Surely you appreciate that it would be ideal to at least have most of our business done in advance, if we did we would have an even better chance of winning v QPR and the 6 games that follow, a big chunk of the season? And we are also lucky to as far as we know have no injury worries otherwise we would be even shorter. I don't agree that it is either or and indeed there are a number of signings that I would have had here but it is a weak argument IMO in that obviously I wouldn't be in a position to say whether many potential signings would improve us or not, especially ones from abroad. Ahmedhodzic was incredibly highly rated but ultimately I don't even know if he would have improved us, I have never seen him. I don't think I would be gutted had Brittain signed for another Championship club on the same token.

QPR have not lost as much as us but they have completed a lot of their business. They released Barbet and Clarke-Salter is a very good replacement, they signed a left back from Holland who I can't say that I have seen play like presumably most to replace Mcallum, they have signed Taylor Richards and they have added Tyler Roberts as another forward option. Willock I don't think has featured in pre season so hopefully will at most be a sub.

Hopefully but ultimately there are only 2 options as we approach a competitive game, signed and not signed. What is happening behind the scenes is fairly irrelevant in judging that, and as it is, we go into the first game with one addition. If we look to a fairly threadbare bench at the weekend needing something to change/secure the game, we can't bring on a player who has agreed personal terms but is yet to pass a medical or a player for whom we are £200k away from agreeing a fee! Even if we do sign someone, I suspect they would struggle to be involved at the weekend. I don't get how people are so dismissive of the 7 games to be played between the weekend and the end of the window. I don't think anyone has realistically suggested that we won't sign any more players, of course some IMO justified skepticism as to how much money we will spend on permanent additions, but it is NOT IDEAL to have only filled one of a number of massive holes in the team going into the season. It would be perhaps unrealistic to have expected all of the business to have been done, but equally it is a very realistic expectation to expect much more than one addition to be made, and we now are in a position whereby we need to do somewhat of an overhaul whilst the season is underway. A big problem is that people raising worries are shot down by the argument that we want good players rather than to get players in before the season, as if its either or.

Upset, maybe not albeit I did put that in quotation marks. Frustrated/worried that we are going into the season with only one signing having lost half of our starting 11 before considering other squad members, is that fair? I would say so personally.

Aren't people "upset" because we have only signed one player having seen loads go, rather than because of a lack of gossip about signings?

I think though that it won't be as suited to him as having Conway and Marshall (for some of the season, Bennett after) crossing balls into him. Hopefully you are right though.

I think the key is to separate the two aspects of recruitment and not imply that its one or the other. Quality (the most important) which is obviously impossible to judge yet aside from one signing and timing which 4 days before the season starts we can start to judge which for whatever reason, to which we can only speculate, is a point of understandable frustration. I think to suggest that he rejected players because he was sulking was a totally unfair assumption. He would have had the right to be put out by having his autonomy removed if that was the case, but no I think was just coincidence because our poor run had started and he was getting crabbier because he was seeing his team often lose and then being asked tough questions that he couldn't answer due to those results.

He got 11 in at least two thirds of a season of playing in a front 2 with 2 wingers, in which the brunt of the problem was defensively. Everyone who suggests that he will score loads of goals bases it on seasons in which they feel he was hard done by, he would score loads more if x, y or z changed. He isn't a natural goalscorer as far as I can see and he is soon to be 27 so he is in his supposed prime, I would love him to bang 20 goals but I don't see how people based on anything they have seen can predict it. I prefer 3 subs personally but if it is 5, I am surprised that it isn't 9 like last time we could use 5. 7 makes it very difficult to name a bench with enough variety on the assumption that you may well use all 9 subs. I also think that 9 would allow a bit more room for a youngster or two when it suits.

He wasn't an attacking midfielder, his best season came playing next to Travis.

I agree that maybe it won't be loans but equally you can understand why people may fear that scenario based on previous summers most notably last year. Is it passing off theories as fact? You have made up that the reason for turning down players was "sulking." He said that Premier League loan strikers were turned down because he didn't feel like we needed another central striker, Forss and Connolly were mentioned who were poor elsewhere. Likely a bad decision but lets not add the narrative that it was because he was sulking. Isn't the grievance that he was not again not allowed to sign players with some of the money following a potential sale? Out of interest, considering that you consider a manager who finished 15th, 11th, 15th and 8th on our budget to be "infinitely" worse than ordinary. (I would say ordinary is not far off the truth FWIW) Where is the expectation for this season for Tomasson? I didn't disagree on Brittain, I like you have seemingly not seen him very often and ultimately do not have a firm opinion either way, cautiously optimistic to see how he does, mixed reviews from Barnsley fans but he is at Rovers now. We may well make a couple more cash buys but I would be pleasantly surprised if any are for over £3m and I would be even more pleasantly surprised if we sign Van Hecke permanently as he would be an excellent signing.

What you say tallies up with much of what I said but it is surely logical that the closer we get to the season lacking reinforcements and also in the absence of completed transfers to talk about then that tension will grow. The end of the window is 7 games in, the gap between now and then ideally would be looking for the cherry on top, not most of the cake.

So now we arent going to be like Rovers 94/95 nor are we going to be like Man City. No one has implied either of those comparisons. The majority of clubs will not be able to get under 70% unless the whole league/structure and its economic structure adapts proportionately. If Mowbray was here this season and we finished much further down the league, he would have rightfully been criticised. Most teams have lost players especially widespread loanees but with Brereton set to bring in a second windfall in 2 years we become easily under FFP regulations whilst having the ability to spend a bit to replace those players.

Id love you to be right but I dont get how a conclusion of Gallagher getting that amount of goals is reached.

Thinking that we will bring in players is not positive, I dont think anyone thinks we wont so it is just the default position. But of course calling someone a happy clapper is equally unconstructive. As is altering an opinion to always match the club exactly. All 3 are not condusive to constructive debate. It shouldnt be about fear and avoiding being the weakest or awful. We finished 8th last season, the manager who we unanomiously wanted to go at the end of the season has gone, we have a new manager who has said that we have money is there to be spent, plus our best player is back fit. Surely the expectation should be improvement, not treading water? I also appreciate that it isnt easy to sign players but its peoples jobs to get deals done and it is dissapointing that we dont have more done already, whatever the reasons.

Boro have also signed 2 keepers and a left wing back aswell as Giles so they have seemingly done a big chunk of their business but yes, I am sure that their fans are frustrated about their lack of strikers. You have yourself shown mild disappointment that we haven't got more business done so you clearly somewhat agree and thus can empathise with the frustration. The only alternative is not to panic and/or sign crap. It is irrelevant how far along we are with deals, there are only 2 stages that matter, completed and not completed. There could be and am sure will be other reasons aside from incompetence but either way, I get the frustration.

It's an unnecessary put down usually in the absence of a more constructive argument. It was suggested that it isn't helpful to anyone but it isn't harmful either, its an internet messageboard! The FFP stuff is going off on a tangent but we sold Armstrong for big money 12 months ago and will sell Brereton for big money in the next month so we are ok there. Derby is often the go to argument, totally different scenario under Mel Morris. People have been lambasted for "not giving people a chance" when questioning Broughton, equally on the topic of premature conclusions, how are you sure that he is "tuned in?" Jury is out at the moment, only one signing to judge on, could go either way, bang in the middle. When Mowbray said that line about it not being 1994/95, he was slated, maybe over the top but somewhat understandably so. No one has suggested anything that would imply that they are living 28 years in the past. People haven't suggested spending wildly either, but the constant narrative is that we have a bit of money to play with, so especially baring that in mind, it is fair to be a little frustrated IMO that we have only 1 signing going into the first game barring anything in the next couple of days. Might be for a myriad of reasons but still.

The use of 5 subs could be a gamechanger and should be more motivation to sign maybe one extra attacking player than we otherwise would. I don't really get why we can only name 7 subs though and it will be a challenge in itself to name a bench that covers all areas whilst giving as much scope as possible to provide game changing options.

The only alternative to doing a decent chunk of your business in advance of the first game is not to pad your squad full of crap/average players. Hopefully we will do the business on Saturday especially as we have been lucky to avoid injuries during pre-season but we are thin and our bench especially when we can use 5 subs will be particularly patchy.

I am not sure that anyone on here can "prove" that Tomasson did or didn't get turned down for Johnson, all parties will say what best reflects upon themselves, but either way the Hibernian managerial decision process doesn't validate whether Tomasson is a good manager or not anyway.

Did they? Mowbray used to always go on about wanting Gallagher to get headers on the back post. Either way, I wouldn't play him wide.

He is a "rookie manager down here" as a matter of fact. Of course, experience specific to this league like with players isn't critical to be a success. Owen Coyle and Paul Lambert have loads of experience including promotions in this league on their CV, Ancelotti, Klopp and Guardiola don't.

Of course the delayed appointment is somewhat of a mitigating factor but last summer it was blatantly obvious that the taps had been turned off and we were waiting with a begging bowl to see who we could borrow. This season the message is that we do have money which should make things easier. On Szmodics, his struggles at Championship level mean that I am not overly concerned if he is not coming, but we do need at least one attacking player as soon as we can and I hope that we are well on with signing one. Whilst Brereton is here, I personally think that someone who can play as the striker is more pressing as Gallagher isn't great and Vale is untested, and we can line up a left sider to replace Brereton as soon as he leaves.

Exactly. Markanday could have a breakthrough season and score 8 or 9 goals for example, and especially considering he seemingly pushed to leave, Spurs would hardly rue a massive mistake. You seem to put a big emphasis on that one match in which the Barnsley globetrotters put up an excellent 2-1 loss! The last sentence is a needless equivalent to calling me negative. I would love him back but I can't see him being obtainable and I would be surprised if we spent over £3m on a fee, something we have done 3 times in 9 or 10 years unless I have missed someone?

Why does it always come back to calling people negative? It isn't helpful nor a hindrance to the team what people put on this messageboard.

Gallagher wide? Mowbray would have been lynched!