jim mk2

Crazy is signing a loan player who isn't good enough to start in a defence that leaked 60 plus goals last season. Crazy is having all summer to fix the problem and failing to do so. Crazy is starting the new season with the same defence that let us down this season. In short, this new signing solves nothing. That's crazy

Tall, fast, good athlete, good distribution by all City accounts but not the experienced, big and commanding centre half we need. And assuming Lenihan is on the right of the centre back pairing will he be able play the more difficult left side? More questions than answers and not the player we desperately want

Agree. He wasn't the best - but he wasn't the worst either. None of the mooted transfer "targets" are likely to be any better - even if we managed to secure even one of them.

Dear boy (welcome back by the way - blue tinted spec sales have plummeted in your absence). Even the most committed Rover realises we cannot field the same defence that ended last season without expecting the same inglorious results. We need new defenders desperately - good ones. And with the new season imminent, there's no sign of even one arriving.

Sid the long-serving scout is finding it hard in the digital age. He's asked for an upgrade on his company Sierra.

....and then teams work out the Rovers "system" and counteract it. Does Pep Mowbray have a plan B or C up his sleeve? Or do you let intelligent players work it out for themselves? I remember from playing days we used to change things around a bit as the game went on while the manager (who we ignored) waved his arms around uselessly from the sidelines. Professional game isn't much different.

Signing good players, playing them to their strengths in their correct positions, and making sure they are motivated and work hard are more important than "systems". Football management isn't easy, but the game is essentially simple.

Me neither. Doesn't work hard enough and lacks the basic skills to lead the forward line. He hasn't improved in his time at Ewood. Playing regularly will help him develop though and he and Blackpool could be good for each other.

Classic Mowbray, overthinking it and making a simple game more complicated than it need be. Matt Busby understood it. Send out your best players and let them get on with it. Will the Rovers players understand Pep Mowbray's latest tinkering? Highly unlikely I'd say.

Brutal, ugly Croatian paired with ruthless, tough German at centre back sounds good to me. Stereotypes are always the best

Hmm, there's one name on there who made a provocative and unnecessary post recently

Defence is spelt with a "c". Agree with your post though - as it stands it's been a poor summer window, one that with the right signings could have been transformational for our ambitions next season. The activity thus far indicates Mowbray is happy to tread water in mid table

So it's likely our defence is going to line up much the same as last season. Einstein once described crazy behaviour as "doing the same thing in the exact same way while expecting different results." Mowbray thinks he knows better than Einstein

I would never use it. It looks and sounds American. Anyway, back to the non-existent transfers....

Style note: "In attack" - British English please. Offensively is American.

Mowbray will be cautious as ever for the first game This is my predicted starting line up Lieutweiler Bennett Lenihan Mulgrew Bell Smallwood Evans Johnson Downing Dack Graham

Just looking at Leutweiler's stats he's aged 30. He's not going to improve at that age, he really needs to be let go

Leutweiler is 6ft 5in and he's a downgrade on Raya.

Lieutweiler, Bennett, Evans and/or Smallwood, Mulgrew and/or Williams will start. We haven't won on the opening day since Adam were a lad. 1-1.

.......oh really

I'm the last one to defend the Mail but if you're insinuating there's a racist undertone to the slant on the stories I think you're wrong.

There is no difference - just a different angle on the same theme, that of young footballers with too much money

Where does it mention his race? The story is a fine illustration of the excesses at the top end of football whereby a young player, one who has never even played first team football, has at the age of 20 riches that most people can only dream about. I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds it wrong and abhorrent and one of the many reasons older fans are turning away from football.

At Man City, had fractured ankle and out for 13 weeks with hamstring, among a host of minor injuries

Rather like the 1995 title winning team Football is essentially a simple game which Mowbray is trying to make far too complicated. Guardiola he ain't It starts by having a solid goalkeeper and defence.