Possibly, although I've been surprised about how well Reed's taken to playing there considering he is meant to be a holding player. Main point was just how well our squad has developed. If we're potentially missing our goalkeeper, both starting centre backs, our best midfielder, our starting striker & still put out that team which (to me at least) looks competitive, then it's certainly made a change from recent seasons!

Headline makes grim reading, but the worst case scenario could be something like: Leutweiler Nyambe Rodwell Williams Bell Smallwood Evans Reed Palmer Bennett Armstrong With the likes of Rothwell & Brereton who could start too.

Think Lenihan already tweeted that it wasn't all that bad, so hopefully that sorts itself out. The fact that Raya still has another couple of days left in Spain sounds like he's not even being considered for the weekend, which considering how bad it was, is fair enough.

Didn't get the impression that they were playing all that well when they started picking up points a few weeks ago. Not had any easy games since, but looking at what's in front of them, they have a very big month or so: West Ham (a) Leicester (a) Newcastle (h) Crystal Palace (a) Before a pretty horrible looking December including Liverpool, Arsenal, Everton & Spurs.

Saw a bit of of QPR against Villa. Nothing special, but you can definitely see that Shteve have got them much more resilient and much better drilled than they were a month or two ago. Deceptively tough game, but with an early goal to settle the nerves, 3-1 Rovers.

The large turn outs (including Oxford at home) have tended to be once there's a bit of a buzz about the sales themselves gathering momentum. Prices are reasonable, with good concessions, so hopefully a win vs QPR with brisk early sales could see a bumper crowd for this one. Hope that it turns out to be the case anyway. This team deserve it.

Fair enough, and I certainly wouldn't advocate changing it in the coming weeks, but clearly Tony is still looking at it as an option & I think the additions to the squad make it more viable than last year. When we tried it in league one, typically the ball got as far as our midfield and the move died there. We have more, better players now, so it could easily bear some fruit imo.

Agree that three at the back failed miserably last season, but (on paper at least) we look really well set to make it work now. Raya Lenihan Rodwell Mulgrew Nyambe Bell Evans Reed Smallwood Dack Graham A bit on the conservative side, but that looks a well balanced team for me, and when you think there's the likes of Bennett (who would probably start somewhere anyway) Palmer, Rothwell and Armstrong to bring into the midfield/attack if we wanted to be more threatening then I think we've got the players to make this work.

Good team, but fortunate to get a point at the weekend, and don't look as good (as far as I've seen) as Sheffield United. Also, a horrible, horrible club by anyone's standards. Rovers 2-1

Four weeks for Nyambe is a blow. Luckily there's an international break there, but even so.

Right back should be an interesting one, seeing as we have a few midfielders who can do a job there. Apparently Reed played there a lot for Norwich last term, but do we want to lose what he gives us in midfield? Same with Bennett? Think Evans picked up a minor injury at the weekend, so for this one I think you're right, but hard to say how it'll turn out if Nyambe is out for any length of time.

Not saying he was MoTM given the Bennett/Graham/Dack contributions, but pleased to see Smallwood get recognition. Time will tell if Reed takes his spot, but his performances against the on paper better sides (Brentford, Derby, Stoke - didn't see the Villa game) show that he clearly has the game to contribute to a winning side at this level.

Close to my team. I'd be inclined to play Armstrong in front of Davenport (Armstrong on the wing with Travis in the middle) and possibly carry on with Williams in the middle with Lenihan getting a rest.

One of those rare occasions when resting a few of our top players might even be the best plan of winning the game. Hopefuly start with a front 4 of: Rothwell Palmer Armstrong Brereton. Assume that we'll be looking to hit them on the break, and there are bags and bags of pace in that team.

I do, almost expect us to to be honest. Saying that, flirt is the right word. 7th-10h would be my guess going of what we've seen.

My first game was a home loss to Coventry. Sherwood scored after what seemed like 30 seconds, but they came back to win 2-1. Must have seen us play them at least 6 times since in league & cup. Haven't won a single one, easily the biggest club that I've never seen us beat.

On paper that's a ridiculous team at this level, but I suppose so was ours in our relegation season and look how that turned out. We've drawn too many this season, but as with Derby you'd have to say an away point would be a good one here. I'll think we'll get it too. 2-2

Seeing as Bennett was rested midweek, I think it looks likely that he'll be on one wing at that'll probably be at the expense of Rothwell, but let's see. Interesting to see Mowbray talk him up in a way that he hasn't really done with that many other attacking players, so clearly he's well in his thoughts for starting games, even if tomorrow isn't one of them.

Have to admit I was taken slightly aback by how much resentment there was towards Rovers from PNE when we found ourselves in the same division again. Suppose it'd be less of a shock for those Rovers fans who actually live over that way, but I always saw them as a benevolent little brother more than anything else, quite wanted them to succeed in truth. Anyway, I love the recurring arguments they give about how massive they would be if they were in the top flight, or how we'd have dwindled in to obscurity if Jack hadn't have stepped in. Both dubious in any case, but even if they were true it's a bizarre way of thinking. It's like saying If Man United sacked Ferguson and got some no mark to replace them, they could well have drifted into being another Aston Villa. Fine, but they didn't, and now they're one of the world's biggest clubs. PNE would get sell outs every week if they were in the top flight. Fine, but they haven't been in the top flight since Adam was a lad, so they don't.

Seem to remember (though I could easily be wrong) that paperwork needs to be submitted to governing bodies with evidence that it was completed prior to 5. Maybe medicals can wait, until after then if the club chooses to waive it. There was an issue about this last year with Leicester & Adrien Silva (once almost of this parish, unless I'm getting him confused with someone else). https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/adrien-silva-relieved-finally-complete-11779732

Hopefully, but you'd assume that we've already got something agreed in principle if so. Half an hour isn't a lot to get something like this signed off otherwise!

More than 15 million dollars

Sale of the effing century

To be fair, they don't have the luxury of time to play around with. Either we accept an offer in the next hour or so or he stays. No point in messing around with derisory offers like they did yesterday (which was the real strange one)

Usually I wouldn't go in for stuff like that. But if their first bid, 24 hours before the deadline was as little as £7million all in, then it genuinely sounds like they either haven't done their homework on what would realistically get accepted, or they're not expecting the bit to be accepted. Might be an improved offer, but unless it has AT LEAST doubled, then the conversation doesn't even begin.