Wil trapp

[robinrover]

A seven figure sum of around 1.2 million has gone in at Columbus for this young midfielder
Now I know little about him but the midfield is obviously an area Tony is concerned about.

[champs95]

I do think possibly Davenport is signed more for the future, not so much now. He is very very young.
Rothwell is adequate, but I get the feeling very much a squad player.
Leaving only Smallwood and Evans. We need more, and there will be a reason TM is eyeing a new player for this position. Wittingham wont stay, and a few others. And I trust in Mowbray, so happy to go with what he thinks we need.
Personally I really rate Travis. In no way do I see a reason why he should not be playing? But there will be a reason. Instead of kicking off about it, and questioning the manager, I am happy to trust in him, even if I strongly disagree with his reasons.

I know nothing about this lad, or the deal. I get the feeling we are not going to get MgGinn so this will be another option.

[AucklandRover]

Someone who is primarily a defensive central midfielder?
Like Evans, Smallwood, Travis, Davenport (Bennett)?
Surely, if we are supplementing the centre at all, it would be with a more attack-minded player.

[champs95]

Someone who is primarily a defensive central midfielder?
Like Evans, Smallwood, Travis, Davenport (Bennett)?
Surely, if we are supplementing the centre at all, it would be with a more attack-minded player.

Bennett is RM though. If we move him, then we lose an effective player from that position. And IO don't think hes quite as good there.
Davenport, while young and dynamic, is a young lad. Meaning his form will be erratic. Meaning he will play some weeks, and not others. We sold a kid from our academy last season for £1m. Young lads will come and go. Clubs are always on the look out for a young gem. We saw one for £200k. A complete no risk signing. So we brought him in. We have Prem clubs watching our lads, equally we are looking for a steal.
I am unsure why Travis does not play as much as I would like? But I don't see him everyday in training. And I have never played professional football. I have played football at a high level, but not professional. If I had 40 years experience inside of football like Mowbray, I would be qualified to cast doubt over what he does. As I don't have that experience, or knowledge, I hold an opinion. But I am prepared to let him make the decisions.
Who is to say we aren't going for an attacking midfielder aswell?
A lot of these names coming up now, are not ones any of us have mentioned before.
I firmly believe that Mowbray has identified a list of players he wants, who he feels will keep pushing us forwards. And he has the backing from the owners to go get these players. Some we have got, some we have missed out on. He knows exactly who he needs, and who is a priority. Who we need on loan, who we need to buy. Who should go out on loan, who we need to keep.
Rather than question every decision, whether I have played football at a half decent standard 20 years ago or not, I leave that to the guy who has come in and turned our football club around. Some he will get right, others not so much.

[AucklandRover]

I totally agree that Mowbray has earned the right to make the decisions, but it's also legitimate (and healthy) to debate and even challenge them.
Would Trapp be anything other than an educated guess, given that he is completely unproven in European football? You are sometimes quite critical about the standard of Scottish football, but surely the same applies to the USA leagues. There will be individuals who will make the transition successfully, of course, but you never can tell.
The argument I've used about managers even applies to players sometimes. I thought Whittingham was an excellent signing, but he has been a bit of a damp squib so far.
I suppose, bottom-line, I am a little uneasy about your optimistic enthusiasm. I am just going to follow the cliché and take it a game at a time. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than bitterly disappointed.

[champs95]

I believe in a scouting network. I believe in the department Mowbray set up almost as soon as he walked into the club. I can see Scottish football is about League 1 or lower standard down here. I also believe good players can play in Scotland. I believe the American league is poor. I can see however that good players will play in said league. We bought Ryan Nelsen from DC United for a few hundred thousand. You cant say ALL of the Scottish league is a joke. Some very good players come through. Can you say the league, and the standard is poor. As it is.
Nobody could say with any degree of certainty that Nelsen would come into English football and do so well. If he has been properly scouted (which I believe we did) then you expand your chances.
I believe we have a good scouting network, so therefore I believe and trust in the players he is interested. He has far more experience than me.
Of course I have an opinion, and of course its a good talking point. But I am not ever going to apologise or explain why I am a positive person. I just am.
And last season I was the only one with a realistic viewpoint that was pretty much bang on the money all season long. I didn't waver then, even when most questioned everything 'because they have been hurt before'. Because I know what I can see. Mowbray is far from perfect, far from being a god. But from a viewpoint of sorting out a HUGE problem inside our club, and on the pitch, he has done a brilliant job. I don't believe many managers out there would have the backbone, skill and knowledge to take on such a big job. Therefore the guy has my backing. Even if I have the occasional doubt, I leave that outside and support whats going on. Because its a good thing. Far too many go straight to negative as their default setting.

If we don't have the good season I think we will have, I will still be there next season. The lads and manager will have my support. Every single opinion I have, I can also explain and back up.
I am not the joke, knee jerk, excitable person I am cast on this site. Which suggest I don't a bloody clue whatrs going on. I pretty much told everyone what would happen last season. Despite being told all-sorts. So I can sit and discuss this now at length.

[champs95]

I totally agree that Mowbray has earned the right to make the decisions, but it's also legitimate (and healthy) to debate and even challenge them.
Would Trapp be anything other than an educated guess, given that he is completely unproven in European football? You are sometimes quite critical about the standard of Scottish football, but surely the same applies to the USA leagues. There will be individuals who will make the transition successfully, of course, but you never can tell.
The argument I've used about managers even applies to players sometimes. I thought Whittingham was an excellent signing, but he has been a bit of a damp squib so far.
I suppose, bottom-line, I am a little uneasy about your optimistic enthusiasm. I am just going to follow the cliché and take it a game at a time. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than bitterly disappointed.

I think most felt Whittingham would come and do well for us? Especially in Div1.
And safe to say, nobody said when Dack came in for £750k that he would be player of the season in the entire league. and get us promotion pretty much on his own. I don't recall one person congratulating Mowbray on that signing?
The signing of Armstrong is a sign of where we are. He is a class act, for us. But we spent £1.75m.
Look at what WBA and Stoke and Forest etc etc are spending? If Arma doesn't work out, its a £1.75m mistake. No risk.
if....sorry when .... Tom Ince flops at his 7th club then its a £10m FLOP!! So instead of looking through everything in a negative way, I chose to say 'I'm happy with what we are doing, and he has my own support'.

This does not mean I am blind, if we sign a stump, like GLADWIN. I will call it the way I see it. And say.
If I think we could get a better keeper, then I will say.

[AucklandRover]

That's not quite fair, Champs.
I totally endorsed and defended Mowbray's performance throughout last season. I thought his decision to base the team around two defensive midfielders, allowing the attacking threat to come from elsewhere, was a brilliant piece of strategy.
One of the things that impressed me most was how he made the team better than the sum of its parts, and created an amazing sense of together in the players and (most) supporters.
Even so, TM and the scouting network got a few things wrong. The process isn't infallible.
My main worry is that if the squad gets too big, lots of players will not get a sniff of a game, and it will much harder to maintain the camaraderie. You have to remember that most footballers have enormous egos.

[champs95]

That's not quite fair, Champs.
I totally endorsed and defended Mowbray's performance throughout last season. I thought his decision to base the team around two defensive midfielders, allowing the attacking threat to come from elsewhere, was a brilliant piece of strategy.
One of the things that impressed me most was how he made the team better than the sum of its parts, and created an amazing sense of together in the players and (most) supporters.
Even so, TM and the scouting network got a few things wrong. The process isn't infallible.
My main worry is that if the squad gets too big, lots of players will not get a sniff of a game, and it will much harder to maintain the camaraderie. You have to remember that most footballers have enormous egos.

So in a way, would you say my comment about Mowbray being 'brilliant' for Rovers is a pretty fair and accurate viewpoint? From his tactics, which got questioned most weeks, his signings, to sorting out the club inwards. He didn't have one formation last season, he had a few. And he changed to what was going on around him, and reacted to each challenge. And created a wonderful team spirit.
The players didn't do that, or the Venky's, or Steve Waggott, or the board, or the under 23 coach. That was all down to one man.

And if he gets in the right sort of player, then they will easily fit into our system, and also our dressing room. That's why he goes for guys like Downing, aswell as superstars with ego's like Dack. Of course the singing of any footballer comes with an element of risk. Just proof is, his signings work more than they fail. On that basis, yes I do trust in him. And do trust that he is brining in the right person, not just the right player. How many Championship clubs are doing that??? Hardly any is the answer.
I recall a lot saying we 'should win promotion' last season. And I recall virtually none saying we 'would' win promotion. Especially when we lost a few games early on. As I tried to say at the time, just give it time, it will all fall into place.
I think we will surprise a few this season. I think quietly, we fancy causing quite a stir. Dack will have a good season.
We will improve as a squad.

[AucklandRover]

Well, even from my cautious standpoint, I will say that I can't believe we got Armstrong for such a low figure. Clearly, Benitez doesn't rate him, but you'd have thought the commercial people at Newcastle would have hung out for more. Now that deadline-day is here, I can easily imagine last-minute bids for him of 5M+.