Firstly, absolutely no need for the moanfest comment. I'd rule out the 4-4-2 straight away as it doesnt allow our best player to fit in. Ultimately with the squad we have, I think that 4-2-3-1 best suits the personnel, however it doesn't have to be as rigid and unimaginative as it was last season. We need to ensure that the central midfielders are trusted enough (and perform well enough) to play through the midfield rather than constantly direct, and we need to have more scope for flair and pace in the wide areas, no more Bennett there, Rothwell a regular and Armstrong played on the right rather than the left, where he seems so much more effective. Chapman right amongst it to. The striker needs to be played off, even Graham who is underrated technically, rather than going for the easy percentage based long ball because it requires less brain cells. Of course, these patterns of play need working on in training until they become second nature. I would go: New GK New RB/Nyambe Lenihan New CB New LB Travis Johnson Armstrong Dack Rothwell Graham With Chapman and Davenport very much on the coat tails of that side, and the likes of Bennett, Smallwood and Mulgrew nowhere near it. As much as the historical failures with 3 at the back put me off, the main thing in terms of going forward would be the additional recruitment needed, we only have one competent centre back, and the 2 full backs we have are not fit to play as wing backs as neither can cross a ball. I also think we are much better when we play at a high tempo with our pressing, and I think the addition of Johnson as well as hopefully more of a part for players like Rothwell, Chapman, Davenport and Travis (only came into the team mid way through) can really help that.

Is that true? Last year we couldnt agree on a fee, as per Bowyers comments in the press.

The injury happened in October, you couldnt possbly justify such a stance at that time, the delay seemed the only realistic option especially considering how crap our number 2 keeper is.

Even with Lenihan in the team (who himself can be very rash) our defence was crap last season. One area that is constantly neglected and one you have missed too is full back. Amarii Bell isnt a Championship quality full back, never mind one for a team going for the top 6, reluctant to drive forward, cant cross but crucially so flimsy in preventing crosses coming in. Nyambe is much better defensively but suffers quite regular dips in form, and Bennett will no doubt continue to be shoehorned in and regularly come up short. We need 2 full backs. I dont see any suggestion that Evans and Smallwood will actually be moved on either, but I'd prefer Evans to Butterfield. Derby fans would drive Butterfield up here themselves, he wouldnt be a good addition.

Theres a lot of assumption there, his motive for wanting the move could be anything, a desire to play with the goalkeeping coach to improve him (both Spanish), belief that Brentford are more likely to get promoted (spending big on Jansson potentially too), could be a wage rise, could have grown sick and tired of being singled out in the media when the whole defence is shit, could be anything. Your second to last paragraph is the key however, fully agree. Just hope we start the necessary defensive overhaul soon.

Yeah last season he purposely ramped up the competitiveness of pre-season after complaining that we were under-prepared for our League 1 campaign leading to a really poor start. Surprised the quality of our opponent seems to have gone down again, but Mowbray mentioned wanting to play on the ball more.

We dont spend money on our defence, we neglect it. No chance hed come here anyway.

Would have been open minded to signing Charlie Adam before Johnson signed, as it is it would be bloating a part of the team we are already well stocked in, Dont want an Adam Johnson midfield partnership under any circumstances either!

You think we could have a good chance of promotion with them 2 at full back? Our full back positions have been continuously neglected throughout the Venkys era really, and I fear this will remain the case at the end of the summer. The LT did an article on our right backs in recent years, https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/rovers/news/17664143.what-we-can-learn-from-the-stats-around-rovers-right-back/ and you see some of the shite thats played there, similar story with left back. Present day, Nyambe has a lot more defensive nous than Bell and far more room for growth, but is prone to a poor run of form, and our only competition is a player who is only filling there ineffectively in Bennett, who has to be frustratingly shoehorned in. Bell is horrendous at preventing crosses and stops and checks back rather than bursting forward and getting crosses in. His only competition is a very average centre back who is awful in his supposed primary position of left back. We need to fix these positions. Sadly I don't think Chapman will be near the starting 11 either, not sure Mowbray trusts him and wouldnt be shocked to see him loaned out. Bennett will be in, by hook or by crook. I like the look of the midfield, Travis, Davenport, Armstrong, Chapman, Dack and Rothwell complimented by the older heads of Johnson, Downing and Evans. (Sadly Bennett and Smallwood too) Obviously Raya will need replacing, Darlow would be a good choice, but the defence still requires the overhaul it needed at the beginning of the summer, not just one addition.

I find this argument really bizarre, that season he is being "unfairly judged" on was actually the best season of his career, his other seasons have been rattling around Southampton nowhere near the team, in a goalless loan spell at MK Dons or at Birmingham where he scored 6 goals in over 30 games. When he was here he scored the vast majority of goals under the manager who was supposed to be so much of a handicap to him. Coyle made Gallagher basically the main man with Graham or Emnes alongside him, 2 wingers, at the cost of any defensive stability, but it was certainly not a hindrance to him, as it was comfortably the best spell of his career. Mowbray started playing him wide of Graham when we moved to a back 3 towards the back end of that season, and the goals dried up somewhat. For me, as others have touched on, it would be a really lazy signing in terms of overpaying for a bog standard former player, and a reckless purchase with money needed to overhaul a woeful defence. I would however be happy with Darlow coming in.

Just have to hope that you are right in saying that it isnt gospel based on the levels of neglect that would show towards the defence.

Dont think theres any chance of getting near the play offs with those full backs. Bell is crap, Nyambe I quite like but hes prone to big dips in form and we need someone else there too. Also, I've never seen Rothwell play as a right winger and I'd be very dissapointed to see Downing start the season over Armstrong and Chapman. Johnson is a good addition, we need a couple of full backs as well as, as you say, a keeper and CB. Striker would be a lower priority than all of that. Sadly, I suspect that Bennett is going to continue to be first name on the team sheet.

Wheres that from? Didn't Mowbray say nothing is imminent?

Johnson would be a decent addition, adding some experience in the middle, but Butterfield certainly wouldnt be an improvement, crap player who ended the season on Bradfords bench.

Mowbrays quotes have a sad predictability to them. I'm not swallowing him bemoaning having to work on a budget, so does everyone and other teams around us with presumably similar budgets (to be honest ours is supposed to be similar to the healthy budget we had last year so maybe lesser budgets) such as Preston, Brentford, Swansea, QPR and Stoke have all improved their defences for cheap/free by signing players who would have also improved us. I am still far from convinced that making him wait until well after the season finishes (baring in mind we were 100% sure of our division for this season well in advance) before he has the foggiest regarding his budget isnt a massive hindrance.

Johnson would be a pretty good signing and would give us some leadership but hes not the best passer in the world so not sure he fits in with this supposed passing football Mowbray wants to move towards.

This wave of people constantly trying to take the moral high ground is getting really boring.

Absolutely. It undoubtedly is a hindrance, and a needless one. The likes of Bauer, Barbet, Lindsay, Bidwell and Pinnock would have all improved our defence but have all gone to rivals, so other teams are now getting busy. It just screams of a lack of proactivity and initiative throughout. We had the same soundbites for months last month, the waiting game. Totally agree on the damp squib that has been our new european network. All seemingly hot air. Davenport will be a bonus but we need more than that to replace Reed. Samuels the confusing one, hes absolute shite yet people have mentioned him coming back as if its a good thing.

Yeah, was apparently the better half of the impressive partnership with Lindsay that has seen him get a move to Stoke with Barnsley having the best defensive record in League 1 last year. QPR had to move two or three on, Bidwell included, with Les Ferdinand admitting that they need to cut back, but hes a consistent Championship left back. Id have to strongly disagree on Bell. Seeing him live in all home games and some away, I didnt notice the improvement, hes still a major weakness for me. Allows crosses to come in with regularity, and gets a nose bleed well before using his pace to get into a crossing position. Even with him, we only have one left back with Williams a centre back and Hart nowhere near up to the standard.

And Bidwell has joined Swansea, would have been a very good and free addition to a problematic position, as it is I suspect we will go into the season with the hopeless Amarii Bell a nailed on starter.

Ethan Pinnock, a very good centre back is going to Barnsley. Another potentially good signing going elsewhere. And all these "negative/moaning" accusations are what stops conversation, not anything else.

I still struggle to accept that the gap between mathematically confirming safety and Mowbray flying to India with no idea as to his budget isnt a hindrance in terms of being proactive earlier in the market.

Michael Morrison might be worth a look on a free. Captain of Birmingham, good defender who also gets goals.

I would be quite open minded to the signing of Charlie Adam, perhaps before we signed Stewart Downing. He obviously has a very good passing range, can dictate the play and would be a good player for Travis and Davenport to play with and learn from. He has never been fast. I was quite surprised to see that Stoke fans had anything good to say about him, they seem to think hes best sitting with someone athletic next to him( (Travis), obviously his passing ability is good (fits Mowbrays new style) and that he has some bottle and some character which we also lack, indeed it seems that often spills over to ill-discipline. http://oatcakefanzine.proboards.com/thread/286111/charlie-adam It would be unimaginative and further proof that Mowbrays comments about this expanded scouting network were mainly hot air, and like I said I am much more against the idea now Downing is sadly here, but I think we could do worse on a limited budget, and it would allow funds to be saved for defence if there are any.

Dack would get into the majority of teams in the league, hes our bit of quality and regular scorer that should keep us well away of danger, even though he cant push us towards the play offs on his own. Travis only broke into the first team half way through, his initial incredible performances certainly dipped but he was consistently better than Smallwood had been prior, and he definitely improves us on what we started last season with. I also think that Davenport would be an upgrade on Smallwood but thats much more of a stab in the dark. Likewise Rothwell, he only established himself near the end and of course I am assuming he will continue to play him on the back of that. I agree 100% that we badly need defensive reinforcements, certainly far more than we need Sam Gallagher back. But we aren't saying do we think our defence is going to be the same as last year, its do we think we are going down. Last seasons team finished 15th.