I'm not 100% sure Brereton is gone. The only thing which makes me say this is its clear as day that he really likes it here. He's got good mates, he's a leader in the side, and he looks like he is really enjoying his football. Greg Broughton is in Portugal for the first few days. We do need to slap a contract down in front of him, insert a release clause as an incentive, and have a deadline for it being signed. Our cards are on the table then. Show him we really want him to stay, and then if he turns it down, it's understandable on a human level if we start offering him around to other clubs. Personally I think it would be a good thing for his career to spend one more season with us. I don't have the fear that his form last season was a purple patch. He'll retain his value, and there is a hell of a lot of development left in him, which he'll need minutes to fulfill. The fact he is a leader of the side can also help accelerate and bring out that potential.

The wage structure is concerning. From what I've heard previously it means that players are entitled to % increases when renewing contracts. If our structure dictates a player can't have a dramatic increase in salary then we've shot ourselves in the foot before negotiations even begin. Its not like a normal job where you work within a pay scale. By our skewed logic, Messi could come through our academy, the entire team be totally reliant on him, yet he'd be paid less than the rest of the squad. It's no wonder there's discontent. Nyambe being paid the same as Pears and less than Davenport. To then be told, we'd love to pay you more but we can't as it would break the pay structure. What an awful excuse. And something for Waggot to hide behind. In short our pay structure encourages the movement of players as its the only way for a player to negotiate on their terms, rather than be tied into a set of ill fitting rules.

Rothwell, Nyambe and Lenihan. I think it's reasonable to say they could fetch around £2million each if they'd been tied into contracts. More if there suddenly became a few clubs interested which can happen with hot streaks of form, market conditions, transfer window deadlines. Whether they are setting the world alight or not. We've lost assets that had significant value given both our finances and the way we're trying to model the club. It is very simple. Player power rules. We'd tried to see who would blink first which is a very high stakes game to play. Adequate management would have been a deadline midway through last summer for them to re-sign and it they didn't, they should have been sold. You can rewind it further than that too. In reality once between 18-24 months left on a deal we should have had much more urgency around the situation. If talks weren't progressing, then moves for replacements should have begun. The club has been run with a short term attitude of meeting financials. Not to mention the mad contracts given out to Tony's old boys club a couple of years back, all of whom added no value to the asset sheet.

He turns 17 on Sunday, so if this pre-contract is correct we'll find out then.

It's the most important season in Gallaghers career. His touch etc can be maddening, but the thing that irritated me the most was his unwillingness to gamble. You never saw a tap in at the far post or a 6 yard box scramble goal from him. He seemed to lack the anticipation, and surely there's nobody better to teach him this than JDT. It will be nice to see a manager have faith in him in his natural position too. If there is a stick to beat Mowbray with tactically it's his use of Gallagher. Frankly, it was absolutely ridiculous.

Absolutely. Now we have a decent set up I'm place we'd actually be somewhat appealing to a player of his ilk. Though I imagine Mk Don's will be holding out for a decent fee considering the year he had last year.

I'm not sure how we'd afford Cantwell. If he was affordable he'd be eating up a good chunk of our budget. He doesn't strike me as a player 100% focused on football, but he extremely talented. High risk, high reward.

Surely there is a positive in this that you've not mentioned, in Greg Broughton being the one who found JDT and got it over the line quickly. Regardless of the short or long term success of JDT it is excellent to have somebody in place to ensure consistency and succession planning. After seeing how swiftly GB moved in bringing JDT in, I'd certainly hope next time we come to look for a new manager, the dithering of the past would be a distant memory.

Pompey fans loved Carter. They think he's a class act. Not only in his defending, but his composure. If he were available he'd be top of their list. Ronan Curtis. Never been a fan. Often plays wide left and he's got a bit of the Armstrongs about him, in that he shoots on sight. Not a team player at all, which is why he's been hitting double digits in League 1 for years, yet nobody has taken a punt on him. Additionally his attitude on the pitch often looks like it stinks.

I'm not tired of it as such. But its time for the media team to let him get on with the job now. They've followed him around very closely for 3 days this week. They'll get some footage of the first training session in Monday. But then they need to back off and let him get on with the job. The media team have helped in creating a buzz. Big tick from me for them. Similar to what you're saying though. If they over saturate it, it will destroy the good work they've done

I can't help but feel like Lenihan has rushed his final decision. All the noises coming out the club were that he was happy with the salary on offer, but wanted to see who the new manager would be, before committing to a new deal. The amount of time he did wait to sign a deal, one more week, surely couldn't have hurt. Its going to be a horrible commute for him now.

Very intentional words from JDT. He knows what has come before. I've seen a clip of him addressing the whole squad in the canteen too. Again his words seemed intentional and to the point. I actually watched it at lunch and I remember what he said now. The team is the most important thing. We need to have the absolute best team spirit in the league. I don't want to spend too much longer reflecting back to Mowbray. But anytime he was filmed giving a bit of a speech, he'd ramble on for 20 minutes and touch on 20 different subjects. This was reflected in his interviews as well. He'd contradict himself endlessly and you'd come away not having a clue what point he wanted to make. Half of management is being a top communicator and JDT is definitely that!

I find myself really excited for the future after seeing his first interview and the behind the scenes footage. Writing a post as to what he has said to spark that promise there are a couple of things which stood out, but the biggest thing is not what he said. The man has presence and charisma, is animated and walks with confidence. Its the little things. Wearing a sharp suit on his first day, striding around the place, not with aggression but an optimistic, commanding air. Stopping and pointing at Kenny and legends of old. Those things show he not only commands respect, but respects the club. I'm delighted with the appointment. I don't think it's going to be a case of him giving Mowbrays boys a boot into reality but more that they will all be desperate to perform. I'd wager if Lenihan hasn't actually signed a contract and it's only a verbal agreement with Boro he'd be very tempted to commit his future here. Only other thing to hope is that Venkys don't f*** it up and that the commitments we've given him to sign here, are met. Who's got a good song for him?

Southgate being so obsessed with a defensive screen in his midfield is what makes us struggle, coupled with the fact he has those midfielders in very rigid formations. Rice is excellent, Phillips a capable deputy, but together their defensive nature actually makes us more vulnerable as neither of them have the agility to twist and turn in centre mid and dominate the ball. They don't move it quickly enough and struggle to keep possession under real pressure. Southgate also loves Mount but as an attacking midfielder. Play him deeper and he'd solve a lot of our problems. He's good at everything. Excellent on the ball, can run for days etc; but he doesn't contribute enough as an attacking midfielder. We have the combinations for a 3 man midfield with both energy and fluidity. Rice, Bellingham, Mount or Rice, Foden and Mount. Agree with the poster who mentioned Trent. Given our quality right backs he should not be in the squad. Unbelievable going forwards but it strikes me that he believes his own hype and thinks about assists before every game. He needs some Italian blood in him, celebrating clean sheets like goals. We've one of the best squads in my lifetime. There are weaker areas, but I don't think Southgate either covers those areas or creates systems where our best players can shine. He's had success so far with some luck. Personally I think he's been brilliant, but more for his off pitch demeanour. Sometimes it was hard to really love England and what group stood for. Southgate came along and it became a group you could be proud of. Weirdly that's the main reason I'm not calling for a change, but I do think he's lacking tactically.

By the sounds of things he surrounded himself with some excellent staff at Malmo and he's brought a couple of them with him. This in itself is huge. It also gives me a little hope the purse strings may not be quite as tight as first anticipated. With so little coming out of the club the assumption has been the budget will be non-existent. Fingers crossed there's something there.

I think it's important he's coming with a couple of his people as opposed to just an assistant. Sometimes numbers matter and it could have been slightly isolating and divisive had JDT's team been outnumbered by the current bunch. Damien Johnson always strikes me as somebody who is very forward thinking, uses a lot of tech in his role. I always found it strange Ben Benson was out on the touchline far more than DJ. I've felt for a while he's been an underused asset that will hopefully have a boss who is far more aligned to his way of working.

First thing the new DoF should be doing once the new gaffer is announced and we have clarity, is checking to see whether the ink is dry on the contracts Lenihan and Nyambe are supposedly signing elsewhere. Highly unlikely they are staying now, but a new manager is a big change and JDT isn't the same old that we've seen before. Never say never. It could be enough to swing things in our favour.

I don't want a transition season either, but given the amount of time taken to appoint both JDT and Broughton, I think that's going to be the likely outcome. Had they both been appointed a month ago my expectations of them would be higher. They've not been set up for success with a depleted squad needing fairly major forays into the transfer market. Had they been afforded a period of time for planning their jobs would be far easier.

If it is JDT for me this is a transition season. We're all fed up of journies etc but there is going to be a huge amount of work to do with such a depleted squad. I'm not saying we shouldn't be aiming for success as soon as possible, but the delay in bringing a manager in, coupled with expiring contracts in the squad, means he's not been set up for success from the outset. Same with the DoF. He should have been brought in earlier. They will be doing their best but we've essentially removed the opportunity for an analysis and planning stage. Here's hoping they will have a players/tricks up their sleeves as I don't think this season is going to be an easy task. There's an enormous amount of pressure on this transfer window, compounded by the fact these guys will also have to get used to the 'Venkys way of working'. All said, I'm excited about the appointments. They are complete unknowns. Both are making a step up, but both can point to recent success. I'm hoping for a real hunger and desire to improve, as opposed to Mowbray who was happy to top up the pension, and simply do right by the lads and develop them, as opposed to developing Rovers. There's potential for disaster due to the poor way and timing of our recruitment, but there's also plenty of potential. We'll see!

If it is Tomasson then I'm happy given the options we now have. We've seen good options go by, and looking around at those we're now linked with he seems like a decent choice. Playing career wise, he was right at the very top. Given the age and experience of our squad, that will gain some respect. He was always a very intelligent player. He reminded me slightly of Thomas Muller but slightly further forward. No notable stand out attributes, but somebody who interpreted space superbly. Hopefully he has the ability to communicate that skill well and he's adept understanding the defensive side of the game too. Diaz should be ecstatic if JDT does come in. What a player to learn from, though I doubt it'd be enough for him to resign. On the negative side, he has little experience, though is achievements in Malmo shouldn't be dismissed simply because they're a big team in their league. To temper his sacking by Rode he was appointed mid-season and sacked after only 5 months. It's a mark on his record, however that it can be difficult to turn round a club mid-season who are on the slide. It's a step up for him and he has something to prove, which to me is both positive and negative. The alternatives look a bit grim, but I'd be very excited to see what he has to offer.

Then an article on the deafening silence is needed and publicly calling Waggot into question. If I were Sharpe, I'd possibly wait until the new manager is appointed, to precent too much damage. But this is a shambles. We're a laughing stock again!

Whoever we bring in we've royally screwed up the process. It's not to say the new manager will be poor, but any success is going to be through luck, not design. Who would have the authority I don't know, but a thorough review is needed. Were multiple parties interviewing different people? Who sanctioned the idea we'd interview 'in work' candidates in a separate stage to out of work ones? What happened at this 2nd interview stage which brought value? Was a timescale ever placed, if it was missed, why? Did anybody internally ever challenge some of our conditions of employment? Did the owners 'vision' and financial commitment marry up? We're scrabbling around right now because if we don't bring somebody in fast then club directors lose face. More than anything I'd love them to tell my what the f*** they have been up to the last couple of months. To drag your heels and have no f***ing idea who it is you're pursuing. Waggot, Suhail; or whoever is responsible are not fit for our club. I firmly believe I could do a better job with zero experience in the industry.

Surely Rich Sharpe has to be searching for answers and asking Waggot some uncomfortable questions. I can understand his job is difficult. But it's just plain obvious this process has gone wildly wrong

Bradley Orr tells a story where he was unjustly treated by numerous managers, the fans, any executives, everyone. He did very well and made the majority of his earnings as a player out of the club. It doesn't surprise me that he's on a podcast running his mouth as he strikes me as somebody who's just thick. And that's why every manager didn't trust him. He's the type to think he's doing the right thing but in reality he's just reacting and constantly jumping in the deep end, no tact, only sees things from his side of the story. I don't think he's got a lot to say. The stuff on Givet and N'zonzi I do believe. I'm sure if you heard their side they'd probably think very little of him, their main comments would be around the toxicity of the club at that time, and they just wanted out. Bradley Orr would barely be a blip on their radar. It's no excuse for downing tools though.

I'm happy to see the appointment is somebody who has studied and worked for his status in the game, and somebody who has been successful implementing their ideas. My biggest fear was a jobs for the boys situation, or an ex-player, which in my opinion shouldn't give an automatic right, just because they need to do something post playing career. Apart from the earlier link posted I know nothing about the guy. But on paper it is the kind of appointment which ticks the boxes I wanted ticked. My only real question surrounds his remit. He's obviously been heavily involved in academy level in the past. Will that be his entire remit or is it all encompassing, up at senior level too.