If Philips becomes one of our best players in 18 months that's as long as we'll have him. The same goes for any player we have who is outstanding, like Brereton. The idea that we'll gradually build up a team of youngsters to adult stars is just a dream I'm afraid.

Vale has convinced you then?

Ah you're back! Is it time to panic yet?

and why wouldn't it?

Come from nowhere and go nowhere....

and managers!

Which is down to WAGGOT!

Pure boosterism from Chaddy. If you walk around with a grin on your face everything will be alright!

Good buy that. They will be there or thereabouts this season.

That's quite right. We were all annoyed that Berkovic had gone for someone we'd barely heard of! Then there was his age! I remember thinking "he can't be much good, we only paid a million for him!" That was the best £1 million we ever spent---possibly the best £1 million any club ever spent! And he bonded with us as if he'd known us all his life! Sheer Turkish delight from start to finish!

I can't understand the level of complacency here. 8 left, we knew they would. We had months to prepare and we will be scrambling about in the final hours of the window hoping something falls our way. You could not conclude the Club is gunning for promotion could you? That's one conclusive statement we can make! If things do change very quickly, it still takes time for new players to bed in and we've already played 5 games. We are as amateurish in recruitment as we have always been since Venkys rocked up---another conclusive statement.

Read like he would take a centre-back on loan but not Van Hecke!

Thinking back about the best players to wear a Rovers shirt in my lifetime, I got it down to four---Douglas, England, Shearer and Tugay. You could probably add Clayton to that list. I tried to put them in order but an impossible task. A privilege to see any of them, let alone all 4 at this unfashionable old club of ours.

A genius was Tugay. We were so lucky to see such players in our shirt. Makes you furious at the same time--destroyed by morons.

What's the diff?

Did we ever get to Round 3 under Mowbray? Genuine question--can't remember.

We're good at everything but actually getting the players to sign!

Mentioned him a few weeks back. Good buy at that price. Would have been good for us. Shouldn't have stopped us going for Van Hecke either because we need 2. Once again we wait...

Don't know that anyone is obsessed about it! I have good memories of it last season when we were on our good run, that's all really. If we can win without it---good. But we've conceded 6 in 2 games!

We all would and quick! I'm not judging JDT at all by the way. He has to do his best with a squad that was manifestly inadequate. As for Broughton I don't see how "there's a lot of promise so far". I'd have thought there wasn't! But, like you, I'll wait ---because I have no choice!

So we're on another journey?

I would toss away the "we prefer " bit and sign Van Hecke right now, any how we can. Work out the future as the season goes on. Could make an enormous difference to our prospects for this season. We need a lift.

Is 4 enough? The model is clearly broken. Our wages ceiling is too low to attract top players ie promotion standard, and too low to keep the ones we develop. Yet curiously our ticket prices are at the higher end and, in particular, higher than our local rivals. Crazy. Seriously we look like becoming a yo-yo club---but between the Championship and the 1st Div.

Madness would be letting him go for next to nothing. Or more accurately, it would be yet another example of madness.

Won't get any fee for Dack till he can prove his fitness.