I don't think not wanting to play him as their main central striker is going to stop them being interested.

Yep 2.5k p/w at the absolute maximum. Although as has been pointed out, loan fees can be used to get around that. They're hardly flush though surely.

So it's been widely understood that LB was the next target, but now we are only buying one player in total, or loaning two, and there are other areas, plural, that need strengthening first. Which, logically, means we don't intend to get a LB at all unless we get more funds. I was buzzing until this interview. Worst thing is we really aren't far, and it wouldn't take all that much money in relative terms to have a serious chance of going up this year. But come the end of the season we will have to sell to meet FFP. Depressing.

It's not the first time that recruitment expectations have steadily dwindled through the course of the window, but I think you're right. Something isn't quite adding up. Whether it's a reliance on King, Raya or Williams being sold, the financial people changing their minds as covid cases rise again, Ayala costing a bomb, the self-confessed 'poor negotiator' strategically downplaying our actual financial muscle, some combination of these, or something else entirely, the picture has changed quite quickly even by our usual standards.

As squad players? I'm sure tons of worse players have been in promoted squads. Evans has actually been a regular starter in a promoted team before.

Ignore it Joe, it's ever the way, there's no point taking what strangers say to heart. I and others want to hear what you've heard, whether it pans out or not.

Or they are just taking longer sizing up other offers like Ayala did. Analysing the quote a little more, we might put all the remaining money into one signing, but we don't think that should be at LB. Again, worrying. He makes it sound like we are only getting an LB if it's on loan. We really need King and/or Raya to be sold pronto.

That's a worrying quote indeed. A couple of loans or a signing? I hope he is just pleading poverty as a negotiating tactic because that won't be sufficient at all. How did we go from targeting 2 GKs, 2 CBs, a LB, and possibly a CM and/or RB to signing 1 GK, 1 CB, and only 1 or 2 more that we might not own? The budget always seems to shrink over the summer. With Travis injured the absolute bare min for me is a perm LB because we don't have 'Amari'i Bell doing ok' at all, and a quality CM who can be loaned or bought. We really really should also be getting another GK and CB. One signing will not cut it. No more permanent signings will not cut it.

Nobody would have cared if a youth player signed on a free didn't work out. There might have been the odd misplaced grumble about it, but not 'hundreds of posts', let's be real. There weren't 'hundreds of posts' about Mitchell Candlin not working out. This was a very low risk move which has reaped very high rewards. Magnificent bit of business by the club, wherever the credit lies. And yes, good that he backed his team's judgement on this one. I wonder if the people who pushed for it are as surprised as the rest of us?

Tony Mowbray has personally disavowed responsibility for Dolan in an interview already. The only thing he can be praised for about landing him is he decided to trust his staff and back them on it. Fair play for him giving the lad game time though, especially with how he has been about young flair players in the past. I think he's going to start him in a lot of games now. Whoever was actually pushing for it from within the staff deserves a free pint from each and every one of us though.

Are you suggesting he sews up his arsehole so he can become a winger? I think Tony would do it personally if that's what it took to squeeze him in there.

They probably will be the weakest in the division, but the crucial thing for me is that we easily dispatched one of the worst sides in the division. It simply isn't something we were managing last season, only scraping by them at best. It's only one game, but if we've lifted that hoodoo, just gaining average results against those kinds of sides would have seen us quite a few points better off last season. Wycombe did help a bit by not being as organised and determined as some of those sides have been, and also letting the play open up a bit. But here's hoping we keep it up.

That's a real shame. Hope we do have someone good on the way at LB though, we need it. Can't see TM answering the question like that if we had a bit accepted by them or even close.

No. I'd have to think twice if it was double that. Could easily be going for more than that by January if he keeps it up though. Given how young he is I'd prefer to keep him for a few years, let the market prices get even dumber, and sell for even more having had good use out of him. There's always the chance we have already seen his best and he will peter off, but it seems hard to envision him not growing into a very good player. I haven't been this excited about a breakthrough young attacker since Duff. Just a shame we didn't raise this one. Got to say, I'm astounded I'm talking like this about an 18 year old we just picked up on a free who has two starts for us, but it's hard not to see him as the real deal right now. Time will tell as ever, but if nothing else his footwork is absolutely out of the top drawer.

And Ayala. Edit - sorry, pointed out 2 times already. Mods feel free to delete.

Gareth Ainsworth has been sporting a very unconventional look for a football manager.

Who was TM on the blower to during the celebration of that 4th goal? "You told me if we signed Ayala, Manning and scored 4 against Wycombe, you'd believe in what we are trying to do. Come on Lionel, sign the contract."

Seems to have gray hair on the part in front of the alice band?

Brereton went down in similarly tame conditions not long ago too. Have we picked this Prem diving up from Bournemouth and Newcastle? Although tbf BB always falls down easily to win free kicks.

Of course I'm enjoying the game. Doesn't mean I don't register when someone does something crap too. It's called balance. Just a further sign that bringing in that new LB will be a big help to a team that is full of potential if used right.

Bell with a clueless run as usual.

And now they have to try even more, hopefully we can pull off a real hammering. Happy as long as we don't let them back in now though.

Foolish from JRC there, got lucky. Can't do that against good sides.

I can't believe we are turning what should be a routine win into...a routine win! Smashing it in fact so far. Wycombe have been a bit more open than expected, I think that's helping.

This kid is fucking magical! First shot wasn't great tbf but he slotted the second really well. That celebration too! He's basically beating Wycombe 2 nil on his own after 20 mins. Won't be at Rovers for many seasons at this rate...