Which is why I continue to harp on about bringing in a quick winger. Someone that will allow us to hit teams on the break at pace, over the top and provide assists for our strikers. It's THE most important piece we're missing.

I think it's become a lot softer and, therefore, more difficult for defenders. I wouldn't say it's faster or more technical.

We've managed to scratch a lot of goals from all across the team (16 goal scorers was it?) and of course keep a clean sheet at the other end.

The pressing is tactic specific - we don't press massively, for example. Guardiola's system and Klopp's system require it. The increase in the number of subs was backdoored in during COVID and sadly never went away. It benefits the richer teams, with their deeper benches, so it's something they always wanted.

Even the manager is getting visibly frustrated by it all. He's mentioned the need for reinforcements at every media interview for months. He's now distanced himself from the WBA job, but reiterated that he's ambitious (and so are his players) and they're not here just to survive.

5'7" CF? No thanks.

Leo Duru confirmed as out the door on loan to Barrow. Good move for him.

Surely after banking £40m+ in transfer fees we're above bringing in 33 year old wingers on their last legs? Right? Dying a slow death this club (or a quick one if they continue to refuse to put money in).

It's terrifying, isn't it?

We all thought O'Riordan and Garrett would play in L1. If Barrow are promising him game time in L2 at 19 we should bite his hand off. He's not developing sat on the bench / running out for the U21s.

LOL - like Waggott would know the names of players. The sentence would have ended at "Got any defenders you don't want by any chance?"

He had no interest in going in for a 50/50 tackle - and he wasn't good enough to ignore that part of the game.

He also said we need to shift players out to bring players in. Bearing in mind our second highest earner has just gone back to Stoke. We clearly operate on a L1 budget.

That's the risk you take. We need to start playing the same game I'm afraid.

The court case that will undoubtedly get delayed again?

Attach a loan fee and penalties if he doesn't play X amount of minutes. If they're not serious about loaning him then they won't pay it. We don't need another situation like Garrett and O'Riordan where promising youngsters of ours aren't even making the match squads. It's a waste of their time and ours.

I don't think he's going to have much of a choice at this rate.

Which is why we're baffled they won't cut their losses and sell if it's such a burden to them.

-1 player, but our second highest earner off the books and I'm sure a nice fee from Stoke to terminate the loan. So, spending spree incoming, right?

Bet we're desperate to get him off the wage bill.

LOL Eustace is taking this 'experience' suggestion a bit far. Everyone is bloody 30. That's the second CB we've been linked to though, which suggests Carter isn't coming back this season.

If they're paying cash money I'd drive him there myself.

He was ok at #10 under Mowbray, but he had no end product - he wasn't a goal threat.

I'd love to sell Buckley this window. I sigh when he comes on - his attitude stinks.

O'Brien? Yeah he wasn't the one that got away that January, good player but nothing special - that was an embarrassing story because of how we handled the whole debacle. Undav was the one that would have changed our season.