We've fallen way behind Burnley because of Chaddy's footballing IQ?! DAMN YOU CHADDY!!! Why did you have to go and sack Allardyce, hire Kean, marginalise John Williams and the board, sign Murphy and Etuhu, sell our best players for peanuts, keep Bowyer in charge for too long, fail to find a way around FFP and hire that charlatan Owen Coyle!?! You and your useless footballing IQ!

Our current squad is not any worse than the one that Mowbray got 22 points from 15 games from in the Championship, that was the point. Look at the team that won at Brentford last game of that season. Raya - a full season behind him for the first time and probably better than a year ago. Nyambe - a far better player than he was 12 months ago Ward - a liability. Downing is far better. Mulgrew - off the back of a great season he is fitter by his own admission than he was. Lenihan - no worse than he was. Williams - another good season and now has genuine competition in the shape of Bell. Guthrie - we have better in Evans or Travis. Lowe - we have better in Smallwood. Gallagher - one that I'd like us to re-sign but is he any better than Dack? Bennett - has come on leaps and bounds under Mowbray. Graham - on the back of a great season and fitter than he has been he is no worse than he was. We won that game 3-1. Of course we need reinforcements and I expect Mowbray will get them but the nucleus of a decent Championship side is already there.

“He’s bang average” Ha ha

Top half of the championship is a very tough league one of the toughest around it's becoming Premier league 2 as time goes on. Agree the bottom end isn't that great and that's what we have to better to finish far enough up however a lot of beatings from the top half teams depending how the fixtures pan out can have you in bother from the off and it's hard to recover and that's something that needs guarding against. We've a decent little squad it just needs help in terms of a couple of quality additions and some raw pace. No squad fillers, use our own youth and put all the eggs into getting a few who can contribute to the first 11 basket.

If they'd have gone round the keeper they would still have turned back on themselves and squared it.

Denmark were very poor. Peru fantastic in all areas except putting the ball in the net, which unfortunately for them is the most important thing. They could have played until this time tomorrow and not scored.

This is a better squad than the one that Mowbray got a decent points return in the Championship with when he took over from Coyle.

Poor man's Dack

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/football/every-championship-transfer-confirmed-done-1674585.amp This is every transfer so far in the Championship -up to and including Thursday. It’s not just us that’s moving slow chaps!

Something about the whole summer to date just doesn't feel right at the moment. Although nothing was confirmed about how much money was available the impression I got (from Mowbrays and Waggotts comments) was that there was money to spend but recent interviews have cast some doubt on this. Any out of contract players will be free to sign for another club from July 1st and Mowbray talking about young PL players on loan gives me the impression those two markets are where we will be. My opinion is also based on the owners previous history of back tracking on promises. And I believe if we don't bring in several players of quality we will be on the cusp of relegation from day one. I have no doubt the new BRFCS buzzword (negative) will be used to describe my comments but the lack of movement is quite alarming.

I think people are potentially jumping the gun a little with Mowbray's comments today. Who walks into a car show-room wanting to get a good deal and shouts "right chaps, I need a car, I shall be buying it from here and I have money to spend." We already know that Mowbray has been rebuffed in a couple of attempts to sign players with unrealistic price-tags. So what he is doing is making the football market know (agents) that he isn't willing to spend over his means, and if we have to wait a little to bring in the right players at a more doable price then so be it. I have absolutely no problem with his approach and as long as we bring in 4 long-term signings and a couple or maybe more loans, then that is pretty much what we were expecting anyway wasn't it? At a push (would be a struggle), we only need to add to our flanks and frontline, although of course we would hope for more. Let's not try to douse the confidence going into the new season, because we all know that kind of attitude spreads like wildfire and bleeds into the players. In Mowbray I trust and I really doubt he'd have hung around if the owners had taken the p*ss when he flew out to India.

His reaction will be that of someone who really wanted an older player. I think those who believe the squad to be good enough are in for a shock if we don't suitably strengthen. Big difference between League 1 and the Championship.

That didn’t take long. People have been lulled into a false sense of ability. This is a very good league one squad. We need better.

I would agree with TM that we don't need major surgery this summer. When looking at our squad there are a number of players who I think could do a job for us in the Championship such as Raya, Nyambe, Lenihan, Mulgrew, Williams, Bell, Bennett, Smallwood (if he can make the step up), Dack and Graham. Along with that we have some decent squad players in Leuwitter, Downing, Evans, Bell (who could become first choice this season), Samuel, and Travis. So no major overhaul in the squad is really required, I think defensively we are alright, we've got enough cover in the full back areas with Nymabe, Bennett, Travis, Bell and Williams all able to play there and then at CB we've got Mulgrew, Lenihan, Downing and Williams who can play there. In centre Mid we've got Evans, Smallwood, Travis Bennett who can all play there, although I do think we need abit more quality in there so I would like to see a Centre Mid come in. The priority of the window for me has got to be wide players, we've only got Conway ATM who is probably (hopefully) only going to be a squad player next season, so we need at least 2 wide players with pace to come in, preferably Chapman and one other. We need someone as back up to Dack in that number 10 role such as a Payne ora Holmes and then I'd say we just need another striker to add to Samuel and Graham, I'd personally try and get Arma back, he's quick and seems a natural finisher, at a good age and already knows the manager and the squad. So that's about 5 perm signings with only 3 new players from last season (if we get Chapman and Arma) and aslong as those 3 new players are good quality then I think most of us most on here would be happy with that. We could also use the loan market to bring in one or two signings along with the promotion of a couple youth team players to buff up the squad abit and then I think we would be looking in decent shape. So while we don't need major surgery we do need some quality to be brought in, only time will tell if TM has been backed.

None of that is new. It's about the fourth time that article has been regurgitated with the same quotes. He wants 5 or 6 players, some with championship experience, some with potential and he doesn't want to lose anyone. What is different is the tone of the reporting on contract talks with Dack etc. Where as before they were confident of them signing, the LT now states 'hopeful'. Might be nothing but there you go.

This side bar a couple of players will struggle big time.. League one was a poor league last season as was proved by the three relegated sides all went back up Apart from Walsall and portsmouth at home and Peterborough away we were hardly emphatic last season The side needs major surgery and Mowbray knows it but reading between the lines he isn't being backed by the loons

Some of these comments about Ronaldo have been a bit daft. You’re not looking for a future son in law, you don’t have to like him, but the lad can play, there’s no doubt about it. As for him being overrated. Is this a joke? The statistics don’t lie. The number of goals the lad scores is something else.

Messi has played in La Liga all his life. The only time he’s done anything is when he’s played at Barcelona, against teams in La Liga. With all due respect, the majority of teams in La Liga practically roll over when they play against Real Madrid and Barcelona. When he’s played for his country, he’s done very little to note, in comparison In my eyes, Ronaldo was pretty much the finished product when he went over there. The fact he’s gone over there and scored more than a goal game tells you that. Could he do that over here? I highly doubt it. The reason for the obsession of considering whether Messi could play in England is the fact that the standard of the league is more intense and physical, than over there. I highly doubt he would be able to.

Premier league defences a lot better? They certainly haven't shown that in Europe over the last few years.

VAR is brilliant today He was always missing with that run up

I’d settle for beating Tunisia and Panama.

Messi has just done the exact opposite of his La Liga antagonist from last night. Missed a pen and then fluffed a free kick at the death. I do think that Ronaldo is a true pro who works exceptionally hard and feels he has earned the plaudits, relishing the pressure that success brings, and believing he will succeed, whereas Messi is a supremely naturally gifted footballer who looks uncomfortable when the pressure and spotlight is on him. Could he carry Argentina in the way Ronaldo carries Portugal? I doubt it. Totally different psyche.

Regardless of whether the defender got a touch I felt it was a penalty. The touch hadn't taken it away from the attacker and he still would have been through had he not been taken out. A poor game from a French perspective though. They'll need to be a lot better going forward.

I thought it was a clear penalty and the ball wasn’t touched I am watching sans glasses mind

VAR penalty? WTF? I thought he should have booked the guy for diving.

And simply finished at 24. ?

In your opinion of course, there’s no proof of that. Also, I assume you’ve taken Antonsson, Chapman, Payne and Armstrong out of the equation when making your comparison? On that basis our current squad is already worse than last season. The only strengthening we’ve done so far is not signing Jason Lowe.

That’s how I’m reading it. Thing is, now that Mowbray has said it, you’ll get many fans now agreeing with him and trying to convince you that our L1 side (minus loanees remember) will be good enough. We need a far better option than Downing. A better option than Evans. A better option than Samuel. And two wingers. Minimum.

I can't see the logic in this line of argument though. If Pele, Maradona, or Zidane had come from Azerbaijan, do you think they would have lifted a World Cup? They would have been the exact same player. I fail to see how any player's career comes down to whether his TEAM managed to win one, very infrequently held tournament. It certainly helps, especially if they've been the driving force in such a win, but it isn't the be all and end all. I used to have what I feel was a very similar argument with my Arsenal-supporting friends. They reckoned Lehmann was a far better goalkeeper than Friedel, because of what he had won and how Friedel had won nothing. Would you agree with them? Perhaps you would, but at that time, with Lehmann dropping gaffs despite having less shots against him than Friedel, I thought they were mad to not want Friedel instead. David May won far more medals than Colin Hendry. Who was the better defender? You can never boil everything down to just trophies, because it's a team sport.

Messi is Art, Ronaldo is Science.

Ronaldo is one of those players who make football a "beautiful" game. It's just something in the way he moves. The best player in the world and has been for some time.

Lighten up for once F**k me. That was the best game of football I've watched as a neutral in a long time. Ronaldo is what he is, but what he is, is a big game player and he will without doubt go down as one of the greats. We won't ever have 2 players like him and Messi playing at the same time again in our lifetime so savour it. Unbelievable Jeff

The premier league is inextricably linked with English football. Its the most competitive league but not the best. I think Messi feels the pressure of having a nations expectations on his shoulders and struggles with it. Ronaldo is always playing for himself so is immune to pressure which is why is is a machine and why id want him taking my penalties. Also regardless of if we were staying at home or there at the world cup id still be bitter ?

What has the quality of the Premier League, with the amount of non-British players plying their trade,got to do with the quality of the English National team? We're talking about the merits of the two leagues yet you put the England jibe in there.

There's nothing bang average about Lionel Messi and Barca certainly aren't world class atm. "Put him at Crystal Palace" is like when people try and diminish Pep's achievements by saying something like "he couldn't do as well as Dyche at Burnley". We'll never know because the best players and managers are at the best clubs. I have no doubt that Messi would score a hatful against the powerhouses of Huddersfield, Watford and Bournemouth. I don't watch enough La Liga to know about the teams in there (and I doubt you do either?). There probably have been players that have scored more in Spain than England but there are cases where players have thrived more in England. Salah scored 15 in each of his two full seasons in Italy, he's just come over here and bagged 32. It can happen, depends on a lot of different circumstances. And Messi didn't score against Chelsea for a while but regularly did v Arsenal and United.

Yes. Definitely a 'basketball foul'.

I feel sorry for you guys. I'm watching on Telecinco.. . . uninfluenced by boring men in suits.

Nobody was more pleased than me to see us get out that Division but let's not kid ourselves . The standard was very poor, we came second and you could count the games were we played really well for more than half of the game on the fingers of one hand. Those are the facts that matter to me. Play like that again next season and we'll struggle. It's essential we strengthen the team with a few players that will actually improve us.

Amazing isn't it. Just like Pavlov's dogs. I wonder if they'll be back on when we're struggling at the wrong end of the table.

We are ALL hoping the silence after the Pune meeting was Rovers simply keeping mum about the transfer kitty....sadly,maybe there is nothing to talk about after all. I'm not expecting us to be in the play offs or anywhere near....but by Christ I equally don't want us embroiled in a relegation scrap.

Spain is the 2nd favourite to win the World Cup; so to play that way against them... incredible. I don't know of many players that could have done that. And yes, in the past, there have been jokes of Cristiano going missing.

Completely off topic but I was there at the Oval and he was absolutely unplayable. Took 9 wickets if I remember correctly in their second innings. Devon never had a problem with pace, but his radar often played up, resulting in him not being as affective as he otherwise could have been. I think you're correct referencing the bouncers he received as he was hit a couple of times when batting. Unfortunately for the South Africans, that, together with some unpleasant sledging really wound him up, but rather than put him off his game, he came out and bowled like his life depended on it. They couldn't handle his raw pace and accuracy on the day. Truly memorable stuff!

You can't have seem much of Platini to say that. He was every bit as good as Zidane in his day. Regarding the best - Pele is head and shoulders above all the rest. Maradona is probably next in line.

Waffle waffle waffle. The sentence I've just highlighted means this debate is over. How you can say that is just beyond comprehension

The fat Ronaldo in his prime before injury was for me as good as both. However, there's no comparison. These two have been breaking records and winning trophies year after year for 10 years or more. Scoring 50 goals a season! We won't ever see the like again in our lifetime, too have TWO players at the top of their game doing it year after year competing against each other on the biggest stages, like I said, it should be savoured. We all know why you really hate Ronaldo, he's ex United if he'd have played for the blue side of Manchester who we all know you've got a soft spot for then you'd be his biggest fan

People can love or hate Ronaldo, but he really is some footballer. He drags Portugal up two or three levels purely by himself. As soon as they got that free kick at the end you knew exactly what was coming. They'll instantly become a much worse team the second he retires from international football. There will be parties in the streets of Iran tonight!

CR7 has got some bollocks.

Danny Murphy 'he'll never get it over the wall from there'. Tit.

Absolute football heaven this Doesnt get better

Another point - Chaddy, try to remember that every single post in this thread isn’t aimed at you directly so you don’t need to personally reply to each. No issue with discussion but it feels like you need to validate or dispute every opinion