Does that stand for Venkys At Rovers, if so I agree! (VAR I am also not a fan of)

I find it a bit strange that you keep saying that you "arent making a documentary about Venkys" when half of the questions on your survey are about Venkys! The main question that people have taken issue with is because even if it is totally accidental, it as if you are trying to pigeon hole people into either drawing a line under what Venkys have done and "looking forward" as if they are no longer still the elephant in the room, or alternatively as a person who is resentful about the past to the extent that they are unable to look forward at the same time. With a prefer not to answer option as a bit of a cop out that ultimately doesnt detract from the fact that the question has 2 actual answers. By the way, the opinions of "give them a chance" and "my views have changed on them. I am pro venkys now" are hilariously idiotic.

Looks like there is real strength in depth in most positions now. You look outside of todays team, which to be honest I didnt feel was our strongest, we also have Alexander-Arnold, Walker and Wan-Bissaka at RB, Chilwell at LB, Gomez and Stones at CB, far better ball players in Winks, Maddison, Mount, Chamberlain and Alli centrally and the likes of Sancho and Hudson-Odoi in wide areas.

Looked well out of his depth against Oldham.

The options available are bizarre. It suggests IMO that if you are attending games, looking forward to the season or what will happen next, or whatever, then you are doing so whilst embracing the fact that Venkys are here. I always have been looking at what will happen next but I still hate Venkys and have absolutely no faith in them or want for them to be associated with the club, looking forward and not embracing Venkys are not mutually exclusive. Totally understand why so many have taken exception to the question and have queried the potential agenda or purpose. Going off on a tangent, I would also echo those who have correctly stated how incredibly naive it is for some to remove the responsibility to Venkys of what they have done to our club and put it down to bad advice that they have learnt from. Also incredibly braindead to defend them for "footing the bill" for their own club by using extreme examples such as Bury or Bolton.

Whats the point just giving up on a season already though? Yes its far less than 50% likely, but there is a chance and we are just into September but its not impossible, 3 teams go down, theyd need probably about 60 points, top 10 form so its difficult but why keep the hope alive by having a club if you give up on a season in September? I never said they could sign players that could keep them up and saying that the ones they have signed probably wont doesnt automatically imply that.

No one has said anything like that last sentence?! It goes without saying that the main priority was keeping the club going. The fans wanted a competitive club and now they will want things like every other fan. To judge the new manager, to choose which players they would play, to berate the striker who missed an open net, to cheer the goal to get them their first win. The "should have been more ambitious line" is you twisting what has been aaid though. I just merely commented that the players they have signed in the main are of poor quality, OGrady and Bunney in particular, in terms of battling for survival, baring in mind the deduction means they will need play off standard form, or close to. Obviously they are left with the last dances at the disco, with nothing to build on and no money. I think as a Bolton fan, obviously Id be relieved and over the moon to have a club to watch. But id also be gutted if I was a fan and they went down.

Its ok saying players are making individual errors, Armstrong, Bennett Johnson, Lenihan and Nyambe, Lenihan, Mulgrew and Raya last season, so there are questions across the board in terms of quality and having that consistency to repeatedly get results. But ultimately there is a much more deeper rooted problem in terms of Tony Mowbrays Rovers sides away from home, the contrast between our defensive records home and away last season and repeated examples of numerous goals going in during quick collapses, and this goes beyond blaming an individual or 2. I saw a different side v Hull, one that whilst riding its luck seemed much more professional and battle hardened, and I was hoping we had turned a corner, low and behold in the next away game we have gone back to square one. You couple this with a lack of attacking threat, and a 14m splurge that hasnt remotely made us look any better in this area, and especially based on what I have seen in our first 6 games, we seem quite a way off our supposed expectations across the team.

Exactly, of course there is a reason they are fishing through the bargain bin, I am not saying they should have signed x, y and z as I am well aware that they are having to sign a squad full of players with very little money at all. Obviously theres no point being permanently content purely with being a going concern either. Theyve in the last few days appointed a new manager and signed 9 new players so the next expectation presumably to have a good go at staying in the league. You want that hope and to be watching your team for a reason, if they decide now they are going down and literally all that matters is being able to watch then whats the point? And why sign loads of experienced, ageing players on short term deals if all that matters is having their club back? As you imply @47er of course it is a very difficult task but I definitely thing it isnt impossible, they will probably need around 60 points from 40 games so not far off play off form. I just dont think the players they have signed are top half League 1 players and even if they gel quickly, thats the sort of form they will need to show over the course of the season.

You seem to have taken my point as if I am slagging off their recruitment. It was a simple point that the players they have signed IMO will not keep them up which HAS to be their next expectation now that their immediate future has been secured. And also how grateful their fans are to literally sign a massive batch of journeyman and no marks. Im not saying that they are wrong to be grateful because they didnt have a team last week.

Any club would happily trim players that didnt play anyway on major wages. The 2 that he will miss are McBurnie and James but hes hit the jackpot with Baston and Ayew. Any team with a 35m strikeforce at this level should have high expectations.

Yes I do, stop being so patronising. My point is not that they could have splashed out on big names, I am well aware that they are fishing beneath the bottom of the barrel. All I was saying is that the standard of signing is very poor, and that it shows how soon it us after potential oblivion that they are in any way happy with them. They should strive to survive in League 1 this season, theres no point accepting relegation 6 games in. A huge and difficult task but that league is shite so you never know, if they have no hope they may aswell have accepted their fate last week.

Elliott Bennett is not a right back but hes played every game for the senior team there. We dont play wing backs but my point was that it seems strange to suggest that players are being played out of position then suggest other players that arent naturals in that position either. Totally appreciate that players made individual errors in the lead up to goals but the point is that we saw similar away meltdowns last season, at Brentford, at Bristol City, at Rotherham, at Swansea, at Preston, at Sheffield Wednesday. Repeated goals going in, often in quick batches. You could go through each of them games, and say x y and z were responsible for the goals. But the common theme is us being a soft touch on the road. I got a feeling of de ja vu on Saturday. I dont think that any of our attacking players have done much this season. Graham didnt have very good service all last season, he got player of the season working with very litte. As an impact sub he has zero worth, he either starts regularly or seems to struggle for momentum. I have huge issues with the money we have blown on 3 attackers, none of whom have shown themselves as credible alternatives, which is a huge concern considering Grahams age. Mowbrays recruitment in this key area has been embarassingly poor.

As I said, I fully understand the situation but id be amazed if the players they brought in have the quality to sustain a serious attempt at survival. Of course they will be delighted to have a team to watch, but we have just gone into September, theres no point accepting relegation at this early stage. Absolutely, hope is the main thing for a football fan! Ultimately, and quite rightfully, the fact they are remaining as a going concern will no longer be satisfactory and they will want to be as competitive as soon as possible.

But he also inherited a 35m strikeforce at Championship level, one with 84 international caps and who had interest from big European teams, and another proven goalscorer who is top scorer in the league. If that doesnt Bony, Olsson, Narsingh, Fer and Montero barely played last season and Ayew was out on loan so hes hardly handicapped losing any of them. Most of the cutbacks have absolutely no effect on the manager.

No way that Lenihan is a competent Championship midfielder, he is really poor on the ball and his aeriel ability and bravery would be somewhat wasted there. I wasnt impressed at all with him when he broke into the side in midfield when he was struggling to push ahead of Lowe, Akpan et al. He is definitely a centre back for me, but hes one who always has a big mistake in him, he can be colossal but he is often rash and gets rushes of blood to the head. You are also suggesting moving Travis wide to make room for him? Seems a bit remiss to ask for Bennett to be dropped at right back to then play another midfielder there, surely Nyambe is our only actual right back? Armstrong is an enigma, when he does play up front he looks totally ineffective, v Hull he couldnt time his runs correctly and was forever offside, and when he did got through he never looked like scoring.

Interesting to see Boltons fans reactions (elation being the main one) on social media to some absolute dross from well beneath the bottom of the barrel that they have signed. I make that comment totally aware of the situation they have been, and are in at the moment, so of course even being able to sign 9 players in a day and be able to piece together some senior players and actually have a side to watch is all that matters. Liam Bridcutt on a short term loan and the ageing Darryl Murphy are probably the highlights, the likes of Chris O'Grady and Joe Bunney very much low lights.

Looks like Ayew is staying at Swansea, with him and Baston as a 35m and seemingly happy to be there strikeforce, with 5m Celina there too, youd have to fancy them for a top 2 push. Great win at Leeds too.

No point debating a game neither of us have seen. For me he looks like a central midfielder who needs to be become capable of stamping his authority on games. Theres more to it than individual mistakes (although Armstrong is a repeat offender and Mowbrays assertion that his "cross country like running going back" last season makes him a safer pick than Rothwell is utter rubbish) we often capitulate away from home like on Saturday. That stat is still somewhat galling in terms of Gallaghers ability to get involved in play, but whilst I dont rate him nor think hes come close to his first league goal our attacking failings are across the board and this new attractivr style is nowhere to be seen.

As I said in the post you quoted, he is technically good but he hasnt actually created anything of note in his cameos in the first team. Even against Oldham he was incredibly ineffective. I suspect that he is only played further forward to make his lack of physicality less of an issue. In that second half we didnt really pose a substantial threat and I dont recall him creating a chance. Not seeing a team developing towards a play off push from the first 6 games. Our inability to create clear cut chances or offer a goal threat is a huge concern and Gallagher wont do anything to rectify that. Meanwhile, any hopes that our collapses away from home are a thing of the past have been put to bed.

Buckley is technically good but I dont see where you could justify starting him. Made his first couple of appearances central but unfortunately far too lightweight. Presumably that played a part in puttting him further forward but not sure he does anything in terms of goal threat or more specifically creating chances.

Shame that neither have shown signs of that as of yet.

Our results and performances so far do not indicate we have a cat in hells chance of a top 6 challenge. Went yesterday and didnt enjoy it at all. Usually it takes money to turn a team that finishes in the bottom half into a play off contender. The 15m weve chucked down the drain is galling. Gallagher offered absolutely nothing again, and was rightly hauled off, so ineffective. Armstrong couldnt be arsed again, and offered nothing. And what is Mowbrays obsession with playing Downing right and Armstrong left, it repeatedly doesnt work, it nullifies both even more, yet he keeps trying it. The fact that Dack ended up spending any of the game as a false 9, one of Mowbrays stupid failed experiments from last season rearing its ugly head again, says it all. A lot of talk as to Buckley's impact, he was neat and tidy but offers nothing particularly productive. Travis was good, Johnson terrible, Lenihan awful for that third goal with the sort of mistake he makes every 2 or 3 games, Cunningham was surprisingly poor too.

Totally agree on Rothwell, there is no justified reasom for him starting the season on the bench. Also to a lesser extent would agree on Nyambe. Think its unfair to blame him on Travis for hypothetical reasons, hes been a regular since he broke in.

That doesnt excuse the wide men not offering a goal threat, ultimately the main reason is the actual players chosen to play there. The first type is defensive wingers, thankfully he seems to have moved away from choosing the likes of Bennett, Conway and an out of position Reed (the latter 2 have obviously gone) purely because they work hard and irrespective of an inability to aid attacks. The second type of wide man he chooses is wide forwards, something he keeps trying now to little/no success. Gallagher, Brereton and Samuel have all played in wide roles, I think because Mowbray wants to give big signings for him game time but doesnt fully trust them, leaving them looking somewhat of a fish out of water out wide. Good to see Chapman on the score sheet again tonight.