Giving him a specific value based on these factors is only something you can do when a player isnt close to running his deal down. Its overcomplicating the situation to justify the decision to keep him. It really is as simple as treating it as a loan fee, £10m or a season of Brereton. I have never seen Rhys Healey play once. I would have liked someone like Ross Stewart or Emil Riis, I have seen Stewart a few times and I would like him. Brereton leaves 2 holes in 1 player so I would have signed a left winger too, that woule have taken priority over Hirst and Szmodics. If you choose to be so naive then fair enough. Hirst may have been the first choice, point being that if he wasnt, he wouldnt say in public. Morton is playing over Buckley who has already been dropped after struggling further back. He is therefore a replacement for Rothwell. We look weak in central midfield.

He may have been first choice but Tomasson is never going to say "well we didn't want Hirst but we will make do now our main targets have gone elsewhere" is he? Surely Morton has replaced Rothwell? And why is your attitude either that you decide now that they are good signings ie Hyam and Brittain but if there are doubts, you refuse to pass comment? Surely you either wait to judge them all or you pass comment on them now, both positively and negatively where applicable?

But its impossible to define cheap. Ultimately this summer we were left with a big decision but its irrelevant what we think he might be worth in normal circumstances, we either could take perhaps a slightly reduced fee which is still a big chunk of money or just let him go for free. We judge everyone over the season, but we are discussing now. Equally, Hyam and Brittain might make loads of mistakes and prove not to be the sensible additions that we think. My comments on Szmodics are based around the fee (half of our budget) his position in terms of whether we needed to spend so much there and also on his poor track record at this level. There would never be a guarantee of a goalscorer coming in but it would be a much easier task with the majority of say £10m than it would be with nothing. We are going to be left with the same issue next summer but be in a worse position to deal with it. You mentioned that the owners may decide to chuck loads of money on a new striker regardless but it is this lack of joined up thinking (within the club, not you) that sums up how inefficient we are. No more moaning of FFP when we are wasting such big opportunities for reinvestment, we could have had at least £13/14m in the last year.

Watford are a difficult team to prepare for, last game they played Bayo and Pedro up front and a back 3 and drew at Rotherham, the former scored and the latter is possibly their biggest threat, but I presume Sarr is fit again so I am unsure if they will carry on in that formation. Plus they have Keinan Davis who bullied us last season. They have a potential weakness down the right of their defence, whether it is someone out of position or Gaspar who is an older player settling in.

The main thing we do that hinders our financial ability to compete is the decision to stubbornly decline offers for players who we then allow to run their contracts down. The key is profiting on players continuously, we have never done that under Venkys. On the transfers from the summer, gaps at centre back and right back were obvious and seem to have been filled well. I think we were crying out for experience in midfield and Morton has not impressed so far, I would question whether he was fit for purpose in terms of what we needed there. Szmodics again I agree, questions there, the biggest fee, was it spent wisely?

His value to us for one season isnt 10 million, ie if we loaned him for that amount for a season, there would justifiably be uproar.

£10m is almost certainly better than one solitary extra season with Brereton.

He wont sign a new contract so we have essentially paid at least 10 million euros to loan him for a season in which many dont seem to have genuine ambitions of promotion.

Its irrelevant what random figure we deemed to be fair and its cutting off our nose to spite our face to hold that attitude. We have loaned Brereton for a minimum of £8.4m, most likely more. That cant be justified. There should have been a target lined up ready to instantly get a deal done once he left, regardless of how late, although the Nice offer was weeks before the deadline. The other replacements for other players had already been sourced.

Even if you assume that we couldnt have possibly got a bid of over 10 million euros, then even that makes sense to take and reinvest. Would you pay that amount to loan a goalscorer for a season?

You implied that the "penny has dropped" with Broughton. Whilst new deals for Wharton and Phillips would be welcomed, ultimately the biggest decision this summer was the Brereton one and we have chosen not to cash in, similarly to last season with the 3 that left, all of whom combined werent as valuable as Brereton. Until we stop allowing this to happen then I dont see how the penny has dropped. Last season we chose to cash in on Armstrong rather than letting him running his contract down as well as giving new deals to Travis, Kaminski and Gallagher so even prior to Broughton contractually it wasnt a total disaster.

Of course Brereton should have had a contract agreed earlier, but this summer we was dealt with a situation of either selling or keeping and losing any fee. Nice offered 10 million euros but I have little doubt that had our stance been less rigid (high asking price, meet it exactly or he stays) that we could have got more. We have essentially paid a big fee in an opportunity cost to loan Brereton for a season, a season in which many have written off as a transitional one. Its bonkers. The owners should never overrule the manager. Tomasson is never going to say that he wants Brereton out and he also regularly mentioned understanding if he did go. Whoever has had the final decision to keep/set a high asking price has made a stupid decision.

Such a major decision goes against the idea that the introduction of Broughton has created a significant change in tying down assets effectively.

Yet Brereton was kept at the cost of potentially a 8 figure fee.

Big game against very tough opposition. 3 home losses on the bounce and 5 losses in 6 wouldn't be a good look.

One thing that definitely should happen is a cancellation of the totally pointless nations league games that nobody gives a shit about. I know that other countries aren't in mourning but it would be good for players in our leagues to collectively agree to miss those internationals (just cancel England) and play the rearranged games then rather than further cramming.

Burnley has been called off tomorrow.

There will be no games at club level this month now it seems, mourning for at least 10 until the funeral which is the start of an international break.

Our squad is balanced to playing 4-2-3-1, I think the issues we are having are not necessarily down to the formation.

My point is that the amount of time he deserves depends on the results and to a lesser extent the performances as we go. If we won 7 games then obviously he would have shown plenty to continue. My point was that he doesn't just deserve patience for the sake of it. I think that the start has been pretty solid, I think the performances as a whole and signs of a style developing have been quite low really but its about results so we carry on.

I don't agree with a change to that formation to be honest because it massively dilutes an attack that has struggled to begin with. I think Dack has to play at the moment, we definitely need a number 10 so I would s Morton offers little, I would play Carter at right back and Mola at CB if neither of the injured two are back, if they are, then Mola with Travis in midfield.

https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/football-news/tomasson-blackburn-rovers-nyambe-talks-24965247 Tomasson did want Nyambe to stay, although not the case according to a few on here.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/21224014.blackburn-rovers-injury-latest-ahead-wigan-athletic-trip/ Doesn't sound overly confident regarding Ayala or Wharton. If Ayala is ever a doubt, safe to say he won't play. Surely stick in Mola, he is a new signing earmarked for that position. Would raise questions over the signing if we left him out assuming Ayala and Wharton don't play. If Travis is at right back, we may aswell not bother.

Lambert, although it was a forgettable spell.