I found the LT article and Mowbray quotes today encouraging, if confusing. A few days ago they were saying we would be signing 'up to' 4 players total by the end of both windows, which worried me as it implied we might run with 3. Today it seems to be suggesting we could see 5 more come in now.

Fleetwood fan at work says Cole is extremely lazy.

Wonder if there is anything in the difference between 'not been told he's of interest' and 'been told he's not of interest'.

Hope he was worth it.

Don't worry, I got your point, and it was a very good post. I will be similarly questioning it if we don't bring at least one dedicated wide player in. Just saying, sometimes all is not as it seems and the manager may have another idea, which could be better than our ideas. Henry was playing on the wing until Arsenal bought him. You said you saw him at Huddersfield in the central role, but I haven't seen anyone say where he played at Derby, or in Chelsea youth. We will just have to see. Even if Palmer was an out and out winger (or given how we play, an 'inside forward') I'd still be expecting another. We are threadbare there.

Lenihan's original position was as a central midfielder. We adapted him to CH. Mulgrew has played quite a lot of his career in central midfield I think? At one point it looked like his best position for us and many fans wanted another CH so we could push him upfield. I may be misremembering, but I thought I'd read before that Williams started out as a centre half too. Sometimes a player is actually suited to a different position, sometimes to everyone's surprise. I remember Emerton being better at RB when we moved him there, though we had bought him as a RW. Not to say you're wrong on this lad, and I'm a round pegs for round holes guy in the main, but sometimes things aren't that simple.

I don't follow the women's game really, but this is a truly scandalous decision and I feel genuine anger about it. Interesting that we have yet to hear any official explanation for this - surely because there cannot be a remotely acceptable one! I thought the men's FA were bad, but this is next level. This is some FIFA level nonsense, at best.

Oh come now BDS, we are veritably swimming in an ocean of piss. Fortunately I brought swimming shorts rather than a nappy. You can always let yourself leak in the sea in those anyway, nobody notices. Especially in a sea made of other grown men's 6-month-loan-of-a-kid urine. Or ya know, maybe people are just fairly pleased we are borrowing a very highly rated youngster in a key area of the pitch, but expressing their reservations about the length of deal and the need for permanent additions. I can't quite tell which is reality.

Did the LT break it first though? I thought the first link posted on here was from Sky. If they broke it first, then the LT had the article waiting but only spilled it once it broke elsewhere.

Very wishful. We have been told ad infinitum that the best we can expect without departures is 2 perms, 2 loans.

And now that the LT is telling you it might only be 5 in total?

That doesn't make it ok. I'm concerned that 3 is a possibility at all. 3 is not enough. And stop telling people not to worry and trust Tony, it's getting patronising. Especially since you've been told a dozen times it is Venkys that people don't trust.

Ummm...there is one thing worryingly different about that article lads...it's now saying at least THREE signing by the end of both windows. Sure they've always said 4 was the number until now. Now it only says up to 4. We definitely need at least 4.

Likely they will sign a pricey, proven replacement though.

No. Because, history.

Interesting, I'd never heard of this before. https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-tmobile-gb&source=android-browser&q=solidarity-contribution What that link doesn't seem to mention, but other sources do, is that apparently this only applies to international transfers (for some odd reason). So if Nzoni moved within Spain we get nothing. From what I calculated, if he moved out of Spain we would get 1.5 percent I think. Even a percent would be handy these days on the 30 million euros release he supposedly has. We really shafted ourselves on that deal.

And we said that too when we loaned Harper and Byrne... It is a gamble. Any signing is, but unproven ones are moreso. They can turn out phenomenal, or phenomenally underwhelming.

Anyone got a full list of all the young forwards and winger types that City have taken on this tour?

I read your post, cheers. You never mentioned Smallwood in it. I inferred you meant that anyway though since you said experienced 3rd option. Putting him ahead of Evans in the pecking order is odd though, he definitely contributed less last year. We aren't going to be selling Evans on his wage with his injury record, so moot point. I bet Whittingham is on a good wedge. Rather shift him.

And Whittingham does? Evans isn't pulling up trees for me, but it's an odd shout to drop him for Whittingham.

I think Mulgrew and Evans are specific cases rather than indicative we won't pay anyone that kind of money again or that the other deals are cheap (I imagine Dack got some degree of parity). Given their age, injury records, AND the high wages, it wouldnt be sensible giving them lengthy contracts on big money. I think most of us would let Evans go next year anyway. Think it's on reason we went for Davenport. Mulgrew is best watched until January to see if we should commit again, and at his age in this league you probably want to take it a year at a time. If his performances do dip, he will probably accept a cheaper deal.

So what? We have only won a League Cup in that time ourselves, and spent numerous years in lower tiers. Everton have been in the top flight for almost their entire existence, have a larger fan base, and as you can see, a lot more money! They're not Barcelona, but an absolute nothing club is light years from true. And a bit rich from one of us given our current predicament. I'm sure any of their fans would have a good laugh at that post. The real pain is in how clubs like Bournemouth, Huddersfield, and the Dingles are far more powerful in the market now.

Are you seriously calling Everton an absolute nothing club?

Truth is this is by no means the first time this has happened to us. Where the manager says they want to do business early, then most of our signings get done in the last week or two. We all surely accept we will be bringing someone in. I'd be astounded if there are not at least two players in before the window shuts, and then there is still time for loans if needed. The question is only what calibre they will be, and we just don't know that as everything is kept under wraps til it happens. I'm getting a little apprehensive myself about that calibre, but all we can do is wait and see.

Peterborough must be buying a lot of players if they are potentially selling Marriott, Maddison, Edwards and now their captain. Or Barry Fry is about to pocket the income and retire to Spain.