Remember it well Tyrone. Walter Winterbottom was the manager and was given the players and it was up to him to make the best of it.

Wharton has been loaned out to get experience Rev. To learn and make the mistakes in League One rather than with us in the Championship. At present he wouldn't make the first team so would be in the Under-23's - and he has nothing to learn at that level - or sat on the bench not playing. I disagree with your point on Brown. Both Wharton and Platt improved tremendously, as did a number of younger players by playing alongside Brown in the Under-23's as he guided them through the game. It was an invaluable experience for our youngsters.

True, but under the present system we wouldn't have survived in 71-72 if Furphy hadn't been able to make drastic changes and the same could be said for Kenny in 1991-92. Clubs can always say no if someone comes in for their best players.

If the players we want cost more than we are prepared to pay then you walk away and look elsewhere. Clearly players were identified but the fees and wages are an unknown until you start talks and at that point it takes both sides to agree a deal no matter how much the Rovers may want a player. Watching the City documentary at the moment and it's interesting that they - with all their resources - walk away from deals if they don't believe it's value for money. I know it's a different subject but I have to say I still prefer the old system when you could buy, sell or loan players up to mid-March. It seems to me that every club is in panic mode in the days coming up to the deadline and it all becomes a giant chess game with clubs refusing to release players until the last minute and it seems to drive fees up. Look at City, having to recall a goalkeeper who they've sent out on loan simply to act as backup because of injuries. They whole system seems madness.

I think Sky's coverage will impact on mid-week attendances. I suspect there won't be many of us at Swansea for our mid-week game and I don't think we'll take the same numbers to Derby for the Tuesday night game. It will be interesting to see what away followings are in the Championship for mid-week games this season.

Maybe nothing has gone wrong and nobody is to blame. We seem to have a wage structure in place at last and personally, I would be happy to keep within it. Clearly we have had targets but if the fees asked and wages demanded are viewed as being too high then I'm very happy we are not getting involved in these deals. Personally, I'm more than happy with the way Mowbray, Waggott and Cheston are dealing with things at the club and for the first time in a good few years we seem to have structures in place which are working properly. The truth is that nobody on here knows what the targets are or the money we are prepared to spend on them. It's all a bit of speculative fun - or not depending on your point of view. I think Mowbray definitely wants to send Travis and Nuttall out on loan so that they are playing week in and week out at a higher level than the Under-23's or sitting on the bench for first team games. Clearly if we don't bring anyone in then they will have to stay to play bit parts from the bench. As for Rodwell, it will be down to Mowbray to manage him. If he believes that he can get something from him then on paper it's not a bad move. Diouf wasn't everyone's cup of tea before he arrived but he did a great job for us.

I would put Evans, Smallwood and Bennett back without a moment's hesitation. I would also have Graham back in the centre and play Armstrong out wide in place of Palmer - who for me doesn't do enough when we aren't in possession, something which from the sounds of it Mowbray is addressing.

The problem with the team at Carlisle was that it was defensively weak in midfield. Time and again Carlisle ran through our midfield to have shots on goal. Against a better team than Carlisle it would have been 5-5. Fully expect Evans and Smallwood to be restored along with Bennett and Williams if fit.

Too early to tell really but he has looked very impressive at times - he has pace which is so important at any level. He's a good finisher but still has a lot to learn.

He was injured earlier in the year and had an operation. He missed the final stages of last season and I don't think was expected to be back until Sept/Oct time.

We have had a certain budget to spend - both on new players and renewing the contracts on existing ones. Nobody on here has a clue as to what that budget was. Nobody one here knows who we were interested in or who we made bids for and nobody knows why those bids weren't good enough. Clearly, we weren't prepared to go beyond that budget which, I assume had been worked out with FFP rules in mind.

It suggests to me that he wasn't top of our list hence why we bid so late. Clearly we had a certain sum of money to spend but some of the prices quoted - and no doubt wages wanted - would have been beyond our means. If we were looking to make a serious bid for promotion then this window would be disappointing. However, we are trying to ensure we don't go down and the addition of Rothwell, Davenport, Palmer and Armstrong are welcome additions to the squad and should ensure we achieve our aim.

We only have a very limited income - spending way above that means you walk a very narrow line in terms of FFP. If you get up - great. If not you face problems that impact on the club for years to come. Whether we like it or not we have to live within our means. Having renewed contracts over the summer - on improved wages - our expenditure has increased. This isn't fantasy football - in the real world you have to cut your cloth to what you can afford. The manager will know better than any of us who he needs and I've no doubt that a loan or two will arrive before the end of the month. I have every confidence that the manager will ensure we don't go down and maintain our Championship status.

Personally, I'm happy we are not adding to the debt and risking another transfer ban by spending beyond our means.

The squad is good enough to stay up Rev, particularly with a loan or two before the end of the month and staying up is the only aim this season. Bottom line is nobody knows what the budget is, who we've been after or why deals have failed to be done. The players mentioned on this thread may not have been of interest to Mowbray so he's hardly missed out on then. Glad that Mowbray hasn't paid over the odds for players in a market that is inflated beyond belief. One or two loans gives those players the chance to prove their worth before we actually buy them.

I suspect the majority buy their season tickets because they support Blackburn Rovers irrespective of transfer dealings.

Excellent post Neal. Totally agree with everything you say. The squad is good enough to stay up and that is surely the aim this season. I'd much prefer to see us bring a couple in on loan so we can see how they do before committing serious money on them.

Totally agree. I think Steve Waggot has been a breath of fresh air in terms of the running of the club.

I suspect we may well get one more permanent deal before Thursday and then two or three loans with a view to signing them permanently in January if they impress - if they don't they can be offloaded at that point.

From what Mowbray is quoted as saying in today's Telegraph it sounds like he would like Armstrong and another three players in before the end of the window. Those four with the three already signed would give him the '6 or 7' he talked about earlier in the summer.

Personally, think Platt is a better defender at the moment so not surprised that Coleman should pick him up. Having said that, the young lad who played for Stanley against us last week looks a very good defender.

There have been a number of trialists playing for the Under-18's and Under-23's in pre-season.

One of our worst pre-seasons ended with us winning the Premier League title!

The manager has identified the players he wants, he has already had discussions with some but, as he pointed out, the players are in the box seat at the moment and can sit back and wait to see what other offers come in. As the window draws to a close they make their choice. I'm not sure how much more organised you can be than identify players and open discussions with players and then have to wait for the player to decide if the move suits them or not.

As Mowbray explained at the meeting, players tend to wait until nearer the end of the window before committing themselves to a club, particularly if they have several clubs chasing them. They wait until they can weigh up all the offers and then select the best one for them. From what Mowbray said it would appear that he has a budget he is happy with and knows the players he wants. Only time will tell if they arrive here or opt for elsewhere. It's the same reason why Mowbray said he wasn't letting any of the youngsters out on loan too early until he has seen them in pre-season and the progress they have made.