I certainly wouldnt be opposed to another midfielder. Buckley needs to go and it made no sense to renew the contract of Forshaw. Aside from seemingly becoming a glorified cheerleader, good around the place etc. Tavares has been our most significant summer signing so we really need him to provide proper competition for the main 2, if they stay, that is for sure. Baker did that as you mention.

I dont think he fits into this team, when he comes in for Ohashi we suffer both because he is a big downgrade but also he isnt the type of striker to just slip into our current team, he is totally different. If it meant selling him to both upgrade and get someone that fits the style better, then by all means sell.

Someone as a more direct alternative to Ohashi. Gueye can be an impact sub if needed.

Need a striker too. Moreso than a central midfielder IMO but I would like both. Hopefully its not just loans from here on in. Maybe one or two at a push. Definitely should buy a new right winger.

I find that crazy considering you are basing it on a couple of friendlies in which Cantwell played twice as long in and stood out, but there you go. But the Mcloughlin one. Had you said underwhelming or something similar, it might not have been as shocking. But to say terrible, I was hoping for a bit more reasoning just for the sake of discussion.

No I didn't, I just said that I hope that urgency hasnt reduced. What you are suggesting wouldnt even be "negative" from me but youve made a massive deal out of it. Havent been negative about any of our signings, suggested a few of our players could have better seasons for various reasons, but suppose its a hard tag to shake though especially when one or two like yourself seem intent on policing it.

I think its a crazy thing to say even from the 2 friendlies. Cantwell started them both and was arguably our best player in both. He didnt have a very good first season overall but he had 2 spells (right near the end and one before Christmas) where he did well. In competitive games. He has obviously done more in a Rovers shirt than Tyjon who has barely worn one at senior level. Im not on about today with McLoughlin. He had that one mix up together with Ribeiro but otherwise he was fine. But you said he was a terrible signing when he hadnt been confirmed. I asked why you think that but for whatever reason you ignored it. Terrible is a strong word so I wanted some clarity on why you felt so strongly.

Why does it have to come down to positives and negatives every time? The main point is that we are not close to signing anyone.

Again, not too much can be concluded from a friendly especially against such poor opposition but its certainly a useful exercise and confidence to win so convincingly. It does look clear what the likely team will be going into the new season. De Neve feels like someone Ismael trusts/will trust more than Kargbo, athletic without being really quick, works really hard, you can tell hes played a lot at left back, perhaps not the most decisive in attacking positions. Kargbo is the opposite, a bit wild, looks like someone who will frustrate at times but certainly has the ability to make things happen. Cantwell looks like he will really benefit from a pre season. I still stand by my comments about bringing in someone to help not to overburden Tyjon (and also that we need some security with a new deal) but hes certainly got a swagger and something about him so exciting to see a bit more from him. We certainly need a right winger (LMM seemingly has been quickly accelerated through to make up the numbers, hopefully his time will come in years to come) and a more direct alternative to Ohashi who should benefit having settled and having been rested up somewhat, he is a composed, natural finisher in front of goal. I have always said he is better leading the line that playing off, presses well and gets in behind even though hes not quick. No surprise we won so much more with him up top compared to Gueye as he suits the other players more and is more intelligent.

Ismael said that we arent close to anything and that we will get players in "when we can." I hope doing business hasnt become less of a priority now we have filled a few squad spots or off the back of winning friendlies. Still certainly short and also need some things resolving.

Not only that, a couple of friendlies in which you would have a strong argument to say that Cantwell was our best player. Still also dont understand calling McLoughlin a terrible signing either.

The fact that you are mentioning a goal from 2 years ago probably tells you a lot about his contributions since.

I dont either.

Once paid, how do you access the game? Is it a case of just going to the match centre and the game just obviously hasnt started yet?

Marc Leonard at Birmingham is being linked with moves including to Huddersfield.

Im sure that the idiots will replicate bringing lots of inflatable snakes to the Derby game. But when a player actively wants to go to either of 2 teams who arent blessed with big money and both finished below us, it tells you a lot. They seemingly seemed keen to make out as if Brittain was spitting his dummy out but he seems to have constantly trained and seemed very professional against Everton. Will be such a huge loss as I cant think of a better right back in the league. When we had him and Beck, our full backs were up there with anything in the division.

Duff was very good for Chelsea, injuries slowed him down in the end. Which Cole did they ruin?

Fitness permitting, Beck is an excellent signing for Derby. Didnt see many left backs better than him in the league, good both defensively and going forward. There is a big snobbery towards a manager signing players he has previously worked with nowadays, its seen as prehistoric. Its all about signing based on data, plucking out players from obscurity. All of the benefits remain though. You know the player is good at the level, you know his character which data cant measure, they can settle in quickly, they can set standards. All 3 did well for us and make us weaker and Derby stronger.

He was probably the best left back in the country last year so its an incredibly high benchmark.

Exactly. Its not negative to prepare for a scenario whereby we dont know how Tyjon will adapt. Equally, if we sign someone but Tyjon hits the ground running, the chance is still there for him to really establish himself and play more ahead of other options. There are many variables: - we dont know if his ability is Championship standard yet - is he over his injury problems? - is his body capable? - will he be able to play regular minutes across 46 games without occasional spells out of it? - can he cope with the pressure of being one injury to Cantwell away from playing week in week out? We could be in a bad spell, we could be playing high pressure games etc Hopefully he can do it all but we cant possibly know and it isnt negative to say that.

Deary me, I never said that he isnt ready physically. Im saying that we need to be well covered in case he isnt, in case he needs any spells out, in case his injury problems come back or are exascerbated playing mens football. If he comes in, is of the standard and is physically sustainable, then fantastic, whether we sign someone or not. But we cant just assume he will be. Also, without signing a new contract, we have seen this script before.

What has happened since is irrelevant to replacing what Dolan provided last season. But I very much doubt that Dolan is just sat around with absolutely no offers or interest. If we signed a winger that had done what Dolan did from another Championship club. Or even one with a fancy exotic name who has provided a similar number of goals and assists in a lesser league. We would be excited.

Again, you arent reading what I am putting. How is it negative? Thats what I asked. Wharton had long periods of not playing in his first season but he is a freak, a special talent. Raya had 3 seasons where he only played very occasionally and a loan spell before he broke in. And now Buckley has appeared as if he is a success story and hasnt just been a waste of a wage for about 3 or 4 seasons. I know we dont know if he is physically capable. If we dont sign another number 10 (is he even naturally a number 10 anyway?) and he comes in and cant cope physically, then what? He has picked up a number of injuries in youth football so its hardly out of the question, if we dont sign anyone then we are a Cantwell injury away from him having to play game after game and its unfair on him to expect so much. I am not saying never play him. If he shows when he does play (good opportunity in the cup for him initially) that he is ready now, then by all means the shirt is his and he can be really fasttracked. Its not a case of, if we sign someone, he never plays. Equally, even if he is ready, he likely will have a dip at some point. Wharton was taken out for a while. That way, we can do that. I dont feel comfortable putting all our eggs in the Tyjon basket so soon, partially because its unfair on him. Maybe even sign someone that can also play wide (or even deeper) so if Tyjon is ready, then theres scope for both potentially. And I would also like him to actually commit to a new deal (knowing the plan) before we invest this time in him.

The point is that we have over a considerable period of time failed to recruit successfully to fill the wide positions. So I dont think it will be this easy task that Paul Mani suggested. Dolan is a loss. If Dolan goes above us, he may well come up short. Better players than him have, Brereton, Armstrong etc. But it doesnt mean that their move was the wrong one. They were right to try and better themselves, they experienced football at a higher level, and in a worst case scenario, you fall back down to the same level you were at (with more money in your pocket) having experienced somethig better than just an indefinite stay at a club with no ambition of pushing on and not paying players to a competitive level.

Its 6 goals and 4 assists more than Hedges so instagram must be a powerful tool. Hedges isnt an average Championship winger, he offers nothing in attack. Dolan does. He is a decent Championship winger, so if he did end up at Bristol City, on a higher wage, that would seem a reasonable move, not worthy of a yawn nor a prediction of being in League 1 in a couple of seasons. That I suspect is a prediction to loosely justify the forced Nyambe comparison. You also seem to think that having absolutely zero ambition is a good thing. Why does he think he is "so much better" than us just because he left at the end of his contract, rejecting one he didnt seem to be sufficient (like many of our players do) and in the meantime giving 100% in every game?