A massive summer awaits

That marks the end of a very poor season in which we massively underperformed.
Some players have already been told their future will be elsewhere and more to be announced in coming weeks,we are about to embark on a massive rebuild job.
So what areas do we need to look at?

Defence:
Question marks over both of our right backs need answering and fast.
Nyambe and Rankin Costello are out of contract but both can have a year extension triggered.
Lenihan hasn't had the best of seasons but this was more or less down to a lack of a decent partner.
Harwood-bellis improved with every appearance and would be useful to approach for another year,failing that Wharton and having carter back from a successful loan is not a bad option.
Ayala will probably grace us with half a dozen appearances but no more than that.
It looks like bell is to be offered a new deal which is a cheap but probably a fairly smart option.
He isn't a championship footballer but with money tight and the fact Pickering will need to acclimatise,another year is probably the correct call.

Midfielders:
The one area that went from overspilling to thin is the midfield.
Evans and Holtby confirmed going along with elliot returning to liverpool combined with possibly Bennett,Johnson and rothwell leaving its looking an area of improvement needed.
Dolan,Buckley and Costello on the right is fair enough but the left could be in dire need of improvement.
Centrally needs bulking out as well,travis and Davenport could potentially be our only central Midfielders.

Forwards
Armstrong is likely to be going so that leaves us Gallagher and brereton along with McBride/butterworth as back up.
Might be useful if Armstrong leaves to sign a forward up but not essential.

This season is a huge job and on a very limited budget.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by robinrover

That marks the end of a very poor season in which we massively underperformed.
Some players have already been told their future will be elsewhere and more to be announced in coming weeks,we are about to embark on a massive rebuild job.
So what areas do we need to look at?

Defence:
Question marks over both of our right backs need answering and fast.
Nyambe and Rankin Costello are out of contract but both can have a year extension triggered.
Lenihan hasn't had the best of seasons but this was more or less down to a lack of a decent partner.
Harwood-bellis improved with every appearance and would be useful to approach for another year,failing that Wharton and having carter back from a successful loan is not a bad option.
Ayala will probably grace us with half a dozen appearances but no more than that.
It looks like bell is to be offered a new deal which is a cheap but probably a fairly smart option.
He isn't a championship footballer but with money tight and the fact Pickering will need to acclimatise,another year is probably the correct call.

Midfielders:
The one area that went from overspilling to thin is the midfield.
Evans and Holtby confirmed going along with elliot returning to liverpool combined with possibly Bennett,Johnson and rothwell leaving its looking an area of improvement needed.
Dolan,Buckley and Costello on the right is fair enough but the left could be in dire need of improvement.
Centrally needs bulking out as well,travis and Davenport could potentially be our only central Midfielders.

Forwards
Armstrong is likely to be going so that leaves us Gallagher and brereton along with McBride/butterworth as back up.
Might be useful if Armstrong leaves to sign a forward up but not essential.

This season is a huge job and on a very limited budget.

---

Rothwell has been offered another year.
Johnson may well yet be given a contract.
We have Davenport & Travis.
Personally I would be making Barry Bannon at Sheff Wed prioprity number one.
I'd have kept Evan's over Johnson.

Armstrong has to leave. And will. We will never get any better or improve with him in our side. We need to get around £15m clear profit on his sale.
Then we are in a very healthy position.
We buy a lower league striker, we are closely linked to the lad at Blackpool who has scored lots of goals this season.
We have 2 very decent strikers left.
They are absolutely fine. Play them in a 2. With 2 decent wingers and a good supply line and they will do damage. Change the system to suit them both. They will be just fine for a number of seasons. Both young. Both got experience now. This is why we invested the money years ago.
Bell has been no worse than Douglas. Keep him. He challenges Pickering. Let that highly paid nobody go back to Leeds on big wages.
We have someone just as good here.
I've never seen Rankin Costello have a good game. Not even sure what he is? Not a RB. Or a midfielder. Always injured. He can leave.
Keep Nyambe & give him an improved contract.
Get the lad back from City. Harwood Belis has been excellent. Ayala will hopefully remain fit as cover.
We will have a fresh start next season.

Derby have a huge job. Sheff start on Div1.
We are fine. Midtable like always. Very good start & end and pretty average in the middle. It's a long season. Ours was ravaged by injury.
Dack will be back in Oct. Back playing in Nov.

Next season will be ok. Quite interested to see how it pans out. I have a feeling next season will be much better and more positive. And it will be Mowbrays last. But I do feel he will walk out on a better situation.

Just a couple of things.
Mowbray playing wingers?we can dream but the possibility is still there for brereton and Gallagher to be stuck on the wing.
Rankin Costello has had a few good games but he is injury prone.
I am concerned about nyambe too as I cannot see him doing a full season.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by robinrover

Just a couple of things.
Mowbray playing wingers?we can dream but the possibility is still there for brereton and Gallagher to be stuck on the wing.
Rankin Costello has had a few good games but he is injury prone.
I am concerned about nyambe too as I cannot see him doing a full season.

---

I am unable to name one winger in any league in the modern era. They are no longer in fashion.
Equally, almost all forwards play outwide.
Tony Mowbray has not invented this.
Harry Kane plays CF.
Cavani plays CF.
Can you name another?
Rashford, Salah, Mane, Vardy, Son all these top players play off the left or right of a CF.
I do not see their managers being destroyed. Quite the opposite.

Can we name another Rovers striker who scored 28 league goals for Rovers?
The fact remains, the lad who scored them all is predominantly a winger.
So something is off in this rounding of Mowbray on this.
We scored the 3rd highest amount of goals in the division. In no way can anyone really say we aren't good going forward. The stats back that up.
The problem we had was in defence and midfield. Either ravaged by injury, or way too many options.

He won't find a winger, because that player no longer exists.
Chapman? No chance. Dolan? Won't even make it.
Look at all the other clubs, the one thing you will not find is a winger anywhere.
Niether will you find a big lumbering 6ft 5 CF anymore. As that is also a thing of the past.
And we are not at fault for that.

The more I think about, the more I feel Armstrong will likely be here next season.
Once we rid ourselves of all the high earning players we probably won't even need to sell him, as we will save that much.
In reality, Armstrong would go and sit on Newcastle's bench. He wont start every week for them. Or West Ham, whoever.
He may just want to carry on scoring goals, so may think why not just stay here and give them one chance of promotion.
If we signed Bannon, and a few others and got lucky with injuries, we have the makings or a play off side. If we got rid of the right sort, and invested wisely.
25 gaols a season, with a decent defence and midfield should be good enough.
I still feel uneasy with that keeper that everyone decided was good enough early on. To me, he is the question mark.

Nyambe is only in this position due to his agent playing us so he can get more money. And Nyambe aint worth messing about over or being held to ransom. Get shut if he is playing silly buggers. And its not him, its his agent.
The one you sit down is Arma. Offer him a new contarct, ask him what he wants wage wise. Give it him and say to him give us one more season to get promoted. We only need about 3/4 of the right sorts of players and we will have a good go.

No 2 seasons are ever the same, next season won't be ravaged by injury.
Dack will come back much faster this time.