bluebruce

I knew somebody was going to pop up saying something like this, but honestly I was hoping to avoid having to explain the extensive differences. I still can't be arsed tbh. Short version though, if you think ourselves and Preston should have had similar expectations after coming out of League One, you're selling us short. They'd been down there for 4 seasons not 1, and we had a lot more financial muscle. Personally I didn't want him sacked at that point anyway, and I wouldn't say the majority of this board did.

They seem an overly demanding bunch. I remember one telling me Grayson had taken them as far as he could, in what I think was their first season back up from league One where he had them halfway up the league and the season wasn't that far in. I was thinking he didn't know he was born and asked what he expected.

4 million for Wigan? Fuck it let's just buy them.

Most of the posters between your post and mine here seem to have thought you weren't joking...

Not these days though. Might as well say it's a 500 of 'insert fantastic player from 70s' or whatever.

I reckon this Brereton discussion could go in the Brereton thread. But whilst I'm here I'll say that if we had signed him during lockdown and only seen the performances since then, we would probably be reasonably optimistic about the lad, albeit concerned about the three big fluffed chances in that time. I'm still hoping that tendency fades with further confidence. Also hoping like others that Kipre is the guy we are close with, and that WBA's interest goes when they sign someone else, which is probably the only chance we have if they are actually at the personal terms stage as reported. But I suspect it's someone else.

You would think it was in the forum rules to only make polarised posts, the way most carry on.

I wish my shirt buttons were worth £450k

I'm going to be what I think (without going through all the comments) is a lone voice of disagreement about Dolan. To a degree at least. My view of him so far after today is the same as it was after I saw whichever friendly it was recently. Yes he's exciting, very young, quick with tidy feet. Good work rate too, and wants to make things happen. But I'm still seeing him run into a few too many blind alleys for now. I feel there's a degree to which the main difference he has to Rothwell other than height (and experience) is that he has just shown up and is only 18. He's still fresh and exciting to us. I suspect this is going to become more apparent to more fans as the season goes on, and even more, TM is going to want to deal with it by curbing some of his instincts and get him to play more conservatively to keep possession longer as he is fond of (when personally I think he just needs better knowledge of when the run he is picturing isn't feasible and he should either play a pass or go a little wider to pass his man). These are just friendlies and he will be very, very eager to make his mark in them having just shown up after PNE discarded him. I think he might end up in the Rothwell category in a few regards with many, for a while, especially when some of his enthusiasm and TM's free rein allowance subside when the real cut and thrust begins. That said, he really is exciting, especially coming from such a low profile swoop (which is adding to his wow factor for now) and is very young compared to when Rothwell and even Chapman (second time) arrived. If he starts using his head a little more wisely, and this ability isn't a flash in the pan new recruit effect, we could have a real asset on our hands over the next year or two. For now I think the bench role in competitive games is about right, coming on with the x factor. I suspect if he starts against Bournemouth he will get found out and it could set him back. I don't expect this to be a popular post given how many have waxed lyrical lol

You don't mention a CB but it seems pretty clear CB is next on the agenda, and getting two has been mentioned.

Might be he can but it scares Mowbray so he has to rein it in...

Wait a sec, we did sell Marshall though.

I'd rather avoid it too. But that promotion honeypot is worth the risk of a couple of million if we think we can compete. Of course the best case scenario is that Nyambe signs a better deal soon so let's hope for that. I was very annoyed when the last deal he signed was only a 2 year one. Nobody of that age with talent should be signing such short deals when we can help it. I'd like to know the reasons and whether that came from the club or the player.

Unfortunately Bennett will probably get some game time there even if Nyambe stays as I doubt we will be signing a RB as things stand...hopefully someone like JRC manages to push a stronger claim to be the backup there and EB gets phased out, but I reckon that could take until the second half of the season. TM does tire of his veterans eventually.

Nyambe. Because I'm thinking, what if we assemble a squad that gets us nearly there, but we sold Nyambe and replaced him with somebody who isn't as good, then we miss out by a couple of points...it won't be such a good idea to have sold him to avoid him leaving on a free. I get what you're saying but we have to weigh up our chances and the risks to know if it's best to sell him. A couple of million doesn't go far when you have our losses. He might even help a rival pip us.

Do you think we would succeed in replacing him adequately? Do you fancy our chances of promotion this season?

Jesus really? For a change a name I know well and thought yeh he would provide plenty of experience but he has what, about as many career games as Walton? Less?

Why have they failed to provide accurate records in their accounts and backdated their stadium sale if not to overspend and defy FFP though? Genuine question as I haven't really read about it.

Oh it finally started happening to me a couple of days ago. I must have been reading even more than usual as I'm on holiday. An incognito or secret mode tab has fixed it no problem.

Great kit (except the sponsor) but I'm not gonna like seeing them play us at Ewood in that! I see red and black halves and I instantly think of us. Don't want to see another team rocking them against us (I assume other clubs elsewhere have used them as I'm fairly sure I've seen it somewhere else but can't think...but not against us?)

Touche

?? Cracking translation! This isle hasn't been 'misty Albion' for what, thousands of years?

Yeh I wasn't meaning to put words in your mouth that our income was poor, that's my assessment. Someone else posted figures to that end earlier. We had about half the mean average. Absolutely we are in this position due to bad management, from the top down, over a long period. Only a fanatical few on this board will dispute that. The defence situation should have been all but sorted last summer for one thing. Of course historically and with proper management there wouldn't be a club in this league we don't hold a candle to. Unfortunately we currently wee with the willy we've got. We can piss on the likes of Barnsley, Wycombe and Luton with that willy, but they're firmly in the 'little boys' category in this league. What we can't compete with for sure is a newly promoted Prem team. In this league there are a clutch of sides who can probably, currently, afford to surpass our wage offerings. We need to box clever as the budget is limited and we need a LOT of improvements. Huge summer for us and TM and surely even Venkys will have to reconsider his position if we fail to go up or at least hit playoffs. Personally I'd have fired him ages ago.

Our income is poor, our wage bill too high for it, and our losses pretty worrying, as a result of the first two. Our losses don't show a club with tons of spending power, they show a club who is already overspending and needs to cut back, as the shedding of so much from the wage bill reflects. To imply our losses mean we should go out throwing money around is counter-intuitive in the extreme, sorry JH. I do think you're a smart, eloquent poster, and like everyone else I want us in the big time again ASAP, but in this case you're just miles off. The only question is whether Venkys can, and should (in terms of the stability of the club and meeting FFP, not in terms of obligation) throw a load of money at it to go up this year, and in that area I'm tempted towards yes. Big gamble though.

I read it as he thinks he is doing well now, which, he has certainly improved a lot. The bluster is probably all part of keeping his confidence high, as I'm sure everyone at the club has identified he needs some and probably worked with him on this. I'm hoping he will do well tomorrow and not look back. He certainly has a lot to prove still.