I don't know what a real one would look like then, probably much like this.

Stokes and Archer are like vintage cars - push them too hard and they break down Atkinson and Overton have themselves had injury problems this summer while Wood is a walking hospital case These players don't play anything the amount of "red ball" (first class county) matches like those of the past and perhaps that's the problem - they're not match hardened

Nothing until last week of the window.

Blackburn Rovers' transfer window so far; Sidnei Tavares Dion De Neve Ryan Alebiosu Sean McLoughlin Hull City's transfer window so far; Gustavo Puerta Reda Laalaoui Semi Ajayi Akin Famewo Dillon Phillips Joel Ndala (Loan) Brandon Williams (On trial) John Lundstram (Soon) Hull City, who are under a 3-window embargo, have so far had a significantly better window than us... just let that sink in.

It does feel like there is a lack of urgency around transfers. And that the big chunk of our business has been done, just wanting a couple more but nothing close. The players we have signed do in the main feel like plugging gaps in the squad rather than improving the team.

It's a squad game, teams need more than one striker. He'll likely be rotated with Pedro, with Nkunku and Jackson leaving.

Im 43 and agree with the only change being Batty for Dunn. Don't think Tugay and Dunn ever worked as a pair. Pretty mad that only four or five premier league winners get in. Shows how much the league improved 1995 to 2006 when we are picking players who finished sixth at best over first. Partly also how ridiculously good Shearer was in driving the team to win the league.

Both Stokes and Archer ruled out of 5th Test. Bloody hell, India are going to draw the series aren't they?

They've realised they made a huge blunder buying the Club and were robbed blind by advisors, they are no longer interested in the club but won't face the reality of their stupidity and sell. So we carry on with them hoping to break even by selling our best players and gambling on covering the losses cheaply. That's the only explanation I can come up with. What could go wrong?

Because, as you say, we are in managed decline.

Agreed. Whilst Hackney is good He is not the level of Wharton so we should have sold for way more.. and we are still yet to see that reinvestment Clowns out

Less hassle for them and the local Police? Certainly seemed to be Waggott's MO and the trend hasnt been reversed since he left.

Pity more of it isn't spent on replacing outgoing players.

£20,000,000 for Adam Wharton, that should have been £30,000,000 minimum. Like you said, hes turning into one of the best midfielders in the prem.

We could do with their winger at Ewood, putting decent crosses in the box for 6ft 5in Gueye, and Ohashi.

Like Ipswich and co before them - it's crazy how a PL promotion just catapults you into a different stratosphere financially. Sunderland are spending massive.

Exactly. Some seem to want to point to the fact that Middlesbrough have been stuck in the Championship for quite a while as 'proof' that spending heavily doesn't equate to success (as you rightly point out they have had success, promotion, Premier League, multiple play-offs. But there is so much more to it than just spending money. They have an ownership, board, management who want to be successful. They might not achieve success, but they want to, they try, and their fans can see them trying and trust them to get it right one day. Nobody involved at ownership or management level at Rovers can look in a mirror and say they have tried and every fan knows deep down that's the reality, no matter how much delusion or excuses they want to come up with to make themselves feel better about things.

I used to think they were just being disingenuous with this ‘BwD focus’ as their own database would tell them that the majority of fanbase certainly now resides outside the town of Blackburn if not the borough as a whole… but that post from Mike about them not knowing which post codes are even in BwD sums up what we are dealing with

I think you are being very generous saying that Rovers have spent £12 million in the last 4 years. I bet it is well short of that in terms of cash actually paid out so far.

I'm on the fence. Long term we're obviously fucked because the owners refuse to employ competent people and refuse to fund the club. As for this summer, I'm pleased there's at least a plan. We've signed 3 players that are better athletes than the players they've replaced, which is what Ismael's system requires. Forshaw remains a weird signing. I can see us having a season similar to JDTs first season here, without perhaps the top end results (sitting well within the Playoffs for most of the season - we simply don't have the quality or quantity upfront). We'll either win or lose with this high intensity, pressing style. I don't think we'll draw many.

The postcode thing is bizarre it really warrants further investigation and explanation from those who allegedly dreamt it up. Where i hail from Rovers was always the main team, the 'local' team as Ewood is about 3-4 miles away as the crow fly's and a 15 min car journey straight there. Yet we had a Chorley address and obviously PR postcode but a Blackburn phone code so now i presume these albeit small but staunch Rovers strongholds don't matter any more ? Oh let PNE flog their cheap season tickets around there instead and round up the kids or maybe Horwich Wanderers if they fancy it after they've had free reign over Chorley in recent years. The contempt these lot at Ewood have shown to the general fanbase it's no wonder they get it in return. I'm beginning to think the plan now is to have a very small club very cheap club operating at whatever level it can and that only appeals to those few who refuse to give it up whatever the cost and a 'new' tiny generation of fans from Blackburn. Why would that be ?

Ouch.

Of course they could all be great additions, we do need to see them over a reasonable period before judging too much. However the overall point does remain, that Taveres is highly unlikely to replace Tronstad or Travis as a starting CM, McLoughlin probably wouldn't be ahead of a fully fit Wharton/Carter and Alebiosu won't be displacing Brittain. De Neve, at least, seems to be in more favour than anyone for that left hand side of midfield. It doesn't feel like we have signed players to come into the first team, more just back up's for the players who are already here. For a club to move forward, you surely need to be signing players who are better than what you have already? Agreed, if he comes in and takes his chance, he should retain his place. The point being that if all our centre backs were fit to play, he probably wouldn't be getting that chance in the first place.

We've had a very poor window so far, there's no doubt about that. I'd give it a 2 out of 10. In the main, it's cheap punts from abroad whilst seeing experienced championship players go through the exit door. Oh and not a single new contract in sight for 3 of our best players. Brittain and Trav will likely leave this summer, Tronstad next summer. We continue on our downward spiral and the destination will be league 1 again at some point. Think we may be OK next season with Sheff W and Hull in disarray, but we're well on the path to league 1.