We already had Jones, if we want a central midfielder we should actively sign one, not one who can do a job there.

If we want a central midfielder which we should then it should be a natural one, not a makeshift one.

Even if it isn't a Danny Graham style target man, which I don't think would suit us anyway, surely the aim has to be someone who specialises as being a main striker. This "flexible attacker" bollocks is nonsensical.

Does the fact that we are allowing Brereton to run his deal, have loaned in 3 players including one who plays every single game, and are seemingly looking for more loanees not all fly in the face of this theory that is emerging that this year is purely for building foundations? Ayala is preferred to Phillips, Morton to Wharton, Brereton to Dolan, Dack at times to Szmodics, so many decisions made looking to win each individual game rather than with one eye on next season. Either the onus being on next season is management spiel (that people are taking too literally) with the intention of buying patience, or the plan is genuine and just being executed poorly.

Whiteman is a solid Championship midfielder and much more effective than the likes of Garrett but he won't be coming here, we don't want competent, experienced midfielders "blocking pathways" nor could we afford him.

This window won't be helped by the lack of funding combined with the insistence by the owners to let Brereton run his deal down.

He is an incompetent idiot but he isnt the problem. There is one problem and always has been but the penny hasnt dropped for some.

We were right to reject a fee rising to £10m and take zero because it didnt match our fabricated and unrealistic valuation. Apparently.

Mowbray's sins? Tomasson/Broughton have also brought in an influx of loanees. He also did develop assets which generated some profit ie Armstrong but over £10m worth of it has been pissed up the wall by our stubborn owners. Individuals beneath Venkys can be blamed but they dont warrant the brunt of it. This summers recruitment was actually even more short term because the permanent signings were not ones youd expect to generate a profit on. He should have been sold in the summer and I get that the chance may have gone but I think we should at least be trying to get a fee for him this window.

Im not going to stop saying it or accept it. Over 8m is a lot more than zero which we will have this summer and is a hell of a lot relative to our general budgets, more than the last 2 summers combined. Its also why I dont swallow this bollocks about projects and the first year being a development one or a few hit. Keeping him and signing 3 loanees, one of whom plays weekly regardless of performance is not in line with that. And now we want more loanees. Ill judge Broughton mainly on transfers and ultimately what happens on the pitch as anything he is supposedly doing should lead to on field results. Weve supposedly put together a new recruitment team, and now you are saying it isnt easy? Surely theyve been bloody appointed to make best use of resources available and sign as well as possible, otherwise what is the point? Its much easier replacing him with the best part of 8m than with nothing.

Hes been there before but barely played. Then went to Halifax and could only score 1.

It wouldnt even take a big roll of the dice. Sell Brereton, buy a striker and a couple more with the proceeds and it benefits us short and long term. Project my arse.

You are really clutching at straws. He was as effective as a traffic cone.

I wonder if Moyes, Rodgers and in particular Lampard will be employed by next weekend.

Maybe they should warn the fans that the season is a "free hit" before they want us to fork out for an above average priced season ticket. It is unfounded anyway. If the first season is seen as the foundation setting of a new project, they would have sold Brereton. As it is, the reset button will need to be pressed again in the summer. The sort of lowering of expectations that is the legacy of being owned by these cunts. This nonsense about putting in every available money is unfounded. But even if we are to a penny on the limit of FFP, it is there interfering with player sales that is hindering any ability to further improve the squad. Brentford were competitive at the top end of league for years before promotion by repeatedly needing to sell key assets and immediately replacing by reinvesting much of those fees. Had they missed out again, Toney would have been sold, theyd have bought someone else for a decent chunk and continued. No nonsense about free hits and no summers of austerity. Why dont some people see that it is the total opposite to what happens here. We bought 3 youngish forwards and 2 were developed well by Mowbray. We then kept hold of them (with a season or two of treading water) before selling one and reinvesting zilch. We then had more assets that we could have sold, the owners blocked that, allowed them to run their deals down and provided a small amount of reinvestment but on players that wont make us any money. Its a random mess and it stops in India. All this shite about adding value makes no sense with how we continue to be run. I will judge based on what happens, what happens in private is irrelevant to those judgements. So far, one at best average window, so the jury is still out.

As others have said, there has been talk of plans before. I get that we all hope that things will be different and something good will happen, thats what we do as football fans. But for me the jury is still out, dont think the first window of the plan was impressive, so will just judge from here on in. I also appreciate that some decisions seemingly are taken away from people below Venkys ie player sales when I judge Broughton but ultimately for a plan to work it has to work from the top. I judge on what is done rather than what is said but some peoples optimism seems to come from those words which I get. But talk about not signing players due to a fear of blocking pathways combined with measuring the manager based on academy graduate minutes does not IMO suggest that promotion is the primary focus.

I get the fact that he shouldnt be written off, one at best average but difficult transfer window in. But on the flip side, why do you (and others) have seemingly ultimate faith? For me, I am still in the middle.

Vale?!

Do we press from the front?

Struggled at Conference level last season.

I certainly haven't seen attractive football nor any genuine attempt to get to, never mind sustain ourselves as a Premier League club.

It should never have been allowed to get to this stage, sadly we are owned by idiots.

The main problem was the stupid tactics employed by the manager. When have we won games convincingly this season or even at all by playing it out from the back? Rarely at best. Our good runs of form in the last 2 and a half years under either manager have been built on organisation and posing a threat on the counter attack. Trying to pass it out with incapable players has led to boring, slow and ineffective shite as we saw again yesterday.

Sell on clauses I think are usually on profit so if we sold for £8m it would be a nominal amount. We would then be able to improve the attack with 2 players and get a midfielder too potentially. Could we sign someone of equal goal threat to Brereton individually? Maybe not, but you'd find a much better player with the best part of £8m compared to nothing. The owners wont because they are idiots and as you say, maybe he would rather wait anyway, but its a joke of a situation. Every time I have seen him, he isn't an out and out number 9, talented player but likes to drop off and possibly better suited off a main striker. We should have a bit of money but the owners are disinterested in any promotion push. Failing that, we could sell Brereton and bring in a few permanent signings.

Regardless of if they are ready too. Vale probably will never make it at Championship level.