My slightly tongue in cheek response is, how would Rich Sharpe know? We've other highlights to look forward to. The player move that breaks down after Mowbray has told him he won't go straight into the team and has to learn how we do things and/or has to talk to someone about how to play his position. My personal favourite:the 'we put a couple of £1 million bids in late on deadline day, but couldn't get them over the line'.

Would we get £1.5m -£2m for Captain Marvel? It is downright distressing that we're talking about playing players in their proper position or if returning loans are good enough to make the first team rather than who to bring in to make us stronger, given our budget. Actually, knowing that there is a budget to bring in players would be a good start for the club to announce that there is one.We all suspect we have to sell before we can bring anyone in,but that's not been announced,either. Other clubs do it, but not us. Another tranche of the Brereton transfer is now due out to Forest.If we don't pay, he revert to being a Forest player, saving us £3m, which could be used to fund the transfer of Neil Etheridge. It's not ethical business, but then, Brereton hasn't exactly played as advertised, now has he?

You need to up your work rate on jokes. Thanks for pointing out my use of the wrong word.I did correct it, which you seem to have missed. I reckoned he was on track to score 20 goals that season. I'd expect 6 goals a season, now and he'll be told off for scoring each one. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have a 20 goal striker a season than one who is used as an attempted header winner from a ball hoofed upfield from the defence. @KyleRover Yep, using it for illustrative purposes.Walton much improved by his spell at Wigan, but worsened here.

Gallagher scored 10 league goals for us under Coyle whilst playing as a centre forward. You've obviously forgotten.

I think @neophox was just giving his reasons for not wanting Duffy back here.He is said to be unsettled at Brighton. @Atko'sEngine, you complain about profligacy in front of goal, despite us finishing 6th in terms of goals scored.You cite Gallagher and Samuel. Mowbray makes Gallagher play wide right, doesn't allow him to hone his goalscoring talent and berates him for popping up in the penalty area and scoring.I doubt Samuel was fully match fit. @RoverKyle, the best target man we have according to the scouting report is Brereton, Unfortunately, his distribution thereafter is a weakness. Walton kept 12 clean sheets. Transfermarkt lists his market value at £900k on joining us on loan. It was £720 estimated on leaving us. He left 80% of the player he was, when he came. Contrast that with his time at Wigan: £225k when he started, £900k when he left. Can we recruit the Wigan goalkeeping coach, please?

The LMA does run summer schools for football management. It's important new managers learn what not to do from the old fossils out there.

I think the club shares your desire for attacking defenders. That's the contributing factor to our defense leaking 60+ goals a season. Mowbray did bring in Chapman to play out wide.Injury and a bust up got in the way of that. Jordan Jones was one of a number of players we were linked with last January and we were among the clubs said to want to sign him. Rangers are looking to sell him,not send him out on loan. I am sure it's mere coincidence that Mowbray is on holiday the week Bristol City are holding second interviews and looking to finalise their new managerial appointment.

If Wigan reform under a new club, isn't that automatic relegation to League 2, which would mean the League One clubs deciding between Tranmere and Exeter City? I think Wigan have a case that any points deduction occur next season. The Championship, next seasons, could start with Derby, Sheff Wed and Wigan all on -12 points. A number of clubs were reported to be displeased that Birmingham City didn't have more points deducted.

No, actually. When Venkys came in, they promised £5m spending on transfers in per transfer window. Aside from the window we were under FFP, some money has been made available for managers to bring players in on transfers. Mowbray hasn't had to sell anyone, whilst he's been manager. What Mercer describes, however, looks to be our new reality.

Ah, I see. It would depend whether Sheffield United do, as well.

Sheffield United have made the same bid two summers running. Why do you think they wouldn't make it a third summer in a row? Certainly, "Deary you!", if you don't think Lenihan is worth that. I expect bids for Lenihan, Travis, Evans, Nyambe, Armstrong and Dack. I'd certainly prefer to not sell these players and have funds to bring in new ones. I'd transfer list Bell,Williams, Mulgrew, Bennett, Johnson and Holtby. Of course, there's no guarantee that any funds raised in transfers goes to bringing in new players. As I don't expect a transfer budget, as things currently stand, Downing is an expensive luxury we can't afford given our needs in other areas.

Meeting with players is not an indication or confirmation that there is a budget. Free agent wages are paid out of current wages. In previous transfer windows, Mowbray has said 'we don't need to sell'. This year , it's 'he doesn't want to sell. After the new club financial year, Venkys have in the past said they'll continue to pay the wages. They've not said that this year. The £10m bid is probably from Sheff Utd for Lenihan. They've bid that last two summers. if they'd made it £10m plus O'Connell, I'd be tempted. We'd not get Whiteman for £1m. Doncaster rejected a 7 figure bid for him last summer. Perhaps you'd know why he was unimpressed with Mowbray, assuming the meeting actually took place?

It is claimed by a number of posters over a number of years that Mowbray has "honesty, integrity, humility and respect". Do you think Mowbray has these values? You say that Mowbray babbles everyday. Do you dismiss everything he says as not being evidence of anything?

Mowbray didn't say it would be a resigning matter if he didn't. Mowbray said he lived his life by "honesty, integrity, humility and respect" in a BBC Sport interview on taking over as Celtic manager June 17th 2009. I would expect someone who claims to live like that to resign after failing to hit his targets. Missed targets usually gets people fired in the 'real world'. I think the feeling that Mowbray can't take us any further extends way beyond a few dozen posters on here. Mowbray, however, thinks he can get us into the premier league. @simongarnerisgod ,above, posts reasons why his confidence maybe misplaced.

Glad to see you understand the real reason we aren't changing managers. Mowbray set the target at 70 points and playoffs as the absolute minimum. We didn't get there. That's why there are calls for the manager's head.

Morgan Fox would give us a functional left back. That's a step up. I would like to know that Mowbray has an independently verified list of targets provided to him by the vaunted 'european scouting network' to prove their value..

He's not had a good time at Middlesborough. Got himself established and then got injured; rinse and repeat. Refused to take a pay cut. Available on a free, not that we've 30k a week to pay him.and if did come back, somehow, Mowbray would play him on the wing to supply those crosses @joey_big_nose

I'd welcome Gestede back.

Warnock wouldn't be cheap!

The only affect will be for clubs to seek to loosen FFP restrictions on allowable losses and new share capital issue.I wouldn't expect the change to impact what other clubs planned to do at all. Clubs would have been planning for no in-stadium fans.

Two exceptions that prove the rule. Bet we didn't finish the games with 3 at the back. Nyambe won 1.2 aerial duels per game last season as opposed to 3.2 for Tosin and 5.3 for Lenihan. Data from whoscored.com. Stats don't suggest Nyambe is centre back material in the championship. We differ in thinking Wing-backs make best use of our available personnel. I don't.

As long as your analysis was JoeH, it missed a great deal. I'm not sure why you felt the need to bash Nyambe and Gallagher. Coyle played Gallagher centrally and got 10 league goals out of him. Mowbray is under contract for the next two years. That's not long term.4-2-3-1 was never his preferred style. He's indicated that we'll play 4-2-3-1 again over his dead body. That's pity since it brought out the best of Graham and Dack. Since Dack was injured, Mowbray's tried a variety of formations without finding one that works consistently. Two things about your choice of players for your formation. Bradley Dack is injured and won't start the season. Downing is too expensive a luxury to bring back and certainly hasn't the stamina to last 90 minutes as a wing back.I'd rather his wage went on bringing in Morgan Fox and bringing back Danny Graham. 5-2-3 seems to me to want to morph into 3-4-3.Whilst Damien Johnson successfully used a variant of 3-4-3 to guide the U23s to promotion, whenever Mowbray has tried 3 at the back, it has not ended well for us. Lewis Holtby is an attacking midfielder. We play 2 holding midfielders in Evans and Travis.There does not seem to be a role for him here.Playing him as a false 9 didn't work.Bradley Johnson appears to have lost all respect for Mowbray after being told to move to the area permanently, when Mowbray hasn't. Last off-season Nyambe worked on his defensive technique as a right back.This, he may well look at the attacking side of his game,including crossing.We look to have tried to convert Bell into a wing back and not developed him as a left back. Mowbray obviously doesn't see Williams as Lenihan's long term co-centre back, though he seems to prefer Williams over .Wharton.In goal, Fisher has been here the longest, but Mowbray favours Eastham. Up front, we spent £12m on Brereton and Gallagher. They have to play centrally, pushing Armstrong out on the left.Playing 3 up front doesn't seem to suit us, though. I'd add JRC wide right to provide balance. I'd play 4 at the back, though Mowbray is likely to go with Bennett, Williams, Lenihan and Bell.That's likely to get Nyambe and Wharton to ask their agents to find them a new playing destination. I'd transfer list Bell, Williams, Mulgrew, Bennett, Johnson and Holtby. I am working on the assumptions that Mowbray is still here, that there won't be any money to bring in signings or loanees and only one of the 6 departing contract wages can be used to sign free agents. The formation I'm going with is 4-2-4.