For me Ashley Williams would be the ideal signing. 

Give him a 2 year deal, leader, been a top quality CB, especially last 5 years. Would be the perfect person to guide the youthful talent of Lenihan, Nyambe and co. 

I'm really, really hoping that all of this is cloaks and daggers and we will sign a couple of players by Thursday. 

A tough CB and equally competent LB please. 

Just now, Silas said:

As has been said before on this board, one change isn't going to rescue our back 5.

If TM thinks it is, then that worries me even more.

3 changes and we might be getting somewhere.  

Goalkeeper changed, Tosin in. But we need a left back and Nyambe at RB. So essentially a brand new back line... 

Tbf the LET interview is a better read... 

'I’ve brought Tosin in so that won’t be the back four soon.' 

So clearly expect changes in the next week or two. 

Just now, Stuart said:

Nice one imy. ??

The sun is out, go and enjoy it buddy. Life is too short for someone to be this passive aggressive all the time x

Just now, Stuart said:

And none at the back.

Good but if spin though. However...

Gallagher is a known quantity no risk from Tony.

Walton has to play. He was named number one yesterday.

Johnson is the Smallwood upgrade. Yay.

How is it no risk dropping your number 1 striker and top scorer from last season? 

Johnson the guy who started the play off final vs Villa? Yeah I think he is a tad better than Smallwood. 

Just now, BankEnd Rover said:

Sigh. As we all expected, our most influential and dangerous player is on the bench. It's amazes me how, this donut in charge can't see the difference Rothwell brings to the side. There is no excuse to benching him whatsoever. He was our stand out player for the last few games. (Would of been all season if he'd started) He comes off the bench against rangers makes an instant impact. Has another great game against Bury...Now he's on the bench over Stuart Downing!?99% of the fans think he should start. Why on earth can't Tony see that.

Seriously fed up now of Tony & delusion methods.

 

Our most influential player?? 

Wouldn't that be Dack? 

Lets see what happens today. 

Just now, neophox said:

Tony starts with three new signings.

Four new signings out of five start.

Would have started with Rothwell but I'm guessing Downing will provide more defensive cover on that side? 

12 minutes ago, Stuart said:

Who was beating down the door for Chapman?

According to their local paper 'several'

Just now, Stuart said:

You’ve just proven my point imy.

I would absolutely have replaced Mulgrew this Summer. Has Mowbray?

There only being a few days from signing until the first game is Mowbray’s fault, not mine, but it can be done.

Which bit Stuart? Think I debunked every point you made. ??

Yes Stuart you may have. Tony has decided to bring in competition for Centre half and perhaps start with Mulgrew. Thats his decision and he will live or die by those decisions. 

A few days before the start of the season, we are stronger than last season IMO and as Phillip has pointed out in a different thread, what a great position to be in with a week left of the window...no pressure, with some money in our pockets.

Just now, Stuart said:

You wouldn’t really be grateful.

Footballers with any sense never badmouth their old club and you know this so you are just trying to set me up. But that’s ok, I’m used to you now imy.

You only have to look at how the old guard have continued to be a mainstays in the side while the likes of Rothwell and Reed and Palmer have made way. The latter two leaving. He dropped Smallwood and Mulgrew at the end of last season - or did he? They’ve both featured in pre-season.

I’ll personally be delighted if Mowbray brought in players to the starting XI on Saturday to prove me wrong but by his own comments they are likely to have to fight their way into the side. We need upgrades and we buy makeweights. That’s because he doesn’t want to upset the senior players. Bloke thinks he’s Shankly or Paisley or something but without the players.

Mulgrew should be dropped for Tosin tomorrow. If not then our recruitment strategy and/or man-management approach does not work.

You may want to take off your tin foil hat Stuart... ?

So there are no examples of unhappy footballers from the last few years to support your theory? Got it.

Reed and Palmer were loanees. Palmer played in the position of Dack... surely you are not suggesting that Dack be dropped for Palmer? Hasn't exactly been pulling up any trees anywhere else he has gone... Reed was a decent player but his best position is CM and Travis has made that position his own, Travis or Reed? Rothwell has put his head down and got on with it, in fact he has been extremely positive about his manager and near the end of the season started a lot more games.

Johnson and Walton will definitely start, Gallagher possibly too. That would be 3/5 of our new signings straight into the side. 

The last one Im guessing is a joke? Starting a player with less than a weeks worth of training for our club captain? I'm guessing the players we are signing are for the 46 game championship season and not the first 6 games?

3 hours ago, Stuart said:

Gutted that Joe has had to go. Fully blame Mowbray for holding him back and not helping him to develop. I can’t help think that when Nuttall was dumped out of the side for Samuel (Mowbray’s own man) last season and unfairly - at that time - dropped back to the U23s that it upset Joe and their relationship didn’t recover. Mowbray then went an brought in a more Mowbray-like signing in Brereton and that was the beginning of the end. Even last season, Nuttall showed that he had more about him that Brereton and yet Mowbray again has persevered with ‘his own man’.

Mowbray is a very poor man-manager IMO. In my view he leaves all of that to the senior players (“the group”) and just looks at trying to keep them happy while rotating the fringe players around. He’s a soft touch and he may talk big at times but he doesn’t follow through with his actions - we’ve gone from “defenders are coming” to it appearing that was all the keepers fault. At least the group are happy again now.

Out of interest to support your theory, in the last few years, can you think of any ex players who have commented on Tony's poor man management?

Also Nuttall was where when we picked him up? Clearly there weren't many who wanted to give him a chance. He now has a 3 year contract and a chance to perform at a level he should cope with... I'd be grateful.. 

11 hours ago, RV Blue said:

Was a Johnson signing, Mowbray takes no credit for it.

Really? Thought he came on trial and was then signed by the club. Isn't that Tony's remit? 

I'm guessing all the youth players coming through, Johnson will take all the credit, not the manager who has the confidence to play them at senior level? 

Suggestion that The Nut went for about 750k. That is a plus in Tony's transfers, purchased for nothing and sold two years later for a significant profit. 

Wish him well, but no way is he a top class championship level striker. 

Hope that means there is more money available for a few more players. 

Just now, Eddie said:

Shocking. Almost as if a manager is choosing to not share his entire transfer strategy with the general public. 

If you were a defender at the club what would you be thinking? A few months ago you are terrible and would be replaced. Now my manager says he cares about me?! 

I'll wait until the end of the window but currently playing Downing at LB is not making the best use of the transfer market. 

3 converted midfield players playing in defence. Nyambe and Bell at full backs are at least playing in their correct positions. 

I hold little faith in this season now. Kills me to say it, last game before the start of the season. 

Unless Tony plans on using the youngsters is defense this season, this has been an abysmal transfer window. 

I say that as a fan of Tony and what he has done so far. Spending 12 million on two strikers and zero in defense is reckless. Mulgrew and Lenihan are first choice (I'm guessing) and Williams is injured (he is a left back), nyambe is a right back!? We need a commanding centre half, desperately in my opinion and without it, I cannot see us any higher than 12th. Disappointing window thus far. 

Just now, roverandout said:

Add to what merce said, mowbary Has left us in exactly the same position was when he came in. Has he significantly improved the squad? No. Are rovers results by and large been better with him in this league than when could left us? Debatable. Is his transfer dealings that much better? no. I don't want to keep bashing the guy because I'm sure he's a decent human being but as a manager. To coin an American phrase, he sucks! He just isn't up to the modern game. His style went out with the Dave bassets of this world. I don't think he has the capacity to attract a decent calibre of player, maybe he hasn't got the gift of the gab or maybe he's just not very bright in general. He falls back on the safe option every time. I hope I'm proven wrong and he brings in 2 or 3 amazing signings

30 minutes ago, Glosrover said:

taking lessons from Boris J on how not to answer the question ? 

I agree with you, Mowbray failed in his first season target, - he would probably admit that much himself -

Your original assertion is that Rovers are no better off now than when he arrived.  

 in Feb 2107, when Mowbray arrived, we were 23rd in the Championship table, that's second bottom,

the team as follows

Subs - Emnes, Feeney, Wes Brown, Conway, Tomlinson, Raya, Nyambe.

My recollections were of a club with little purpose and direction, potentially headed for oblivion and with no semblance of anyone in the management structure with the gumption to recognise that fact, or plan to reverse it.  There will be a point where Mowbray will have taken Rovers as far as he can in the club's current form,  I don't believe it has yet been reached, but I do believe that Mowbray will know himself and its just a likely he will walk rather someone needing to fire him - there's been a fair few manager's through our doors in recent years of which that certainly couldn't be said.  

Like many, I'm baffled why the defence hasn't yet been bolstered, and in the lack of the goalkeeper of note arriving, but worse off than when Mowbray arrived?? No, Nay, Never.......

Jason steele in goal, Akpan, Guthrie, Lowe. On the bench... Emnes, Feeney, Wes Brown, Conway, Tomlinson. 

Seriously can't see an improvement in the squad? 

Raya sold for 5 million, Dack, Rothwell, Nyambe, Travis are all first team players. With the likes of Chapman, Buckley and a number of other youngsters coming through. We also have a scouting network. 

Name one 1 million pound player in the squad we had under Coyle? At a push Lenihan, but he has progressed greatly under Tony not Coyle. 

Let's wait until the end of the window, your budget isn't just your fees involved in transfers. I'm assuming both Johnson and Downing are going to cost us close to 20k a week? That's 2 million extra straight away. Gallagher will be on the same too, plus his cost of close to 5 million. 

48 minutes ago, Stuart said:

You got there in the end. Good lad.  

Good lad? He he, out of interest Stuart, how old are you, 12??

Just now, Stuart said:

You’re missing the point, Imy. I suspect deliberately so I’ll leave it there.

So to clarify it is 'embarrassing' that Tony persevered with Smallwood and Evans instead of Reed. You used his words from an article in April, in which he explained that Reed did not stick to his position (a reason why he hadn't started), however if Reeds performances continued then he would start? Ultimately he chose Travis instead of Smallwood anyway so clearly not as rigid with his persevering with Smallwood and Evans as you make out. 

I'll leave it there. 

5 hours ago, Stuart said:

Not sure what relevance that has to Mowbray playing Smallwood and Evans instead of Reed, and putting the latter’s nose out of joint.

Your point was that Reed felt insulted by being overlooked by Smallwood and Evans. My point is that Travis took the place of one because he was more disciplined in that position, a point Tony made. Reed clearly was not as disciplined as Tony wanted. Plus he was a loanee, surely he felt more insulted by being overtaken by a 20 something youth player? 

13 hours ago, Stuart said:

That he preferred to start both Evans and Smallwood rather than find a system to incorporate his best XI.

That he thought it a good idea to spout about it in the press in April and all but send Reed back to Southampton.

Well he incorporated Travis into the team, who clearly knew the position and played it the way Tony wanted. Reed is a loanee player, so I'm glad Travis was used there more than Reed anyway! 

Just now, Stuart said:

That’s just embarrassing.

Why would Reed ever want to come back? I just hope footballers don’t talk to each other or we might get a reputation. ?

Embarrassing how? 

“Harrison needs to learn a bit of discipline about central midfield in my opinion. Normally I play Smallwood and Evans in the middle of the pitch because they stop the counter-attacks and play their position.

“Harrison is naturally a bundle of energy and runs everywhere, he’s out on the wing, he’s in the box, on the left wing, and the midfield is empty.

Essentially he leaves far too much space behind him because he lacks discipline in midfield. In the same article he praises Reed and says if he plays like he did (match just gone), no reason why he can't start.