Mani pal. Sharpe said the other day we wouldn't be spending money on attackers, we would be getting them on loan. Now Mowbray is telling us that we are going to spend 7-figure sums. There must be some expensive defenders on their way. The new goalkeeper has now reared its head again after going quiet for a month or so. We are also now back to 4 signings even though it was 3 before Palmer signed. I'll believe any of it when I see it. I'm happy for you and Chaddy though. I nearly cried when I saw your last sentence.

Not strictly true. The one game he started against Portsmouth he was very good. And it will be aproblem for Mowbray because every time Chapman is sat on the bench and we don't perform questions will be asked of Mowbray.

The problem is Chapman won't start games. Mowbray has never liked him so has never played him. He said if he came back again he wouldn't start him.

How much did Marriott got to Derby for in the end?

Why two strikers? We only play 1 up front so we only need another as back up to Graham (or to replace him). Not sure Mowbray is a fan of wingers but as it stands Bennett, Conway, Rothwell, Samuel and Palmer are all capable of playing wide. I'd love Chapman back or a player of his ilk but does Mogga want to play like that? He's seems to like forwards like AA, Gally, Antonnson and Samuel on one wing at least. I think two wingers and two strikers is a pipe-dream. One of each and a CB will be nearer the mark or he's going to have a lot of players who never get on the pitch.

Who was the guy Watford were in for who you said we were signing? I think you said we were signing two?

Can you stop being negative please (I believe that is what you used to say to people in the World Cup thread when anyone had the temerity to criticise England)

Hugely. He improved a lot last season. His biggest strength is his one-on-one defending. He was literally shrugging wingers off last season who tried to beat them and then coming away with the ball. He's a beast physically. His attacking play was a lot better too, he went on a few marauding runs every game last season at home that got us up the pitch. Mulgrew keeps him honest too when he wanders a bit out of position (a weakness but that's improving too). Don't listen to those that say he was 'targeted' by the opposition. It's bollocks.

Is when they come to the club relevant beyond them missing a game or two at the start due to rustiness? I doubt it. There is no equivelanc between then and now. Coyle could have had them all signed up on the first day of the window and he would still have been a shit manager with no idea of how to win games.

Teams go down for all sorts of reasons. The main one is the manager. Of course we can get dragged into a relegation battle but I don't think we will based on the reasons I gave. Mowbray isn't the messiah or even a naughty boy, but he is cautious and pragmatic enough to get results. Coyle just put them on the pitch.

Oxford fans said the same about Payne and they were right. Palmer sounds like another who is more comfortable in the middle, but I'd also imagine he's a lot stronger than Payne. It's a strange one really, Mowbray has said Palmer will provide cover/competition for Dack but he's also said he can 'travel' with the ball from deep (central midfield). Pretty much what he said about Rothwell too. We seem to be signing a lot of central players. I fear three at the back based on the signings so far (Bell included) and the lack of genuine wide men, and the fact we also want Bauer/Beevers. It would be certainly be easier to play Dack and Palmer together behind a striker if we have wing-backs. Then again he may just be want competition in every position and that the likes of Rothwell and Palmer will play wide. One thing is for certain is that he likes his wide men to work hard and track back. The opposite of Chapman. Be interesting to see how we set up at Ipswich. I think the squad is shaping up nicely apart from up front.

With respect Gregg you aren't the first to ignore the short-trousered elephant in the room that was Coyle when talking about our relegation. He was the ONLY reason we went down. We now have a fitter, better, more motivated squad. A squad that doesn't waddle on to the pitch chewing a doughnut each (mainly because Caddis has already had them). Our 1st eleven is no worse than the likes of PNE, Millwall and Sheff Utd of last season. In fact I'd take our squad above all theirs (unless any have broken the bank this summer which I doubt). They were all top 10 in the end. With a fair wind with decisions and injuries I'd expect us to be anywhere from 18th to 8th. I think we have too much quality to go down and manager pragmatic enough to get results.

That's their business model by all accounts. Sign players, send them on loan all over Europe to enhance their reputation, and then sell for a profit. Or just nick them off the likes of Charlton like they did with Palmer.

Mulgrew is the one I worry about. As much as I love the beautifully coiffured Adonis with the wand of a left foot, I also fear he might get exposed for his lack of pace in the Championship where most weeks there will be some speed merchant up against him. Probably baseless because he's probably too clever to get caught out but I do wonder why we want to sign Bauer.

Agreed, and it would cost a lot of money to replace Graham's ability and experience. Those of us who watch the games know that.

Graham was pivotal to our upturn in results last season and also Dack's upturn in performances. I wouldn't fancy a season of Samuel or Armstrong up front on their own holding the ball up and bringing Dack etc into the game. Graham is very very good at what he does.

Selling a jumper down the market and selling a match ticket are nothing like the same. The club aren't 'buying' the ticket to sell on at a profit for a start. Even if they were you wouldn't lose your customer base if you made it cheaper (see Oxford game) and the 'product value' is relative to the teams fortunes. You can get away with charging top whack in the Prem, you can't in League 1/Championship, which Waggott discovered when crowds hardly moved last season but then as soon as he dropped the price to a tenner we had more home fans in Ewood for a match than any of us could have dreamed. Sadly he whacked the price of an ST up on the back of that. Shame.

I doubt Watford were interested in him.

Got a name?

Cheers. You can release the names now as you are apparently ITK!

For those who haven't seen it.

I didn't say you were.

Rich Sharpe disagrees.

I wouldn't say disappointed but as Mowbray said, you don't build a club on loans. I'd rather buy Armstrong or Chapman than constantly sign players on loan then have to do it all again the following summer. Next season we'll probably have to replace Graham as well. Ipswich signed Harrison and Edwards this summer for a total of £1.5m. They'll both be worth a lot more next summer, just as Dack is worth 10 times than what we bought him for. But then Venky's always did do it on the cheep cheap. Nothing has changed there.

It's a tricky one. If Maggott (genius portmanteau) came back from India saying they'd been given enough to renew the contracts of our players but not much for permanent quality signings then everyone would have shrugged their shoulders and said 'typical Venky's'. However, that wouldn't have sold ST's or carried on the good vibe that has surrounded the club for the first time in nearly a decade. Understandable from that point of view. The flip side is that once you start spouting about being happy with a 'competitive budget' and are 'excited' about the players you can bring in then it raises expectations beyond Mark Beevers, a Citeh junior and a bloke from Oxford Utd who had run down his contract. Still, in Mowbray we trust?