Wasnt there today but very pleasing to see us win with a badly weakened side. Characters there for all to see. Give this squad some.help as mentioned in the loan window thread and it could be another good season. In general, without seeing todays game, Rothwell and Palmer look like shrewd additions and Evans has shown the ability I knew he had but I just hope we can get a good season from him in terms of being injury free. The performances of all the pitch talk can be filed under sour grapes. That said, I did think that against Liverpool, Everton, Millwall and Reading that the pitch looked far from ideal considering its the start of a new season. The pitch was particularly poor last season as well so maybe theyve changed groundsmen or cut costs on that part of the club?

Still dont understand, always best to see our team face the best players week in, week out.

Looking at that squad today and we definitely need more than 1 or 2 this week. Excellent spirit but goes without saying that quality wise weve not got enough. Hart, Nuttall and Caddis shouldnt be near our squad, and I think Travis could do with a loan spell too. Obviously, Dack, Armstrong, Williams, Davenport and Rodwell come into play but we need more than just Brereton. In central midfield someone like Reed would be a wise move, we have Smallwood and Davenport as squad players and Rodwell as a total gamble, with Evans prone to injury and Bennett filling in here there and everywhere. We definitely need a first team quality player in there. We also need a pacy winger, plenty of 10s but no out and out wingers. And we dont have quality if Mulgrew and Lenihan are out at centre back, Downing aa 4th choice is fine but I dont think hes good enough to play too many games, and we certainly shouldnt consider a player whose barely played for years, whose had success ages ago solely in midfield and someone who isnt even nearly fit can be centre back cover. So 4 needed really.

Makes no sense why youd want anything but the best for the club, ie to be in the top league. Whats the point of demanding success if promotion would make you unhappy anyway. Not sure he did anything to suggest he was capable of playing a major role last year.

Shows that you was too quick to belittle Mick McCarthy and the excellent work he did there. Hurst has spent some money on Nolan, Nsiala, Edwards, Harrison and Jackson, money McCarthy wishes he had.

All keepers make mistakes, but the better the keeper, the less the mistakes. Sadly at the moment he makes one too many.

Agree to disagree. It was an average save but considering the hand he got on it, you have to tip it round the post or to the side. You have lower standards cleaely. So he instills confidence in you, yet you agree that he makes mistakes due to being young? I never said otherwise, obviously he is very young for a keeper. He has improved somewhat but he still makes more than an average amount of mistakes for a Championship standard keeper in my opinion. Goalkeepers not really a position where you want a raw youngster so hopefully his improvement will accelerate and he will cut the mistakes out.

I hope theres nothing to the Sylla links. His signing would not only be poor in terms of the players ability, but it would also be quite symbolic in that we wanted Freeman, as I believe Mowbray acknowledged (correct me if im wrong), which would have been a statement of intent to pinch the best player for a decent fee from a side destined to struggle. Fast forward a couple of weeks and we sign a player who even before they made 2 shrewd signings of proven Championship forwards, was 3rd choice behind Washington and Smith, 2 very poor Championship strikers. Hope its the usual speculation rubbish. Following on from the Rodwell signing it would be a worry. With Brereton, as I said to @Bigdoggsteel it is fine to critique the potential fee, his poor goal record thus far and as mentioned by the Forest fan on here, his struggles to hold the ball up. It shouldnt be a case of being happy just because we are spending money. That said, most would acknowledge it would have a level of ambition amidst it, the size of the fee, the potential he has, even if all dont agree that it would be the wisest way to spend such money. Which is probably a hypothetical debate anyway.

His kicking? His flapping at crosses? Both have got marginally better but they are still suspect to say the least. He got a big hand to it, its basic goalkeeping to tip it out of the danger zone rather than back into it. He doesnt instill confidence. Has good reflexes and is very young but lets not pretend hes not partial to a mistake. Raya in the main is fairly highly rated so your "scapegoating" line is rubbish. If players do well they get praised, if they make mistakes they get criticised.

Raya did make 2 howlers v Ipswich, once rushing out only to slice it to an Ipswich player, and once his usual trick of flapping at a cross. The first goal on Wednesday was at least 50% Rayas fault, and the second one I felt he should have done much more than parry it back into play. Basics. Raya has always been very error prone, theres nothing wrong with pointing that out if its true, and using words like scapegoat is like saying to trust Mowbray or stop being negative, ie it is when you have nothing constructive to come back with.

It is, but firstly it hasnt been spent yet, and if it is people will still want it to be spent well on a good player

Sylla is crap. To sign QPRs now fifth choicr would.not be a signal of intent..

But Evans has been our best player, both this season and for the last couple of months of last season.

Agreed on them being particulaely bad in the first half. But in general I hate them, very distracting and need removing.

Dont agree with this signing at all. Obviously I will back him etc but hes been rotting away for a couple of years and has both attitude and fitness issues. The strangest thing about it all is not only his awful recent history but its his alledged potential position. We "have the money" and obviously the freeddom of the market so why we are resorting to someone who as far as I know hasnt played as a centre back professionally, with his success, albeit a long time ago coming in midfield, as a centre back signing (if true) shows for me a flawed recruitment for that position. Surely just sign a centre back, even if Bauer isnt available. Hate signing square pegs for round holes. I just hope hes one of a few but hes certainly not "win win" and I hope the in my opinion cheap and desperate nature of the deal is a one off and we sign some better players.

Makes no sense to sign a midfielder to play as a defender.

Literally no upside to signing a player forever injured, clearly with motivational issues, and with very little ability. Hope its not true. Presume that its just an assumption that we are signing him as cb cover as that would make no sense, to sign a midfielder to specifically play at centre back.

Really poor first half after 2 good early efforts. Second half full of passion, at times in the absence of quality. A lot of hesistancy around the box at times leading to attacks breaking down but no shortage of effort and character. Big questions of Raya again, for both goals. Lenihan all over the shop, Mulgrew much better until a slip late on nearly cost us. 2 superb penalties. Full backs ok, Nyambe cant cross a ball but solid defensively. Wish Bell would be braver going forwards too but no problems at full back. Bennett poor first half, full of spirit in the second albeit he still needs to be far better in the final third. Grahams hold up as always very good. Evans was brilliant, asked for the ball regularly, Smallwood has to be dropped however. Never showed for the ball, head went down, absolutely abject on the ball. Rothwell was very good, seemed to be everywhere, full of energy and not short of ability. Like the look of him. Him and Evans can share the man of the match. It wasnt Armstrongs day in the time he was on but we need his pace back desperately. Nuttall far better than usual when he came on, Conway less so, so predictable and ponderous. Need quite a few players in and Dack, Palmer and Armstrong back to help what is a spirited group but with a few weaknesses.

Rodwell and Anichebe would be appalling signings. Not sure if they are has beens, more never have or will be. Harrison Reed would be a good signing, tidy midfielder, ideally not just a loan.

Think that same interview give or take a few words and phrases has been released on a weekly basis for the last 2 months. Getting boring now.

But if we have a substantial amount of money, we shouldnt be looking for a back up loanee.

Certainly hope theres nothing in the Jerome rumours, and dont think there is hence us being one of a few teams linked. Would be on not insignificant wages, and the opposite of Brereton in terms of age and profile. Reliant on pace which will be on the wane at his age.

Samuel doesnt look like he can play a part. No league goals for nearly a year. We do need reinforcements albeit I understand your skepticism of us being held to ransom by Forest.

World class?

Think you can almost certainly file that along with the series of other people who get some sort of strange kick out of pretending to know information to get attention, the likes of which seem to sadly become more and more prevalent with each transfer window.