Not adding to our defence is criminal.....selling Dack at this late stage is nothing short of suicidal. 

We are notoriously slow with transfers so if anything happens tomorrow I'm pretty sure the ball will already be rolling. Can't see us getting £12m in then having the capability to spend it wisely.

Just now, Pedro said:

That vacant number 5 shirt is going to be Rodwell's. 

This is my expectation too.

Just now, Bbrovers2288 said:

Been done to death that one mate with no real evidence he was ever seriously considered

I don't know if he's been looked at or not but he fits the bill of what we need. 

We need a no nonsense defender, we are soft touch at the back and nothing has changed over the summer.

I hope we aren't pinning all our hopes on Tosin who is still early ok in his development.

I thought Cooper at Millwall would have been a target for us this summer. He may have been an option and proved to be too expensive? 

If we do see an incoming at this stage I can only imagine it being a panic loan. Something similar to the Walton deal.

Just now, OJRovers said:

Smallwood at CB before the end of September, it’s going to happen isn’t it ?

It's not even funny ?

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

Can you say who we put in for? Would PSV centre back Trent Sailsbury be one of those bid on? 

I agree, it's not even like it's a discussion regarding defenders. I am yet to talk to a fellow Rover who is happy with our defensive options.

Either A - TM and MV have totally lost the plot. Or,

B- we are playing down or defensive requirements to stop clubs hiking the prices for their defenders.

While we are at it, who does everyone see as Realistic CB targets? Given the fact we've got just over 24 hours.

The European scouting missions seem to have been a bit of a joke.

Hanley? 

I don't know if it has been mentioned but Cahill has signed for Palace. Surely Danns time there is up? Fee too big? Probably!! Wages to high? definitely!!

I fully expect a panic Rodwell signing next week.

I'm almost certain we will get a defender in before the deadline but I'm not certain they'll be of the quality we need. 

This summer was supposed to be all about quality instead of quantity. Our defence is actually weaker than it was last season. I genuinely feel sorry for Tosin because realistically all our defensive hopes are pinned on him.

Just now, stinny1 said:

Are the Venkys really billionaires and if so its about time they flexed there muscles with some real money. And please don't start with there bank rolling us if so wipe the 130 million out and  get a proper  manager in with a real plan . Its all smoke and mirrors with this lot

FFP.

Just now, Gavlar Somerset Rover! said:

Sharpe says he’s not ducking the questioning of Mowbray on the need for defenders. But I’m yet to see he or anyone else quiz him properly on the 180 he’s done from season end to now where we’re supposedly ‘defensively alright’. Did Mulgrew, Bell and Bennett turn into Baresi, Maldini and Costacurta over the summer? Because evidence would suggest they haven’t.

They've actually managed to get worse over preseason. TM needs to sort it out before the window shuts or it'll be a frustrating season. 

The decision to let Downing go makes even less sense than it did at the time.

Dack plays in a role where he will flutter in and out of the game, his game depends on supply lines. At the minute Mowbray wants us to play possession based football. Our current defence, in my opinion isn't capable of playing this brand of football this leaves a gaping gap between defence and attack.

The frustrating thing is, I believe one decent centre half and we will be a hell of a lot more organised. A LB would be welcome too but a CB is essential.

I couldn't make it yesterday but as soon as the team was announced there was a sense of inevitability about the result. 

It's almost comical that the manager goes public about how bad our defence was last season, then totally neglects the fact all summer. 

It's a hell of an ask for a young lad like Tosin to come in and be the answer.

59 minutes ago, Gavlar Somerset Rover! said:

Yep. We’re one decent centre half off having a good shout for the top 6 IMO. Shit or bust on that front for me - it’s that important. 

This is my thinking too....it's frustrating.

Hopefully we'll get someone in before the Charlton game.

Just now, DE. said:

Considering how quickly this seems to have moved in the past few days you have to assume we're confident of getting somebody in pretty quickly. We absolutely do not want to be starting the season with Leutwiler between the sticks, as we don't exactly have an easy start to the season. We need somebody who is going to be able to come in and hit the ground running.

Agreed, Rayas successor is likely to be announced pretty soon. I like how deals are kept relatively quite until they are completed. Johnson's name was only mentioned a day before he signed.

10 minutes ago, RV Blue said:

Bentley - the guy who Brentford let go and replaced with Raya?

Butland - I’ll give you but he shouldn’t be playing in the Championship

Etheridge - likely to go to the Prem this window

Rudd - don’t need to say anymore than the below

Johnstone - bang average from what I’ve seen, I’d rather have Raya

Henderson - look at his mistake for Eng u21s a couple of weeks ago, they all make mistakes (and he’s playing in the Prem so not sure how you can count him)

Bentley - signed by Bristol city for decent money.

Butland - speaks for himself.

Etheridge - you agree.

Rudd - made a mistake, as did De Gea. It's Rayas inability to command crosses that bothered me.

Johnstone - always looked decent in my humble opinion.

Henderson - played in the champ last season, u21 GK obviously a better keeper than Raya. 

My point is the original poster claimed Raya was the best GK in the Championship. I mean come on.

Just now, The Axe said:

There's a report from Brentford that both the manager and the goalkeeping coach wanted rid of Bentley because there was always a mistake in him. And if you don't value the opinion of that goalkeeping coach you need to check out his CV.

I haven't questioned his CV, in my opinion, when I've seen him play he looked better than Raya. And the fact is Raya always has a mistake in him! 

Bentley was only one of the GKs I mentioned so my point still stands.

Just now, RV Blue said:

There isn’t a better keeper in the Championship than Raya. They all make mistakes, the difference being Raya is 23 and will only get better. He was playing behind an absolutely diabolical defence last season, he was bound to make mistakes simply because he was in the constantly in the firing line.

I honestly think Raya was a big reason the defence was so bad. There was no confidence in him and he didn't have confidence in the defence.

Bentley, Butland, Etheridge, Rudd, Johnstone, Henderson were all better than him, and that's off the top of my head.

Mowbray wants someone he can rely on week in week out. Raya isn't that man.

If the Raya deal is imminent I'm sure his replacement has already been sorted unofficially. If that is Darlow I'd expect a deal to be concluded pretty sharpish.

Just now, roverstdt said:

Linked with Darlow, Great keeper loved him from his time at Charlton sign.....him.....up!!!!!

Has he ever played for Charlton?

It always makes me laugh how everyone waits until deadline day, then rush around trying to get deals done for 11pm.

Surely if any of the strikers mentioned were serious options we could have sorted something out earlier.

?‍♀️

There was a mix up on here yesterday and some believed he had gone to Fleetwood.

3 minutes ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

Ha ha ha. From Brereton to Sylla. My God.

If Idrissa Sylla signs as part of this "fab 4" Tony promised us then it's beyond a joke. 

Where has he ended up? He's still at Peterboro. Still available for £2.5m.

We have a good record of resurrecting players careers, the team has a good bond at the minute it should be a good environment for a player to to get their confidence back. 

Rodwell was excellent before Sunderland ruined him.

I think it'll be a score draw, Reading had a poor start but have a decent team on paper. The lad from Southampton (Sims) is a very good acquisition. 

That said if Dack is fit he could wellake the difference!!