Once again when you state things in public with a microphone in front of you and ipads tapping away you can't just brush it under the carpet, he's been a manager how long ? Anyway, yes roll on the season some interesting team selections await but it's all about the points.

WTF ? And yes it does matter really because the manager is the face of the club and its public spokesman in a way so he needs to stop talking in riddles. This era of what you say today doesn't matter tomorrow when you say the total opposite is quite bizarre people beyond this board are going to question him on it because at times it comes across like he doesn't really know what's going on. I'd say whether we still have a transfer pot or not does actually matter quite a lot.

Things change all the time with Venkys i suppose. This could be the late window windfall that he maybe presumed had been tied up in Gallagher but what stipulation will it have on how it's spent might be the deciding factor.

Until he decides again that we did in fact sell the goalie to buy the striker ! Come on Tone a good manager would root out a decent defender to play at this level for c3 million.

Good run out and confidence builder i wouldn't read anything into who started or played where or who wasn't there. As poor a level of opposition you're likely to find at the min so it allows that kind of thing.

But if he meant that he'd just have said that. Anyway good news he claims there's still some dough although i hope he realises what he's actually saying this time he's already been hung for less on here ?

David wanted to leave. We sold our goalie to buy a striker. The Raya money is untouched. Now come on....... Anyone wondering why the team selections and tactics often seem a bit confusing to our own players just keep this little lot in mind ?

That's what i thought last window with the names linked then this time around there are quality players in the building allegedly but just passing through. Could it just be window dressing or has he maybe lined one or two up expecting to land them then the money men say no or Pune is silent and they slip through the net ? Must be something to it.

He wouldn't be anywhere near the club if he'd played for Leeds or Hull it just typical of this gaffers old boys network. Player he knows and likes becomes available, it's doable so he does it then tries to think of a spot for them. I had the remote hope that if he's anything left in tank we might have someone who occasionally can put his foot on the ball and send it forwards with some quality instead of sideways or backwards 3 yards. Deploying him at LB/Wing back is the kind of thing a pub team manager would do with one of his mates who's turned 50 but can still play a bit but can't run !

That needs shaking up it's a source of much annoyance setting up to stop sides at home ten places below you in the table although over the course of his tenure it's served him well to a certain extent be fair. However it's a reason many feel he'll always be midtable Mogga in this league when he doesn't utilise the attacking strength he puts together in the squad properly and the lack of balance the team usually starts games with.

Feeney ? Surely he's due back again,....

Didn't Tony say that himself ? Ignore it it was just reactionary ?

You've been a fly on the dressing room wall, impressive ! Are you a shape shifter ? ?

Hilarious stuff this morning on here. It's been the way for a few to try and accuse fans of reading between the lines in regards to managers comments and that TM is the beacon of honesty who's every word we should hang on as he's the boss and his word is final/ NOW when he does say things in public it's to be passed off as just a reaction and not to read too seriously into it because it doesn't suit THEIR present narrative. Those goalposts have just about circumnavigated the pitch now lads give it a rest you know as well as we do he intended to get some defenders in but had his pants pulled down on the no 1 long standing target and switched attention and funds to other targets when it became known they were available also a bit like Brexit the keeper situ probably became a big unwanted distraction. The defence is young it's weak, the keeper is new and kids aren't ready and need loaning / introducing slowly there is no Phil Jones or Grant Hanley there ready to step in yet that's obvious. We need a good 1st team ready CB to bolster what is shaping up to be imo a potential good side further up the pitch, why waste it ? Do we want a conveyor belt of young average defenders to sell whilst weakening the side or do we want a rock solid centre defence to give the team a platform to finish as high up as possible ?

Christ he's getting worse.

I'd say it just boils down to us not having the cash right now so it'll come out of next seasons kitty or from another sale. Just my opinion but it's probably a done deal.

Williams out for a good while now so maybe in the same boat as the GK situation = panic. Failure to prepare is .............

If they've already agreed a fee then happy days and if he's crap he can go back. Caution though he's also of the same agent as Gallagher and one who's names cropped up a lot in the past so he'll probably end up being bought after we've sold someone else to pay for it..... Still not sure what our scouting system is actually up to though or why we can't get the one's they scout over the line so have to turn to the same old people's client lists again !

But we were there before them so up until that point ! Must've needed a fair old overal budget to cover it so maybe some truth in it although not transfer budget obviously.

Biggest losses in lge 1 history i think, another fantastic record set under Venkys.

Yep something that hasn't gone unoticed and to me is a bit of a statement as if they are mainstays of the squad. To be fair allowing for the usual weaknesses they all played quite well early last season so we are hanging our hat on that again.

The young CB we had on loan from UTD i think played mostly right back in his short stint and looked a bit raw but looked better in his centre half stints then went to dingle town and looked a natural centre half. Maybe the City lad willl turn out the same. I'm ok with the keeper it's the left field signing i expected and although in the bigger pic probably not better than Raya just different and that difference will hopefully suit this team better.

It's pretty much a given that he's still looking at DL & CM as his first choice pairing so now we really are in the realms of back up so we need someone decent and like you say specialist comfortable with that position oitherwise at times next season we could have almost a whole back line playing out of their natural positions, ridiculous. I'd settle for some experienced back up now alongside the City kid. AS for Mulgrew i believe he carries a lot of influence and is Mowbrays main senior man. His being left out towards the end of last season was possibly the result of another little spat regarding the International stuff etc alongside the defensive issues and Mowbray looking for a solution. I recklon they resolved it in the end by TM basically saying i need to get some youngsters in and need to jiggle the team around a bit so you're not being dropped just rested. Long hard season, not getting any younger and you've a summer of Internationals you need to focus on so take a good rest. I do believe that he won't drop him for any length of time this season without a decent excuse especially not when he's probably one of the highest paid. He's a quality player but defensively in this league over a season he's been weak both last season and the season we went down, unlikely to be any different this time.

Is it now that Charlie Adam is great seeing as he's gone elsewhere whereas he was a sponger taking advantage of our facilities a few weeks ago ....? Better player than Johnson but no legs or fitness so we move on we didn't need both. The area of concern is still defence and you can see similar unfolding as to Jan where a few weeks after not strengthening then letting Downing go we were struggling. No idea why this is Mowbrays blind spot other than the reasons discussed in regards to growing to sell in that area and being terrified of Mulgrew. Just get one in even if it costs a bit or it's a 6 month loan, the worry about selections often gets taken out of the hands anyway when numbers get low. Please god don't be waiting for Rodwell still.

Scouting my arse..!