed with a very difficult task, we wasnt in reverse, he was just unable to get us out of the deep hole that Coyle got us into. The main two thirds of his reign in the middle were blatantly and objectively not in reverse. Promotion was a forward step. 15th in the Championship and comfortable in mid table was a further forward step. 11th was a further forward step, not a major one, but quite blatantly No doubts that in the last year, regression has very much happened, and he should have long since been potted. But there is no need to make him out as worse than hes been.

We cant do without our (cant believe im saying this) main goalscorer for 3 games, also setting a precedent which may mean he misses 7 or 8 overall. Nor is it right to bribe him to sign a new deal by allowing him to go. I suspect it will be a joint decision by the whole league rather than us ourselves not allowing him so it wont be something that he can be annoyed about.

Hopefully he wont go, we cant afford him to miss numerous games. Ive seen people suggest that he should do, perhaps the novelty of his Chile call up has gone a little too far.

If indeed we did sign someone from Liverpool, I think Ojo might be sold if possible, and players like Rhys Williams and Neco Williams I suspect will remain with their first team. So it would most likely be someone who has never played for the first team.

Do you know the position of this mystery player?

Even in this situation where you have assumed that Mowbray has been told implicitly that this will be his last year, no matter what. Something which I doubt would be so rigid anyway if he surprised us all and overachieved. It still would be in his best interests to do as well as he possibly could for his own future career prospects, something which we have no reason to suspect otherwise and indeed something that based on a very reasonable points haul after 4 games, is something that he is doing. His performance in these last 12 months is more than enough evidence to want him to be sacked, without needing to come to extreme conclusions.