roversfan99

Bell is 4 years older and I do not see where this hidden competent left back is. It would be crazy to prioritise a midfielder over a left back. I cant see Whiteman signing at all.

Very true, but that means that ultinately our defence will remain incapable of keeping the number of goals conceded down enough for us to challenge. There are free agents from this league, Morgan Fox, Tyler Blackett, George Friend, Steven Kingsley, all of them are very limited. You would think it will require a bit of imagination and a loan or someone from this fabled "European scouting network" if we are to find anyone worthwhile.

Olsson is 32, was never the best defender and seemingly has struggled for fitness easily. If he hadnt played for us prior would be be mentioned? Would like to think theres better elsewhere.

Everytime I have seen him he has made numerous saves and has looked a decent goalkeeper. I think he would be a good signing but I dont necessarily think that we could afford 500k on a player at the moment, we have the disadvantage of Venkys dallying and I dont see why he would necessarily choose us. I thought you expected a keeper from abroad?

Should have only played there.

What do you make of his year at Rovers and how he was used?

It is not something (Mowbrays treatment) that chaddy seems willing to judge. Burnley were linked the other say. Surely that cant happen based on his refusal to move?

What is crazy?

Id swap him for Gallagher! But yeah hes not been the best but scored a few after the lockdown including v us.

They have Robert Glatzel who they signed from Germany who started to settle towards the end of the season.

Where has that reason even come from? I suspect if Pep got on the phone he would reconsider...

He was wasted all season out wide. Instead of being a fantastic signing, he became a decent signing.

Its an absolute outrage that Mowbray had Reed plugging away (often ineffectively) out wide because "he didnt know the position." I dont think I've seen anyone this season bar Kalvin Phillips in this league who plays it better, positionally, reading the game, keeping it simple, neat and tidy.

The focus should be on a solid and sturdy defence. Ball playing centre backs, really attacking full backs, no, we need to stop the goals going into our net first.

He has spent much of his young career under Mowbray. If a Prem team wants him, which im not convinced about, he will wanna go and we will struggle to stop him. The way football works.

I dont think you have really grasped the argument. Brentford away I think we were dominated which I expected even before we got an early goal. We got a dodgy penalty, as did they. But I think we definitely do have a problem against lower teams, 15 points in 14 games v the bottom 7 is really poor. That being said, our record against the top team isnt great either. The 4 points v Brentford came in good performances but defensive ones. We certainly dont play "much better, attractive, attacking and potent football" against them, thats for sure! All that matters is results. Harris has done an excellent job even if he is a prick.

Fulham have had over 58% possession (only Leeds have higher) on average and indeed often over play if anything. So saying that they are anything other than a "play it on the floor side" is nonsense. Cardiff on the other hand have the second lowest possession stat. Reading the 6th lowest.

I think Mowbray has said that replacing Adarabioyo (and calamity Walton) is a priority so I am sure he will.

Yeah I know, I remember. I also agree with your reservations about Nyambe going forward. But you would rather a full back could defend first, he has been slightly more effective going forward this season, still miles to go. But especially considering our defensive record, lets leave Nyambe there ie as our only full back who can competently defend, and fix around him to make us more robust. Rankin Costello is not a natural defender, you could see for a Reading goal when he was sliding all over the shop, diving in. Throw in the fact that Nyambe cant head a ball and has always looked uncomfortable at CB in the past, and the change makes no sense at all to me. Mowbray should be looking for a goalkeeper, a CB and a left back, put them in with Lenihan and Nyambe with end aim of conceding far less goals. Converting players we already have, prioritising attacking qualities of defenders, only considering technically gifted defenders, none of that please. If we are basing it on what we think Mowbray wants, then we may aswell continue planning with Gallagher on the wing and a false 9, but is no good either.

I dont thinking spending much money would be an option full stop. But we have to sign a centre back, just playing more including converted CBs will only end badly. Until we are robust we will never meet our targets.

I dont need stats and data. He has played CB a few times in the past that I have seen with my eyes and he has looked uncomfortable there. He can be right back in a defence and if he is better defensively than going forward, good!

We need to bring in a centre back, not one that can stroll out like Rio Ferdinand necessarily, but one who can help keep clean sheets. Evidence is there that you can pick up Championship defenders for cheap or indeed for free at times if you look hard enough. What I cant fathom out is how you arent seeing bringing in CBs as critical. We only have one competent one! We have a younger one who has done well on loan but the question mark is he can he play at Championship level, a bog standard good League 1 player (who usually plays at LB) and a full back who cant head a ball. I think you are under the illusion that if we played 3 CBs it could make up for a lack of quality but it doesnt work like that. Not seen much of Moore at Bristol City or Blackpool but if hes 3m plus I suspect we can forget that one anyway. That being said, 2 of my previous examples were Curtis Nelson and Patrick Bauer, 2 players signed from League 1, and 2 proper defenders. It might be a job for the supposed European scouting network, or assuming thats all hot air, it most likely will be reliant on loans. The 2 CBs that stand out on frees are Ayala, who I doubt we could attract/afford the wages of and is injury prone but is a top Championship defender, and Lockyer at Charlton who I have seen for Wales too and seemed solid enough, but hes been in a side at the bottom letting in goals. The frustration is we could now have Raya, Nyambe, Lenihan, Bauer and if he had stayed fit only had to make Cunninghams deal permanent this summer to give us a solid defence. We have to fill 3 positions now.

I doubt we will be spending that sort of money on anyone. But you would be happy going in to a season with Lenihan, Williams, Wharton and Nyambe (at CB!) as our centre back options so long as we play 3 of them at any one time?

We know that Derrick Williams isnt capable of being a top 6/half Championship defender, that part we do know.

Not necessarily the player in question, but why do you think that a defender of 3m or under at Championship level means bang average? Patrick Bauer was a free agent. Ajayi was around 2m and helped West Brom go up. Ethan Pinnock cost around 3m from Barnsley and has been right up there in terms of defenders in the division. Tobias Fegueiredo cost up to 2m from abroad. Shaun Hutchinson was picked up by Millwall on a free a few years ago. Michael Morrison was picked up by Reading on a free. Liam Cooper was a minimal fee who has been there for ages. Curtis Nelson was a freebie from Oxford last summer, has been outstanding. All of these players were in defences that conceded less goals than we did. We need to lose this idea that we need to spend massive money to build a capable defence. We are already at an advantage in that 2 of our defence (and our keeper before he was sold) are academy graduates. We also need to lose this notion that we need a rolls royce of a centre back, the priority has to be to build a defence that keeps the ball out of the net more, any other things are very much of secondary importance. I also still dont understand your theory that our best option is to just play more centre backs, as if that would compensate for quality.