Behind closed doors win vs Rochdale Apparently the u-23s also played, beating Leeds (u-23s I expect). Adam scored one and assisted one for them.

Hmm ok maybe I'm misremembering and it was the scouting network in general he was talking about last summer.

Absolutely. I believe he first started talking about it around a year ago, and I feel I remember it strongly implying that development of it wasn't only just beginning. He also said it would be ready to yield results this summer and we would look to do extensive business in Europe this year. He then backtracked and suggested it might not actually be quite as ready as that after all. This said, the LT was saying (yesterday or Saturday?) that we may still make a recruitment from Europe this summer. Think I'm remembering that right. It's astounding our European network was dismantled so extensively that we're taking this long to be up and running again. I understand it being stopped after relegation to League One, but it must have happened sooner as I'm sure it wouldn't be so hard to reinstate after just a year without.

Was talking about winning it, not qualifying. That's what I'd consider 'compete for trophies' to mean. Their competing for the Europa is on a level with Walsall 'competing' for the League Cup. Anyway, OP has clarified this wasn't said.

He really thinks Utrecht are going to compete for the Europa League? Hah, good luck to him on that. Think he's gonna wind up wishing he took the money and moved to a higher profile league if that was his main motivation.

Conway on trial at Bolton supposedly. https://www.google.com/amp/s/the72.co.uk/138672/former-blackburn-rovers-midfielder-and-former-preston-north-end-midfielder-both-on-trial-at-bolton-wanderers/amp/

Funny, I actually think it will be in between! Don't see him going superstar but don't see him being awful either, as we've already seen he is alright and has attributes.

Insulting the person behind a view doesn't demerit the view or 'win' the discussion. Please be more polite and less condescending to your fellow posters. It will improve the board atmosphere.

That's going to be difficult now I think. This season at least. He has Graham and now Gallagher directly ahead of him for what as far as we know is just one spot. That's where he needs to be playing to develop properly, and he needs it regularly really. There is also Nuttall and (lol) Samuel, as well as potentially Armstrong to contend with. Though I'd imagine Brereton will be third in the pecking order for the role due to his fee. Then again I didn't think I'd see TM wedging Palmer and Dack in there ahead of him last season at times. His other 'role', the wide forward, has competition in the form of Armstrong, Downing, Rothwell and Chapman. Probably Gallagher too, who is likely to get the nod ahead of BB there for any game where DG doesn't start. It's hard to see how BB gets the regular game time he badly needs to develop, especially up front. I see him being a bench player again with little cameos, until he can do something special with one or two of them. I wonder if any of the promoted teams would fancy loaning him, and if so whether they'd regularly start him?

Pretty sure he's not talking about future profit, but first team regulars now.

Sorry I don't follow City's doings too closely - why is Pep responsible for Hart's collapse? Seems more likely the player just lost it. Even if it started after he got benched for a new goalie or something, his fall has been too dramatic to not be down to mental shortcomings.

All the Championship transfer business so far

Sam Gallagher deal for 5 million reported to be close

Bit of an overreaction tbh mate. There are plenty of worrying signs, but there is also a lot of the window left. I have numerous concerns, and I'm not optimistic they'll be resolved satisfactorily, but we don't truly know how this will end up yet. Posts like yours will become more common the longer we go without a goalkeeper or CB signing. But I'd say they're not merited yet for another 1-2 weeks. Longer in some's books.

Mike Bassett England Manager

Sorry, I hadn't read your subsequent posts at that point, which don't appear to support the notion at all. I was just going off the fact you appear generally happy with how things are going and will go, and have staunchly defended our transfer approach pretty much all summer.

That simply wouldn't be an acceptable allocation of resources. I'm amazed you seem to think it would be. Not sure what you mean by open ended here? But yes, spending upwards of 10 million on a player between fee and wages would impact other areas this window.

I agree with almost everything here, but...look I get that you and you alone don't like Graham, but do you need to age him as well? The bloke is 33, not 35.

Both. And yes I'm sure we can do better than Hart. Not in terms of profile or expense, but the lad looks a busted flush these days. Ruddy please.

I got a bit worried.

It's really a shame we can't just wheel him on for his set pieces. He'd probably be a 3-5 million pound player even at his age if we could!

It was. I don't recall exact numbers, but we won more total points in the games where Mulgrew didn't play than the ones where he did - and he played in something like twice as many games as he missed. When you consider how many goals he scored, too...that's some seriously bad defending that went on in the games he played. Could be coincidence, but my eyes suggest it wasn't.

You'd think some non league team would fancy an impromptu runaround at Ewood or something. Or we could play against our u-23s or something. Seems odd we are just letting part of our schedule vanish.

Tugascout, interesting website name. I mean, I would, if it'd get one of them to spot a beast of a CB for us. Just hope I wouldn't then have to do TM and Waggot too.

I'm speechless that you are still trotting that out as if it's fact when I don't think anyone else on the board shares that view. We all know he could reach that point practically overnight, but we all know (except you) that it hasn't happened yet.