Or maybe we'll have a domestic back up keeper signed for free or on loan by the start of the season too and he can play the first couple of games...

I imagine some will do both. Anything to fit a narrative...

Wonder where that lad on Twitter yesterday got wind of Kipre interest. He was claiming it was a done deal, not saying to believe him or anything but if he knew we had interest before anyone else seemingly did...

Well for a start, the budget not being established cropped up in an interview with Mowbray did it not? It wasn't like it was a press release on the club website or anything. Maybe the journalists aren't asking him the right questions or maybe the club feels they don't need to come out and say that a budget has been determined, perhaps thinking their actions will speak louder. Granted, at the moment the silence is pretty deafening in that sense considering we haven't signed anyone, and that sluggishness in the market is definitely something to be a little frustrated by. Equally the business with the kit is also a bit shoddy. Personally, though, I just don't see the need for that kind of declaration or information on the transfer front. Let them get on with it, don't let fretting over the budget of a football club ruin your day and just wait and see what happens.

It's sort of irrelevant. Most businesses redo their budgets regularly, so I imagine Rovers would for each transfer window too. The issue in our sense is that often if there is money left unspent from a budget that suggests to those running an organisation that less is needed next time...

Hope it's true. I'd feel a lot more confident if it wasn't just one random bloke on Twitter saying it

This obsession with expecting the club to announce their budget is just plain bizarre. When has the club, or any other club for that matter, come out and said "yes we have X amount to spend on transfers this window"? Never

Nope, just trying to have a positive outlook on things. Personally can't see how 'Totally Wicked' would be chucking in 500k just to sponsor the training tops or Rovers being totally reliant on a vaping company to fund our transfer activities

Got access to the current accounts have you?

Or maybe all the talk of us having absolutely zero to spend wasn't true...?

Supposedly out of favour with Monk for off-field problems but honestly Monk seems like a bit of a rotter so I feel like I'd be inclined to go against him too

Couldn't buy one if you wanted to...

This based off of knowledge or a feeling?

Change of scenery? They've been off for the last 3 weeks and been in 1 day...

Saw that. Great story. Not sure the same level of night out would happen now though... Especially after what happened in Aberdeen with those players there.

I'd argue this time around it's different circumstances. Travel restrictions, limited places they could have done it in other UK countries. Sure we won't be the only ones not having a training camp elsewhere

Agreed. We looked a completely different prospect in defence with him there rather than Bell. Would have him back in a heartbeat

All conjecture at the moment. We've heard people say there's an alright budget and people say there's nothing and we can't make a single signing. Too many people wanting to be seen to be 'in the know'. Just take it with a pinch of salt until either we make some signings or we start the season with Mowbray mucking in at centre half. Then react.

Who told you that? Andy Ridgwell, Twitter's finest up and coming gossip monger?

Did he not feature in 3 games? Started against Burton who we conceded 2 against, played in the cup against a League Two team who I can't remember, yes he scored but we also conceded 3. And then came on against Rotherham and got pipped to the ball by one of their strikers almost immediately to make it 3-2. I'm sure he's improved since then but impressed he didn't

I know there's a big agenda against Mowbray, correctly so in some aspects, but he's not a moron, he'll know that the higher level experience the better for Wharton. So I can't see he him refusing to send him to a League One club if it was an option... I can't imagine a professional footballer who wouldn't say they were ready to play for their parent club to be honest. It wouldn't sound good him coming out like "Nah I don't think I'm ready". I know he's had a good couple of spells in League Two, good on him. Not trying to rule him out as an option, he's got more experience than Carter who looked way out of his depth against Luton. But I'd by no means want us to try Wharton instead of signing a new CB. Him starting should be a last resort for me. The jump between League Two and the Championship is a big one

Haha my mate Mowbray. You know nothing about my opinions of Mowbray. Personally I'd rather change the manager but that's by the by. As long as Wharton says he's ready though then he must be. Three promotions from League 2 is fair enough, but why after the first or second did a League One team not come in for him? Unless they did and he told them he wasn't ready...

Why? What warrants Wharton starting immediately from next season? If we'd signed someone who wasn't one of our youth players from a League Two team to be a starter I imagine there'd be uproar... He's shown nothing to suggest he is capable at this level

There's also being realistic and recognising when you would be wasting your time...

You mean the one that's destined to sign for a Premier League team? And who was meant to go to AC Milan in January?