On the striker issue; I think VI said that we need more players chipping in with goals. So far in preseason we got goals from Gueye, De Neve, Ohashi x 2, Cantwell, Tyjon and AK. I can’t imagine that we will sign a new striker.

So De Neve is essentially Owen Beck

Won't is a long time. Like Chorley have acknowledged, with football as it is, it looks inevitable to happen. We'll no doubt have another tester later this season.

Until you have a striker hitting 20+ a season, you're always on the look out for a better striker.

If we only play 1 up front and have 3 strikers. I don’t see the need for another. I doubt the 3 strikers see the need for another either. You can’t just keep accumulating players. Unless of course Val doesn’t think the 3 strikers are good enough. In which case you’d imagine we’re on the lookout for another one.

2 more games in and plenty of time spent with the lads in Spain, VI should be reporting back on Monday saying which players/positions he needs. You'd like to think the recruitment team have been busy and will have a few options lined up. Yesterday (again) highlighted how poor Hedges is, a replacement for him is an absolute must. I've no issue with him being a squad player because he does offer good defensive support, if VI is sticking to his 60 mins subs then if we're 2 nil up in a game, no issue really Hedges coming on. So he does serve a purpose but again, defensive qualities shouldn't be his MAIN attributes.....

Yep. Everyone else bar our new signings, Atcheson and O'Riordan are out of contract 2027. I think Montgomery and Leonard would need registering this year so I count 22 players who are 21 and over there, so barring no departures enough for 3 more players.

U21s play Curzon at their place this afternoon

Every time we see all these knickers getting in a collective twist. It’s VenkyRovers, of course there will be a song and dance over them one way or another. You can’t expect anything else. Personally speaking, having to wait an extra week or so to read the standard disingenuous claptrap from Waggott Suhail makes no odds.

Yeah, assuming no exits, a CB, RW and an attacking midfielder (Baradji) would do it. Im keen to give Yuki and Big Mak a chance up top. Any exits will be covered by loans is my guess.

Marc Guiu on loan from Chelsea would be a brilliant signing. We need more goals in the squad. Right Winger, absolute must. All quiet on the Al-Sahafri fella? Were interested in Gassama. Baradji deal on hold, believe he can play anywhere in midfield. If that is off, then then we should get Harrison Armstrong on loan from Everton. So gimmie 3 more. Striker, Right Winger and Centre Midfielder.

Or maybe he knew they were likely going well before we all found out.

In the making, that doesn't really suggest he is going to push us into the top 6 now. I'm expecting him to be no more than a useful squad player this season, maybe becoming a starter by the last month or two if he develops well or injuries open a space.

You would think that the first 11 will play 90 minutes against NEC, or very close to. Tends to be the way in the final pre season game. I mentioned in the Elche chat but one thing that I have found a bit strange is that unlike usually when minutes are spread out with sometimes 2 games being played on successive days to keep everyone in line. Pre season has been very much weighted towards basically 11 players. Surely they will have another game BCD to allow the likes of Kargbo, Gueye, Pickering, McLoughlin, Alebiousu, Tavares, Montgomery, Tyjon etc to try and get morr minutes in?

Asking for it if we dont have a sufficiently sized squad across 46 games plus cups. Gestede said we wanted a right winger with ACD going back and some power up front to compete with Ohashi and Gueye. That was when he expected Weimann to stay and also hadnt ruled out Dolan staying. So if we ended the window with only De Neve and a new right winger, theres no way they can claim that its been a successful window.

5 is about right for what we need. And would take us to 9 which considering that Ismael said 6 or 7 BEFORE Weimann, Batth and even Dolan left, the former 2 unexpectedly. Can take Leonard off the list. No good naming people who not only arent of sufficient quality but clearly cant stay fit. If we only signed one attacker, ie a right winger. For a manager who demands high physical output, likes making mass subs so 7 or 8 attacking players may be used per game. Having only 8 including Tyjon is not sufficient and once 2 or 3 get injured will mean he cannot fully do what he wants to do.

We need another competitive friendly next week. WBA play Lincoln away tomorrow then Rayo Vallecano at home next week. Are we playing behind closed doors?

Prepare for the customary post-Christmas slump.

You can get into dangerous territory by pumping too many untested kids in at once. But the 2 stand outs (typically both having a year left on their deal) in Tyjon and Montgomery both played last season and seemingly were already considered as first teamers coming into this season so nothing they have done in pre season should have altered the numbers we need. Of the others, they seem to be the typical cases (not just here) of academy players filling up the numbers to make up 2 teams whilst players are not ready for 90 minutes. Especially the centre backs against Everton with McLoughlin only having signed that day and Carter getting injured again. Mullarkey-Matthews again seems to be making up the numbers, he doesnt look anywhere near ready for the first team nor should he be expected to.

This should fit on the shelf nicely between My Bloody Valentine and New Order

You knew the rebuild was a complete lie because a Blackburn Rovers senior manager said it.

Maybe he's happy with a few of the Academy players stepping up. Tyjon still being here is clearly a big bonus. None of the CBs have disgraced themselves. They seem to like Montgomery as an option at RB and CM. Mullarkey-Matthews seems to have been catapulted into the fringes of the first team.

Wanted 90% of his business done before pre-season started. We're about to head back from our warm-weather camp and we have a gaping hole at RW and no depth at 10 and CM. He can't be happy.

And most of us complained he wasn't good enough - so to go from that to nothing leaves a massive hole.

Theres a core of players who are top half Championship players. As long as we keep the majority, theres no way the first 11 is anywhere near a standard where youd worry about relegation. There was really even that when we nearly went down, the issue was that even for our standards, a team who regularly nosedive post christmas, our squad was particularly thin to the point where League 2 standard players were regularly on the bench. And we still stayed up. So the keys are to keep or replace our key players, to ensure we have enough depth especially considering the potential high energy tactics, and to get some more goals into the squad. Due to some of the teams at the bottom, you have to be really bad to go down. I dont think we will be in major danger, but its really hard to judge exactly how far up we can finish. The frustrating thing is, with a bit of money and ambition, including tying down our main assets and then a bit of investment. We wouldnt be far away at all. But it never materialises.