Wasn't the point he was making, he was saying we don't have pace there. We have it more than we have any other attribute in any other area of the squad. We don't look like we intend to play a crossing game anyway.

It's irrelevant whether they are wingers. They play on our flanks. We are not short of pace on our flanks, not even remotely. If we want traditional wingers instead, we are going to have a heck of a lot of talent rotting on the bench.

When I looked over the transfer dealings in the Championship last week - and I think I only got as far as Millwall - I noticed three very young (21ish) CBs had changed hands for prices ranging from I think it was 6 million to 12 million. No idea what any of them did to earn those values either. Market is batshit.

I find it a bit curious that our targets for CB range from 'oh my god' expensive to Bormuth, a barely-present in his team whose contract is running down and doesn't sound any great shakes. Still, I don't care as long as whoever we do get is the right player.

Thanks for your info, but, do you honestly believe that? Between Armstrong, Rothwell, Chapman, Gallagher and Brereton I'd wager we have the fastest set of options for the flanks in the entire league!! Definitely the fastest for us since we got relegated.

I'm still astonished that a winger is even a potential part of our business this summer at this stage.

I figured, but he was misreading the person he was quoting, who was referring to Buckley and comparing him to Duff.

I feel like I remember being told the same. The principle of how we operated definitely was. As CB I had to cover many a full back's gallavanting runs...it's why to this day I can't stand FBs who are happy to go on a foray but don't track back with half the enthusiasm. Can end up making the CB look like a tit as he tries to handle two players.

You know, sometimes I wonder if Tony is...

Have they? Beat us 1-0 last time we played... Promoted teams, especially the playoff winners, frequently spring a shock. Don't get too complacent. I get why you expect a comfortable win on paper though.

Have we sold Buckley and I've missed it? Odd comment.

Surely the files would be property of the club? Most contracts I've signed for far more basic jobs have had some clause about the work I produce belonging to the company.

A look at last season's competition also shows a certain Sam Gallagher notched a winning goal in it for Southampton in the first group stage game. Against eventual finalists Dinamo Zagreb.

Don't make things up. It wasn't buttons at the time. Hendry was 700k, Le Saux 700k, Berg 400k, Pearce 300k. Kenna was later but cost 1.5 million. These are the days when Shearer was the British record at 3.3 million. These were the going rates for good defenders. Moreover, every single one of those players is equal or higher to the total fees Venkys have spent on our defence during TM's reign. Over 20 years later!! We now sign strikers for double the Shearer fee. Hell I'd take a defender for buttons if he was good enough. Right now we haven't signed any this summer after having one of the worst defences in the Championship and letting two backup CBs leave. What are you missing here?

I'm astonished any fan could say that about our defensive players. How did it escape your notice the sheer amount of rookie mistakes our defenders made for the goals we shipped? They can't all be down to not getting enough commands from the keeper. Defenders are supposed to know how to defend on their own a lot better than that. They also need to communicate too, not just the goalie. Mulgrew in particular was a goddamned liability when he wasn't taking a set piece. You could put the best keeper in the world behind him, he's still going to have awful positional sense and barely ever stick a foot in.

A lot more chance. Still bugger all chance.

His debut was before the Chelsea game. I thought as much so I checked. Chelsea was his first league start though, you're right (not sure if he had sub appearances first). But I was more remembering his actual first game (through the mists of time though so very vaguely) which was Forest in the League Cup in September. The Chelsea game wasn't until March, after he'd already had his 16 million clause contract. Jones was unreal in that Chelsea game though. Astonishing to think he ended up how he did. Injuries and a premature career decision (that I said at the time was the wrong one) did for him. I mean he still played plenty of games for Manure and England so it's not like he completely failed, but I soon started thinking we were looking at an all-time England great.

This is the second time I've seen parental issues suggested (not sure if both were by you). He's 21...if his parents are still making his decisions for him, that doesn't suggest the no-prisoners defender we need. Skoric would charbroil his parents and feed them to him. If he was even feeling nice enough to charbroil them.

Stuart does sometimes go as infuriatingly extreme as BDS, the other way. But tbf, I've absolutely seen the process he described play out in previous windows. Some people will criticise the club or the manager no matter what. Some people will defend and praise the club or the manager no matter what.

Let me fill you in then. I don't know if they even use an editor. Spelling and grammar mistakes are genuinely that rife. Look out for their tendency to overuse and misuse the word 'admit', too.

No what I was getting at is that although being captain for his club implies this guy is a leader on the pitch, Mulgrew is our captain and is rather shit at leading on the pitch. So it doesn't necessarily mean that. The footage looks like that of a leader to me though. In deed at least.

First time reading the LT?

I'd call him a less mobile, better finishing Jason Roberts. Edit - to be clear though, I wouldn't really compare him to Roberts in any particular way. I just think he is less mobile not more, and a more proficient scorer.

I think he'd be a great signing for you. Grayson knows what he's doing. As I said in another thread, I'd back him to be in the top 5 scorers in League One if he plays regularly in the right setup. I don't know whether your current team are that setup, but I rate Grayson. Whether you'll be pleased with his all-round contribution may be another matter, but if you feed him he'll score. He has that poacher's instinct. Personally I think our fans give other aspects of his game too little credit (he's quite a big lad and fairly strong), but it's true he's not a great all-rounder. One of our posters though, Stuart, seems to think he is better than our 7 million quid signing from last summer, Brereton. One thing is for sure. He wouldn't have skied that chance your lad had against us. You look like you could use him! I live in Blackpool btw, the match was only about a ten minute walk for me. I'd love to hear some of my work colleagues praising the Nutt, so I hope you get him and it goes well!

Looks like Johnson and Travis is rightly the preferred CM pairing so you should be safe there. I do, sadly, think we will see Bennett at right back again, however. No, not right back in the stands.