- - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -- -- - - - - ---TOTH Duru - - - - - - - - Mcloughlin - - - - Hyam - - - - - - - - - - Riberio - - - --------- - - - - - - - - -TRAVIS - - - - - TRONSTAD - - - - -- - - - - - - -- --- --- - - -- - - - - - -- CANTWELL - - - - -- - - - - - HEDGES - - - - -- - -- - -- --- - -- - -- - ---- - - - - - - - - KARGBO - -- --- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - GUEYE -- - - - -- - - ---- - - - - Pretty terrible opening day squad really gone for Gueye as hoping he will be physical for 60mins and then get ohashi in to keep them running whilst they start to tire out. wishful thinking 3-1 WBA

Wow 2& 1/2 years since a renewal!! What changed after Jan 2023… hmmm!

Struck through the players that should be sold as add zero value. Lots of players to buy.

Losing Brittain is less than ideal, but I do like the idea of adding an Australian (and Americans) to the squad, brings back comforting memories of better days with the likes of Neill, Emerton, Filan, and Friedel. Partly whely I've always been on the Gabriel Slonina bandwagon from Chelsea as a GK option. Seems like a nice option to replace Pears, but let's see. What this team would do with a Jermaine Jones type CM, absolute tease of a loan back in the day.

On the whole think England did very well across the series, should have wrapped it up but for the injury to Woakes. Only thing I have an issue with is Bethal being picked when hes played virtually no cricket and despite Pope amd Crowley struggling for long periods there seems to be no appetite to even experiment with a couple of other options. I wouldnt change how we play, we're very entertaining and i think it gets as much if not more out of our players than a more conservative approach.

He could well end up in the "10". Tavares, Baradji and Henrikson will all end up replacing the first choice trio of Travis, Tronstad and Cantwell, on less than half the wages is my guess. Great business for the finances, not so much for on the field of play.

Did we lose it because of Bazball or were we only in a position to win it because of Bazball?

Or by wides? (India 11 England 22)

It makes my heart sink when you see little kids, probably third or fourth generation immigrants, in India or Pakistan shirts in the crowd.

Horrible way to lose - complete bottle job. Pope has to be dropped now. Bethell too - he's basically played no First Class cricket. Test decided by an injury to one of our bowlers - in a series where they were allowed a specialist WK as a sub fielder (and the WK batsman was allowed to bat).

I hope I'm wrong I really like the look of Baradji .

Great Test and series but that's rubbish by England - a rare chance to beat an arrogant India team and they blew it. They only needed 55 to win with 7 wickets in hand Just like the Ashes series - which England also should have won - the Bazball mentality with batsmen constantly giving their wickets away is to blame. McCullum out

Have we? Who's to say they don't see the Swedish lad playing further forward?

2-2 I know this will sound bitter but… Support India if you wish but don’t then pull on the three lions for the football.

And we would say you are convincing yourself for whatever reason Was Gestede not here last season? Was it not Gestede who said we couldn't start negotiations on new deals last season because we wouldn't know what division we would be in this season? Ultimately the blame lays with the owners but why was it that Broughton could get new deals done when Waggott was here? I do not believe for one second that any manager including Ismael would be behind Gestedes and the clubs stance that we had to wait to know what division we are in before we could start serious contract talks

"Free the Blackburn minutes"

We actually have 25 players who would need to be registered if Ismael was planning to use them this season K - Toth, Pears, Barrett CB - Hyam, McLoughlin, Carter, Wharton, Pratt LB - Ribeiro, Pickering RB - Brittain, Alebiosu M - Travis, Tronstad, Cantwell, Tavares, Forshaw, Buckley, Garrett W - De Neve, Kargbo, Hedges S - Gueye, Ohashi, Leonard Montgomery, Tyjon & Michalski (and indeed any current player from the U21s not mentioned above) do not need to be registered due to their age It would seem from Ismael's comments that Pears & Buckley are on their way out, Garrett is injured in the medium to long term so probably wont be registered, and it is unlikely that either Barrett or Pratt will be registered, which brings us down to 20 Miller will replace Brittain, so still 20 Henrikson makes it 21, and also takes up our 4th & final esc slot Takeaways So assuming no more players leave, we could technically bring in anything up to 4 more (including loans) in, after the 2 sign today Offloading Mafoumbi would free up an esc slot for another esc signing this summer (Baradji?) (no idea if this is the plan, just a possibility) In January, Toth & Kargbo should have played enough games to convert them to standard work permits which would free up 2 more esc slots

Makes me less confident of the being announced

I can't see Baradji signing now unfortunately. For one thing we have no ESC slot available and secondly they have signed the Swedish lad for that position .

Tongue gone. Six balls for Atkinson to win it…

Minutes still not released?

Can't see us surviving this. Beaten nearly every ball.

Also expecting Baradji and Henriksson

Last season is last season. Ismael has had all preseason to work on them and as arbitro makes some good points. Didn't you attend the Everton game? The set pieces were much better.

"we are still dealing with situations from the past . Now we have a clear line internally" Now, it seems obvious to me that he blames what went on before Gestede, ie Waggott. if you think Gestede is included in Ismael's criticism, then that's your prerogative, but I'd say you, and others, are just convincing yourselves for whatever reason.