Just got home after a good trip out with the old man... We can talk all day about formations and signings BUT... If that back 4 starts for us in the league there is NO CHANCE we will improve this season, never mind threaten the top 6 as the manager says. I'm trying to not get carried away as it's pre season but if Bennett and Mulgrew start and he reverts back to putting Rothwell on the bench then I will be on the manager from the first game of the season to go. I hope its just a team that's been picked for a pre season game and nothing more. Few more thoughts: Travis changed the game, did more in 5 mins than any of our other midfielders, drove forwards well, looks like one of our main players now. Bell is beyond shite, not a footballing brain in his head and gave the ball away all the time, absolute dogger. Sam Hart looked a miles better player than Bell when he came on. Got forward well, looked tall, athletic and more capable than Bell. Keep you're eye on this one, I think this lad could be the dark horse to break into the first team. I was impressed... Or maybe it was just Bell was that shit.. Or a bit of both. Dack looked knackered and out of ideas, much the same as the last 3rd of last season, I hope he can find form. I thought Leutweiler generally did well. Johnson looks HEAVY and pretty immobile, hopefully other attributes will shine through and he will sit in and do a good defensive job protecting the back 4. Buckley was tidy but for all of the plaudits he got he didn't actually really do anything. Touched the ball a lot in ineffective areas of the pitch, didn't give it away but didn't really offer anything either. Other than that no one did anything else to report.

Buying would make most sense. I think all things considered it would be one of the better options after Forster. A better and more direct replacement for Raya.

3pm I think. It being shown on Rangers TV.

If Nicko is right it won't be a long term option because it's a loan.

Just some stuff on twitter from a dubious Southampton account. Wouldn't read to much into it. Would definately be our best option.

A loan would be the only option realistically, he isn't going to walk away from that contract. A signing of that standard would really raise expectations.

I somewhat agree but it depends on how they're looking at it. If we offer to pay 10k of his wages that's over half a million saved for a player who's played once for them in going on 2 years. This is why we will want 2 keepers because for players like him there will be a recall clause and we don't want to be left without a decent 2nd keeper... I just trying to convince myself though probably.

This is my preferred choice but I very much doubt that will happen considering the coin he's on.

Shouldn't do though if that's what they're going with. Lawrence is decent, one of their better players but they well over paid and I'm not sure he'd get in our side. Waghorn is crap and a waste of 8 million quid. Keough is past it. Bogel has potential but still just a kid. I fail to see how many of theirs would get in our side to be honest.

Are you for real? Dack, Rothwell, Lennihan, Travis would get in their side. Arguably Graham and Nyambe too. There is a lot of crap in that 11 since they lost their loan players.

I don't disagree. If we get a decent centre half, keeper and left back then expectations should be to aim for promotion.

Got to say, I think our side is better than that.

I think many people will be thinking this too and I can completely see why but... I'm not sure I can see Charlton keeping us out. I think we've got quality and options going forward and I'm not sure they have the quality to deal with it. On the flip side we always seemed to find a way to concede last season, hopefully with Raya gone that will not be the case quite as much in this next season, providing we bring in the right keeper.

Don't know if I'm stepping on the toe's of anyone wanting to do the match thread but I thought I'd do one to get the conversation started. Not long till kick off now, doesn't seem that long ago since the last season finished and the manager currently has us in a weaker position (defensively) than what we were in last season. We have a tough start to the season so for me this is already a must win game, considering our home form is what kept us from being in a relegation battle last season. As far as our starting 11 goes, it's hard to predict right now considering we could still sign 3 first team players. In an attacking sense the manager will have somewhat of a headache but I imagine Graham will start ahead of Gallagher and I think Dacky, Armstrong and Rothwell will still be nailed on starters, though I would like to see more of Chapman. I imagine Johnson and Trav will play holding midfield. Trying to guess our defence right now is almost impossible. Will he still play Bennett at right back? (please god no) Hopefully it will be Nyambe following some stand out performances in the African Cup of Nations. Lennihan is nailed on to start at centre half, along side who is anyone's guess. Left back is a position I felt strongly about improving and I'm sure many of us felt the same but obviously the manager doesn't agree (how? I have no idea), so it's looking like Bell will continue there. All this is based on the presumption we will play 4231 but strong rumours we might go back to the dreaded 5 a the back and false 9 experiment that brought about our worst results last season. It's a great formation if you have the personnel to pull it off but I don't think we do. When I've seen other sides who have played this formation they appear to fully commit to it and I think that's a must if you want the players to fully buy into the idea. I just don't see it working. I just hope the manager keeps it simple this season and plays players in their best positions instead square pegs in round holes and just to fit in his favourites, if he does this he will find the fans on his back pretty sharpish, me included. Charlton will be a tricky test, no games are easy in the championship, they've lost key players in Bielik and our main defensive target in Bauer to Preston and Joe Aribo to Rangers. With regards to incomings, they don't appear to have added any proven quality to their first 11 so currently it's looking like Bowyer is going to have a real job on his hands to keep them up because they're very much weaker than last seasons side who didn't exactly walk it into the Championship following a late promotion push. Also, their absolute bastard of an owner has neglected the club, openly admitting that he has no real interest in owning them (scumbag), so it doesn't appear likely that they're going to add anymore quality to their ranks either before our game. I know its the first game of the season but this has to be a must win, a draw and a cagey match is most likely but we need to go for it if we have any intentions of doing something this season. The manager can't have the same mentality as he had last season, he frequently referenced Sheff United who had a manager with a very positive and attacking mindset, he needs to adopt the same to push us on this season. Prediction 2 - 1 Rovers (Dack, Graham) and typically we will be hanging on for a win.

Following the rumours of him not wanting to move from the Norwich area it might say more about him than it does about us.

Sounds like the sort of player we should be looking at. Surely if this scouting team that TM has out together has anything about them they should be suggesting players like him.

I've long thought that it wouldn't be unrealistic to poach a goalkeeper from the Bundsliga or Bundesliga 2.

If he's in last year of his contract then that definately smells of a Rovers signing.

I don't disagree with most of that. I think signing this lad will depend on this 352 experiment that's rumoured to be raising its head again. Can't imagine he will be cheap? Personally, I don't care where any player plays just as long as he makes our first 11 better. Priority right now has to be GK & CB right now though.

I can see why Rovers would be interested in Curtis but the reason we probably haven't gone for him yet as that he would be the 600th midfielder at Rovers.

It just came over me how close we are to the new season... I'm not the type to get worked up about transfers really but leaving the goalkeeper situation unsolved with only 2 weeks till kick off is pretty amateur. Nevermind not sorting out the centre half situation too. If pre season is all about getting these new players to buy into a new style of play it leaves little to no time for them to come and settle into it. If we suppose we make our signings next week, by the time they actually sort everything out and get on the training pitch it will leave us with merely a week. After all the goals we conceded last season this should have been key for the manager this summer to iron out those creases but instead he's neglected his duty of what his priority should of been... Improving our weaknesses (defence). It's clear that after Bauer there was no plan B, which again is highly amateur. I get it, we don't have the budget to do our business early but surely at least the goalkeeper situation could have been sorted? At this late stage of the window I don't think it will do any good just signing some kid, we need a been there and done it type centre half that can come in and be leader straight from the off, a James Collins type player (not necessarily him). I just fear this messing about is going to cut into our season and effect in a negative way, especially as we have a tough start. Manager and his recruitment team need to liven up sharpish because a bad start could dictate what sort of season we want to have.

Bit of a joke how much of a deal we made out of publicising our involvement in the European Market and thus far haven't even been linked with hardly anyone, never mind even bidding for someone. There are definately goalkeepers out there we could be looking at.

Getting some young lad on loan best not be the extent of sorting out our defence. If we're signing experienced pro's this summer, this would have been the area I'd have signed one for. Why should this lad come in and stagnate Magloire's progress? I'm not into premier league loans anymore. What's the point in having a grade 1 academy if we're just going to loan in young players from other clubs?

Yeah we did and that particular game was one that stood out as a complete failure. We had absolutely nothing in the final 3rd and the ball just kept coming back at our pitiful defence.

They have a 'false 9' in Firmino, so it's more like WF - AM - WF. We tried it last year with Dack through the middle and you could argue it ruined our season. We got battered off Preston because of it.