We cant I agree although I dont think I have seen people suggest that they aren't Ismael signings. Its clear that the last 2 managers didnt get what they wanted in the market so they clearly werent aligned hence them leaving. Ismael, we dont know either way. How is it a conspiracy theory? We dont know either way whether these 2 so far are Ismael endorsed. Im not saying they arent.

Argument works both way you can’t confidently say he does either we simply don’t know

more conspiracy theories here How do you know that Ismael doesn't sign off every signing and trusts his scouting staff, Gestede and Owen to bring the right profile of players?

I’d argue there isn’t much choice, take what we can get in regardless of ability. 2 players in, peanuts spent, squad weaker than last year. (So far)

I suppose the hope is that like Wharton & Carter, who were both still getting loans out at his age, a few lower league loans gets him ready eventually. Although personally see him falling behind both Atcheson & Litherland this year (2 players who the club would have been aware of when they signed O'Riordan as it was only a year and a half ago)

We don’t unless your in the room but the argument works both ways posters can’t say ‘that’s not a ismael signing’ based on negative assumption and poster can’t say that’s a manager signing based on blind positivity we don’t know

How can we know whether a manager signs off on every signing or not?

Now three managers that clearly don't rate him or think he's got the potential. Bizarre move. Good luck to him

You act like it was just Eustace making the calls on transfers last summer which wasn't the case. It was joint effort between Gestede, Owen, Eustace and Park in terms of transfers. Eustace signed off every transfer we signed. Just like it is now between Gestede, Owen, Ismael and the senior scouts Just for the record, I don't reply to Mercer and I don't read them either. I sometimes reply to the others but I will try to limit the responses if I can

its realistic to believe we'll be weaker next season and probably weaker still the next season after that, given our owners expect us to fund ourselves via sales, low transfer fees and low wages. Do you agree with that?

I mean, I havent predicted relegation or said either signing is shit. And I havent said that "all our best players will be sold" although the ones with 1 year left are obviously at risk. But if it helps your point.

Every football message board around will have their version of all the posters mentioned. We're actually not so hard done to given that our fan base is relatively small. Imagine the Leeds message board with 10 or more Chaddy-esque posters on, I'd have to call it a do at that point.....

It's alright, he's not that good anyway

I don’t think so as any training compensation and solidarity payments due under FIFA regulations only covers transfers up to the season in which a player turns 23. If he’d moved last season (or earlier) we’d have been due a (small) percentage of the fee.

The most pertinent point must be, 90% of what ?

Not sure if it's been mentioned but looks like Flavien-Enzo Boyomo is on the move, will we get any sort of fee seeing as he came through our ranks?

In fairness, he has a point. For example, this thread shouldn’t be the “transfer thread” it should be renamed; “Roversfan99/JHR/Mercer predict relegation, all best players sold, and all new signings shit, whilst Chaddy Inexplicably still reads their responses and replies constantly” I guess you and others enjoy it, but personally, if it wasn’t for potential snippets of actual information every 100 or so posts, I wouldn’t bother.

Bumped into Rick Wakeman yesterday…

That's us out the running then! Trying to think of the last time Rovers signed a player when there were other clubs in for him?

Football has fans not audiences (or it used to anyway).

And it works. Because it had us and Birmingham on track for the play offs on a limited budget and shambles behind the scenes. Simple question, requiring one word answer: Would you prefer it if decisions were being made by Eustace or the current lot (Gestede)?

In fairness, nobody forced you to create an account, or log on. They were your decisions.

A signing that seems stranger and more pointless by the day.

We all know what Ismael said. Has anyone forget this? No. You can hold your hands and say you were wrong about this.

For me, football sold its soul when clubs broke away from the Football League to form the Premier League. With each passing year the game seems to move further and further away from the game I was brought up watching 60 odd years ago. Smaller clubs are penalised for breaking rules whilst the likes of City are charged but never really brought to book - look at what they've spent this summer whilst supposedly in breach of financial regulations. The financial gap between the Premier League and the rest of the Football League is now so huge that very few clubs, even if they get promoted, are able to survive for more than a season. Of course, those clubs then come down with huge amounts of money and are at an immediate advantage over the rest of the Championship. Sky tried - and failed - to make to closing weeks of last season sound thrilling. We knew who'd won the League and the three relegated clubs long before we got to that stage. The so called 'excitement' revolved around who finished fifth! The fact that Tottenham Hotspur, who finished just above the relegation zone, qualified for the 'Champions' League says it all. The game as many of us knew it is long gone. Perhaps it's fitting that Sky continues to turn it into more of a circus than it already is.