The added Sky TV money will comfortably offset a few thousand difference on adult season ticket sales. The numbers add up for Waggott, not that he'd be in any danger if they didn't, so nothing to worry about. It's those of us bothered about the future of the football club and its support that are (rightly) concerned. The CEO need not worry as he's passing through and just has his bonus to worry about.

I think people are getting way ahead of themselves with some comments. Of course it is a relief to finally, a week before the season starts, to be getting some signings over the line and bodies in the building. Scandalous that it has taken so long, but better late than never. Big gambles all of these signings. They could be masterstrokes, they could be utter disasters (Fode Koita etc). Certainly too early to be getting giddy. I am absolutely convinced that the only reason these have suddenly been sanctioned is because we are sufficiently far down the road of selling Gallagher for a 7 figure sum that the powers-that-be are allowing a portion of that to be paid out on these cheap deals. These 3 will be on substantially less than Gallagher. CB situation - a tricky one because in isolation both McFadzean and Batth provide the experience we are in need of. But returning to both after the events of the last 12 months really does just highlight what a mess the club and its' recruitment is. The Batth one in particular. JDT wanted him all last summer. It rumbled on for months and never got done. Now a full year on, a year where he has played little football, we are going back in for him - why? McFadzean - if we really wanted to keep him we should have had that deal done weeks ago to give him a pre-season. All this just suggests that nothing could be done - not even these relatively cheap easy deals - until guaranteed funds were coming in from Raya / Gallagher. I suspect there is also merit in the suggestion that we have wasted June and July to avoid paying wages for 2 months with no games.

I expect he will stay for us for a few weeks to get fit and then come deadline day or shortly afterwards he will be unveiled signing for someone like Preston, Sheff Wed or Derby. He will still want a Championship wage and I don't think we are paying them. Rovers' aim will be to keep him around the place and hope he eventually drops his demands because he likes it.

Why, if Gestede has such an extensive network across France and Belgium and he was 'brought in' as Head of Football operations has he spent many months prior to getting the job shadowing Waggott, turning up at Fans Forum meetings and whatever else and hanging around Brockhall? Surely he'd have been getting well paid employment somewhere putting those skills to use?

Thanks to those who attended for producing the breakdown of events in India. Sadly Waggott's response not particularly helpful. Less than 4000 adult season tickets sold. It's worse than I thought.

As it stands we've got 10 minutes of highlights from the Tranmere friendly and absolutely nothing, not even the goals, from the Nuremberg, Morecambe or Wigan friendlies on the website. So suspect if they can't even be arsed to put those on then minutes from the fans Forum way down the list of priorities.

Are you talking about Callum Wright who went to Leicester and on loan at Cheltenham for a while?

I don't blame Finneran for getting out now. I wouldn't blame anyone for wanting out of this place asap. If the shoe was on the other foot and Venkys / Maggott wanted some quick cash to pay the bills they'd happily sell him off like a piece of meat irrespective of his wishes or feelings. A vile group of people, he's better off well away from here. If I wasn't emotionally and financially invested I'd like to do the same, unfortunately not so easy when it has been such a big part of your life. But when you're a professional with a short career you need to do what you feel is best for your career.

I have zero interest in 'blocking pathways to progression' The only thing that needs to progress is the Club. All that matters is ensuring the Club doesn't slide into League One, which is going to happen soon if we keep up our current trajectory. It very nearly happened last year. If that means suffering a loss on a couple of players or annoying a couple so be it.

If it is correct that Szmodics is being sold, and I'm 100% convinced he will be one way or the other this summer, then I don't think many serious clubs would also at the same time entertain selling their only remaining established forward. This organisation long ago gave up any pretence of being a serious club so of course it stacks up that we'd actively seek a sale of Gallagher simultaneous with selling Szmodics, get both out the door the week before a new season kicks off and then act confused when we are struggling at the bottom of the league. Pats on the back all around for another £10 million + in the bank and another £25k a week off the wages. I wonder at what point someone will draw a link between this and a £10 million overnight loss for relegation to the third division. Probably never because they are very good at pretending things happen totally beyond our control and through bad luck etc.

Nobody with an established reputation is going to be coming here. So it will be young loans, League One players or foreign gambles. James Hill fits into none of them. So if we are looking at him we are probably wasting everyone's time.

Bang on. The owners can't or won't pay the going rate for a Championship club any more, so their solution is to reduce the club to a size/stature that they are comfortable with, even if that means chopping it down to a League One outfit so they can leave it on the shelf without the hassle they've been getting the last 12-18 months.

Two days ago we had 13 days until the big kick off with no new signings to call upon. Today we have 11 soon to be 10 days until the big kick off with no new signings to call upon. Nothing changed as of yet other than less time to prepare.

I tend to agree, I think his presence in the team is more significant than people give him credit for and other teams/managers know this. He isn't going to ever score 20+ a season but he brings a lot of other things to the party, when fit.

Waiting to be sure the Szmodics one is going through before they allow 5% of the cash back into the kitty.

Players don't generally want to leave a club that they can see has the ambition to get somewhere in the game. They are happy to stay and be part of it. Players do want to leave financially stricken crisis clubs that are going nowhere and have no plan. Players left behind see good quality teammates being bundled unceremoniously out the exit door by the club and shadowy individuals running it and see vastly inferior alternatives being brought in. They then wonder about moving on themselves to a club with actual ambition and some semblance of a plan. I seriously reckon that we have about 6 players under contract who 10+ Championship rivals would happily have at their disposal. Szmodics, Gallagher, Travis, Hyam, Carter, Tronstad. Add JRC to that if he could keep fit for more than half a season. I don't think many, if any, of the other lot we have would attract anything more than passing glances from other Championship sides. That tells me something. About 3 years ago I'd have said we had 12+ of such players, adding in the likes of Diaz, Dack, Rothwell, Armstrong, Lenihan. The number is dwindling each year. We now seem to be well on the way to getting it down to 3-4.

What an amazing coincidence. Then it will be Hyam or Sigurdsson, next down the wage earner list. Though they might already be working away behind the scenes on the Sigurdsson one...

Recruitment is being motivated by finances. Those leaving or being pushed out are those who can fetch interest and bids from elsewhere or those on the biggest wages. Those coming in far, far cheaper. When your recruitment is dictated by savings and cost cuts you end up taking huge gambles and unless you are very astute go on a downward spiral. I don't think Venkys, Waggott or the rest of them are very good. Actually they disgust me and should be nowhere near any professional organisation. So where does that leave us moving forward? A perfect storm of cost cuts, negligence and a race to the bottom.

Things can always be worse and under this regime they usually are.

It's terrifying that such people exist. I wouldn't hold out any hope of a UK regulator doing anything. As far as the wider public are concerned Venkys are wonderful for keeping the lights on every year. Without their benevolence a 149 year old institution would cease to exist.... The authorities can't even enforce their own rules on holding consultation meetings which is why Waggott has been able to ride roughshod over it for the last 4 years.

Why aren't Stoke spending some of that £1.5 million on Gueye if he's so much better than Gallagher?

Burnley aren't allowed to give us 1500. They have to give us at least 2000.

If you look back over all the summers under their ownership there have been similar patterns. We are rarely proactive or quick in our business, it is usually later on. In the past we have done nothing until they have held their annual summit meeting in India at which they sanction an annual budget. Then the manager goes on holiday and things click into gear once pre-season is up and running. It is the Venky way. Of course just one of many, many reasons why they need to leave the club because we will never be organised and settled heading into a pre-season under them. They won't allow it because they aren't quick or decisive enough and this puts us on the back foot straight away. I agree that there has been a clear marked change in the last week or so where prior to that there was radio silence and now links and deals of all sorts of shapes and sizes being mentioned. But fundamentally I suspect this is largely contingent upon getting shut of Szmodics. Once they've banked another £10 million there then even Venkys will have had their fill for the time being and will have no reason not to allow at least a portion of that back to the manager. The feeling at present is that the deals closest to completion are McFadzean, the Japanese lad and the young French lad. 3 very low cost and simple deals which should be more than manageable with some of the Raya funds. My belief is that nothing of any description could happen until India authorised an annual budget. They've finally done that which will allow some minimal funds from the vast amounts banked already into the squad. We might sign 3,4,5 in the next week or so but suspect it will be insignificant in the scheme of things.

You've mentioned several times various changes and overhaul behind the scenes and how Nixon was spot on with his information. Seems a bit pointless to me if we are just going back to old targets and players here last season. Anyone on here could throw free agent McFadzean and easy cheap loan Chrisene forward as options.

Super duper new recruitment team in place and you're talking about re-signing McFadzean and Chrisene, two signings desperate in January and even more so now. Interesting is one word you could use for the next 32 days. I'd rather use depressing, concerning, anxious, terrifying.