Exiled_Rover

How is it weaker than last season?

Who are the 'hard men' for Reading and Sheffield United?!

He's clearly the 'yeah he'd do' backup option for a lot of them.

Everyone's obsessed with this back 3 malarkay. If you think Pickering can handle the left flank on his own then I've got a bridge to sell you. He'd get mullered every week.

It's about identifying ability and situations - every player is different, maybe they see something in Hirst. Brereton had undeniable ability, but he wasn't sure of himself when he arrived at Rovers. He played in front of a hostile crowd who rightly wanted to see an instant return on the huge transfer fee we paid for him and it chipped away at his confidence. A year or two of growing into his body and a year of basically behind closed doors football and he found himself.

I don't think it's that odd - a 'better' offer came in and he's taken it. Neither he or Liverpool owe us anything. It's just football.

I hope not, that leaves us incredibly short.

When was PNE's last league goal? Feels like they've fallen out because he wants a move to a bigger club. Cutting their nose off to spite their face.

I just think he opened a few eyes on Saturday - provided that extra man in attack / midfield playing at RB. I doubt JRC plays for JDT again. Midfield is an issue in the sense that they're all inexperienced and Buckley has a tendency to go missing. I absolutely don't think we need a 'hard man' in there.

I haven't seen Garrett play yet, but they rate him highly. Wharton was the business on Saturday and Morton looks a player too. It's difficult to bring in a good player to sit on the bench most weeks.

I've always taken the stance that we needed another CB - the fact that we've brought in Hyam means that we've solved that problem. I think Carter has earned his chance at playing time after his loan stint last season and obviously Phillips hasn't let us down either. Ayala has been our standout player this year - he's a PL talent when he's fit. SVDB was an option for me as he can play RB. That's my only concern at the back now - starting LB and backup RB (I thought Travis was very good there on Saturday for what it's worth). I'm not too concerned about Van Hecke as if he wanted to be here he would be - and evidently Brighton want a fortune for him.

Unless Broughton pulls a rabbit out of the hat I think we're well short of even our minimum expectations for this transfer window. JDT will not be happy, he's playing with half a deck against some pretty stacked ones.

Zaha summed himself up against Man U. Scored a wonderful breakaway goal with a classy finish - then missed a tap in to win the game. He's at the right level - mercurial talent I think is the polite way of putting it.

Bloody farmer's league. They can sod off.

I think we've withdrawn from it in as much as he's chosen Schalke and we've sulked and said "yeah, well, we didn't want him anyway". Obviously we've been shafted late on that deal.

Was he their #17? Lanky pos that was upfront taking our players out late? He'll have been disappointed with what he saw if so.

He can't get up and down the flank like the 4-2-3-1 formation requires - heaven forbid they played him as a Wingback with 3 at the back. We need someone who can mirror what Brittain does on the other flank.

Could become? He already is a very good Championship midfielder.

Sounds like a no-nonsense mercenary, which we've been in need of tbf.

That'd be a strange one, he's hardly what you'd call prolific.

Wait, sell Brereton for £12-15m and only reinvest £5m? Yikes.

They haven't shown the incidents with Szmodics and Brereton on any of the highlights - were they both penalties? I felt the one on Brereton definitely was.

More than likely he was the backup plan if we couldn't get the Hyam deal sorted.

We played 5'5" Dolan upfront for most of the match yesterday - was it any wonder their CBs had an easy time on crosses? We need a big body.

They know Vale isn't up to it at this point. Bet they're looking to move him on.