No doubt we will now be inundated with people saying how grateful we should be for what is essentially an accounting necessity rather than some great deed.

I suppose that being in an embargo and being literally unable to register players is somewhat of a decent excuse! Although I wouldn't fret, our signings will be late and predominantly shite as they have been for numerous summers. I thought you wanted us to sign a "back up left back" ie a squad player?

We have lost half of our squad to be fair.

Where is this from? We can't even register players at the moment so I suspect that West Brom may be a slightly more attractive prospect.

I want him out as much as you and have wanted him out for at least a year, but is this true?

You are correct, it is a great club. Excellent infrastructure including a stadium and a training ground left by Jack Walker, and history to be proud of. Sadly for over 10 years, it has been stained by those cunts in India and continues to be. Hence why a club like Barnsley is a brighter prospect at the moment than us. It makes your repeated acceptance of incompetence all the more curious though when you clearly know how great our club can be.

Dont hold your breath, we are under an embargo. Even if it has gone by the end of the week, do you really think that Venkys, Waggott and Mowbray between them are pro-active enough to have deals lined up?

I was being sarcastic. Give them a chance to supplement a senior squad and/or loan out.

Yes, because I am saying that we can not yet rely on players that have never kicked a ball for us, I must be saying that I would like the academy to be scrapped.

The Pike example is not as clear cut in that if Nyambe was to get injured, then Rankin Costello would play there. But assuming he wasnt, then yes, we would need a second option with senior experience. If Armstrong goes, would you be happy for McBride to take his place in the squad as back up to the remaining strikers?

By who? Bielsa is a footballing nut who watches every game but I doubt that Brereton is seriously on his recruitment radar.

How do you know? Seems far fetched to me, newspaper gossip. Because we havent the foggiest if they are anywhere near good enough. By all means give them a chance but only depend on them as part of the squad once they have proven their competence at this level. Dont refrain from signing players as a result. We shouldnt be signing crap players who dont make our team anyway, thats a given. The options arent between untested kids and rubbish squad players. Nothing is good about Venkys either. The academy was always producing, of course the standard required within the first team at our level is just much lower compared to when they joined.

Indeed, he isnt even worth half of his fee.

Chaddy uses it, so cant we assume that everyone does?

Take the fee out of it, assume it was 1m rather than 7m. He looked no better than dross such as Joe Nuttall and Dominic Samuel in his first 2 years and would have been a poor purchase even then. Much improved last season comparatively and was useful, but you take the novelty of the Chile call up away, do we really think that Leeds or Real Sociedad are genuinely interested in him, and does he stand out for a bottom half Championship side? No.

You clearly haven't read or understood my point. I am very happy for them to be given a chance should it be felt that it is warranted, I encourage it. But it should be seen as a bonus, and not just assumed that players who haven't kicked a ball in senior football can be considered as alternatives to signing new players to fill spaces in the squad.

I have watched him regularly for 3 years, so I feel like I am in a position to judge and critique. Possibly more than you if you have only seen him for Chile, although if that isnt the case, my apologies. The fee is of relevance and always will be from a club perspective, which on a Rovers forum rather than a Chile one, it very much is from the point of a club perspective. My primary criticism in regards to the fee was always spending 7m when we needed new signings across the team, rather than spending it on a player that didnt contribute at all for 2 years. 7m is a lot of money for us. I don't think that anyone has pulled a fast one, and I am pleased that Brereton is enjoying his international football. Objectively, and I appreciate the limitations of the World Rankings, but Bolivia are 81st, considerably lower than European nations such as North Macedonia, Albania, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Montenegro who I am familiar with, and most of the Bolivian squad plays in the Bolivian League. The links to Leeds are merely paper talk and speculation, we have no idea if Marcelo Bielsa is genuinely looking at him, I would suggest not. Same with the Sociedad links. You say that "Rovers have been a stone in his shoes" and that "he will thrive anywhere else." May I ask how much of Rovers you have seen to come to such conclusions? Last season, he played as left of a front 3 as he did when he scored for Chile, I actually felt that he was one of few players who benefitted from the system that Mowbray played. My main point was that it is easy to get caught up in "Brereton mania" and with the fairytale of the story, being found on Football Manager on the back of a Rovers programme interview, and indeed the general curiosity of him playing in the Copa America. I was absolutely buzzing for him when he scored v Bolivia and also watched the first half v Uruguay who are a very notable footballing country, where although he was quiet in the main, he made a very telling contribution towards the goal by Vargas. As a Rovers fan, I will still judge him on his performances for us, and I thought he did ok last season, nothing remarkable, on the back of 2 seasons in which he looked a million miles off. I am just keen not to make extreme conclusions as if he is this brilliant talent being supressed by Rovers or even Mowbray, he still at this point goes down as a very curious and ill judged signing. I hope he can continue his improvement this season.

The key is not to make out that Brereton suddenly and temporarily becomes a miles superior player when he goes away to Chile, working with a manager he can presumably not even understand! He scored v international minnows, held his own v a very strong team and then didnt do anything in a loss to an average side, fair play to him, but hes not suddenly a world beater. Last season, he did ok and Mowbray found a role and has to be considered somewhat responsible for any improvement, although overall, still an ill judged signing by him for a scandalous fee.

@bluebruce summed up my point perfectly. I am in no way discouraging the potential game time for youngsters who are ready. But it needs to be seen as a bonus rather than something we can be sure that we can rely upon, and we still need to sign players in the positions which we need, rather than assuming that a player without senior experience can plug the gap. A huge chance to test one or two was lost by our idiot of a manager at the end of last season in dead rubbers.

Whilst I think that talk of Leeds and Real Sociedad is pie in the sky, maybe after this tournament may be the best time to sell him. Prices/interest in players can swell on the basis of one international tournament.

No evidence whatsoever that Pike and McBride are capable of playing Championship football. They should have been tested in the dead rubbers, as it is, we cant rely upon them as it stands. If they do break through, bonus, but we cant count in them as squad players when they havent kicked a ball in the first team. Every year we have supposedly half an under 23 team that "should be part of the first team this year" but it doesnt work like that.

Luton have made the worst signing in the current window by signing Amarii Bell. Horrendous addition.

Do you think that 5 losses would cause Mowbray to be sacked?

May I ask what market you think we will be working in? Mowbray has said numerous times that we are going to again be reliant on loans and dealing in the free agent market. As well as this, the market in general is going to be much more focused on free agents moving around, more players than ever have been released it seems. The Pickering one is very much an unknown, it has the potential to be good but until if and when he performs, then it doesnt show any nous, although we should always "need" nous surely! The thing that has underpinned our recruitment for years has been one that should only really be used when a manager is used, familiarity. Players the manager has worked with before, players from Boro and players that have family members known to Mowbray. Quite a few are just ones that have caught Mowbray's eye playing against him, Dack, Gladwin and Brereton included. Kaminski is the only one to date that showed a bit of creativity. A lot of the players that I have seen you recommend such as Kirk and Curtis are ones that would require fees for. The only chance I can see of us paying fees is if Armstrong goes, and even if he does, can we afford to wait until inevitably late in the window before we start to recruit? The contracts we have sorted are the easy ones, the ones that wont have any interest elsewhere. Still have Armstrong, Nyambe, Rothwell, Lenihan, Brereton etc all on a solitary year. Mowatt has never been realistic either. I am not saying that the signings made to date are ones that we should have signed, although lets not pretend that our inactivity is a tactical ploy to wait for better players. This is always the way. There is always an excuse as to why Venkys never pull their fingers out of their arses and why signings are never proactive. Usually because they want the manager to fly over because they are stubborn. Then the pandemic, now because they themselves have failed to delegate as necessary to submit the accounts. Excuses, excuses, excuses. Do we want players to fit into Mowbray ball? Woods is a decent enough player to be fair but the thought of more possession hogging is a sad one.

Why is he still in a job? Literally no idea. At a guess, I suppose that he has earnt Venkys trust as Bowyer did by settling things down initially, which allows them to treat the club as an irrelevance again. Who would be fighting his corner? Again, no idea. I dont get the impression that Venkys are mulling over his future. If there is anyone specifically fighting his corner, presumably Waggott? Is it beyond the realms of possibility that he knows he's unsackable and can therefore say whatever he wants? I suppose not no, I just personally dont think or get the impression that he is taunting us. But I don't know the answers to be honest. Just speculating like you and everyone else.