We do have form for this, during summer transfer windows we seem to table offers early for players which presumably aren't worth the paper they're written on. That's usually then the last we hear of it and we're forced onto lists B, C and D despite the Club letting it be known that we have offers on the table for several players etc. However I would have assumed in this instance that we'd be making a series of improved offers and the aim would be to get the players to come down slightly from their original demands. Not even Mowbray and Waggott would be incompetent enough to make one off offers and leave it at that would they?

They COULD, but they appear to be relying on the advice of their manager and CEO who seem to be on record as saying that during the pandemic the manager didn't think it was an appropriate time to be handing out new deals and it would upset the rest of the squad. And, having previously landed in trouble with FFP, the CEO now seems to favour wittering on out about "a wage structure" which if there is one needs a massive degree of flexibility as different players have different levels of ability and could fetch vastly differing amounts were they to be sold and he let the cat out of the bag anyway when he claimed they would have offered Armstrong a lot more money to stay. So they can obviously make exceptions if they wish. The whole thing boils down to Mowbray and Waggott not anticipating the problem in advance and not sorting it out at the appropriate time. And, if we don't go up, no doubt we'll have the same problem with Kaminsky and Travis in 12 months time.

No-one will be too bothered about this game if we go up, but there's no guarantee whatsoever we will go up and for me you can never, ever, win too many games. As always it's down to the manager to take the game seriously and utilise the squad but still put out a good enough side to get through the tie. Something he's been sadly lacking at in Cup competitions over recent years.

This talk about Nyambe's alleged weaknesses is absolute rubbish for me. How many genuinely flawless wing backs both offensively and defensively are there about, even at the top of the Premier League? Practically the best one I can think of is TAA at Liverpool and even he I would say is poor defensively. The difference is they are so good throughout the rest of the side they can generally outscore the opposition to compensate for whatever defensive gaffes he does make and can afford to take the view that overall he contributes more than he gives away. Similarly Nyambe is a tremendous defender and contributes far more in that respect than what we lose from the fact he can't cross the ball like Alan Shearer. Maybe if we had £30m to spend on a "wing back" we could get a better overall player but for me your defenders have to be able to defend first and foremost. The rest is a bonus.

Good point, the current contract situation boils down to sheer incompetence from Waggott and Mowbray for me, it's their job to identify and prioritise and secure the value of the players who are major assets for the Club. Not leave it until the last minute then hope that in demand players will miraculously put pen to paper at the last minute. Conversely the only player we've actually managed to tie down is Gallagher who no-one would want and who I would consider an extremely expensive liability. Never mind the 3 out of contract now, why aren't we getting the likes of Kaminsky and Travis signed up now as well as a show of intent? They've nothing whatsoever to lose from them accepting improved deals now as they can't go anywhere for at least 18 months anyway. (Or so we're told)

You're intelligent enough to know that it isn't just down to the player, it depends on whether what is being offered is fair and reasonable. If as rumoured Nyambe has been playing on c 4k p.w. for the last few seasons because he's a product of the Academy system then that's an absolute insult for a player of his ability and I'm surprised he hasn't left well before now. There's no reason whatsoever why he shouldn't be on approximate parity with the other members of the first X1. As others have pointed out he is infinitely more valuable to us in a playing sense than Gallagher but because we got scammed out of £5m for Gallagher and Nyambe was on buttons originally as an Academy graduate, I'm assuming there is quite a disparity between their respective offers. It doesn't matter how long ago they were offered deals, if they're unrealistic, they are going to remain unsigned and you can't pin the blame at the players' door.

Might be reading too much into it but by process of elimination, does that mean there HAS been interest in Lenihan and/or Rothwell?

Poor recruitment yet again imo. Spending our only money of the summer on a back up for our only other permanent addition should have been way down our list of priorities and to add to that he hasn't particularly impressed. Park really needs to get his finger out of his arse this month. He had ample time to bring in a striker after Armstrong was sold but for some reason we spent too long hoping Obafemi would change his mind then left it to the 11th hour and then the Maja deal fell through. Really amateurish.

That's only because Mowbray either doesn't see eye to eye with him for some unknown reason or has never truly appreciated his talents. Or possibly both. That's probably one of the main reasons we're in this mess regarding his contract. It doesn't make Nyambe a poor player. Mowbray also played Bennett at right back in preference to Nyambe to the team's detriment on many many occasions and no-one but no-one apart from Mowbray thinks he was better in the position than Nyambe. And which manager (apart from Mowbray) humiliates their RB by hooking him off to be replaced by a centre forward, then replacing the centre forward ten minutes later as well. The majority of people think overall Nyambe is far better than JRC as well.

Why?

Surely the £10m that Everton have just paid Rangers for the young Scottish lad which be a much fairer reflection of Nyambe's true value had we not mishandled his contractual situation.

JRC is terrible at full back. Bit harsh to say he should be released until he's had a chance to show whether he could do anything on the right hand side of the midfield and/or forward line.

The only reason £3m might be considered reasonable is that our management have negligently allowed his contract to run down. And other Clubs aren't going to let us have a comparable player on the cheap out of the kindness of their heart because we've cocked up!

Obviously if the extension in our favour means he can't sign a pre contract agreement with anyone then there's no problem. I was only posing the question as there appeared to be a train of thought on here at one point that we only had an extremely limited window within which to trigger the extension.

Thanks. Let's hope they are as good as their word.

Love that idea. Hypothetically it could be our Steve Archibald moment. Playing devil's advocate though, the downside from our point of view could be his lack of match fitness. Even if medically cleared to play it could take him most of the rest of the season to get up to speed. I do think that's the sort of ambition, imagination and thinking outside the box we need to show though. Not taking one of Burnley's past it cast offs off their wage bill for them or a gamble on Burke who can't get a game at one of our direct rivals.

I think they could do with some solid defenders after conceding seventeen goals in their last 5 League games....... Just none of ours hopefully.

Did someone post on here last night they'd (rightly) said no-one was for sale? Where was that reported (if at all?)

Interest in BB is a lot hotter than it would have been in JR and RN at the end of last season though. Is it technically correct to say that if he put pen to paper on a pre contract agreement with a side from another Country tomorrow, he could walk for nothing at the end of the season and there's nothing we could do about it? I'm not saying that will definitely happen but I don't think it's something that can be left hanging either.

Examples?

Doesn't say much for your judgement of a player then.

Is that from a reasonably reputable source? If so, strange how all these Premier League Clubs want him considering he's meant to be so poor. The beginning of the end of the promotion push?

Incredibly over-rated, rarely fit and well past his best when he was here for me Jim. He was quite good in his first half season on loan though when he was after a deal. In the unlikely event we did sign Wood I'd hope he was a bloody sight better than Graham but even so I find enthusiasm for the New Zealander bizarre. Having finally stumbled across something that works after three fairly dismal seasons we need to keep things basically as they are and just add a few minor tweaks to try and keep things ticking over. Instead some seem to want to rip it all up and start again and move away from something that works to something that history has told us doesn't in this day and age.

Yes, but the stats speak for themselves, we never did anything whatsoever at Championship level with Graham in the side. Barely ever threatened the top half, let alone a serious play off push.

We've just given Gallagher a new contract though.......... Like I say, not for me at all. We've got into the top three playing a certain way and it's no coincidence at all we have played our best with no Gallagher in the starting line up. Giving Gallagher a new contract and bringing Wood in would smack of trying to dismantle everything that has made us successful this season and go down a completely different route. It would also run contrary to the ethos of this squad of having young hungry players. Plus, if we did go up, Wood would be next to useless.