Yes, 4. We need 3 available at all times, as we play with 3. A good rule of thumb for a football squad is 2 players for each position. Since we play with 3 CBs that would mean we need 6, but since they're interchangeable if need be (though the left footer does bring us good balance), 5 makes sense. We have 4 excellent CBs as you say. After that we get desperate. That's quite the leap, from excellent to desperate. Imagine Ayala gets injured (I know, imagine...) and then one of Wharton, Van Hecke and Lenihan is injured (Wharton and Lenihan have form for injury), has to isolate, or is suspended (Van Hecke and Lenihan a bit heavy handed). Just like that we have to scrape around, with our only options players who aren't CBs, or kids. Risking changing our strongest area of the pitch into our weakest. Another alternative is to change our entire formation, which has brought unprecedented success.

This is my biggest concern too, the lost opportunity in being far more attractive to players, as even Waggott said. If we don't go up - which looks more likely now we haven't made a modest gamble with the budget to cover areas for inevitable injuries etc, whilst Bournemouth have - I think we are in a bit of a predicament. Zeefuik, Khadra, Giles and Van Hecke will be gone. Rothwell will be gone. Nyambe and Lenihan may be gone. Diaz will likely be sold, and this should allow us to fill some of those positions adequately but we know a lot of that sale probably won't be made available. That's up to 8 key players in the team (I'm assuming Zeefuik and Giles become that, they seem good signings for the few months that we have them...and I'm assuming we won't have the 2-3 millionish touted for Zeefuik, as, well, look at us, we don't spend 3 mill on a RB). Even some squad fillers, like Chapman, Butterworth and Davenport are out of contract too. A few important players will also stand to be out of contract the summer after, and we have shown we don't offer enough to necessarily keep our own players. Their values will start to drop. These include Kaminski, Brereton if not sold..I may be forgetting some other fairly important player. We don't seem to have the funds, particularly in the wages department, to go and recruit that level of quality in all those areas. The time to spend was now, whilst we sit 2nd and can lure better players, possibly for better value wages, than we are going to be able to do in the summer if we have lost or missed out on the playoffs. It made sense to spend now because the spend may result in a promotion worth nearly 200 million, and it made sense to spend now to better bolster for next season and beyond if that doesn't happen. We will have to spend anyway, after all. Even beyond the 8-man gap impending next season, we have gaps now. More then one absent central defender and we are seriously scraping the barrel there (a big worry as it's our main strength right now). An injury or suspension to Kaminski and we have oil-hands Pears in goal. Travis' backup are Davenport (not trusted by the manager) and Johnson (far less mobile, nowhere near as useful). We will see about Rothwell's commitment, but if he's out or out of form nobody can do what he does. The same goes for Buckley really, nobody else with that range of passing in the middle. Apart from Dack, who may take a while to be up to speed, nobody outside of the usual three is close to being as good as them. Unlike others I'm not too worried about the striking options as long as BBD stays fit and available of course. And in form. But I think our season was always going to depend on that - strikers scoring even close to as many goals as him aren't cheap at all either. We also have a deluge of players returning soon for the attacking end of the pitch, and Hedges already available, hopefully Khadra and BBD too (I do wonder if TM will say he is jetlagged and match tired or whatever). I feel the other positions could probably have been filled for 500k-1 mill each for the most part, and that's why this is such a disappointment. 2-3 shrewd signings in those areas and this would have been a great window. Looking forward to seeing Giles and Zeefuik in action though. Hopefully the injury doesn't prevent Markanday turning into a talent for us, and we will just see what Hedges brings.

Have we even scored one since?

We are. And a reliable goalkeeper short, and a CB short.

Thought that was a loan. If we are loaning to him to the Scottish second tier I'm sorry but I don't see how he goes on to make it here like that and therefore I'd rather sell him if that was on the table.

Depends on if they buy youth, hard work and dedication...

Sounds like a terrible one. The English League One move sounded alright. If he is going there his Rovers career is basically over.

No, comments he made whilst a Manure player that I don't have time to go over again.

We don't need a better CB than our current 4. But we absolutely need cover, because if 2 of them are out we are either changing formation, putting Johnson in there, or playing an untested kid. Was very unwise to send Carter out. And Phil Jones can fuck off, don't ever want him back at Ewood.

Well that was short lived! 11 minutes from rumour to him signing somewhere else, is that a record?

Offer them 250k more than they're asking for?

There's a cautionary tale here for Rothwell, if he's willing to heed it. Turned out Bournemouth weren't keen enough to get the deal done, they just wanted him because they thought he'd be cheap and unsettle a rival. The grass isn't always greener, Joe. Now pull your socks up, get us promoted and boost your career prospects beyond some tinpot club.

The feeling I get is that they were just fucking with us. They didn't have to spend a penny and they've unsettled one of our key players and probably the squad harmony.

That was yesterday though, Den said this morning.

I consider the exorbitant wages to be a bigger issue than the exorbitant fees. If fees stop happening players will just want even more, in wages and sign ons. Make no mistake, the agents will still get the same huge slice no matter how they make it happen. And whether it goes that way or not, clubs will remain in huge debt as they and supporters both armchair and stadium-bound are milked dry to fund these extravagant lives whilst we worry if our beloved clubs will go bust. The game off the pitch makes me feel a bit sick sometimes. One day the bubble has to burst and a reset happen.

LT article about fringe players going on loan eckons we are in talks with Burton about it. Which surprises me. Sounds like they're trying to get him cheaper than last time. I can see this going the way of when we loaned Fisher to MK Dons. They never played him once, his contract ran out as we didn't know if he was any good as he hadn't played, they signed him for bugger all (dunno if they paid a nominal fee, at the time I thought it was free but a sell on has been mentioned). Then they immediately played him from day one and he became their top keeper, selling up a league for a significant profit. I know Chapman has played a bit and I'm not saying Burton are doing it on purpose (I did think Dons were), I'm just saying he will turn out to be a very good free for that league if they get his head straight.

I fail to see how it would. Don't we tend to recoup a lot more in fees than we spend?

No, you've weakened my team by refusing to play. We will loan someone in and see how they do, or just tell the owners we'd like to gamble. The club will survive. Not sure your career prospects are gonna be good after 6 months of refusing to play and being unfit though. If we go up, we don't want you anymore. If Bournemouth go up, they probably won't want you either. Every club in England knows you're a selfish troublemaker. Probably should've just knuckled down til summer, given your all, earned bonuses, not lost friendships you made in the last 3 years, had a promotion on your CV, got a big promotion bonus, and moved somewhere for a huge signing on fee and even bigger wages, eh?

Who said you're going to play? The players hate you now, and you won't be attending any briefings other than your daily tactical one. Your contact with the team will be highly minimal, and you might want to start wearing a gum shield for when you do have any.

You will have to prove you're injured. Besides, if you're injured now you will fail your medical at Bournemouth so not sure what you're complaining about. Ok, in the room once a day, all day, you pop, with full salary but no bonuses, no phone or other entertainment, but I'm not strengthening a promotion rival. Tell the lads what you want, they know how much you've let them down and how letting you go could have jeopardised all of their careers. If Travis nuts you, I didn't see it. Speaking with Scott Parker daily won't be allowed, you're under contract here and we will file charges against Bournemouth for tapping up players.

Alright, we will get a scan done on those tomorrow and see if you have a tear. Otherwise you're coming in for training. And if it's a tear, you're coming in for training, we will do tactical work with you. By which I mean you'll sit in a room waiting for the coaches to be done with training in order for one to give you a 5 minute debrief at the end of the day. What you want to do after your contract is of no relevance to us whilst you're under contract btw.

Mowbray (or me, anyway): Ok then no problem, we will fine you every week you refuse to turn up to training. Hope you've got some savings. We'll see who wants you after 6 months of refusing to honour your contract and not playing or even training.

Excuse my probable naivety about NI, but how come when I'm paying it, it gets taken off my wage, but when wealthy footballers are contributing it, it's apparently on top of their wage?

Ok, that wasn't what I thought you were saying. You said something about the offers to the out-of-contracters not being on the table anymore, which sounded like we withdrew them.

Does that mean Sharpe won't be free to do his own usual deadline day updates on the LT, or is he multitasking?