Depends what figures some of our signings really cost, but looks like it. Brittain - I heard it was about 1 mill or just under. Hyam - 1.5 mill (transfermarkt, converted from Euros) Szmodics - heard everything from 1.8 mill to 3 mill (although best guess from what I've read is 1.8 up front, rising to 2.5 with add ons) Wahlstedt - 700k (though transfermarkt gives a fee of 1 mill in Euros, or about 850k in quid) Ignoring any possible loan fees, I think those are the only players who cost any money who could play without Gally fit. Well, there's Hedges (200k) and Pears (about 400k), but both are injured. So anything from about just under 5 mill, to 6.5 mill, from those 4 players. Oh actually no, there's Markanday too, who I think was reported as about 500k. So yes, we could field one over 5 mill without Gally. Chelsea will have a ton of players who cost more individually than our entire squad (fit or unfit) though.

Would they? Tons of lower English league players fail when they step up, probably the majority in fact. The only difference would be that they'd played in an English semi-pro league instead of a German one. Which only counts for a little. The German leagues are also similar in style to the English leagues. Never said it was the norm. My point was very simple, the profile of the player does not disqualify him from success. While we're on it, if Vardy took a year to settle, I'm sure we can give Telalovic a few more months before people start writing him off (not talking about you).

Obviously we expect Wharton to be sold on, but why is it you think Gilsenan won't be here? You don't think he is good enough to make it? Personally I think he has a chance.

4-0 after just 43 mins. U21s don't seem to be up to much this year. Probably doesn't help that so many are being used in first team squads due to us being light though.

In May 2012, Leicester - then in the Championship - signed a striker from Fleetwood with the name Jamie Vardy. The highest level he had played until then was the Conference (which seems to be a similar level to the German Regionalliga that Telalovic played). He was 25 years old. Now, I'm not saying Telalovic is going to be as good as Vardy, he almost certainly won't be. But the above shows that his previous playing experience at his age is no barrier to him succeeding at this level, if Vardy could jump up a similar distance to this level at a more advanced age, and in fact be good enough to spank the level above this one too. We only need him to turn into a fairly decent Championship striker for the gamble to pay off.

Not for Swansea.

Tbf I think Ainsworth did praise us after we drubbed them. I don't think he said we were the best they'd played but he was fairly complimentary. Millwall's interim boss mentioned we have 'very, very good players' too, I think was the phrasing. Although he bizarrely claimed they definitely deserved to win, even though we had twice as many shots on target and they barely troubled our keeper (even the one goal they did score was very generous from Leo).

Everyone is welcome to their opinion. But I've seen dozens of worse pieces of goalkeeping, a few at Rovers, and Pears' ludicrous own goal against Wigan is definitely one of them.

I'd say it's more likely he has actually taken a knock. Not common for a sub to be subbed off unless they're having an absolute stinker.

You might prefer this, although it seems to skip the pass for some reason.

So was this from Bialkowski, who I've always thought was pretty decent.

Have to hope Scott Wharton can play more like he used to than how he has been, or we could rue that change. I don't know if Hill inside and JRC or Brittain at RB wouldn't have been wiser. Now that Brittain has scored whilst I was typing it though, I know it wouldn't have been wiser 🤣

Just to be clear, regardless of what Wahlstedt did today (haven't seen it), he has 2 clean sheets this season in the league. Pears has 1. Wahlstedt has played 5 Championship games including today I think. Conceding 4 (2 of them against the best team in the league, when coming on cold as we chased the game and stayed open to counter attacks). Pears has played 9 Championship games and conceded 18.

He was. We shipped a shitload of goals.

What do you think the score will be? 2-3 or not 2-3? That is the question.

I was thinking after Saturday I'm not so sure I'd start him tonight. Exact same starting lineup isn't it? Bound to have some not at 100% 3 days later, especially someone as hard working as Szmodics.

Szmodics has become crucial for us. Have to pray he can stay injury free for the vast majority of the season. He has the application and the ability. Arte et labore.

I'd argue confidence in the keeper also plays a part. Yes, Wahlstedt hasn't been here long or played much yet, but I'm more talking about the removal of the lack of confidence that surely the defence had started to feel having Pears behind them. When I played CB we had a cracking keeper (nearly got taken on by Rovers if I remember rightly) and it was such a confidence builder to know the man in the sticks had a good chance of stopping it if you didn't win your tackle, header etc. It alleviates pressure and you can focus on what you're doing better. Course, I was being tongue in cheek when I said it all comes down to Pears being out. But I'm certain it's helped.

I put it down to Pears...

Anybody know how many minutes Wharton, Garrett and Ennis played?

Wharton starting for the u21s this afternoon. Suspect he might not be starting on Saturday. Garrett and Ennis starting too.

So, you don't remember him leaving the field in tears. You remember somebody else claiming it happened. If they weren't lying/exaggerating, they could also just be mistaken. They'd need very good eyesight to spot tears at that distance, unlike the person Arbitro mentioned who was in the technical area.

That error really is one of the stupidest I've seen a keeper make though. There's a really easy pass on, he looks like he's going to play it, then plays it straight to a Nice player instead. Only 16 so I'll let him off.

Whilst I generally agree with your reasoning, and that we should be able to (and are able to) freely discuss pros and cons of a player as soon as we have seen them, and to an extent before we have seen them, the 'some reason' you allude to is that there's an assumption that a player will take time to bed in. New club, new teammates, new manager, new area, new tactics, often a new league or even new country. It's natural to assume a player will take time to settle in and adapt to all of this, and there is a fair bit of apparent precedent for it. So if the player struggles, it's easy enough to think it may be down to those factors, and it may be. If a player hits the ground running, it's easy to assume those factors haven't made much difference, or that he's just that good that he's playing well in spite of them, and can only get better or at least is less likely to tail off as any natural change in form may be offset by having settled in. There's logic in this too, although there is certainly precedent of players who have set off on fire at a club and tailed off, perhaps due to adrenaline and hunger when they arrive, starting as an unknown quantity for opposition, or sheer dumb luck. There's a lot of psychology at play, and I think this is another reason some supporters tend towards saying give them time. It's only a messageboard, and I maintain we can say what we want on here, but if players get a sniff the wider fanbase is criticising them, when they're new, confidence can spiral. So I can see where people are coming from when they say these things. Attempting to shut down debate is something I'm not in favour of though. But I do think people should steer away from comments like 'he's clearly a waste of money' or 'he's shit' or 'he'll never make it here' when it's just been a few games, or even a couple of months really. Comments like 'so far he isn't looking like he'll contribute enough to warrant the fee' however, are totally fair. The problem for me comes from posters who attempt to shut down both types of remarks and don't do balance.

I think JRC spent pretty much two seasons out during his youth development, that's before his first team injury issues.