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This will be an interesting test of transfer policy. Rudy's cheap obscure European buys and bad squad planning vs Preston's solid championship experience and smart Premier League loans. I think I know who my money's on........ but would love to be proved wrong.

It would be helpful for the fans if we had an interview with Cantwell so we could hear the issues from the horses mouth. Has anyone heard a dicky bird from him in the time he has been injured? If his injury is a smokescreen for financial issues with the player then that is not acceptable and if VI is complicit then he can do one. Getting sick of all this “new project” stuff each season with the fans being fed a bunch of promises and lies.

Again!

From Ismael's BBC Lancashire Sport interview, Cantwell doesn't seem keen on playing unless he's 100% fit. Sounds like he was back in training but then felt some pain in his knee, so he was presumably back in the treatment room and not on the training pitch. Perhaps, making him play through the pain previously hasn't been too well received by Cantwell himself and is now standing his ground until he's 100%. Difficult to tell but it kinda seemed like Ismael was frustrated with him for this.

We tend to cope better with the footballing sides, average ones not the divisions better ones, so if we can counter it might suit us. We are so weak on set plays at both ends though so with a made up defence i'm expecting they'll target the things Derby did.

Agree 100%. I've never known the world cave in because a youngster was handed a debut. The majority of the time they exceed expectations. if you can't throw them in in cases of emergency, what's the point in them being at the Club?

no he`s not,he might get to that level but he`s nowhere near at the moment

we need serious investment in january,all over the pitch,it`s plainly not going to happen,judging by previous windows looking to me like the only teams worse than us are sheff wed,oxford and portsmouth,if we finish 4th bottom then val has done his job,you can`t do much else with a squad like ours

preston have changed their style from the thuggish ***** they were under ryan lowe,heckingbottom is smart operator and they`ve recruited very well,they`re a lot better footballing side than they were and are a far better side than derby,im`e not scared of getting bullied like the 1st half against derby,im`e more concerned about getting outplayed we`ve sunk to such a low level under the chicken brigade,burnely are far superior and even preston are far above us squad wise,ffs when is this going to end

That's been Alebiosu by some distance imo but Cantwell has been good when available. Night and day compared to his performances last season.

Everything they say is just full of contradictions, and ultimately full of shit. Ismael is a proper lap dog, nothing likeable about him. Setting yourself a self imposed squad limit, less than the one that is in the rules? Bizarre, purely to cut costs. Its a tough season, you need the full quota of senior bodies. They then compound that by signing an injured player, signing a veteran not suited to starting games, knowing we already have injury prone players, and signing players that need time to "adjust." But they say that its to ensure that young players play? I call bullshit. When we are short of centre backs, does a graduate step up? No, its square pegs in round holes, even a winger at centre back. Montgomery was constantly being bigged up in the summer, I don't rate him but thats what they were doing, hasnt started a game. Has any youngster started a game this season from the academy? They have also tried to claim that Miller was signed as a centre back. Why did he just happen to sign within hours of Brittain leaving, and start featuring at right back initially? Why did we sign only one right back otherwise, when we had already said we wanted cover in that position as one of the priorities in the summer? A couple of months ago, never mind now, Ismael said he wouldnt consider the free agent market as it takes time to get up to speed. Why did he want Baradji then?

I seem to recall they were allocated the DE wing of the NS stand when large numbers of visitors expected. By exception, not the rule.

Pratt is a reasonable center-half, he can, head, tackle, and put his foot through the ball. If he is picked, and asked to play out from the back, it could be a disaster. If he is asked to do basic defending, he might be OK.

One for @Herbie6590?

I'll step in as well iv'e got an inch on Hedges with my boots on !

Not being run as a football club are we?

We can't afford to do that. But administration stricken still on negative points Sheffield Wednesday can. Great being owned by billionaires innit?

I’ll jump in centre back. One thing for sure I’m bloody rapid.

Birmingham for their 150th anniversary get the promise of a 62,000 seater stadium and owners who clearly plan to spend whatever it takes to become a Prem club... We...can't even release an anniversary kit and will quite probably get relegated. C'est la vie

Was lucky enough to see The Roses at Preston Guild Hall Foyer. Not the Guild Hall, the Foyer! This must have been mere weeks before it all went daft for them. My mate John from Darwen said do you fancy coming to see this band, The Stone Roses. I’d never heard of them, was into metal in the main back then, it changed everything for me. They were just fantastic. Also went to the Empress Ballroom gig, what an event. Everyone going mad, everyone, when Sympathy for the Devil was played before hand. Special days.

To be honest i expect that lot to expose us in the same way Derby did whoever turns out for us. Just don't think it's wise throwing him in a game like this you need lads of the quality of Van Hecke to do that. I'd prefer to ease him in against weaker opposition first and as you say he's 22 and was at Chorley, that doesn't bode very well in my humble opinion.

That's fair enough when you already have a good solid first 11 plus back up in key positions and are expecting midtable mediocrity. It's no good at all when you've got rid of every good player and replaced with inexperienced foreigners and others who've never played in the Championship. In fact it's a self inflicted for relegation policy and something that nearly happened a couple of years ago with a better squad. These people need to walk the plank they really do.

He's 22, not a kid anymore , 6'3" apparently. Just don't see any alternative if we stick with a back 3. You could also argue what's the point of having academy players if you aren't going to play them, especially in dire need like this You saw what shuffling the pack did in the last game , it was a shambles tbh

It looks absolutely dreadful.

Oh dear https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ckgkg1d49v7o