Venkys happy to pay (as always). They have one eye on FFP. The only thing I’ve seen in relation to restrictions on money was TM saying we didn’t have the money to go out and replace Dack. Which at £10-£20m is kind of self explanatory. The other issue at play here is that they were also budgeting on selling more tickets and likely cashing in on Dack in the summer. But ultimately, we had a budget for this window and we still have it. Dacks injury and the form of Brereton and Gallagher means we now have to add an attacker. Not skint. No restrictions imposed by the owners. Just business as usual.

I’m surprised you’re so confident in your assertion when in reality, you don’t know.

Great point. Lots of love for them in here but the way I see it, they’ve been building a squad in the Championship for near on a 5yrs now and imo we’ve closed that gap in the last 18 months in spite of spending £12m on players who haven’t delivered. As I suggested at the start of the season, I expect us to finish above them this season at which point they will never be heard of again.

They’ve got it wrong with Brereton who was signed with no real scouting other than playing well against us and a growing reputation as a promising star of the future. But he has never been the player who they thought he’d be. They’re worried and right to be...managers ultimately get judged on their big transfers. I hope he goes to Holland, rediscovers the form he showed as a teenager and comes back in the summer full of confidence and ready to get his career going again.

Closed ranks around transfers. Apparently Nixon’s source has been given the boot too...it’s better that they don’t go public imo.

This is right. He did sign it off as he does every one.

Based on the opinion of his employers, his development, physical attributes, ability AND him being better than Lenihan. I’m pretty confident that he’ll play at the top level for a long time. Just my opinion. ??

Haha statistically? How could you possibly create the same conditions for both of them on their own? I’d personally say that Nyambe was the biggest miss to our. He’s 10 times the right back that Bennett is and we look 10 times more solid with him in the team. Back to my point though...in the games home and away that I’ve watched, my opinion is that Tosin is a lot better than Lenihan.

He’s far better than Lenihan now. As a ball playing CB he’s going to play a lot of games imo. Him and Downing have been our best players so far.

Sinclair’s last top season for Celtic was three years ago playing for the only team in a less competitive league. Sinclairs numbers have declined since and will continue to do so as he slows up. He’s a decent signing. That’s it. As for Bauer and Tosin - They’re both CB’s. So it’s not that difficult. If you are referring to their styles of play I’d say that TA has proven he can deal with physicality and aerial challenges whereas PB seems to have to concentrate VERY hard to pass 5yrds. The only ‘chalk n cheese’ here is that Tosin is a very good player who will likely go onto a long career in the PL whilst Bauer...isn’t and won’t ??

It’s exactly what he and the club need. Play somewhere new and get his confidence up!

There’s no one pushing back on a loan move for Brereton. I reckon he’ll go.

I’m not rewriting anything. Their fans sang for Neil to ‘get him on’ for 15 mins before he came on. His reception was unbelievable! He must’ve felt like Messi bless him. I’d have taken Sinclair, absolutely but I reckon a few on here would’ve been caning Mowbray had he given a 30yr old winger a 2.5yr contract. Rightly so, it’s madness imo. Fair play to Sinclair though. Must’ve been blown away with that offer. Make no mistake, our fans didn’t react like that to Holtby. Who based on his career is a far better signing. Maybe we just have higher expectations. Nothing wrong with that. In terms of Bauer, I’ve now seen him live twice and on the TV another half a dozen times. He’s a stump. Based on what I’ve seen he isn’t fit to lace Tosins boots.

Players Bought to get us out of League 1 getting phased out of our championship plans - seems straight forward enough. Downing has been fantastic. Was the best player on the park yesterday and has surpassed most people’s expectations. What was interesting yesterday was the reaction of PNE fans to Sinclair. You’d have thought they were bringing on Messi! Just highlighted the difference in expectation at the two clubs when you consider Rovers fans reaction to signing Holtby who is a far better pedigree and status. Also of note, Patrick Bauer is CRAP. Wow, such poor mobility. Big cart horse type. Dodged a bullet there. Tosin much better.

Fake news. Tosin and Cunningham were massive upgrades.

Evans and Smallwood are not good enough. The club know that and I mentioned in here in the summer that they were going to transition them out. At the time, many didn’t believe me and understandably thought Smallwood was un-drop-able in TM’s eyes. He’s never played since and Evans would’ve followed the same way had Johnson’s form not dropped away. They also expected Davenport to be banging the door down. IMO Bell, Smallwood, Evans, Samuel, Leutwiler and Bennett are not good enough to take us forward (or enough potential) and should initially be replaced in the first XI and then in the squad ASAP. But whilst we’re on the transfer thread, what a signing Stuart Downing has been! Fantastic player.

Anyone seen Rathbone play?

Any transfer news?

I think you have a point re the limitations. However, you should consider why the manager opts for lads he knows. I’m not privy to the info but it’s fairly well known that the scouting network was decimated over the Kean tenure. That has been developed again but is far from working well, yet. I found out some stuff re the Brereton deal yesterday and it’s mental how that transfer was ever signed off. Safe to say, I do understand why the manager is going off his own personal contacts.

I don’t mind him wanting to know the character of the player before signing them. He seems to really want that connection. Which makes it even more odd that he signed off the Brereton transfer with no prior interaction based on a growing reputation and a good game against us...will come back to bite him that one.

Yes, that would probably do the trick.

You don’t know him then. The money is of no relevance to Tony. 40 years in the game on good money, living a simple life. More importantly, one of the most honourable men you will ever meet. If HE feels his race is run, he’ll walk.

I don’t think he’ll walk. My point was that he’s more likely to walk than get sacked.

It maybe that Dack had spoken to WBA unofficially and agreed his side in principle. But it wasn’t going to happen. I’m certain of that....fairly irrelevant now anyway. Other than it puts to bed that the club wanted to sell him and / or were desperate for the cash. They didn’t and they’re not.

That makes more sense. As far as the club we’re concerned, it wasn’t happening. I don’t know anything from the players side tbf.