I for one am amazed that a Premier League club are willing and able to loan out a player so soon after the World Cup, unheard of

I would be happy with Gallagher on loan. He played in a poor Birmingham side that scored very few goals due to a lack of service. He still finished the season as their top goalscorer with only 6 goals. He knows the club, he knows the manager, I think as a loan signing he would be ideal. Armstrong, Chapman, Maddison and Bauer as well and I think it would be a happy summer.

I think things haven’t gone quite to plan if we are looking at loans now; that’s taking the boss at his word. Early on he said he wanted the business done before the Austria trip which didn’t happen. Then at the fans evening he said he wanted our own players not loans but may look at loans to supplement us at the end. hope there’s some smoke and mirrors here otherwise it seems the plans put in place aren’t coming to fruition.

At the end of the day it is Mowbray's neck on the line. He went to India and came back singing the owners praises and talking about being given a good budget, it's his responsibility to make it work. He's earned as much patience and freedom as can be afforded to a manager after last season. He'll get judged on results and if the results don't come he'll be under severe pressure. If he thinks he can get by with a couple of loans that's up to him but he carries the can if it goes wrong.

And skin colour seemingly ?

Something has gone amiss with our transfer plans. All the talk of permanent signings has dissipated and we are back in the loan market. Mowbray loses huge credibility If we start the season with what we have now.

Sorry but I struggle to believe anyone would argue that we are anything but weaker than we were in our final game vs Oxford. We have lost Armstrong, Payne and Antonsson. 20 goals between them, who were integral parts of the squad - settled in and knew the other players well. The fact they came to us on loan is one of my gripes - I recall raising this as a concern when we were signing them all - an over-reliance on loans which is unsustainable in the long term because when they go they need replacing. That's why I don't want more loans because it is filling a gap until this time next year when the process starts again. The only two additions are midfielders neither of which have any real track record of scoring or creating goals. Like him or loathe him Feeney was an experienced attacking option that featured for Cardiff on their way to promotion last season, so he can 'do a job' better than the current alternative of nobody. That will probably change but right here right now he was another option that has gone and not been replaced. If/when he is replaced then we'll see if his replacement is better. I would hope he is. But currently there is nobody to measure him against. We're playing a dangerous game, more so than rivals who already have squads in place that competed in the Championship last season. We are no better than we were last season, likely worse. Nyambe and Travis aren't going to bang in 10 goals a piece next season. I doubt Travis and Nuttall will be trusted by the manager to start many games.

Rovers should have a pole of season ticket holders.

No need to panic the transfer war chest is on a very very very very slow boat from Mumbai, only one sail (is cheaper is better) , Last seen 2013 off the coast of Oman ETA 2022

If you are stuck in getting a ticket I live on the same street as ewood park,I will get you one.Im working before the club shop opens and don't finish till after it closes.But I'm off all day on Thursday...if you get here on Thursday and they won't give you a ticket due to not being on the database send me a pm and il go over and get you 1

Still don't think that will be enough. 1x CB 2x Wingers (pacey) 2x Forwards = Minimum.

I'd start Travis over Evans now, in a championship game. The rate he is progressing he could keep Smallwood out the team in the six to twelve month and that is not an exaggeration or over reaction

Can’t believe you’ve now started taking on JHRover - one of the best posters on the site! ”It’s not me it’s you”

I hope Chapman is a loan deal with a view too a perm. Just to be on the safe side after his injuries last season.

Rovers have a couple of deals ... think there will be one new arrival before Liverpool game and some other news?

He is still under contract so unless some club pays the going rate is it really an issue? I don’t think so

Popped on for any transfer news and all I'm seeing is this... Maybe calm down a little???

When did Waggott come in? The recruitment seemed spot on last season for the League we were in. Maybe he's been trying to do things on the cheap and got it badly wrong? However if it was known all along that the budget was something like £1.5m in transfer fees plus a couple of loans then maybe TM should have threatened to resign as it is blatantly obvious that life in the Championship has moved on massively over the last few years with the ripple effect of the parachute money filtering Down. No one can seriously hope to be competitive in the Championship for £1.5m plus hanging on anxiously until the end of the loan window hoping there might be one or two Premier League Clubs who are willing to loan out a youngster or two. What if there aren't?

We haven't seen Rothwell play yet, plus there appear to be major question marks about his ability to stay fit so it's impossible to say at this stage whether or not he'd be a better siygning than Payne. Prior to the transfer window I usually agreed with your posts but Your insistence that the squad is well equipped to tackle the Championship and that things are completely on track seems somewhat bizarre. To date we haven't brought in anyone with Championship experience or higher and are minus Chapman, Antonsson, Armstrong and Payne from the squad that tackled League 1 last season so to me it defies logic to make out that the squad is anything other than weaker than the one we utilised to take on a lower League last season.

Caddis hasn't been fit for purpose since day one. An awful signing, and even more baffling that he was given a two year deal. If he wasn't willing to accept a one year deal I'm sure we could have found a traffic cone willing to accept cheaper terms and which would have done the same job, if not better.

When did counter attacking football become anti-football? It's been around for decades and some of the best teams in history have played a counter attacking style. Belgium and Croatia need to realise that being defensively solid isn't a crime, it's actually extremely important if you want to win things. Playing pretty football is pointless if you can't keep your opponents from scoring against you.

I really hope Mowbrays honesty and integrity as a person hasn't been used against him by our Scumbag owners. I hope the truth is that he's being patient and there is money left to spend. If not then it's same old. Let's see what happens...

Pretty much exactly how I feel about it. There's no getting away from that in certain areas, we're badly short. Fortunately though, we look fairly well off in others. Defensively, we're fine. We were fine last time as soon as Coyle was potted. Numbers wise we're okay in the middle of the park too, albeit with an element of players stepping up to a new level. Already better than last time we were in this division, if Davenport can be as good as he seems, potentially miles better. Issue as everyone has recognised is up top and out wide. No idea if Gallagher has improved since we had him, but he would be useful even if he simply hasn't got worse. Got goals in a team with no service and basically no manager. No reason why he can't get more now that we've got a proper set up. Don't see anything in Mowbray's comments which look like panic stations just yet, but clearly the next few weeks are massive in terms of what we can hope for this season.

The significance of Rovers' first match might have been lost in translation. The webmaster thinks we played a church team, without realising it was the old Church F.C. from down the road. I must admit for many years I thought the West End cricket ground, where Church and Oswaldtwistle C.C. now play, was where Rovers played their first ever game. But it turns out it wasn't the original home of Church C.C. This was on the recreation ground owned by Captain Pickup (no relation) of the local militia, at the point where Church, Ossie and Accy all merged. The webmaster's other historical stuff is quite amusing to read.

I think you are forgetting that for the most part the quality of opposition will be a lot better than the likes of Rochdale, Fleetwood, Oxford etc. At the moment our squad is weaker than the one that finished last season, its fact, 20 goals have left the team. Of course you would say that. Considering on other threads i have seen you call some of the most passionate fans we have "idiots" from however many miles away you are, i'm not really sure your opinion counts.

Agree with this, but I’m also hoping there is a Maddison or similar close which is likely to use up the cash budget rather than there just not being one

Given that we'll be looking for 3-4 attacking players by the end of the window, don' think there's any problem at all with 1-2 of them being loans. So long as they're all of the right calibre, think that's an entirely healthy ratio for a team looking to do well in the Championship. If we get Gallagher & Armstrong on loan, Chapman on a permanent & ideally another attack minded player in (Middison if the budget stretches), then I'd be happy with that.

As we all know strikers are the most expensive and highest risk signings. Goals cost money. There aren't many players out there who guarantee goals and those who do are highly sought after and can command big wages and fees. If you're short on cash or not prepared to put much cash on the table then you're going to either be picking up scraps or taking big risks. Strikers are judged on how many goals they score over a season, if they don't score many or any they will be deemed a failure. Even a striker who scores 10 in 40 odd games will likely be judged as average. Tough business. That's why we hear stories about Cheltenham Town wanting £1 million for a player who is 24 and has had one prolific season in the 4th tier. That's also why I suspect we're going through the loan market as the club is unwilling or unable to get drawn into an expensive recruitment process to go and buy a high calibre striker who is likely to notch 15-20 goals a season. We either can't or won't pay for one. So it will be either a loan or free agent. Trouble is both only get done at the back end of the window when clubs become more desperate and the Premier League boys have who they want and are prepared to let a few go out. Its all very noble and that to refuse to shell out big money whilst other clubs like Norwich cough up £3 million to loan Jordan Rhodes. I'm sure the bean counters and friends will sleep easily at night convincing themselves that we're on the 'right' path whilst others are on the 'wrong' path. Ultimately though all that matters are results on the pitch. If Norwich or whoever get into the play-offs through Rhodes' goals whilst we get relegated due to a lack of firepower then their approach is the right on and ours is the wrong one. Only time will tell.

Since the only players to leave are either unwanted; Feeney/Ward, or came to us on loan, I find it insane to hear we will “start the season weaker than last”... That also belies the idea that our younger players are always improving. I’d say Nyambe, Lenihan, Raya, Travis and Nuttall are all better than 12 months ago. The reality is we might not have the type of investment to be spending a few million or 20k a week on someone, whilst some see that as a lack of intent, I prefer the sensible option.

Very fair article here https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44808192 Stats in this volume really don't lie. Southgate got some elements very right - three at the back, going for Pickford, choosing Maguire over Cahill, the set piece routines, selecting Trippier over Walker at wing back. However when you're getting less shots on target per game than Costa Rica and Tunisia there is a critical need to go back to the drawing board on midfield and attack. For what it's worth I'd look at moving Sterling into midfield and just play Kane up there on his own. I think it may perversely help us slightly, although it would depend on the midfield effectively supporting the striker. Also Kane's lack of mobility is a barrier to going it alone up top, but potentially that was just due to injury. Also I'd swap one of Alli or Lingard for a passer - probably Shelvey. He's got his faults but I think Alli and Lingard are too similar, and Alli in particular has been poor. Alternatively we could drop Walker and go 442/451. That would let us play Shelvey, Alli and Lingard. But I think we won't do that as 3 cb has worked pretty well. I could easily see us lose the composure and control of possession 3 at the back has given us. One good thing is we are going straight into competitive games with Spain and Croatia (the new Nations League) so we should be able to experiment a bit against high quality opposition.

I have no doubt you will be wrong about that

Regardless of perceived slights and perceived bad refereeing decisions the best team won the tournament. France were just too strong for Croatia. They have good players all over the park, including match winners in Griezmann and Mbappe. They will be there or thereabouts for the next one too. It was an excellent world cup. Some great games, good performances, and progress from England. I only missed watching 3 games. Kick off times were great for me. My top 4 are; France, Belgium, Croatia, Uruguay. Modric was given the player of the tournament award. I agree with that. I'd have Hazard at number 2. That big lad up front for Russia had a great run too. Certainly not top class, but was excellent.

I’ve seen tweets from at least half a dozen fans that I know for a fact go to every single game. I’ve had the quotes confirmed by my supporters club that were at the services, I know them personally and they are the absolute best of our fan base who spend a fortune and a hell of a lot of time supporting the club every single weekend, so they were rightly upset by a disgraceful outburst, considering they were just chatting politely to the rest of the squad. So please withdraw your posts BDS.

Excellent post. That's my reading of the situation also. I was told from a good source that TM knew who he wanted for tbis season and had presented his wish list to the Board almost before automatic promotion had been mathematically confirmed. The lack of incoming activity and TM's recent comments about being "hopeful" make me think that We're making League 1 size offers for Championship players and having no joy whatsoever. Obviously I can't prove this, just as those who claim we have adequate money to spend can't prove they're right either until said money is spent. Still two or three weeks to go and the proof of the pudding will be in the eating eventually.

I think the only people that should have got new deals on the back of promotion were Raya, Lenihan and Dack. No -one else is good enough to be particularly worried about for me, if they think the grass is automatically greener elsewhere then good luck to them.

Brilliant. In your zeal to defend the indefensible - armed with no facts - you’ve even managed to make up some bullshit aimed at Rovers fans. ??????

Every day's a good day when you're retired. Off to Spain for seven weeks on Tuesday. This is the life.

Ouch. First me then Stuart. Cut to the quick with a few deadly strokes of the keyboard!

So sounds like Travis has been the standout midfielder in pre-season, do we think Mowbray will start him in the first league game? I think his stubbornness will overcome and we'll see Evans and Smallwood...

Who would we realistically want to see go out on loan or permanently depart with replacements: Loan: - Jack Doyle - Matthew Platt - Scott Wharton - Stefan Mols - Joe Rankin-Costello - Willem Tomlinson - Joe Nuttall Long-term departure (would need replacements): - Paul Caddis - Sam Hart - Corry Evans (maybe?) - Ben Gladwin - Peter Whittingham - Dominic Samuel (Mowbray seems to have plans for him) About right?

I totally disagree on that. Could be moody but had a lot of good games and was rightly player of the season one year. Always thought he would go on to do well. However I would not have gone so far as to say win a world cup!

For me SG started quite well but faded badly as the season went on. Overall he wasn't good enough. If he'd improved that much since he was here last I'd have thought Birmingham would have been moving heaven and earth to keep him on.

A quick heads up for those in AU, Thursday nights game against Liverpool will be available live on Foxtel Channel 517 (if you have a foxsports subscription)

I accept we don't know the budget, that it how it should be, but the signs are there that things are not going to plan. Mowbray wanted the majority of his signings in place ealry doors but only two have arrived. There is no need to panic yet and if we spend and bring in players in the coming weeks then I'll happily admit that I was wrong.

I have to say I find this a really odd post

He has, but to be fair he has been spoiling the thread in recent weeks by treating each contribution to the thread as a personal affront and feeling the need to quote and reply to every one. Guess if you're a regular on here you get used to chaddy and to know and love him whereas if you're only an occasional viewer dipping in and out it must all look very odd.

Despite the best efforts of the disgraceful British Press and berks like Boris Johnson to demonise them i would like to congratulate Russia on a superb World Cup. отлично сработано!

Not sure why people keep going on about Mbappe emerging as a new superstar in this tournament he has already moved for £166 Million as well as scoring in the Champions League round of 16, quarter finals and semi finals.

Can I have one?

Expensive, not that good and only a loan, that wouldn’t be a great signing and one that showed a total lack of imagination if it were the case.