I see it as money spent rather than lost as in debt it's all just paper accounting talk to them. They can afford somehow to write it off obviously there's no way a financial backer like a bank or similar would keep funding this type of thing. Unless it was getting some kind of interest or being paid down every few years that is.....

There won't be a tipping point they are running money through the books and are happy to do so. I think losing interest would be the main factor before anything else but that would probably follow a period of neglect like we had a few years ago. In the meantime they are welcome to keep pissing it up the wall sooner or later we'll get someone who knows how best to use it. I do agree though Mowbray isn't that man !

Face saving, window dressing ? Who knows but to be fair the way they've talked about doing it there'll be a long wait before it turns anything up and i personally wouldn't want them rushing in and spending money for the sake of it there's been some really expensive shockers from beyond these shores under Venkys....and a few before ! I'm more concerned about what the domestic scouting turns up or rather doesn't because from what i can see we still mainly recruit from similar avenues as before and signing the likes of Gallagher, Downing, Johnson and Walton doesn't need hands on scouting throughout the year we basically know what we are getting it's just a matter of fitness and back ground checks, still playing it safe.

I think they'll loan or sign frees if the right people present them but if we have a quick look back it seems the only ones they've rarely paid money for in defence are English/Irish etc Dann, Duffy, Williams, etc and they've sniffed around a few others, if Bauer was British would they have sanctioned the deal worth about 2 to 3 million including contract & signing on ? Maybe. The Southampton model in mind ? God knows about the European stuff but i'll be surprised if they ever spend big fees on anyone.

That's something Robinson was on about at the Bristol v Leeds game keepers these days don't command the area the focus is on positioning on the line. Strange why it's going that way but more likely because of the gradual slide to it being a non contact sport.

Maybe part of the lack of defensive recruitment is that they are following the same rules set out for the forwards, young, English and good resale potential. That really isn't an easy task and not what someone who knows football would set out when it comes to defenders.

I'll never ever believe under this ownership that any manager has 100% control over who to buy/sell or even play some of the stuff that still goes on is beyond the realms of just bad judgement calls by managers. The presence and actual role of the middleman/messenger boy also intrigues me although i believe TM is no dodgy geezer but he did end up here off the scrapheap via the same channels as some of the others. The mantra always seems to be investment to sell in favour of focusing on building an actual balanced team to go for promotion despite chucking millions and some big contracts around. Also players before points, keep the squad happy keep rotating and getting mins into players, keep the seniors happy. Is the ownership or whoever runs it really that bothered about promotion ?

It is a perfectly justified reply to your post about Palmer, yes he'd never have fit into TMs systems so fair enough it would've been a waste of money but you me and the gate post know that a 3 mill sub in the Championship isn't unusual these days. So looking at it just from a money angle which you appeared to be is empty as one game before long we'll have 15 milion pounds worth of forwards sat on the bench no doubt at all.

6 million plus add ons for Brereton, where is he in the pecking order ?

We couldn't get the targets over the line. Hard to know where the line in that between actually trying for some and it being a convenient excuse because he's used most of the budget elsewhere again is. I accept we'll have been knocked back by a few but not sure how serious they've been i think he's definitely got himself distracted in the pursuit of Downing and Gallagher and i don't swallow the we can't afford this that and the other line, too many things contradict it when big money is sloshed about in certain quarters. He's ballsed up on the defence for the second summer in succession and 3rd window on the trot plain and simple, so far. The City kid will not be the answer i can guarantee that although hopefully he'll at least bring something if he can live up to his billing.

Dack is mercurial but take him away there is absolutely zero creativity yes it might allow a different system and maybe two up top at times but again zero quality to create and zero on the wings apart from maybe some cameos from Chapman now and again. Rothwell could be the answer but his style is different and head down, probably gives Mowbray nightmares.

Nyambe's probably been chucked into the wilderness because he's a homegrown kid but Bell keeps getting a pass because Mowbray bought him after a chase and paid money probably under the young potential sell on mantra so he has to be justified imo. He did the same with Samuel and will do again if he gets fit probably and i don't think it would surprise anyone to see him bench Travis as soon as he gets chance. Good points about Nyambe he was raw but has shown signs of improvement and was ok when he pulled.

Some real drama queens on here again and a lot of them long serving posters who've done more than their fair share of grunting and whining in the past, real hypocritical stuff to be honest. Man up and let people call it as they see it the evidence is there on the pitch and it's based on the last few years not one game or one bad half. We have a manger who's agreed with 3/4 or the board on numerous occasions yet done sod all about it so it's only natural he'll get called out on it and so he should be. The bad run last season wasn't because the team or him are crap it was because they both have glaring weaknesses so it was a red flag for all. If you ignore the symptoms of something serious it will not go away although it might settle down for a bit but at some point it's back and potentially worse. The only way to fix it is aggressive treatment or major surgery but this fella has stuck a plaster on it and hoped for the best whilst having cosmetic surgery to boost his ego to the tune of 15 million up top ! Let's hope it's just first day drama and not turning into a crisis. One thing Mowbray is with all his experience is a calm head so he'll sort it but his lack of boldness brings it on in the first place, which is the lesser of the two evils ?

Thing is if he doesn't get a little bit of pressure and expectation from above then it's natural he's happy to plod. To me it's up to the owners and CEO to lay out reasonable expectations. Not unrealistic ones but reasonable given they've allowed millions to be spent over the last two windows and not actually forced a sale or 5, yet. If we have a rotten season this season then the temptation will be there again to cash in the chips to pay the bills and go on another downgrade and part of that will be at the gaffers door. Although he'd probably be sailing off into the sunset with another handsome pay off which is why i don't toe the sympathy line no matter how nice a guy he may be, there are more and more signs of self preservation kicking in.

He does that all the time as well as letting balls bounce in front of him outside the box he really isn't a muck and bullets defender which you need to be in this league probably more than any other.

Which is why Gallagher should be used right down the middle to maximise his attributes and try and cause problems for the opposition the lad is quite mobile and will graft.

There might be if he learned to cross then he'd be a winger or maybe a younger left sided hard working wide midfielder version of Bennett but he's certainly no left back, piss poor defender. Reminds me a bit of Mark Atkins although different types and era obviously but he was signed from lower down, young raw right back but never ever looked like one yet you could see there were possibly other attributes. A manager change meant he got shifted and he never looked back but it took the coach taking over to actually spot what he could offer the team instead of repeating the same old shit and hoping for a different outcome.

Tried to stay out of shouting for his nut last season in that awful run that he contributed to and it wasn't a blip it was a huge warning sign that has gone almost unheeded. I say almost because he has at least tried to put a sticking plaster over a rather large wound but his logic is totally flawed he seems to have spent all his time over thinking how he can around it without upsetting senior players. Also said last season i fully believe Nyambe is another of his scapegoats and wouldn't be surprised if he bailed if he gets a decent offer. Surely questions would then be asked in Pune why we are losing our young talent ? Yes it's one game but it's the exact same pattern since he walked through the door and he's had time enough and more than enough dough to construct something at least resembling a defence with a bit of beef about it. Hate to say it but i'll be surprised if he sees Christmas it's just a feeling i have from midway through last season and that concerns me but maybe the clubs infrastructure now and the talent on the books could withstand it in a way it couldn't before. Certainly don't want him potted at this juncture but i can't see anything other than same old same old in the coming months, good bloke obviously and off the park he's proven to be a good manager for us but on it he's bang average and his football is timid and tepid where we need large pairs of knackers. Mid table Mogga, you heard it here. I really hope it bites me on the ass !

Bell has been rubbish ever since he signed he's a terrible defender there's no surprise there. He can run quick in a straight line either way but that's it, can't provide anything and cannot cut out crosses or read the game. He hasn't improved one jot since he signed here he's shaped up to be a league 2'er way out his depth. No real point debating these things though becaiuse this manager has a complete blind spot to it.

Nobody at Ewood will question him though Waggot won't dare speak down to his boss and Indian middleman will only be concerned in reporting back to his bosses how the potential double your money investments are doing and how many future youngsters are we blooding for sale.

If i was a wise old manager then after seeing my defence often conceded weak goals over the course of nearly 3 seasons and i had been granted a good budget i decide it's time for a revamp. I'd plan ahead and allocate a good lump if not all the budget to try and significantly improve it and i'd tell the fans confidently 'Don't worry defenders are coming' Then i'd go out and ###### sign some half decent ones. If i didn't i'd expect to have the same problems and i'd be worried i'd be through the door before Christmas.

BUMP !!! Rubbish but entirely predictable with certain same old favs struggling and a manager who could confuse Einstien in 5 mins flat. First day nerves hopefully.

It had almost the same defence and two deep lying mids plus a shite keeper so hopefully we've finally moved on from that !

And doesn't it just grate....

Absolute garbage you see plenty but yes too many wear the tv clubs shirts but it's not unusual sadly, exactly the same in Bolton, Burnley, Wigan and more so Preston where you're much more likely to see a Knob shirt in Brig than Fishergate. The changing demographics play their part obviously but as far as Preston are concerned iv'e never really known it any different, very small club in reality.