Don't recall saying we wouldn't spend this summer. Either way it doesn't look like we have spent this summer given the figures quoted on here with Raya.

After he's laid out 10 million on two centre forwards neither of whom are likely to start games? No, not having that.

Because it isn't sustainable. The manager himself has said in the past that plugging gaps with loans isn't the way he wants to do it. We get to January or next summer and it all starts over again. We wont spend money because we've used it up on Gallagher but it would be nice to treat the defence as seriously as we are treating the attack. Selling academy products under long term contract and replacing them with other clubs loans is not sensible nor sustainable. It's trying to solve problems on the cheap because we've this weird obsession with not paying for anyone in those positions.

And nor were Downing, Reed, Palmer volunteering either. It depends on who the new keeper is and on what terms he is brought in before I hail it as successful business. As it stands with the season 3 weeks away we've weakened what was already a leaky defence, sold off our keeper and not replaced him. Let's wait and see what happens but a short term loan to plus the gaps will not be acceptable.

Good stuff, should comfortably cover the Gallagher fee. Net spend £0 for the summer with loans and frees to come?

I thought Club Cash was available to all supporters, including those who aren't season ticket holders or 1875 members, you just get a lesser amount awarded. My total club cash last year came to about 25 quid. That included my season ticket, membership and programme subscription. If I hadn't been an 1875 member I'd have still got about 20 quid club cash.

I'm not suggesting some elaborate conspiracy or grand evil scheme here. It's fairly straight forward and from a purely business/financial point of view it even makes some sense. The club has its budget. Extra funds for new signings have to be considered and then sanctioned by India. It is clear that there is more in the pot for offensive players. The fact we've found millions - much more than others would pay - from somewhere to sign Armstrong, Brereton and Gallagher shows that they are prepared to speculate on those sort of players. If only one of them turns out a success story he will probably cover the cost of all 3. We need defenders and the manager admitted that back in May. So to spend 5 million on Gallagher and then say it's tough to land our defensive targets doesn't stack up.

Do you not find it interesting that in 7 years of non Premier League football in which we've gone through 7 managers and god knows how many players on the books that the defence has only had at most a couple of million spent on it? Amazing how those targets are so difficult to get hold of each and every year. It is my belief, for whatever reason, that there is policy here whereby funding for new players is sanctioned from India on a case by case basis and that money that materialises for offensive players perhaps isn't available for defensive players. Having spent more than 12 million in the last two summers on 3 young attacking prospects all with minimal experience of this division I find it incomprehensible that the manager would not want to spend a portion of that cash on a defender or two, or that we aren't financially able to get the targets done. As I said last week. I fully expect the solution to our defensive woes to be a CB on loan from somewhere or someone who won't cost money and probably won't be able to dislodge the existing players. If I'm wrong on that the fair enough, but if I'm right then its more reason to believe my suspicions are correct.

Did the price rise to include membership when introduced or was it absorbed into the away travel cost?

Or he's not got authority to....

The group I go with buy tickets as soon as they are released, so if I don't join I'll have to go off on one and sort myself out. The hassle of it just isn't worthwhile. I also find it wrong that if you subscribe to the official away travel season ticket you don't need 1875 membership as you automatically get an away ticket as soon as they are released. So effectively if you prefer to travel by coach rather than train or car you don't need the membership and still get priority. Doesn't really seem right to me.

That Derby away shirt is very nice.

I'd like to renew my 1875 membership but it isn't as easy as I thought. I've logged into the website which confirms I've renewed my season ticket but when I try to buy 1875 membership it is trying to charge me £16.50 for some unknown reason, even though it should be £10. I'd rather not ring up and deal with the staff but looks like I'll have to.

Completely agree. Meanwhile Rochdale are still going ahead with their game this week v Huddersfield. So much for the pitch not being fit!

He isn't good enough by a million miles. That much was obvious within 10 minutes of his debut. He's been on loan at two garbage League One sides that barely avoided relegation to League Two. We need much, much better, unless we just want to waste our season giving players a chance in the hope they attract interest from elsewhere. That's the only logic I can see in giving him a new deal.

Absolutely the issue. It's only sustainable if Mowbray remains in post long enough to see it bear fruit PLUS it is sustained once he has gone. We're 2 years in now and no indication its ready yet. Mowbray won't be here long in the scheme of things whatever happens. Is there the structure and expertise there to survive or thrive without his input? Probably not. Mowbray rightly deserves credit for 'rebuilding' the club but the issue really is that it shouldn't have ever have been his job to do so, and it all hinges on him delivering results on matchday.

More like nobody at Rovers has bothered to update the website.

If Evan's goes and assuming we don't re-sign Rodwell I hope that isn't a way of keeping Smallwood. Not good enough. Reasonably pleased with Gallagher, in theory some good attacking options at the club now. Need to offload Nuttall and Samuel. The window can only be deemed a success when the GK and defence have been addressed. That doesn't mean signing a kid on loan from an academy. An established and proven CB required. Not having the excuses.

Playing Rochdale this morning at Brockhall.

I'd like a defender (centre half) between the ages of 23-30 who has played at a decent level before who we will actually own and be able to build around rather than have to replace in January/next summer and repeat the cycle again. I believe that doing the above is more likely to result in longer term success than gambling on unproven kids, signing over the hill 30 odd year olds on short term deals or a repeat cycle of short term loans. I also believe that Venkys will not sanction the above, or certainly won't on defenders which it is clear our focus should be on, hence Mowbray's gradual regression from his comments early this summer. If the above makes me hysterical or negative fair enough. I look forward to my negativity and hysteria being proven to be wrong.

I don't disagree. But all that can be done without going cap in hand to them or taking Joe Hart off their hands.

It matters to me, yes. I could accept it if we were depriving them of one of their better players but when it's the other way around then no. I'd like a bit more self respect and imagination with our targets.

Can't think of many more embarrassing things than going to Burnley trying to sign one of their reserves or their washed up goalkeeper they'd be delighted to get shut of and hoping that they'll do us a favour with the fees/financial package. Any self respect we'd steer well clear. Plenty of other fish in the sea which we could get without doing them a favour or haggling over one of their reserves. Sadly the range of our scouting seems to decrease each and every year, and we're now down to clubs/players previously known to the manager or that lot up the road. So much for a new scouting department.

All built on Sky money though. One relegation and it's all gone. In terms of infrastructure, facilities, profile a long way to go.

They've managed to let Burnley and Preston catch/overtake us on the pitch and at this rate it won't be long before they surpass us off it. Some people call it the circle of life, I call it incompetence and negligence. Accy will never catch us as a club but having an owner who cares and wants his club to improve is more important than writing off big losses from India every year.