Alan Myers doesn't even seem to recall the fee King initially sold for though. I'm certain 2.5 million was never mentioned at the time. Unless it was that high and the reports were wrong or clauses took it up. Fairly sure it was in the 1.5 mill region according to press at the time. Unless my memory is just worse than his.

Could be the camera angle, but to me he looks a mile offside when that's played into him.

Given that the City lad we brought in can apparently play at RB too, I suspect the opportunity to give Pike his debut this season has been and gone, and TM chose to put Buckley there instead...

What if we got him, paid off Bell, and then Pickering and Douglas get injured/suspended? You might think that's unlikely, but Douglas has a bit of a history and look how many injuries we are picking up this season, which may yet worsen with our awful home pitch. To look at another part of the defence, we had Williams, Ayala, Lenihan, Wharton for the two CB berths. That's 2 for each position. Then suddenly we only had Lenihan and had to put a CM in there for a few games. We would still be in that position now if the transfer window hadn't opened. Ordinarily I'd agree that 2 for each position is fine. But in the circumstances of quick turnover of games, an injury record for one of them, 3 points off the playoffs and the fact we are paying the player anyway, surely it makes sense to keep him around, unless paying him off includes a massive saving for us?

Close. Just Holtby instead of Buckley. Bang on 60 too. Not sure he cares what has happened, he rings the changes at 60. Oh well as long as it pays off today.

Armstrong doesnt pull the trigger one on one, but pulls it from a crossing position. Cheers.

Ok that wasn't good enough from Arma.

I think it means Holtby has had a bit of an injury niggle. I'm remembering that right aren't I? Funny enough, when I read that interview with him I had a feeling he was going to start the next game.

We have had a tendency to only name one defender on the bench, usually a centre half. We know what TM can be like with not wanting to risk youngsters who haven't played men's football, but we have also seen that when they do get the chance, if they take it like Travis did, they can make it. I'd agree that it's looking more likely he won't make it than he will, I'm just saying, without having seen him play but having heard good things in the past, I wouldn't completely write him off yet. And certainly not because Sharpe says he doesn't have as much technical ability as someone we can barely afford. Certainly someone who won't have too long left to make the breakthrough though. As I say I'd try to get him out on loan for the rest of the season. If we get Pickering now, that will be 3 LBs right now but only 1 in the summer on presumably another limited budget.

Not really. That's still a year younger than Pickering, technical ability isn't the only attribute relevant for a fullback, and he doesn't have to be our number one fullback to be worth a squad place. He sounds like he could do with a loan out though. Like quite a few of the u23s and fringe youth players.

Translation: Joshua King wants to make a load of money off an inflated signing on fee in the summer.

Fairly sure we had already publicly stated we may want to bring two CBs in, if they weren't paying attention that's on them. But the way TM is, I expect he told them directly that it may be a possibility, too, but that our other CBs are out or injury prone and he would still get game time in a congested fixture list. For an 18 year old, even say 8 or 10 appearances in the Championship is some decent experience to get in six months. Also if we get Kipre, since he hasn't been playing it would probably be a month before TM would consider him 'ready'. This may also have been mentioned to them. Along with 'if he's as good as you think, he will play'.

Ok, you did seem to be endorsing meeting their asking price. If not then fair enough. We are a long way off what they want, we will see if a compromise gets done. Like I've said I think they'll be willing to drop it on deadline day.

Sam has clearly had the last laugh. We got relegated, haven't been back, and he is still managing in the Prem. If I were him I would feel smug pity rather than resentment at this stage.

There's no way we will or should pay close to 18k per week for Pickering. We have bought the most highly-rated LB in League One before, and can you imagine if we had signed Bell to that sort of wage? You would hope Pickering is going to be better, but the fact is he is untested at this level. If you only meant Kipre (the post you quoted mentioned both, so I wasn't sure if you meant either could be worth pushing the boat that far for since we do it for other players), that's still a lot for a lad with half a good season at this level. Probably about 450k just to borrow him for the rest of the season? Assuming no loan fee is also wanted. That's about half of the lad's transfer fee, since which he hasn't played. Unlikely to hit the ground running. I wouldn't be wanting to go there unless we are convinced he will hit the ground running. It's WBA's own fault for slapping the lad on that sort of deal when they didn't need him. They'll probably relent a good chunk on the last day as its just wasted money for them otherwise. I agree loan with a view, if they'll drop their demands enough.

If he gets a few k less from a Championship club (there were actually even reports that we had offered more wage than them, dunno how true that is but they obviously don't value him that much) with a signing on fee, maybe a longer deal, maybe a sweet promotion bonus and the chance to keep playing and get a pay rise with another move etc, that's better for his overall financial outlook in my book. Not that I expect long term thinking from most footballers.

Plans like getting absolutely nowhere near the WBA team for the next few years and becoming a forgotten man of football by the time he needs a new deal elsewhere? He can hardly expect to get another Prem team, and it's fairly unlikely a Championship team steps in to pay Prem wages considering they didn't last time he was available for a modest fee, and he has subsequently not played so will be less fit and have lost momentum. I don't see us getting him on a perm this window though. Loan with a view, at best.

Well we have nine million of those, I'd suggest he starts seeing himself as a defender!

CB, LB and RB (cover anyway) have been areas of serious limitation though. I've mostly heard of him as a CB and LB.

Not watched but I see it is 1-1 at the mo and Annesley been sent off.

He won't be doing the first one. If he saw it and gave nothing he should be fired (mind you, most or all of the refs in this league should be fired). Where I stand on it...yes, blatantly a penalty, and if intent is irrelevant (which I don't think it should be, but rules are rules) then it's a definite red. However. Enough has gone against us this season, far more than has gone for us from the refs, that I just don't feel bad. Other than for the poor lad whose face got smashed. But that said, I don't remember anybody being sent off when Raya or Evans got their faces smashed to pieces. Did we even get free kicks? So I think we are due getting away with breaking someone else's face. Happy to have won today despite predicting we had no chance of better than a draw. Think we rode our luck with it though until after the goal when we came to life. Odd to stick with the planned changes immediately after the goal which saw the scorer and the assist-maker both get hooked immediately. But we won so it doesn't matter.

I'm not sure if that's technically true, it's not as crazy as the Prem money. Most of it is solidarity payments anyway. But I think we get 100k for today's game. Nonetheless, fairly sure my buying a day pass has zero impact on my club getting money and that's the point I was making. I'm not begrudging the Sky money in general. It's just a nicer feeling to pay a tenner to watch entertainment that is rarely worth that tenner in real terms, but knowing the money goes to the club.

Anybody know why when I go to Now TV for Sky Sports it says you can watch it from 5.99 a month, and then when I click on it the best offer is 9.99 for a single day pass?! Some kind of voucher I can apply maybe?

Boro are everything we're not, and their strengths sit perfectly against our weaknesses. I expect defeat. Probably not a thrashing as they don't seem the types, but it will be comfortable for them even if they only win by a goal. I see we have gone for the battle though with our midfield selection. Maybe it will be enough to earn us a draw. Annoyed I have to pay Sky to watch this one, it will be turgid. At least paying ifollow would have meant it (mostly) went direct to the club.

Everything after the first sentence there seems a near-perfect explanation of 'how there's so much debate about the guy'. Did you do that on purpose? Personally I feel that, on current first team evidence, Buckley's technical ability is enormous...ly overstated. He's decent technically and plays some lovely passes at times, but not to a degree or frequency that remotely makes me think 'my, this kid is special'. And that's completely independent of his shortcomings, which for now are too many. As with all our players, I hope he comes along brilliantly. But he will have to play a lot better than he has to impress me, and I don't ever want to see him at RB again. Trundling him out there made me switch from 'Mowbray should go' to 'Mowbray must go'. It was a camel's-back-breaking moment for me. He has precisely none of the qualities needed for that position. That's not his fault of course, but the manager's. Buckley needs to play in his proper position, and regularly, and needs to toughen up. Definitely be sending him on loan to League One personally. We are ruining any talent he does have with this piecemeal part in a league he isn't cut out to compete regularly in yet. He is trying, bless him, I'm surprised how many fouls he is giving away given his build, although that mostly suggests he can't tackle properly (not the be all and end all for his role of course). And I'm not ruling him out, worse-performing players have developed into decent or good ones. But I don't see what the fuss is about, yet.