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I’m not sure what the club can do. The players are refusing to sign new contracts (for a while now it would appear) and we’re not willing to break our wage structure. We’re haemorrhaging money so it’s understandable that a structure is in place. If the players are demanding huge salaries then the club are in an impossible position.

Saying we weren’t close to promotion is looking back after the event. Up until the collapse of form in February, promotion wasn’t off the cards. Either way, I don’t think Chapman would have made much difference and he certainly benefited from the loan spell.

But that’s in hindsight. You’re not picking Chapman ahead of Elliott. He would have got minimal game time here. The loan went well and hopefully he can now contribute. He’s had chances before and not taken them so I don’t think we missed out last year at all.

Farmed out unfairly? Done nothing to suggest that he’d make an impact in the championship before his loan last season. Unconvinced that he’ll do much this season either although last night was more promising.

If we beat all the average teams, what does that make us..?

Great result. Travis, Carter and Ayala were very impressive. Buckley was everywhere and tidy in possession. Unconvinced by Dolan but he serves a purpose. As some have said, limited options seems to be working for us. We don’t have enough quality in the final third yet but there’s a grit about this team that we haven’t seen in a while. Important to get some set piece goals as well. Cant fault this start, best in years. No expectations for WBA but this has been surprisingly positive. Let’s see how long it can last.

But that’s reliant on there being very few injuries and other than maybe 3/4, how many of our u23s are ready for first team football? If we got relegated by playing the kids every week I can guarantee that fans would be demanding why we hadn’t brought in more quality, even if it’s via loans.

Don’t mind this. Buckley still goes missing too often and Rothwell rarely puts a run of decent games together. More competition can’t be a bad thing.

Pickering?

Really disappointed about the lack of match replays or extended highlights. They clearly edit the footage as they release clips on the club’s Twitter account. I only tend to watch interviews with new signings (ha!) so genuinely starting to question what I’m getting out of this. Definite downgrade so far on iFollow. If there’s a legit reason for not being able to share the highlights, fine, tell us. Also, why do they have a dedicated section on the website for ‘match highlights’ if all they’re going to stock is pre-season friendly footage???

Given this is a loan, I am assuming our financial outlay will be minimal.

He can. But often he doesn’t. The truth about last year is that with missed one on ones and penalties, he should have scored 35/36.

This is the kind of attitude that infuriates me. Fans desperate to find a negative slant wherever they can. If Macron had palmed us off with two off-the-rail kits then you’d be complaining that not enough effort was being made. They’ve clearly gone the extra mile with this and for what it’s worth, no I don’t think they’ve knocked up a third strip which coincidentally happens to be in the same colour as our play off win, in the space of two weeks just because the club shop are running low.

Id suggest that Nyambe, Lenihan and Brereton have. Travis, Dack and Armstrong would be others.

Lots of jumping to conclusions. I thought there were fans who wanted the money to be spent elsewhere anyway? Im not surprised if he has turned us down given it’s a step down from the PL. But given he’s an unproven crock with a bad attitude, I’m sure most on here will be pleased…

Aware that the same fans adamant that no replacements would be brought in following Armstrong’s sale are now trying to find ways to criticise the £6m rated striker we’re trying to sign. Pick a lane.

Rothwell has had his chances. Not playing well enough isn’t mis-management. He’s been too inconsistent throughout his time here. For an attacking midfielder, his stats are below average and he has played in his preferred position often enough.

The idiot at the helm bought Arma for £1.5m and is about to sell him for £15m. Of all the things to criticise Mowbray for, this in isolation is not one of them. Arma has been offered a new deal and understandably hasn’t signed it. Ball was always in his court after last season. At least we’re getting a decent fee. FWIW I think £15m is probably Arma’s worth. £20m would have been nice but at least we can get it done well before deadline day.

Be reasonable, of course it’s not embarrassing. We desperately need bodies and a winger in particular. Just want the Arma saga to be over. It needs to be finalised this week to give us a chance to find a replacement. £15m isn’t great but it’s time to move on.

Disappointed that there are no extended highlights from yesterday’s game or full match replay. That was available with iFollow so not sure why it can’t be done now. Swansea’s YouTube has uploaded longer highlights so why can’t we?

Enjoyed that. Great to be back and a good atmosphere. Hard to read where we stand at the end of it but can’t fault the effort or commitment. No one really stood out although I thought Ayala was a calming presence. Dolan was charging down everything and it was no surprise that we eventually benefited from it. We don’t look clinical and it hurts to see a natural striker in Gallagher marooned on the wing when Dolan is scuffing shots into the keeper’s arms. I’m taking it for what it is and not reading more into it. Hope more fans gradually come back through the doors because if the team continues to play like that they’ll deserve the support.

But that’s simply not true. Look at the last 3 seasons, we’ve strengthened each year with no significant outgoings. Even last year, we kept hold of almost everyone and brought in Kaminski and Elliott with others. The whole reason why Mowbray should be sacked is that the squad has got STRONGER over recent times and yet the results haven’t improved. The Armstrong sale in isolation is necessary given the figures involved. We can’t afford another Dack situation. It’s disappointing to hear that the money won’t go back into the squad but given the financial picture at the club, we can’t be surprised.

The club are hundreds of millions in debt and continue to haemorrhage cash. I take no joy in seeing Armstrong go but we need this to at offset some of the losses. Clubs at this level rely on the occasional big sale to keep things ticking over and we haven’t had one in years. It’s a shame that very little/if any will get reinvested in the squad but that just shows how grim things are looking financially. This needs to happen.

Who will he have to pick from in a year? No guarantee he’s getting offers from bigger teams than Norwich or Southampton. Those ifs are hardly unlikely, look at Dack, that’s all it takes. You take PL football when you can get it. He’ll start for both Norwich/Southampton and get exposure in the PL for a season which could lead to better things. You don’t wait around to see what might come in 12 months.

Or start playing PL football now and not wait a year for injury to strike, form to dip or clubs to lose interest…