What is clear is youll manage to justify any deal we make this window. Sanderson is underwhelming but understandable. He will be 4th choice but initially third, hes not over the hill and he can be a decent enough defender at this level. Forshaw though, we need someone who can play for the next month. Not a hasbeen who Plymouth fans cant believe we are taking. Your argument for him could justify anyone, we arent going to get someone as good as Travis. Maybe not, but Baker at least was good cover.

He was only available due to a fall out, in his prime years and the captain of a side that had been around the play offs for a couple of years. When we signed Baker the reaction was not the same as it is to Forshaw and he didnt have the same credentials as Travis.

Not sure if someone said similar earlier but Ipswich were chasing promotion and lacking depth they loaned Lewis Travis. Would have cost them much more than a Plymouth reserve but you are loaning quality to really push.

The players do get support in the ground, thats not in question. He comes across as petulant and half arsed when he gets a game. To be honest, I think he is nowhere near as good as he or many fans think purely in terms of ability. Hes passive, ponderous, doesnt seem to know what is around him and is prone to playing lazy passes and crosses forward.

The Sanderson signing is less of a concern than the potential Forshaw one because of the options we have in both positions I think. He also at least isnt over the hill. We have injuries to Carter and Travis but at centre back, we have 2 good options so hopefully they stay fit until Carter is back when Sanderson can go to being 4th choice. In the nicest possible way, hopefully he never plays for us because it will mean that defenders we know are strong remain fit. With midfield, we only have 1 capable fit options rather than 2 as Buckley isnt good enough. It means that Forshaw might be needed for the next month and I dont think hes capable, I forsee a big downgrade not only on Travis but also on Baker for a number of games. People keep saying about saving our resources for a striker and out wide, lets see. Goes against anything we have learnt to expect that to be the case. And even if it is, we cant afford to be weak in other areas but we are going to be in midfield now in terms of quality. As has been touched on, Eustace either knowing them or endorsing these deals doesnt automatically mean they are good. They scream all we can afford.

I never said get a player better than Travis or Tronstad. But we need ones that can fill in and not cause a significant downgrade in the quality of the side. We have seen time and time again that its a squad game and you need squad players to be up to a good standard. Baker was a solid enough squad option, he wasnt as effective as Travis but he was good to have. We have Travis out and the other alternative is Buckley who isnt up to it. The issue is money. There clearly isnt any hence taking players unwanted at a League 1 side and bottom of the Championship. Doesnt scream play off push does it. Jason Lowe has Championship experience. He also knows the club which is a regular phrase of yours. Would you take him back? I dont know which players I would sign as I am not a scout, that counter argument doesnt make my opinions invalid. Equally, I dont think that the one we have signed suggest that we will have the depth to sustain a play off push so unfortunately we might replicate previous seasons in which too small a number of players up to standard cause a second half of the season decline. You keep talking about players being able to slot straight in. Neither has played much football in recent months, especially Sanderson. Does that worry you?

Loaning players from the division below again doesnt scream of a club or specifically owners bothered about any top 6 push. Want players to slot straight in? Not played really all season, so thats a cross. People keep saying "well Eustace must want him" as if that makes us exempt from being able to judge by ourselves. He presumably would try and get better players if he wasnt on such a pathetic budget.

The arguments for is signing seems to be that hes experienced and he wont play much. And of course, to stop moaning. Whoever we sign in midfielder does need to be good. We have lost Baker so have 2 good midfielders, one who is out injured. We know Buckley isnt up to it so whoever comes in needs to step in and help us in a supposed top 6 push.

If we signed Mbappe, would you refuse to cast judgement until he had played? Of course that opinion can change, but you can give an opinion on what you think of the signing before a player signs.

Straight question, do you think signing Forshaw is a good idea and do you think it strengthens our chances of a top 6 finish? You seem to think that if Eustace endorses it, it must right. I dont know for sure if he would choose someone better if he had more money, just as we will never know if Eustace pushed for Forshaw, if it happens. If he would have gone for Forshaw anyway, I would have criticised Eustace. As it is, I just feel sorry for him. Wanting to sustain a play off push and not being given the tools to do it. And yes, a decent back up to Travis and Tronstad. Are we not allowed to sign anything other than a past it warm body to boost the squad? As far as I see it. In midfield, we had 2 very good Championship midfielders, then a solid back up in Baker. Then Buckley who isnt good enough. 2 very good options, a good backup. Now we have replaced that good back up with someone not capable of being a back up at the worst team in the league, whose legs have gone. And one of our main 2 midfielders is injured.

And to get rid of a few defences that I expect ahead of the deal if it happens: - it saves money for other positions. We need a decent central midfielder ASWELL as other positions. We have one of the best partnerships in the league arguably when fit, and currently Travis isnt. Then we have Buckley who isnt good enough and potentially now a player Plymouth dont think is good enough, either of whom will at least play in the next month. So you go from a position of strength to weakness because we dont have competent depth. - Eustace picked him. That would be speculation, but even if he has, he wouldnt if he had a reasonable budget. Not expecting a £5m midfielder, but just a decent one. - he is experienced in the league. So is Jason Lowe. Doesnt mean hes good enough. Forshaw was in his day but that day is long, long gone.

The issue is money. They clearly are still unwilling to reinvest any of the money hence why we have to scrape so low in the barrel. We wont be maintaining a play off push.

True, hopefully it will be the bollocks. But it sounds from twitter that it isnt a link, hes about to sign.

An absolute disgrace of a signing. Borrowing players that Plymouth dont want and that their fans are laughing at us for taking. Thank you Venkys.

It is subjective. My opinion is that spending a couple of million when a squad already lacking in numbers and quality after previous negligence loses its best 2 players including its only goalscorer for close to if not £30m doing what we did in the summer is not being backed. We spent such a small amount, and its in spite of a lack of backing that Eustace has got the results that he did. No manager will ever publically criticise the players they have or the players they bring in. And some of them have done well, take Danny Batth. Weve signed a veteran who couldnt get a kick in an injury crisis at an average Championship side. Its been a very good bit of recruitment but part of that is Eustace setting up in a way to protect him and to get the best out of him. But its not a symptom of a manager being backed, its in spite of not being backed.

He also didnt get backed in the summer. We sold by far our best player for £9m on the back of selling a player for a club record fee which also hadnt been reinvested. We signed a dud of a striker for £1m, and then probably a combined £1m on top on a sub keeper, Ohashi and Cantwell. Then a couple of freebie veterans unwanted by other Championship clubs and 3 loans. If thats being backed then I wouldnt like to see what not being backed is. Eustace has done a very good job in spite of not being backed.

Quite a few need a rest. Problem is, the squads nowhere near big enough and we have to wait until the end of the month to see who we can borrow because in spite of sales, we still dont have money. The mighty Plymouth, Oxford and Preston can all spend money to get deals done early.

I think people getting tetchy isnt originated from those comments which could be in any context. Its because we repeatedly have seen this situation play out before.

We need 4 at least now Baker has gone. But its understandable why people dont relax, weve seen this all before. Desperate for funding to improve the squad off the back of sales and owners who wont allow it. Manager regularly shows frustration in the media, doesnt get what he wants and a positive start fizzles out.

You think those players are "too good" for us? A Coventry reserve, an aging ugility man frozen out by his club and an injured League 1 player. Eustace is clearly getting pissed off.

Ive never seen anyone so engrossed by which director of football every team decides to employ.

Even if you plan months in advance and even if the owners have given the initial go ahead, you still have that final approval needed right at the end which clearly is what causes issues. Look at the attempt of signing Batth in 2023, the owners changed their mind last minute and it fell through. Deals failing to get over the line cant be attributed to any individual employee, remember when we tried to sign DJ Campbell and the deal failed to go through and that was long before Waggott and co. We eventually signed him at a later date. But crucially, the main thing is money. Of the deals that have been done, Oxford, Burnley, Plymouth and Preston have all spent 7 figures on players and got them in early. Even though weve made so much in sales, Venkys are not willing to reinvest any so you are forced to rely on loaning players and they are the deals that drag towards the end of the window for every team.

This Morton rumour seems to have gone from a random post to almost a certainty based on nothing.

If anyone is "DM-ing" Nathan Jones for transfer gossip then they should have a look in the mirror at themselves!

So nothing close, we are trying to loan a Coventry sub defender but its in the balance, we want a veteran utility man but unlikely to happen. Exciting.