Raya Nyambe Lenihen Mulgrew Bell ---- Williams U23er Rodwell or A N Other backup Deal with it boys because it'll be happening............

Yep I might be wrong but I don't recall Hanley, Marshall etc coming out with stuff like that yet there are calls to bring them back like prodigal sons. Once the writing was on the wall some couldn't wait to get away, to hell with the fans and club. Class act on and off the pitch in his time Conway, great professional example to lower standard players.

Sadly I think the defenders he's referring to are nothing more than a couple of back up options to give depth in that area and probably one of them will be another multi position guy. RB / CH is my guess. Also i'd expect they are first waiting on Rodwell and will dress that up as one of the signings. As usual the talk in the press seems to be preparing for the possibility of losing Dack and contingency plans of lining up something to come in and try and fill that void. Mowbray seems the type who prefers to try and coach people into positions rather than acquire ready made players and put his head on the block.

Pretty much expected though it just goes along with the normal way of doing things by them although now they seem to be operating to an auditors plan. Last two seasons have seen some much welcome and desperately needed investment we have to acknowledge that but from their point of view they also have to acknowledge the team has improved year on year since that investment. I think they might move on wages again for loans or frees that seems to suit their 'model' even though it doesn't look that good on the books but my long held opinion is the free money in the budgets they set has been allocated for AA & BB until they are paid for, hence sell to buy if he wants big signings. Whether anyone likes it or not that Brereton signing really could hamstring us for a while unless Balaji spins his roulette wheel and it comes up blue & white. He'll be upsetting sis and the auditors again though if he gets generous !

I'd think most of our seniors are on double that and more.

Not strictly true we were quoted a million but baulked because his contract was nearly up so offered 500k and then it went up to 2 mill when he indicated he might stay with them. Pretty sure some middle ground could've been found and he's on about 7k pwk at Charlton on the new deal he signed so a good wage offer may have got him deciding to come. They played hardball and we offered peanuts, chance missed he's not worth it now imo so hope we move on. If this goes on months then we don't sign another good CB and use this as an excuse again i'll be asking serious questions.

Really not bothered either way about Bauer we should've taken that punt on him ages ago even though he was on his way out of contract they'd have got him for very reasonable wages probably and maybe 800k+ , Even if it was a million it's easy to get back it's peanuts these days and he would have represented a reasonable punt/gamble. As it is he'd cost silly money now and he's proved nothing in the Championship there must be some decent centre defenders out there gettable for a club like us others seem to manage ok. Lets see this non foreign recruitment dept that's allegedly been being worked on since TM arrived actually deliver something this summer.

Totally agree with this and it is a bit of a concern that every forward player we get linked with or would like to have a punt on the first thought is 'can't see him being used in his proper position' ! That's something Mowbray REALLY needs to get to grips with but I think we all know who'll be starting on the right often next season, he's already here, he's a striker and he didn't cost 7 million.......

There are dots join up with some of them so they'll keep getting pushed or maybe advertised using our name although there always be legs in them to us because of those dots. No coincidence that it's Nixon always pushing the same ones either.

Sam Gallagher has become the new Luca Toni on here he's coming every window until the 11th hour ?

Good player and servant to the club, pound for pound as good a signing as we've had in the last ten years. Shame he's not sticking around to become a coach but hope he gets some game time elsewhere. All the best.

Frank Lampard County I think are going for a little bit of the #hit or bust scenario whilst they have a big name at the helm and are getting more publicity than they have for years. They've found a way to get cash in short term but will they keep trying to do it time and again ? Doubtful, as we've seen these wealthy owners try things, try other things then either get fed up or run out of funding themselves and it goes tits up. It really needs to work for them in the next season or two or they are back to square one yet still paying players that haven't been good enough to get them over the final hurdle. If it works though and they go up all's well and good but like others i'd not be very comfortable with our lot going down this route, well not yet anyway as once that money is spewed it's spewed. I don't feel the team is strong enough it needs more building before a final big push imo.

They did once sign David May.........

Selling one or two players for 15 million every two or three seasons then reinvesting a lump and using the rest to pay down previous debt and to help future running costs is probably the right way to do it. IF we don't or can't get enough investment to hold onto what we have and build a very good side over a few windows. Growing a team to break up and sell over 2 or 3 windows or so then reinvesting very little and trying to do it all again whilst still dreaming of promotion isn't. Option 1 is acceptable it's running a semi sustainable club again whilst retaining a strong squad that you keep searching for the final pieces of the jigsaw for that one over achieving season or you get stronger and stronger and are regulars at the top end that should finally pay off eventually. Option 2 stinks - stinks of agents and people just playing football manager - we've been there, we ended up in league 1.

It's snowing in here again........ Anyway back on topic Tugay was the dream deep sitting midfielder, not a defensive one but operating in front of the back four or slotting into the midfield - effortless.

Rubbish Stuart and you know it, Tugay would get ten mins per week on the right wing !

Yep Best alone fee & deal was set to cost c10 million so basically all the 4 years parachute money was tied up in the fees and deals for that little lot. There was also the c18 million black hole in the books they created in the first 6-12 months or so at a club that was losing just 5 mill per season at that point I think. Gives another idea of what was going on but that's another debate but there was plenty other stuff to add to the slate from the early days. Certain people will never visit foodbanks that's for sure !

Good job i'm not one to trawl back over old posts then.. ? Agree on point 3 which is why there is a bit of hysteria ( some might call it passion ) I guess when some of the early bold words don't match some of the more recent signals being sent out and tbf it's all based on the old 'seen it all before' that gets the knees jerking a bit. Early days yet though I've said i'll be happy with modest recruitment in number terms as long as they are quality. I thought AA signing last summer was a solid sensible one for the money and the loan of Reid was up there with the best loans in recent years so something similar would be a good start although starting with a quality centre back.

When I see the words parachute payments all I think of is Best, Murphy, Etuhu, Orrs contract extension and Rhodes, all the lot lot, four years worth blown right there. Only good thing in it was Jordan otherwise we'd have hit league one a lot sooner. Shocking just shocking.

Can't believe it's ten years since that sad but great day it's one that will live in the memory as will he forever. Feel like I've aged 25 years with all that's gone on here since then but feel so privileged to have seen nearly all his games at Ewood for Rovers and many away. Sadly those times and those types of player are gone for good I think the club bares little resemblance to that era these days not even the bloody kits. Feel sorry for youngers fans who missed out on him and the others he truly was unique in many ways, what a character.

I tend to refer to our own when I say youth as in from the youth set up but yeah pretty much agree with the rest of it. As I said he has a way of doing things that he seems to steadfastly stick to and in some positions he clearly isn't keen on putting faith in them over his fav seniors until his hand is forced but by the same token he is brave enough to put them in when he feels the need. Anyway we seemed to have rambled off topic. Do Kentaro's reincarnation have offices in Zurich I wonder..........

In terms of youth he played the ones already in the team when he arrived and plonked in Raya then since he's given others bits and bats but he even doesn't trust his own 6 million pound young signing in his favoured position or as a starter much. I guess it's just the way he works and like other managers he has his favourites and others he doesn't seem to fancy but is duty bound to give them some involvement as is the mantra of the club now. Those things don't often tally with supporters feelings on the same players but at the same time he seems duty bound more towards his seniors, again just the way he works. He seems to base a lot of this on things other than what we see in games I think, maybe stats, training ground stats, fitness stats and of course day to day attitude. I just think he's very methodical in all that and refuses to budge.

Exactly He'll be on about 7/8 grand per week at Charlton so asking for double is fair enough then settling somewhere in between and asking for it to be reviewed annually or something. Over three years or more that's still a big extra wedge in the pocket. Greedy greedy b#st#ar5ds ! Unless TM is fibbing of course to steer fans away from expecting that player when in reality he might come for a more modest wedge but they just don't want to pay it because we can't. Apparently it's ok to lie in those circumstances......

Spot on about the keeper and centre backs they are the rocks that can help drive a modest team forwards or keep a poor one from complete disaster but clubs and in particular ours don't seem to look at it like that anymore. Nearly everything done in that dept at Ewood over recent years has been about players with potential resale value and cheapo stop gaps. There's been very little medium term planning, you need to build back to front not front to back or ram the squad with midfielders who can supposedly play in other positions.

There's a difference between selling an ambitious plan to fans of challenging the top 6, spending money that is 'already there' and signing first 11 capable players and then running off to the owners pitching something completely different so as to keep favour with them and keep a lid on their expectations and ambitions. One model is genuinely trying to move forward although granted it's a big step and there are no guarantees but the other is treading water to pay the bills and creating a comfort zone where the only thing expected is a good return on players annually. I don't think it's accusing him of telling lies to just simply ask which route he's really trying to go down.