Rhodes was a tremendous player for us. My point was at that point Gestede would've provided more value to the team than Rhodes, mostly because the rest of the team was poorer than when he first arrived. But you're right that the manager problem was much greater than any player.

Great point, I also think we are missing out on obtainable players, esp Edwards. Paul Hurst going from Shrewsbury to manage Ipswich is wasting no time picking up talent from League One. Seems like he is picking up Ellis Harrison (who we were linked with) from Bristol Rovers too. Suprised he hasn't picked up Jon Nolan from his former club yet.

Our downward spiral started in the summer 2015. After missing out on play-offs again event with Gestede/Rhodes due both scoring 20+, we had to sell one of them to balance the books. The club chose to keep Rhodes and sell Gestede. Gestede was a much better focal point for our attacks with his ability to keep the ball up. Rhodes is basicly a luxury that a dominiating team can have to stick in the net. Rhodes went anyhow in january 2016 and we unravelled with relegation the following season. That said, we might be in a better position now with a great manager and decent core of players you can relate too.

The rules has changed since then. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-xia-china-ffp-12408433

Yeah, stats is not everything. Gestede had probably the worst goal-ratio of any striker we bought and turned out great. The way we are set up we need a striker that brings more than just goals. If we had kept Gestede rather than Rhodes, we would probably never been relegated. We need to find a new Graham, someone who can keep the ball up and bring Dack into play, which is not easy. Graham himself is proof that it often takes years to bulk up and get experience enough to be really productive. He was a young talent at Boro, but needed multiple loans and dropping down to League One with Carlisle before climbing the ladder again. Think he was part of deadly duo with our Joe Garner at one time there.

Your statement about the market is correct. Going off the interviews from Waggott and Mowbray from the India trip, it seems that they've been granted their "responsible" budget they asked for. A major issue for us is FFP compliance. Waggott was clear that big spending will send us back to FFP penalty. If you want the club to run responsible you have to accept that spending wise (transfers/wages) will be mid/lower championship. We have a great manager, a decent core of young players with potential to improve and great team spirit. Somebody mentioned the Burnley/Huddersfield model which seems a good fit at the moment. For me it seems we have to gamble on lower league players making the step (Bradley Dacks of this world), rather than buying established Championship players. Will probably some duds along the way, but at least we won't go bankrupt on another Leon Best deal.

He didn't quite say that. He was asked whether the club was top half or bottom half and he answered "neither"

He would probably be allowed to discuss terms if the deal is close. I'm led to believe Maddison had a release clause and Derby hasn't offered enough upfront yet.

Ah, thanks. All our speculation for nothing I guess.

Where did you get Derby from? Derby would be a bit strange given that they've already signed or loaned Harry Wilson, that off mid from Chelsea and just bought that winger from Brentford.

Gallagher for me would be a no-brainer if possible. Got double digits last time here and there are very few if any other options that can say the same. He's got pace, is mobile and decent header. Had good time here, would fit the dressing room and knows the manager. I can see why people wants us to be more ambitious in our spending, but so does my wife. Sometimes you need to set the expectations to a realistic level of your resources.

I think a lot of people underestimate that our biggest problem might not be the transfer fee, but wages. A player like Armstrong is probably on double of our highest earner which won't work. We're not paying the Leon Best's of this world 30k a week anymore and need to keep a sustainable model which is also fair to the rest of the group. I think a major problem Mowbray is facing is that the agent's demands are too rich at the moment. Some of his comments are proof of that. Given that we probably have a wage structure that is at best mid championship it's not realistic to buy established higher earning players. Trying to find the next Bradley Dack is probably gambling on a League One/Two player or going abroad. You can probably buy almost anyone here in Norway for less than a million including seasoned internationals, although I reckon only a handful have the potential to make an impact.

Strange how different views can be. Rothwell looked quick to me and seemed to have good stamina. He wasn't much involved but most of our play revolved around the right side. But I agree he could be much more effective central. I forgot Nyambe in my match summary who was probably our best player. Fantastic defensively and good on the ball

How good was Keita? I can see why they call him a mix of Kante and Iniesta. Liverpool should challenge for the title now after addressing the goalkeeper problem and strengthening the midfield. Getting a full season of the man mountain Van Dijk should also help..

plus Fabinho 40 mill and Van Dijk 75 mill. We brought on Tomlinson, Whittingham and Downing

Mowbray was interviewed before the game and he was clear on addressing the lacking attacking area where we have lost the loan players.

Decent first half. Kept good shape and closed down quickly in our own half. You could tell the team was the backbone from last season. Liverpool brought on Keita for the second half and we basicly collapsed when we brought on the reserve team. Both goals were schoolboy errors giving the ball away deep into our own half. First Bell trying to go inside, then Davenport with an awful pass. - Dack was lone striker, although not that involved it was always dangerous when he got on the ball. - Liked the look of Rothwell, seems to have a good engine and great pace. - Samuel was probably our most active player. Did cause some problems but struggles with his decision making as usual. - Smallwood looked sluggish at that level, maybe heavy legs from pre season. - Davenport gave away an awful goal, but very mobile and I think he will oust Smallwood from the team sooner rather than later. Mowbray talked about him and Travis being our future midfield. - Mowbray mentioned before the game to LFCTV that we were light in attacking areas from the players gone back from loan, and it showed.

Probably what he is doing. Having to wait for them to come down to sensible terms or move on.

You are probably right. Mowbray: “I am spinning four or five plates at the moment but I feel as if agents run the world.

The LET claims it's an attacker, so Lukas Nmencha seems to be a decent bet.

That is very steep for a league 2 player, however he seems like a dynamic forward going places. Found these quotes from Barry Fry after PBoro had an offer rejected: It’s now expected Eisa (23) will move to a Championship club. Fry said: “We bid a million pound for Eisa and we couldn’t believe it when it was turned down, but his agent said he has a Championship club interested so good luck to him.

If you just look at stats Chapman's are pretty awful: - Never played a game in the Championship - 3 loan spells in League One, where he in total only started 4! of 35 games. - Been injured for 7-8 months, how long will it take to be back to his old self? Still we all want him

I reckon Armstrong and Chapman would probably be around 3 millions pounds together if you can agree wages. Very few clubs in the Championship buys players over a million pounds these days except PL parachute clubs and even a club like Villa is in dire straits financial now.

Kent seems to fit the bill. Quick tricky winger that can deliver a cross. Also seems to be able to play both right and left. The question mark is last season with two failed loans at Freiburg and Bristol City. The good thing is Mowbray know everything about him from having him on loan at Coventry, and can get his confidence back up again. It worked wonders with Armstrong last season. Fun fact is that Kent and Armstrong has spent two seasons together on loan at both Coventry and Barnsley. He also had James Maddision at Coventry at the same time so that must've been some exciting line up. I think Rovers will have a hard time getting a deal done for Armstrong based on the fee and wages. Newcastle needs to raise cash for transfers so I don't think they will do us any favours. A chance for a late loan might be our best option.

I think people forget about Modeste. Did very well after us. I remember I thought he had something about him, good movement, pace and strength. But his confidence was awful and his finishing likewise.