But again, even if that's the case, how would they know he isn't good enough unless they take him over and closely watch him in training for two weeks beforehand? Or should they be using "data" to see if he is good enough rather than seeing him up close with there own eyes?

Why is it? Surely the point was to take him over there to integrate with the group and have a good close look at him for a couple of weeks or so? Plenty of international managers take squads of 22/23 to games and don't use some of them. The whole experience for Ben will have been beneficial despite not getting any minutes IMO.

Looks like the Mowbray philosophy of "must give everyone minutes" has rubbed off onto our fans. Knew it would happen eventually. Both Brereton and the Chile management I'm sure would have found the whole thing beneficial to learn more about each other. Plus, it certainly beats spending time in Stoke-On-Trent if that was original plan.

Unlikely I would say.

Would you book a holiday in the same month that you intend to go on the said holiday?

Are all the other clubs wrong for selling ST's then? Plus as things stand, we can have 25% capacity which will be more than enough at the moment. Crazy for a club that pleads poverty all the time that we can't seem to get the easiest source of revenue sorted, as despite what you read on here i still think there will be a few thousand who will commit straight away.

The latest belter i saw from some whopper on Facebook today was - "the club cant possibly release any information until we know if June 21st goes ahead, then they will know what they have to work with". Meanwhile Sunderland have sold well over 20k already.

Just a stock answer that was to make it look like something is happening.

Ties in perfectly for when Waggott wants to have better fan engagement. Excellent news.

I find it bizarre that darrenrover was really vocal for weeks during the end of the season and just afterwards, yet nothing from him for a bit now. Whats going on?

More importantly, as I myself and several others have asked, who is this bloke that joined the forum at the back end of last year that keeps repeating how positive it would be that the training centre relocated to BwD, and did you all (rest of the fans forum) shut him straight down when he released this ridiculous opinion?

Don't think he can get away with anything this time as it was clearly stated before they went on sale last year. The article is still on the website now. Not defending him at all but he could get away with it in 19/20 as there nothing to compare it too, he should have done the right thing and offered people refunds for the games we couldn't attend but he doesn't do the right thing. As said though, fully expect the prices rises to offset the discounts, which he will no doubt make a huge deal of. "Yes we're raising prices but all current st holders get xx off" etc

Based on a £399 ST which was everywhere apart from JW Upper Central it was £7.34 off this seasons for every game behind closed doors. You got the ifollow anyway so no more deductions are coming off for that. So thats £169 (rounded up) figure of next years season tickets, if they were to freeze them then current holders would get them for around £230. JE Upper slightly more expensive, so at £499 with £11.69 off per game would work out at around £230 too if the prices are frozen. I imagine there will he rises to offset all these discounts off a bit, which will he dressed up as fantastic deals obviously.

Who is this bloke on the FF who is trying to push for the training centre to be moved to BwD? Didn't expect much more from the minutes really. A few "we're working on things" and "looking into it" etc etc. Also I thought these owners never refused a cheque according to some?

Would have thought there would be an international clause in there yes.

All signings are pointless with Mowbray as manager anyway so it doesn't matter.

Did the last fans forum meeting happen on 10th May as advertised?

Not sure about that, but I reckon if Lambert had got over 4 years at the job, with £15m in transfer fee's and a decent wage budget, plus never having to sell any of his best players, he would have achieved at least the same as Mowbray has.

The local lockdown rumours will play right into Waggot's hands in regards to releasing ST details.

The Trelleborg game was actually in the season we won the Premiership, and have to agree the turnout wasn't very good at all. The opposition, a team of part timers just didn't capture the imagination. I was in one of the box's in the JW for this game, only time I've ever done it. The Champions League games, were about right attendance wise, and has been said, I think it really needed that big side in the group to capture the imagination of the public.

Don't hear much of him anymore, the cynic in me says that Mowbray removed him from the U23 role because he was doing well, and he's a fairly popular ex player. When things are going bad Mowbray knows full well there will always be a portion of the fanbase who would be saying "sack Mowbray and let Johnson take over etc. There wouldn't be so much of a clamour for Billy Barr to take over, even if he does better with the U23's than Johnson.

Might as well keep him, another 12 months under this regime and he'll be perfect for us.

If they ever bother to get them on sale of course.

We didn't actually play the away leg Mick, we were due to play there but as you say they got thrown out and replaced with Vetra at the last minute, so loads who had already booked flights had to sort out a bus to take them from Poland to Lithuania for the new game. As for the Champions League, I was at the 3 home games watched them all from the Blackburn End. Although there was nothing on it that Rosenborg game was great, the other two games were a bit damp though. Remember Shearer missing a sitter in the last minute against Legia.

Think the point is, we probably would have finished 15th or around there with Carter in the side instead of THB, which would have given us an "asset" on our books who would be ready to hit the ground running next season after half a season at this level under his belt already. As it is, he's still coming back next season as a bit of an unknown quantity at this level.