I'm not a fan of cricket, but I don't understand how 241/8 and 241 all out is a tie? Is it because the number of players out is irrelevant with equal runs over 50 overs? Would've thought the fewer players out would count for something, not that I'm that bothered ofc...

SCMP - Salary Cost Management Protocol, essentially the equivalent of FFP for L1+2, I think. SBOI - State Bank of India.

Coming from you (I saw the digging you were able to do when the Ewood WMC group was going, and you made the infamous 'dossier' look like a pamphlet), that makes me feel reasonably optimistic about our future security. However, as Rovers Trust remind us, it only takes Venkys making a couple of decisions on a whim to send us into Bolton/Blackpool style worries.

Funny how they wanted Gallagher...

He has a burst of pace over 5 yards, great for creating space. He has a knack for drawing fouls around the box, although he's also guilty of diving imo. He also is good at pouncing on defensive errors, led to a penalty and two goals in the last 6 months. Particularly thinking of one at home where a defender left it to roll out for a corner, Brereton just about caught up to it, cross, goal. I think more game time as a striker will see him perform better than 20min cameos on the wing.

Even taking the possible stupidity of the Breo deal, getting him out on loan and playing could still make his £7m fee look like tuppence imo. There is definitely a player in there, but need to get him game time as a striker. Inside forward isn't his position. Armstrong can get away with it using his pace.

How can our own academy defenders not be good enough, yet players we beat are ready?

Thank God for that.

I feel like we've gone and got the icing, milk, and glassé cherries, but not the eggs and flour. I like cherries, and I'll happily eat icing from the tube, but we need the cake to put them on. Defence and GK please.

4 years, even better! Welcome back, Mr. Ooh Aah.

Ramalho would be an excellent defensive signing, up there with my suggestion of Schwaab!

I can tell you my future father-in-law (dingle) is furious about 'signing a busted flush like Pieters when a player with enormous potential like Bidwell was available'. He's happy with Rodriguez, 'but for over £10m? FFS.' In other words, yeah, all fans do this.

I wonder if the DJ promotion has anything to do with our u23 cbs maybe being seen as potentially ready? Magloire, Wharton, Platt, Grayson. The first three, I have regularly been impressed by but only at the u23 level at highest. Maybe they're (or some) being prepped to move up?

I hope so!

Burnley already have surpassed us, one of the most valuable brands in Europe thanks to the university links.

Ayala out of contract next season. Boro...

Another fair shout. Haven't they just released Harlee Dean? He might be fairly good, I recall he was solid for Brentford, and don't think he's 30 yet. I just hope the reason we haven't got defenders in yet is because we are haggling wages on quality ones, and good at keeping them under wraps. Hope being the key word ofc.

I'd like to see someone like Dan Schwaab come in at centre back. 30/31, 6ft1, free agent, relatively regular player for Freiburg, Leverkusen, Stuttgart, and PSV through his career. Not stellar, but strikes me as a Craig Short type of steady, strong, unspectacular defender.

About 6 months.

I thought jokes were funny? Personally think it's a good signing.

3, he'd fucking cracked as well.

The thing with Hart is not his stature or his ability imo, it's his confidence. There is a genuine England International and Premier League winning goalkeeper in there somewhere, but it hasn't shone out for a couple of seasons now. Coming down to the Championship (prime age, no less) could see him regain his confidence and form. BUT I feel that a Ruddy or a Carson is likely to be more confident for us, and likely to improve the defence as a whole. If Hart is confident enough to bollock the defence, then maybe he can quickly regain confidence in himself too. I'm not against his signing by any means, I think it'd be a real coup, but it is a gamble on relatively high wages compared to the less good but more solid and cheaper Ruddy/Carson.

You guys are brilliant

Rather than making DJ less visible so he can't usurp Mowbray, maybe it's to reduce interest from other clubs? Or maybe it's to help create a better integrated culture between the youth and first team setups?

It would make him less likely to be marked, but could potentially fill the midfield too much, restricting the space for others to receive the ball from Dack. Not convinced by 3412 but not QUITE against it.