This the Sheffield Wednesday who we are supposed to be using as an example of how not to operate these days yet are doing decent business as we speak. I find it amazing that we are not raiding Wigan for a couple of their assets. They are desperate for cash and to reduce wages.

What hope do we have

New season kicks off in 4 weeks and the club haven't the foggiest even on a date for release.

Good point. And assuming that we are not allowed or are unable to spend on defenders and will have missed any decent free transfers then the only way that scenario will be avoided is by decent loans or promoting youth. Mowbray won't trust youth so loans it is, however these only come available late on in the window after the season has started.

Is there anyone in the commercial team working at Rovers or are they all still furloughed? If so we can forget anything happening any time soon. Even if it is commercial suicide.

I rate him at least as Mowbray's equal if not better. Though I admit that Mowbray's personality and temperament are better suited to the madhouse here. It is for those personal qualities that Mowbray is here after 3 years and they love him whilst Lambert walked after a few months. In terms of CV Lambert's is stronger than Mowbray's. Managing 3 clubs in the PL across 5 seasons and never relegating a club over a full season, whereas Mowbray has had 1 season in the PL more than a decade ago which ended in failure. When Mowbray rocked up here he had left Coventry all but relegated from League One whilst Lambert was managing Wolves in the Championship. As I said Lambert has made some dodgy choices but can't really be held to blame for those relegations judging by the state of Stoke and Ipswich when he took over. Both were the equivalent of blaming Mowbray for our Championship relegation. The only major blemish on his CV that he was entirely responsible for was not getting Ipswich up last season. Both ultimately are steady eddie managers with flaws and merits. Lambert is disliked because of his persona and his resignation and bizarrely little blame is attributed to the idiots in India for that debacle. Anyhow, shows how exciting this transfer window is to be debating managers from 4 years ago.

What were people expecting from Lambert other than what he delivered? Nobody could seriously have expected promotion from the position we were in November, especially with a depleted squad that had just lost Gestede, King and Cairney and signed Delfouneso, Guthrie, Akpan and Koita. There was zero investment in summer 2015 and zero investment in January 2016. I always remember that shortly after Lambert arrived here Jokanovic got the Fulham job. His record with a better squad there was no better than Lambert's that season. But he got to grips with it and the following year they reached the play offs. Guardiola wouldn't have got us much better that season. It was all about doing enough to get safe and putting building blocks in place. I couldn't give a stuff about style of play. Intact the opposite. Give me a negative defensive minded manager and a pragmatist who prioritises organisation and fitness over a dreamer like Mowbray any day. I saw evidence of a fitter and better organised side under Lambert with some game like the Middlesbrough home win sticking in memory as impressive. The only difference was he had the clout on his CV to walk when mucked around by these delusional lunatic owners and had enough to land the Wolves job. It would have been the same with Warnock if they had appointed him under false pretences. whereas the rest of their appointments know they won't get better than here so put up with the rubbish. Lambert has made poor choices in taking over sinking ships that he hasn't turned around in Stoke and Ipswich but that can change. Remember where Mowbray was with Coventry before getting the job here.

At the end of the day Preston are a small club at this level with a restricted budget. Despite Hemmings being a 'billionaire' and subsidising their losses every year he will not splurge millions on players or allow huge losses to mount up. But Preston do have a transparent structure and everyone pulling in the same direction to try and get promoted, and their transfer business reflects that. Balanced, sensible, methodical. Each signing made to do a job in the team and to try to improve the team on an immediate basis. We far eclipse them in finances, facilities and pulling power, and supposedly have very rich owners always willing to write cheques out, and yet as you point out they are in the relatively comfortable position of having the essentials in place under contract. Even if they don't sign anyone this summer they will still be able to field a competitive established side. Compare to the farcical situation whereby despite losses of more than double what PNE have and a wage bill significantly higher we are sat here with pre season upon us with no GK and 1 CB and seemingly yet again going down the old favourite loan route to plug gaps for a few months. Just what the plan is here i don't know but with each passing window I become less of the opinion that the aim is promotion asap and more of the opinion that there are ulterior agendas taking place here. Just how hard it can be to sign a proper proven keeper and a CB i do not know. Already we've seen Marshall, Phillips, Hall, Chester doing the rounds - all would be good bets for a couple of decent seasons yet they'll all go elsewhere whilst we fiddle.

See i don't think he would. He certainly wouldn't be headhunted. If he was unemployed and keen to return and applied for jobs he might impress in interviews but I don't think many would put him top of their list or pay for his release. Can forget the likes of Swansea, Bournemouth, Watford, Norwich, Brentford, Barnsley and Huddersfield because they use fancy head coach systems. No chance Stoke, Derby or Forest would be interested. Middlesbrough he's already tried. He might at best get a struggling Sheff Wed or Birmingham to guide them through a sticky spell if struggling.

Maybe Rotherham, Coventry (if he hadn't already been there) or at best an Ipswich if they were to get up again. Other than that I can't see it. He's done an admirable job which most would respect but nothing sensational that will get clubs queuing up.

All true but if we are discounting or diluting seasons or achievements pre WW2 then we must do so across the board. We can also apply similar approaches to so-called Big clubs outside the top division at the moment. Such as Forest. We can say that they had a golden era during the late 70s and 80s but apart from that nothing since way back when. The point I suppose is whilst I agree we aren't entitled to a place in the top division, we should certainly not feel any less deserving or worthy than anyone else because from what I can see our pedigree both pre WW2 and post WW2 is as impressive as anyone else's around this division. Sheff Wed similar in having the majority of their success way back. I dont think it is any more or less relevant than say Wolves being good in the 50s or Leeds in the 60s. Even if it were true that we spent most of our time in the 2nd division that still puts us in a bracket above most at this level who have been regulars in the 3rd and 4th divisions. So even if we accept that we are a regular 2nd tier club that still puts us top end in this league.

Not correct. 73 seasons in the top division, 44 seasons in the second division and only 6 in the third division.

Not if they aren't good enough or ready for it. Then you start sacrificing results for the sake of individual progress and development. Heard that before?

Thought it wouldn't be long before this started. Williams hasn't kicked a ball this year with injury unknown and isn't particularly good at the best of times. The other 3 have virtually no Championship experience and Mowbray has shown little serious desire to use any of them. Suspect he might be forced to though.

1 - not an issue for us. We aren't going to sell more than 7000 or so and with no away fans we will only need 20% of our capacity. 2 - people would have to be realistic and reasonable and accept they might not be able to sit in their usual seat. I'd sit anywhere rather than not go. 3 - all hypothetical 'what ifs'. You have to get on with business. Should pubs and restaurants not reopen because areas 'might' go into lockdown in future? 4 - facilities? Aside from the toilets are there any facilities that you require that would prevent you from attending if they were closed? 5 - not sure why face masks prevent tickets being sold.

Any other clubs you know that have no goalkeeper and only 1 CB?

Why might funds need to be paid back? You really think the likes of Burnley are going to be writing cheques out to the tune of millions of pounds to refund all those who have bought season tickets? Of course they won't. All they will do is defer the benefit until such a time as people are allowed in to watch. If Rovers decided to put them on sale it could be marketed as a 23 game pass. Those who decided to buy one would do so at a discounted rate of say £200-250 knowing there was a fair chance that they wouldn't be able to go to all the games for next season but also with the option for games to be knocked off the following year. An incentive scheme to get cash of people now. People would understand the club cannot guarantee a date for fans return but would know that assuming the club doesn't go bankrupt in the next 12 months that eventually they will get their monies worth. You seem to have misunderstood by issue with the club's approach to refunds for those games last season. I never said I wanted or would demand a refund. I am in a fortunate position that I haven't needed that money back because I have managed to keep working. Some people not so fortunate who perhaps might need £70 in their back pocket. I thought the club's approach to the situation was appalling and that remains my view. Classless, insulting and completely out of touch, going as far as to suggest those seeking refunds were putting the club at risk of oblivion whilst a few days later the manager splurges thousands more out on players he had no intention of ever using. That was my criticism and I feel it was entirely justified. We decided to take a position as one of only three clubs out of 24 in the Championship not to offer any form of compensation, refund or future discount to those fans struggling or out of pocket. Everyone else offered it, whilst discouraging it but at least doing the right thing by loyal fans. After taking such a poor position in respect of missed games last season, one of a small group to do so, we then also join a very small group of clubs who have failed to sell a single ticket for next season. Bizarrely the suggestion now seems to be that Covid 19 is preventing any season tickets being sold due to uncertainty that clubs face. The reason I am continuing to post updates from the likes of Luton Town is that they are proving that tickets can and will be sold by the thousand at clubs that get their act together and come up with a scheme to do so. They are just one rival club well ahead now. It will take us weeks to reach that number, if we get there at all. It can be done. We are electing not to. Luton have a dilapidated ground not fit for social distancing measures and a capacity of just 10,000 yet have still kept on selling, and will be ahead of us in the game. It won't be long before Waggott is labeling them as a big club due to having more fans than us. I wonder why. Bizarrely yesterday or today someone was suggesting that the population of Luton is different to that of North West England which justifies the difference in approach. I couldn't work that out myself but it seems some will come up with any excuse. Again if you think Luton are going to be ring fencing that money and happily refunding all those people you'll be mistaken. That is all Rovers/Venkys choice, in my opinion it is the wrong choice and i expect it will ultimately result in a significant decline in the number of people committing to the club. I am not comfortable with that, I will not support that policy and I will voice my concerns with it whenever i am able. I am 100% certain that people would buy now if they were on sale and as far as I am concerned if that number was only 1000 it is better than 0. If people don't want to put their money up yet and want to wait and see then that is up to them. But what makes me sick is when the likes of Waggott on his mindboggling salary pleads poverty and has the brass neck to portray supporters as not doing their bit whilst he does nothing. Things can be done. Just like we could get a shirt manufacturer that enables us to sell kits before September.

Maybe the idiots are those who don't seize the opportunity to make much needed funds.

Its a non starter because we haven't paid a fee for a goalkeeper in a very long time. Pretty sure even Steele was a freebie as Boro were desperate to get shut. I would be very, very surprised if we paid a fee for a keeper this summer. We are back in Bauer territory. Remember when he was supposedly demanding £40k a week to join. That was a load of baloney as is the suggestion now that Charlton want more than £1 million for this Phillips lad. They're in League One, skint and potentially won't even be allowed to start the season unless they find a new owner. The player himself has just had one failed Championship season and only has 12 months to run. They are in no position to make excessive demands and that deal is there to be done for a club in urgent need for a new number 1. Just like Marshall at Wigan. Vast experience, Wigan need rid, lives down the road, ticks pretty much every box needed, deal there to be done. But it won't because we want projects. Its all window dressing. Like Karl Darlow and Joe Hart were last year. This Middlesbrough lad is exactly the sort of signing we will make, presumably because he will be free and his wages will be low and can be absorbed by the savings made on Smallwood etc. without the need for Indian approval.

Burnley have sold thousands as they put them on sale back in February. I'm not sure what Luton has going for it that means they are willing and able to shift them for a dump like Kenilworth Road whilst we sit by and do nothing Still it should help with the self pity routine when Mowbray and Waggott can paint us as minnows pointing at small gates compared with everyone else.

Luton Town shifted another 200 or so season tickets since last week. Now up to 6700 from 6500. So glad we are being sensible.

The difference is that here we have the Middlesbrough local reporter directly linking him with a move here. This is a fringe goalkeeper that they will get no money for. There will be no ulterior motive in reporting it and we all know this is exactly the sort of cheap and cheerful corner cutting that would suit Mowbray and Rovers to the ground. Bit different to Richard Sharpe 'linking' our best player with a move to clubs that he can't even name where people could stand to make a lot of money out of it.

We got shut of Raya to go signing reserves from Brighton and Middlesbrough? Good grief.

Phillips is a keeper and would cost a fee. A non starter here.

Our structure is like something from the 1960's or 70's. The manager runs the club, handles all football activity including organising fixtures, scouting, transfers, media and then coaching and matchday. As you say it is decades behind what other clubs have put into place. Football has moved on and you need a structure and backroom team in place that continues alongside and independently of the manager.