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

I’d take Messi over Ronaldo. Better team player. He’d get the most out of Dack I reckon. Plus Charlie can teach him how to score pens. All in all, it’s a no brainer for the little fella. Both have been unbelievable for years. Truly brilliant. Stick them both in any league you like. They’d stand out. The very definition of World Class.

Good post. I think Samuel can do a job for us. Not a massive concern for me that one yet. I’ve seen zero from Hart though unfortunately in the 2 or 3 games I’ve seen him play. Great point you make about the turnover / clearout of players by the way. Never easy. Couple that with promotion, record points haul, most away wins ever in a season. If it wasn’t for the fact that the transfer window slams shut at midnight tonight I’d be relatively optimistic. Briefly, obviously. Until the next post.

I took Messi until the ancient age of 21 to score against an English club and when he did it was only in a Champions League Final, terrible that he clearly peaked late.

Surprised by the negativity surrounding Messi today. I thought he played well. Had 2 very close shots and supplied the ball for the missed penalty. Di Maria was an embarrassment how he has had multiple 50million pound transfers??? As our man Eamon Dunphy would say he is a spoofer and a show-pony.

Would that be the same La Liga that produced the last 5 Champions League winners & 7 of the last 10 finalists. And that has also produced 4 of the last 5 Europa league winners.

He’a bang average without a world-class Barca team around him. He’s proved that time and time again for country. Put him at Crystal Palace and he’d do absolutely nothing. I even think that if you put him at Man City, and I still think he’d struggle because of how he’s built.

There was contact but it was very slight. With the momentum of his body he would have found it difficult not to go down, although I could see a ref without VAR waving play on for that. Horrific penalty though. Baggio-esque.

VAR got that one right. It looked blatant in real time. However If I was Argentinian I'd be asking why their penalty wasn't even looked at in the earlier game.

That Daniel Arzani would be a fantastic signing for us young international pace etc

But surely the contact comes as a consequence of sliding to get a touch on the ball before his opponent. A touch on the ball is winning it and any contact is a by product of this. And I don't believe that the incident was 'clear and obvious', borne out by the fact we and millions of other are disagreeing. One thing I think we all agree on is that the art of tackling is soon to be extinct.

That's the thing. Clear and Obvious. I wonder what views Platini was shown. It seemed like it was a rushed decision backed up by previous complaints about VAR taking too long. It was never a penalty and Griezmann should have been booked for simulation - in fact I thought that's what they were actually going to VAR for.

He wants a 30 year old, Chaddy wouldn’t sign anyone over 29 so that will be an interesting reaction when it happens. Big week ahead, Mowbray said he wanted the majority in before the pre season trip so it will be a sign things aren’t working as planned if we don’t sign 3-4 this week.

As a young player Rooney was a better bet than Ronaldo. One looked after himself and one didn't.

Trust the Chicken Chokers to blow away the recent feel good factor at the club. They never change, terminally stupid.

Gazza could have been up there but for injuries

Think ill avoid this thread until a transfer is made.

Fantastic first half for the neutral. Break-neck pace. Just imagine if Joe Hart had done what De Gea just did though! Only thing missing is a Danny Murphy mute button. How does he keep getting these gigs? Insipid insights, abysmal analysis and piss-poor prose. Topped off with a grating voice.

Campbell has been offered several roles within academies and junior set ups but has refused them as he believes he should start at managerial level because of the level he played at, he's not been given jobs because he's an arrogant sod. It was interesting that he bemoaned Craig Bellamy on 5 live for being given an interview for the Oxford job when he was turned down, he argued it was because he was black. The interviewer challenged him on it and pointed out Bellamy had spent a number of years working FOC with Cardiff's U12's, U14's before taking a paid role on the academy, working up to reserve manager and then first team coach, whilst also undertaking his various FIFA quals, Campbell fell apart.