We have 3 for this season with Carter out. And Tomasson seems to want the flexibility to play 3 at the back. They might control it, but it will be down to the owners to decide how much if any of such a substantial sale can be made available to be reinvested.

What does that even mean? Why would it be down to Waggott "releasing funds?" The owners will either make some funds available or not.

Now is the acid test. Gutted to see Wharton leaving, there is absolutely no excuse now not to go on a bit of a late window spending spree. We need a CB, a Wharton replacement, a winger and an extra forward, so if Gallagher goes too then 2 are needed. Not loans but permanent signings.

Or a chance for a massive pay rise whilst having a realistic chance of a decent amount of Premier League football alongside some other really talented young players. Rather than staying here in a team treading water in the bottom half of the Championship whose owners have gone AWOL.

Having been at the game I havent seen, were people annoyed having seen us go 1 down to a League 2 side on the back of 2 or 3 months of horrendous results and having seen our main asset dropped with an expectation that hes about to leave?

Its not that "hes the answer" but that hes an average Championship striker (not the awful player you usually like to make out) and even if we had a couple of million to sign another striker, and thats a huge if and a big part of the issue, it wouldnt be that easy to even find another average Championship for that in a couple of days. Hes not going to get you promoted but he is a decent player at this level. Hes not a goalscorer but he will chip in whilst offering a lot else. Dolan is not a wing back, he showed his defensive weaknesses even again League 2 opposition. He is stifled going forward and any half decent Championship wide man would have a field day, he is an attacker. Hedges was trialled as a wing back last season and it didnt work. Swansea wont be interested in loaning Yates out. Only selling him to make their money back. Would make no sense.

I get that, but in the absence of 3 available CB's, it makes little sense to force that formation on the available personnel. When you start having square pegs in round holes ie JRC at CB and attackers at wing back, you will suffer against better teams. I think with JRC as a wing back, potentially Chrisene on the other side and 3 actual CBs, it could potentially have more balance to it. Question is then, how do you balance the 5 in front as it didnt balance well against Huddersfield. Perhaps 2 central midfielders with one floating behind the front 2 including Szmodics would be more effective than Garrett.

I dont think thats right. We wont buy Yates without selling Gallagher. I think McGuire is a cheaper alternative to Yates should Gallagher go. Also, if hes planning on playing wing backs and a back 3, either Chrisene was poorly recruited or surely he should play there. Playing people like Sigurdsson, Dolan and Hedges (he should be back by now so unsure if hes had a setback anyway) there is asking for trouble.

His injury record is of course a concern, he runs himself into the ground and he is prone to muscular issues. He has played 42, 39, 37 and 34 in the last 4 seasons so its only this one where he has really suffered so the key if he stays is keep Last season we didnt really create lots of chances ourselves, we were a pragmatic side for much of it. Yates did better with a bigger striker alongside him which he wouldnt have here. I think Yates is a bit more of a natural in terms of sniffing out chances but Gallagher we know can play that lone striker role and offers more in general play. Maybe we have moved away from him anyway if indeed there was ever any serious interest, if there is truth that we are battling for McGuire. I wouldnt feel comfortable though letting Gallagher go directly in favour of a young MLS striker though as that seems like a gamble.

Wharton was fine too although Hyam was and is the better of the 2 IMO. We need one more to give us an extra option though.

Hyam was our best centre back last night and is in general. He has shown signs after a horror run of form when initially back from injury of starting to settle down again. Better on the ball, less rash and less easily exposed on the turn compared to Wharton.

Its an additional very useful skill to be a good penalty taker but you are comparing apples and oranges if you directly compare 2 strikers and their goal records when one has quite a few penalties in there and the other didnt take them. We dont seem to win many as an aside. Not to move away too much from your assertion that we might be busy, deals might or might not happen and they might or might not be mainly loans.

With Wharton always due to go at some point, theres no excuse not to have targets lined up for a few million to replace him. Although a normal club would know that they could spend that few million, under Venkys we wont.

There are some penalties in there though at Blackpool. Take them out and their goal records arent too dissimilar. And I know penalties are still goals but its not a fair comparison unless you take them out. Yates id still have down as being a more natural goalscorer but Gallagher is more suited to being a lone striker and offers more in general play. I dont think theres much in it.

Sounds like we are in a race for McGuire. A left field option, I would hope another gamble like this would not be a direct replacement for Gallagher, but I doubt we would be able to afford him if not. If we could have Gallagher (or Yates, so someone who is proven as a decent option at this level) then someone like McGuire and also Dolan as an option up top, then we could also afford to loan out Leonard as well as either Ennis or Telalovic and look stronger there.

I dont think we should go with a back 3 and JRC as a centre back. Even average Championship sides would take advantage. Last Saturday we went with 2 full backs there and struggled going forward, then when Sigurdsson came on he hasnt a defensive bone in his body so they had free reign down his side. Same if Dolan is on the other side. Maybe 3 at the back can work effectively with these players but I think it would need changes of personnel. We would need 3 natural CBs and JRC to be a wing back.

Im not sure theres much in it between Yates and Gallagher, and it would probably take more than any fee for Gallagher to get him. Yates struggles as a loan striker whereas Gallagher can do that role more effectively.

Ive never been totally convinced, at least that he is Championship ready for the here and now. I think ideally he could do with a spell in League 1 but obviously he wont because especially assuming Wharton goes, we are light in there.

A win in which the 2 divisions between the teams was in full view, a massive gulf. The formation I am not a fan of and we won in spite of it, due to the far superior quality on show, not because of it. Championship sides would have tore us to shreds. Both Dolan and Sigurdsson cannot defend and equally were hindered going forward. Szmodics and Gallagher were the difference makers, such a threat. Szmodics' finishing gets better and better and we are so reliant on him. Gallagher is an actual Championship striker and miles above Leonard, Ennis and Telalovic whose touch is miles off. If he is sold he will leave a big void that wont be easy to replace, all this "ill drive him there" stuff is nonsensical. Tronstad was very good, Garrett very poor and lacks ability on the ball, if he plays more as a result of Wharton leaving its such a huge downgrade. Hyam and Scott Wharton were fine, JRC is one of our stand out players but still rusty and Pears made a big error but made up for it.

Its been covered, Ipswich want 2 as per their local paper and retain an interest in Gallagher which is dependant on us replacing him.

They did, they offered a huge warchest each time that managers decided not to bother with. Alledgedly.

I feel like all context has long gone when it comes to judging Gallagher. Weve been used to seeing him in teams of ours especially in the last 2 years where we have been pushing around the play offs, and theres no doubting (ironically considering that Ipswich now want him) that he isnt a top quality Championship striker, especially when it comes to goalscoring. He isnt a striker a team desperate for promotion should aspire too, and when our team was more functional, we rightly wanted an upgrade yet the funds never came. But he is a decent striker at this level, there are worse strikers than him and that should be evidently clear when we have been working on such low budgets for years, weve seen players like Ennis, Telalovic and Hirst brought in for a pittance or graduates brough through who arent Championship ready like Leonard and Vale. You could make a striker from them 5 put together that would struggle at this level. It wont be really easy even with the fee he will generate to get even an average Championship striker like him, before you start questioning if that will even happen. You even look at someone like Jerry Yates who we are linked with. His goal record is not too dissimilar without the penalties, plus there are question marks over his general play. Hes slower and weaker than Gallagher, he cant play as a lone striker as well and hes not as good in the air. He isnt brilliant at this level, and he has his limitations, which is why for a functional club, losing him would not be much of a big deal. But for us, it is a concern because if we lose him and either dont replace him or get someone sub par, the alternatives in that position are frightening.

https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/24080759.ipswich-town-close-ali-al-hamadi-signing/ Ipswich close on Al Hamadi and still want another striker. Gallagher a target dependant on us signing a replacement.

Where have you read that Gallagher is now staying. Much preferred yesterday, posting a link to the Wharton to Spurs rumour 👍

Regarding Jerry Yates, the common consensus between Blackpool and Swansea fans (the former obviously were much fonder of him than the latter) is that he cannot play as a lone striker and works better off a target man. I remember he had Gary Madine with him at Blackpool. We play one up front...