roversfan99

For a Championship club, they become a crucial part of recruitment if you get it right.

There is the obsession with sanctions even now but there have not been any suggestions from the club that we are on the borderline, we had the training ground sale last year, we have the Armstrong sale this year and a likely Brereton sale next year as a contingency plan. Often those who bring up FFP try and make out as if the 2 options are total frugality or wild, risk seeking spending. There is a middle ground. A constructive commitment of less than half of the Armstrong money.

I don't want to get into a big debate over the merits of the owners. Obviously it is not their job to differentiate between positions etc. They cover the losses that are incurred which are much higher than they need to be down to their own negligence, their "financial support" isn't them throwing money fuelled by ambition. But a few points: - We make such big losses because of Venkys. No joined up thinking, no long term plan. The ideal model would be that we can sell on assets, buy again and repeat the process, but because of such a strict wage ceiling, those assets are allowed to run down their contracts. - We have a net spend this season of over minus 10 million, plus considerable wage savings. A fraction of that spend at a point in which we have a good chance of promotion is a small risk for a potentially gigantic reward. - The owners have appointed and left in charge an incompetent CEO who doesn't understand the town nor the buying habits of the fanbase. You seem to imply that it is the supporters responsibility without saying as such, either way that is a common illogical way of looking for it. There are different types of supporters at EVERY club, the hardcore who go regardless, a minority in boycott, those who would go but for personal circumstances/time, those who would but can't afford, and the floating fans who need enticing. It is only the clubs responsibility and no one elses to get attendances high. Our policies for years have been terrible, why haven't Venkys replaced Waggott? I am not expecting or asking for huge purchases, big wages and big risks. A fraction of the Armstrong sale invested on maybe a couple of permanent and a couple of high quality loanees to boost the squad which is very light and weak beyond the first 11. We also have a likely Brereton sale in the summer if we don't go up so with 2 summers making us so much money from only 2 players, we should go all out to get Nyambe, Rothwell, Lenihan and Travis signed too. We are in an unprecedented position under Venkys, and promotion would be a gamechanger.

The reason that we didn't expect to be in this position isn't part of a masterplan by the owners that we didn't notice. The owners didn't show the levels of interest to judge the manager on his results last season, nor to provide a competitive budget, leaving us a star striker and a number of players short and with 4 cheap loanees and a cheap sub left back coming in. Sometimes the stars align, the manager has unexpectedly done brilliantly to cast aside any thoughts of stubbornness and change the tactics and also come up with a formation that has worked really well. Add that to a number of players either staying fit, coming to the fore and of course chuck in the Brereton story and things are going well. But now we are very much in a brilliant position to push for promotion, so now is the time to strike whilst he iron is hot. If by the current powers you mean the owners, then they certainly have not ever earned the right for us to trust them. The manager has called out for resources to boost the squad, rivals are strengthening, not having a reasonable budget will not be a master stroke, and any success after that would be further credit to the manager and in spite of that decision. Alternatively, if they choose to give a few million to spend, then they would be credited for showing some ambition.

That is a big issue with loans and why it is key to getting it right. But ultimately, there is no point getting ones who come with no expectation of playing, even if that means financial penalties are a risk. We need players to really push and improve us.

I am not dismissing loans, I have I think more than many been very positive towards the idea of clubs on limited budgets at Championship utilising the loan market like we have done in the last few years, the key is ultimately to get players that are better than we could otherwise afford. My points firstly on the individual are that he has not played any first team football. Elliott had played a bit, Adarabioyo had played a season, Reed a bit more than that, Harwood Bellis only a few cup games, so I am not ruling out that if this Spurs lad did join, that he could have an immediate impact, but it is so hard to know. It is impossible to judge a player's performance and readiness for a first team environment when playing in the sanitised environment of kids football. Him as a permanent development project (around the first team obviously otherwise he wouldn't come) as well as a loan signing for the here and now might be the way to go perhaps. My second point is that I think that IF we don't spend a reasonable amount in this window, perhaps 3-4m, maybe even 2-3m, a fraction of the Armstrong money, considering the situation we find our self in and also the lack of depth that we have, it would say a lot about the ambition (or lack of) of the owners. The January window is a strange one. Teams can often expect a premium but there are also lots of players about with 6 months on their deals who we could look to attract.

Was that ever confirmed, or did it turn out to be nonsense based on some sort of assumed social media link between the club and one of his relatives?

He did and seemingly repeated today about polishing players up. No problem with that, although it does also say that he was in contract negotiations with Tottenham as if that might hold things up. As long as it is as well as a more ready made striker for the here and now, as this next 5 months is the most important.

We will see. It is a reasonable expectation to expect that if the owners genuinely do give a shit, that after the Armstrong sale, with us 3rd in the league and looking light in terms of the squad, that they invest between 2/3-4m on new signings to give it a reasonable go. We are not in a position to let any senior players go. I wouldn't want Johnson in the side for any length period of time, he should never play in defence and I would like someone to be brought into central midfield ahead of both Johnson and Davenport. But we will get injures, covid absentees, suspensions etc and we need more players, not less. He brings experience and has contributed a few times off the bench in our winning run.

Markanday has never played senior football, we need players for the here and now to help us get results in the next 5 months. Mowbray mentions polishing players but it also mentions him about to sign a new deal at Spurs potentially so unclear on the terms of any deal. If it is a permanent deal in addition to someone else, Mowbray mentioned about developing players before so to have him on the edges of things with another more ready made forward could be a good thing. If he comes in as our only attacking signing then it would leave us in basically the same position as we have gone into the window. And if that is a loan and our market of affordability is kids with no senior experience on loan at such an important time with the Armstrong money nestling in the pocket of the owners, that would be piss poor.

There has never been any serious suggestion that Nyambe has been set to leave, for me it always seemed to be fans putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5 to come to the conclusion that Zeefuik is replacing him, but Mowbray has always denied any bids for Nyambe, has never given the impression that he expects him to leave and it was mooted before the window that we needed a second right wing back.

Based on your previous defence of the owners, out of interest what sort of level of investment would you expect in this window to continue in that same wavelength, all things considered? I am not one for excuses as to why player x and player y didnt join, I only judge on the players that do sign. Lots was made of Maja but even that signing would have been a loan deal, as confirmed. Everything done on the cheap.

What do you think will be different? That has basically been the team in the league for a while apart from the enforced change on the left.

Not ideal. Zeefuik is not fully vaccinated so could well miss games through isolation.

Team surely picks itself: Kaminski Lenihan Van Hecke Wharton Nyambe Travis Rothwell Edun Buckley Khadra Brereton Subs: Any keeper, Ayala, Rankin Costello, Dolan, Gallagher, Johnson, Davenport

Burnley definitely still have a chance if they bring a forward in. That being said, if they go down there also seems to be a decent sized clutch of players that I would think fall into a category of probably being keep-able, they may not attract PL attention but they will all be top players in the Championship. Even assuming Pope, Cornet, McNeil and Tarkowski go, the likes of Nathan Collins, Connor Roberts, Ben Mee, Charlie Taylor, Johann Gudmundsson, Matej Vydra, Josh Brownhill, Ashley Westwood, Jack Cork etc all give Burnley a solid core for a promotion push.

Budget is less than a couple of million pounds which is a fraction even of the sales made this season amidst a genuine promotion push. If anyone was in doubt that Venkys are not the problem then there for me is proof that they dont really care.

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They wouldnt be able to play Chapman if they signed him.

Because we are 2 injuries/suspensions/covid absences from having to then play players out of position in a season when every point is crucial in a fight for promotion! Id be surprised if we spend 1.7m in this window. That particular link is just gossip but I cant see Venkys funding fees like that.

2 points from safety with a game in hand and a manager better than those around them. It would make zero sense to already start planning for the Championship. Survival is a very realistic aim.

Everything what you say plus also not just finding 1.7m in the circumstances you suggest but at a point in which we are 3rd in the league!

Chapman wouldnt be able to play for anyone besides us and Burton until next season. Even at the end of the month, there will still be many games left even if at that point 3 or 4 of our main centre backs are fit and well, that could easily change and we dont want to have to resort to players out of position.

Agreed plus they are being proactive, getting in players early including one for a couple of million. I wish we had done the same.

It would be a struggle to convince someone to be 5th choice so I would keep Carter rather than potentially be under prepared for a key half to the season. I would put the clubs critical need before Carters development just for 5 months and loan him out in the summer. It might be better for him but with such a critical half season ahead, we have to be fully prepared. Injuries, suspension and covid mean that it is far from remarkable to expect that at some point, that 2 from 4 will be unavailable. The club needs to come before Carter for 5 months. Johnson could do a job perhaps, Nyambe likewise or it could be left to a no hoper like Magloire or an untested kid, either way these are all solutions that significantly weaken us and could jeapordise our chance of collecting points if and when they occur. As you say Carter is a better option. It is different with some of the others in that none of them were close to and indeed in the main had never played prior for the first team.