There's a few other managers had a go at doing that since he left here. He's no target man but strangely he had a lot of success here when lurking up top on his own

Age old football problem. Youbg lad gets big move, signing on wad and pay hike on long contract. Sets him up for life, football doesn't work out....so what he's ok for the next 3 years.

Friendly well connected salesman.

It takes something like this to finally realise Armstrong is a striker ?

Terrifyingly i wouldn't rule that out ?

A few weeks back i might have agreed on the outside chance of top 6. Think that's a huge long shot now for a number of reasons and unless they can dig out a couple or real good signings there's not much point aiming for much. Might as well start getting the ducks in a row for next season, hopefully with a fresh ambitious approach although that would need big changes imo. Costly loans now and silly, cosy, investment signings will just push us towards a fire sale because of FFP in the near future.

Transition season now there's not going to be any need for the standard tombola keep em all happy and in bonuses policy. Got be be now juggling around injuries, keep trying a few younger ones and flop signings. Get rid of and phase out a few bigger earners, welcome back a few from injury, end with a side picking itself more or less because of limited numbers, frozen out players. Pick up a few good results and a decent run when the beach is in sight. Comfortable lower mid finish, pin all the under achieving from start to finish on losing Dack and having to 'use' the squad. Dollops of BS for next season to try and ST renewals, bold passionate empty promises at the forums again. Grateful to owners, TM contract extension, owners we want this club back in the Prem guff. We go again.....

The last time i saw one like that it was being waved at Anfield with Klopps image on it. Not usually something you'd expect to see at a miss firing midtable championship club with a barely half full ground really.

The stars !

Sinclair is probably the biggest signing Knob end have made so no wonder they got over excited. They'll probably be slating it and him before too long. A few years back they had 900 at Burnley ! Super fans they aren't they're the most fickle in Lancashire as i said the other day. Only turn out for Rovers away and big pre season names. Uncle Trev will be passing them on in the near future then we'll see what happens.

We are sending Ben on loan to a league 1 club because we now feel that is the level he might reach. or Tony wants to send Ben to a big Dutch football club to continue his football education and open up exposure to the European markets. That will help increase his sell on fee, eventually. I know which phone call would sound best to Pune !

He was TMs reward for promotion i reckon similar to Souness with Grabbi. Some back slapping between friends sorting the deal, a lump of cash allocated for transfers and a manager advising the owners on a slow burn 'investment' model rather than lets have a go. Make of it what you will but it was badly misguided at best and as most said it would looks like hampering us down the line. Poor all round and recently Mowbray turning it on the lad himself suggests he's realised and is on the old arse covering route. His singing of him was one thing the handling of him another.

Downing was public news and everyone and their dog knew he'd end up here, Gallagher was linked in the press for a while and there didn't seem to be much of a battle for his signature at 5 million. Holtby came out the blue but that's about it recently. Not sure how they can close ranks when they end up in some cases dealing with the same agents.

Ha ha - Flagate ! Appeared in front of the cameras for the Wigan game that just happened to be live. This geezer will get another contract extension before long i'm pretty certain.

Who knows but if what i asked is true as has been alleged by some normally conspiracy bashing twitterati then it's yet another remarkable Venky era coincidence !

The same one he had at the time ???

I' actually heartened to see the manager is trying to drill it in to him that's a good sign at least.

Bauer, by the way is about 5th in the Championship for airiel duels won. Just the kind of thing you want from a big solid defender i'd say. Both Hanley and Duffy were carthorses on the deck easy to get past for any nippy striker but we'd love another one of those types. Key to being a good defender is to not give them that space or yard on you. Not the donkey best avoided some are making him out to be imo..... ?

Brereton out on loan over there is the perfect face saver. Get the lad a few games and change of scenery and if he does well hopefully a couple of million quid fee. Cannot believe anyone in the club would baulk at it on the grounds of being short of striking options. He offers nothing but a body in that dept right now and only usually gets punted wide anyway. Get him out and get someone else in for a bit, that is the whole difference between stagnating and trying to move forwards however small steps it takes. If there's anything in it i hope he begs them to go.

If they've found a taker that soon and that easy after his lay off then yep there'll be something more to it.

Exactly, he was another poor signing but not too much of a gamble. However the managers use of him and accommodating of him caused lots of angst not long ago. If he'd been fit over the last 12 months he'd have flitted between being on the right wing and being the first off the bench, guaranteed. He'd have contributed very little but at least it might have meant Brereton or Gallagher or even both weren't signed, Says it absolutely all that he's now viewed as probably a better option than either in either role !!! This season now is going to turn into a transition one, last was about consolidating but this through a combination of cock ups, wastefulness and injuries means the deck chairs need moving around. Might as well start now and just plod till the end of the season. Then hopefully the Indians jet over here for a change and put a rocket up those fortunate enough to be on their payroll.

That's all the excuse needed to add him to the rotation roster he sounds like a perfect signing for this present system.

Tony came off the scrapheap though as well so that was very far from an inspirational choice. Just another cheap role of the dice brought in by the usual influences/stakeholders/advisors whatever they masquerade as. No reason to think someone like Hill given a similar budget to Mowbray wouldn't at least achieve similar midtable. The gamble is they could maybe drive it a bit further, risk is it could go backwards but it's the same with any manager, exotic expense name or not. Any one of them could build on it or pull it to bits that's just football. It's coming to a point though, some would say past it, that a fresh voice and approach will be desperately needed. Maybe even just to tread water.

Mysterious better manager ? Get Keith Hill in and see what someone a bit more bread and butter can do with Mowbrays budget. Which contrary to what some like to peddle has actually been very good in the past couple of seasons for a midtable championship team. How many mysterious so called better managers would spew the 12 million he has and be getting sod all in return for it ???

No doubt just set up to stop the opposition as usual and they did that yesterday. However it's a poor show when you have to accommodate - and that's what he's doing - your 5 million pound striker as some sort of defensive wide midfielder come winger. That's what Bennett is better for surely ? If he rates EB that much why isn't he holding down his natural position ?