No, one of them is inexperienced. Another is inexperienced at a decent level. The other has played in two of Europe's top flights.

You were hoping for a couple more in by now? We have recruited 3 new players and it's only halfway through January. This is already the most active Jan window I can remember in years. Normally it takes us until the last week to get anyone through the door. Sometimes the last day. Sometimes not at all. Agree with the rest of your post, but if anything I'm surprised we have players in already at all.

I'd have kept that to myself if I were TM, and kept Hull guessing whether we were going to play that animal at RB, or our scrawnier but more creative CM, which would give them a different threat to consider (as well as changing our midfield). I suppose they can still wonder over whether it's JRC or Buckley, but that's less of a difference.

Cool. Who is Patrick Barclay?

That depends- who the hell is Tom Barclay?

Are you saying we have cancelled a deal with a sponsor because they won't pay what they owe on time, to replace them with a sponsor who won't pay what they owe on time?

Wow...wonder if there was some underlying resentment about us taking their top scorer just before the game? I watched that a couple of times and it looks by far the Spurs players starting most of the shit and crossing the line. I think it's very harsh that we each got the same number of players sent off. Hope it doesn't unsettle Markanday's welcome to the club, his old team mates scrapping with our lads.

So not only are we missing him for a game that is a few days before his Chilean game, but he is already undergoing some regimen to change his breathing in readiness for high altitude, which he will not be playing at with us in the meantime. It better not reduce his fitness at normal altitude even 0.01%.

Well, you called that right, unfortunately.

And the unit we have works with both of them. I'm not sure how we fill that void if Rothwell goes tbh. Would the MK Dons lad be too similar to Buckley for it to work, or would two players of that kind make our transition passing even better? Rothwell is great for offering something different that can be deployed when the passes aren't penetrating, plus keeps them on their toes about what we are gonna do.

If you mean from the angle of potential, yeh ok quite possibly. Not sure who is to blame for Rothwell not reaching that potential though but I'd have to most squarely point the finger at Mr Rothwell. United, Oxford and ourselves having all failed to get the most out of him suggests it isn't the clubs. Although I do think we could have done more with him in his time here. Didn't know that. So he basically a one-contract player (think he has only had one here?) who loves to fuck off on a free. Maybe we were never keeping him. Wonder if his agent is an ass.

I wouldn't go that far.

Looks more like a Buckley replacement than a Rothwell type to me. Then again not sure there are many Rothwell types around, he's a rare style of player.

Yep, think any loan to buys are only getting bought if we go up. Not sure the selling clubs realise...

Maja also, more recently, scored 3 in the Prem if I remember rightly.

Reliable for the opposition.

I would want 4 cbs vying for 2 spots. We have 3 spots, and one of our 4 CBs is incredibly injury prone. We should have at least 5 CBs really for 3 spots. You normally want 2 players for each position, but I think 5 for 3 spots would be fine. I don't see us signing another CB just to be cover though, so I think sending Carter off was a mistake. And I wouldn't really be happy with Johnson and Nyambe, nor Magloire, for emergency cover.

All I want to hear is that we are looking for a solid backup keeper. But after that I agree midfield would be the next priority. And a Buckley/Rothwell type replacement. Someone else said Travis, but his backup is Davenport who I'd say is adequate short term. And when Pickering is back there is also Edun. Buckley and Rothwell, we have no like for like. We have Johnson, who I don't trust on the pitch, and then you're talking maybe putting Dack back there and hoping he stays fit and regains his form. It's not really adequate. Up top is more than covered, no matter how much people want to see a third tall striker who isn't Gallagher.

Of which there are examples of it not being necessary. It's like insisting on a 4-4-2. That's tried and trusted at all levels of football too, but it's also not the only route to success. When Markanday comes in we have more than enough players for the front 2. Priority should be CM cover/competition and backup GK.

Honestly speaking, I find the insistence that you must have a big man, little man combo (which is essentially what's being said here) very outdated.

I'd be a bit interested in Cardiff backup Dillon Phillips. Think he has played about 10 games there.

Wow, there were some really harsh comments in this thread not so long ago! I'm not saying that just with hindsight either. He's not a perfect player but I've never questioned he is one we should keep at the club. We have always been much poorer when he is unavailable. Form of his life right now though for sure.

I'd probably look for one who already is a sub GK elsewhere. If on a perm, tell them our main man has had a few niggles this season and they could get a few matches. Give them large appearance and clean sheet bonuses. Or loan someone from a Prem or Championship team that isn't playing and has an ever-present in front of them who never gets injuries. Must be a few decent first choice keepers in League One who wouldn't cost the earth too, and would be happy just to get to a higher league with better money. Maybe someone at the later end of their career if necessary. It wouldn't be difficult to improve on what we have seen from Pears. Wigan had their backup keeper on the pitch I think, and he didn't play as badly. Hell even Leutwiler was better than this kid has been thus far. On top of which it would let us send Pears out on loan, if anyone will still have him. Since we still have him under contract for 2 years after this summer, and spent a few hundred k on him, we might as well get some games in him and save a little of his wage, and hope he develops confidence and ability with a run in a team somewhere. He was Boro number one for a while so it's disappointing he has been this poor but he really has been. We just can't hinge our season on him not having more Wigan performances if called upon.

Nah, he was already talking about loaning him out back in December. Then Kaminski got injured and Pears did ok for a few games, albeit rarely tested. The Wigan game surely must have undone that. If we throw away promotion because we failed to bring in a solid backup keeper and Kaminski got injured, I'm going to be absolutely furious.

I see where you're coming from, but it still matters. An individual throw in is usually less important than an individual free kick or corner, but you get more of them. A badly defended throw-in can be as deadly as a badly-defended free kick or corner. A well-taken one can lead to goals too, as Stoke and other sides have shown from the long throws over the years, and even short ones with good movement can create chances. You say just get the ball back in play, but that's part of our problem, we don't. There's so little movement that our throw ins slow our momentum as the taker has to wait for someone to look like they give a shit. The main thing though is that it wouldn't be difficult to improve on what we're doing. It's basic stuff we get wrong with them, any decent coach should be able to improve it with a couple of sessions I would think.