So really - Buckley (seemed a bold move at the time but player has fallen off a cliff since. No way of knowing that at the time) Scott Wharton (sidelined with a serious achilles injury at the time), Carter (fair play) Pears (don't suppose that would have been a popular decision at the time) Rankin Costello. Not as good as it appears at first glance but shouldn't knock it I suppose as it's more than we're doing currently.

I'd pass on that unless we are absolutely desperate. Not bothered about the Burnley connection either but I'd rather have someone on the way up than the way down. Also his name conjures up visions in my mind of an overpaid prima Donna. That might be completely unfair as I've no idea either way.

I've always been a big Critic of this style of recruitment. It's completely beyond your control and if the parent Club decide at the last minute they're not prepared to loan said player out you're completely screwed.

It has a dual benefit. Firstly you get the benefit of said players hopefully helping you achieve better results for an extra month and secondly you're not scrabbling around at the last minute for the players no-one else wants after all the decent ones have been snapped up. *Cough* Fleck.

I've always wondered what Waggott actually does all day. Especially more recently since we seem to have a "Head of Everything" so what is there left for him to actually do? Out of the two things mentioned above though the recruitment one is still the more bewildering of the two. By definition "recruitment" is the only thing that the army of analysts have to focus on all year so you'd think everything would be planned out months in advance ready to be executed in the first week of January. Ditto any necessary request for extra funding from Waggott. Instead we seem to get into or at least very near January before even thinking about it and invariably end up scrabbling about desperately on the last day or two of the window.

I couldn't agree more. I find it absolutely baffling a manager ( or head coach) should have to work with players he may not like and/or rate. Seems to be the downfall of the Head Coach /DOF system. I suppose if you sign up for a highly paid job job as "Head Coach" though you know what the script is before you start so you can't really complain.

The Court Case can't be used as a legitimate excuse, Waggott has said repeatedly that it doesn't affect the day to day operations of the Club. As regards Broughton renewing contracts, I know I wasn't a fan of his ( to put it mildly) but (genuine question because I dont know the answer) whose contracts did he renew out of senior players still at the Club as opposed to new deals for people who were going to be sold immediately afterwards?

Yeah, but he was no use whatsoever whilst here was here. Quite the opposite in fact - he cost us a shedload of points - so whilst he was here that £800k we spent on him was wasted. My original point was about whether the recruitment last summer was better than what had originally preceded it.

Just after Batth has twatted him.

800k was wasted on Wahlstedt. Another 500k last January on O Riordan.

I agree with both you and SG sadly.

No, I know, it was just trying to make the best of a bad job with minimal money to spend. What I meant was, with no money it was better than the windows with no money under the previous recruitment regime.

Hmmm....I'd say Welmann has no pace, isn't strong enough, no good in the air, doubt he can hold the ball up - apart from that he might do OK. He does have a knack of being in the right place at the right time though so if one drops right to his feet he might finish it off.

Did you think the summer was "another" failed window? On little or no money I thought it was a lot better than what had gone before tbh.

You're not the first person to suggest Weimann up front. What attributes has he shown to suggest he can do a job there?

We did this to death at the time but I think it had rather more to do with having the likes of Lowe in midfield.

If we keep our noses above water he might have people beating a path to his door wanting to copy the Blackburn "How to survive despite selling all your best players whilst spending fuck all on replacements" model though.

Yeah you're right. No need to antagonise them further by giving it the big'un before the game. I'll expect to see him all day on social media tomorrow then!

Yeah, had to make do with the England job.

Like you I've absolutely no idea, but I'd imagine they'd say someone who could find the net on a reasonably regular basis like themselves.

I'd give him a pass on this if he's also as active on Social Media posing rousing stuff about beating the Dingles before our game. Otherwise like you I think it's extremely odd and quite bad form.

Police "advice" no doubt.

A backs to the wall operation for 90 (or 111) mins like at Leeds isn't ideal for him. If we're hopefully going to be a bit more expansive at home I'd have no qualms about starting him. Gueye on for last 30 mins.

Probably all on a lot more money than they were here. As they are professional footballers and not fans, I'm guessing they're all really sorry they left!

At Derby I think.