Leonard was the clear man of the match - he gave their two CBs a torrid time. Delighted he got the goal and disappointed he missed that gilt edged chance - hopefully that composure (he almost had too long to think about it) comes with time. Hedges is a good Championship backup - good first touch, brings others into the game and a good athlete. Dolan is simply too slow for his style of play out wide - so is Markanday. Both would look better playing as a #10 (Markanday evidently has a great finish on him, so he'd probably be your choice of the two playing centrally). Carter was the better of our two CBs today I thought - if Phillips is worth £2m, I'd want £10m for Carter.

My concern with Leonard has always been the physical side of things - he put that to bed today. He won't be matched up against two bigger, more athletic and physical CBs than the two WBA lined up with today and he ran them ragged - did anyone notice the frustrated kick one of them gave him at full time? An outstanding performance - to the point where you wonder if he'd been given a chance in January last year whether we'd be starting our season next Saturday instead...

Yeah that's a disgraceful front 3 to start a season with. They're talking 'top 10' on Radio Lancs. No chance at the moment - just no goals in the side. We've really been let down this summer. Sat in the car about to head down to the ground and I have zero enthusiasm for the match / season.

Jesus.

It's rained on and off all morning and it's due to continue throughout the day.

Who's scoring the goals?

Well that was a terrible game of football to start the season. Southampton still have most of their poor PL squad, so they'll walk promotion this season - they made hard work of it tonight though.

I want an end to time wasting. This isn't the answer.

15 minutes of extra time today. This initiative will quickly die - there's no way people are staying at grounds until 5pm every week.

It looks bereft of goals, as it did last year.

Sadly JRC hasn't played CM at all in the pre-season so you can't throw him in there to start the season. I wouldn't mind him ahead of Brittain, where Markanday is currently lined up, though. He's played there before.

Yep, didn't bring the 3 additional players we needed in for a promotion push so mid-table mediocrity it is. Admirable considering the squad is 80% Academy graduates, but frustrating as a season ticket holder when you look at the cost of tickets elsewhere in the league.

Szmodics is one of the first names on the teamsheet for mine.

Too many yellow cards to suggest they were just cruising.

He's not going to get any bigger - you have to accept that he's the type of striker who will have to rely on his movement and finishing to succeed at this level. The work rate is there, from what I've seen so is the movement and the vision (could have had a second today if JRC had passed it rather than fired it across the box). He's only going to get better by playing senior football at this point - with how our transfer window has gone it looks like it'll be with us rather than on loan in League One.

I think he only came on because JDT had promised he'd "get 20 minutes" earlier this week. Leonard wasn't looking tired at all, and is probably going to have to start at #9 next week, which is why the change came so late.

We very much watched different games.

And only a cursory "let's all go home, lads" 2 minutes against Girona.

I think it would help if we had someone to aim at. Besides the two CBs (and the GK) everyone else in the starting XI is under 6'.

One new signing - Ennis definitely kicked a ball today.

They hurt us on the break - but I'm not having that they 'played in patches'. Too many yellow cards to suggest they were cruising through the game.

Dropping A. Wharton into that team for Travis would make a massive difference.

Wasn't even our best XI either.

He's missed too much of pre-season to be ready for the next few weeks, he'll be used sparingly as a sub I think. That little passage of play answered one of our questions though - he's not fast.

Superb is a stretch, but he's looked better than Dolan on the other wing. I think he has to be played centrally as a #10 - or develop that Robben shift the ball onto his left and whip into the far corner, cos he doesn't have the pace to get outside his man.