I totally get what your saying but in the context of Tony's transfer habits I think Gallagher is the best we could hope for also I agree about his physicality and agression but his desire, energy, endless running and closing down would be a great asset in seeing games out and keepin the ball higher up the pitch. Something I critised brereron for not doing and should be the bare minimum of a young striker. Gallagher is also a far better finisher. But no he isn't the answer to our target man, hold up play and linking the midfield but if tony is serious about playing retention football then he could be a better option than graham. Sadly i don't think we have the quality in the players around him to play this way and we will soon be reliant on graham again to do what he does so well

Id be happy to sign Gallagher as long as he is played in the graham role and the team around him is set up to play to his strengths. He is a far better player than Brereton and has bags of potential. However , where would this leave or development project. Gallagher is the kind of signing we should be making whilst we still have a fit and in form graham to give him his year of Mowbray bedding in and be ready to step up as a smooth transition as graham steps back to back him up before leaving. This is what city do. As time goes on you ease out the old, your potential develops without hindering the first team and we slowly improve on the pitch and our assets grow value so if we sell a player we can improve the first 11 with ready made quality in more than one area. We are never signing the likes of assombalonga so the next best options are the Sam gallaghers of the world. i believed that was what tony Was aiming to do. But to sell Raya or not improve the defence with the finances available and handing out contracts to glad win and co then I would love to know what his long term goals are because it isn't " bouncing through the leagues " with that defence

Mowbray talks about the sheff united and Norwich model when in reality we are following the Brentford model. Buying Young, developing and selling high, feeding ambitious clubs our talent that we have persevered with through there development, whilst surviving in the championship and floating around mid table obscurity. if we are selling our young talent to Brentford that just indicates what kind of a non progressive backward club we are. If we sell Raya and replace with an older keeper what is the likely hood that he is going to be a significant improvement on Raya to justify the sale. What model are we following and if we sell him. What is the three year plan he was talking about. Will he replace Raya or will he play leutwiler. Who on a free in our wage structure is worth bringing in as his replacement. Is it the inexperienced 19 yr old from Leeds to go in as first choice or to do a year learning th Mowbray way whilst leutwiler plays. What message is it sending to dack and Lenihan. What can they believe in to show we are a progressive club. I know people think I over react and jump on Mowbray for every little thing but everything he says and what actually happens really concerns me. Now is the time to kick on. Two or three shrewd signings and we can really challenge for those play off places. Instead I see a regression happening and don't believe in what ever it is tony is trying to do. I'm not even sure he knows

How can he be happy with what we have when we have lost reed, downing and Rodwell and we were short of defenders last season. Even if magloire can step up then Wharton or Grayson has to aswell. We were short last season, lose three defenders ( if reed was rb cover) and now we are fine because we are learning to pass in triangles and now Raya might be leaving. Its hard to positive when you see it in black and white even assuming he brings in CB cover the ones we had last season plummeted after xmas and the difficult start we have without the promotion bounce could prove to much this time round. Least left back cover is sorted with our new recruit im preparing for a long hard season ending in a dog fight

If we are trying to build a young team and aren't trying to improve the first 11 by signings then selling Ray's would be madness . I believe he will be a good keeper and come to regret selling him. I have no idea what Tony is trying to achieve . I'm Literally clueless if this deal goes through.

What baffles me is he said he has seen enough in the last few games to know we will be ok because we will retain the ball more. firstly keeping the ball more doesn't stop corners being headed in and secondly what if we get the same injuries. If lenihan is injured and mulgrew will be at some point as an almost certainty the same thing wil happen next year. He never learns

The truth usually is. And he ruins my Saturday most weeks playing strikers on the wing and Bennett at rb etc etc. I'm judging him on all is transfer windows and nothing tells me this one is going to be any different. I don't think he can spot a player so who he brings in concerns me that's before he is happy with what we have. This window will close and we will be no better off than last season. We will be conceding late goals, from set pieces , the usual only this time he want s to keep the ball more so it's going to be lots of passing it around the back four first before we concede after five minutes and he has to rip up plan A and hoof it to graham. Don't worry though January isn't far off

Wake up and smell the coffee. The window hasn't closed yet, judge him then, we don't want to give our budget away, we don't want to give our targets away. NO NO NO. The man is an idiot . It goes no deeper than that the sack or stick vote at the end of last season was borderline stick depending on how his transfer business went and if he improved the defence and fixed some glaring frailties. He isn't going to do anything he has said and plod on with the same players playing out of position week in week out. It's exactly as we were and why many vote sack. the first interview he gave I went off on one because anyone who has been around rovers these last few years has learn to read between the lines. Same frustrating shite week in week out window after window and on the pitch

If the venkys won't let him sign defenders then his man of honesty and integrity tag is a load of bollocks, any other reason he isn't desperately trying to improve the back four and he his if a first class idiot. He is taking us one way and one way only Ive had enough of this clueless dinosaur and will start the ball rolling MOWBRAY OUT !

Sunniest day ever at anfield but I appreciate the effort ?

Close the thread and get this man a biscuit. very good post

When I was a kid we used to play mixed sex until 11. The lads would go off and play on full sized pitches and the girls would either join Wigan athletic ladies if they where good enough or quit. we used to play a pre season friendly against the Wigan ladies team and there wasn’t much in it. i assume the women break away at that age due to the physicality aspect as young lads get older. it got me thinking. Michael Owen against Chris samba is at a size and strength disadvantage as is Defoe and anyone trying to mark akinfenwa. They combat that with speed, skill etc. so my question is should women not be aloud to play against men due to physicality and how good would a woman have to be for her to be even considered to play in a mans team. if there was a women as good as messi, would people be for or against her playing in a mans league and how long is it going to be before this becomes a real possibility/ talking point. Not to long ago the talk of female commentators, pundits, linesman and referees would have seemed ludicrous . Now the vast majority wouldn’t even notice, especially as the younger generation haven’t known any other way (which is a good thing imo) . Emma Hayes recently got mentioned for an interview for the Chelsea job and the way the world is changing I was just curious as to what’s people thought. If a woman can hold her own against men, should or shouldn’t she be aloud to play in the men’s game ?

Can he do it on a cold Tuesday night in stoke though ?

I know one thing. Unless we sign someone of obvious quality travis and Davenport have to start as the middle two

Wait Til we sign the players they have replaced. Then you will be disappointed

Me. It's a pain in the star that e ticketing

I kind of get what joe Harvey is saying. We could easily let glad win and Samuel go and promote butter worth and Buckley. What's the difference. You would save on wages allowing a bigger wage budget for better players , the younger lads won't complain about lack of game time. We know Samuel and glad win are not good enough butter worth and Buckley could well be and if there not they wouldn't do much worse. Scott Wharton another who should have been promoted instead of buying Paul Downing . At some point they need a chance and with Samuel, gladwin , imo Evans they are wasting resources and blocking a pathway. If we aren't going to invest for promotion and by invest I mean buy first team ready quality then the next best option is the youth. Downing may well be a good addition for next season but come may we are back to square one. What happened to building year upon year. Tony has give a few lads a game or two. That isn't blooding youngsters

Do people think it's going to sell out or will I not need to rush getting a ticket. Already booked a train so be gutting if I tickets sold out . It shouldn't being a friendly though should it ?

Brereton cost 7 million and doesn’t go to the gym enough ?

I’d like to believe we will play Rothwell or chapman get in front and then bring downing on to have the experience to see out games after how many we let slip last season. If that’s the case plus the nurturing the younger lads it’s not a bad signing and on a one year contract a decent replacement for Conway. if he plans on starting him week in week out or playing him anywhere other than RW then it’s the most stupid pointless signing since gladwin got an extension

He used to play for united

I remember him away at Crewe . He was poor and looked disinterested. I was constantly screaming at him to run for the ball as he just strolled around. As usual he was playing out of his natural position and he didn’t seem to have a clue how to play the role Mowbray gave him

I watched him and he was worse than useless with an attitude to boot

Well if two clubs were in for me and one said We want you to sign for us and one said what Tony was quoted as saying I know where I would go

I will say Mowbray isn’t brave. Signings like di canio at West Ham were brave. Signing players that have a chequered past but the manager knows how to handle them and get the best out of them whilst trying to keep a dressing room is brave. Signing players you have worked with or old pros you know will do a job but not push you on is not brave. Playing 10 soldiers and one artist every game at home is not brave. Sitting back every time we take a lead is not brave. Giving Breteton, chapman and Roth well ten minutes a season is not brave. If tony was brave I would believe we had half a chance of anything other than survival. He is a weak manager in tactics and the transfer market and he is on easy street here and I for one am getting tired of him.