Why would we extend Bells contract to loan him out? Not feasible really. I think a competent first choice left back, with Bell as back up as a second natural left back and Williams in an emergency (a player who has played most of his career there) and if all THREE got injured, potentially Downing, I think is more than enough. All 4 of whom can play that position far more competently than Bennett can play right back. Rankin Costello is a wide man, but again could play either full back position but only ideally in an emergency. Personally think a first choice left back would very much be enough in that position. We was unfortunate to suffer both of our left backs being injured at the same time.

There wont be a market for teams willing to pay a fee for Bell. To be fair, assuming we got one in, we would have 3 left backs (compared to for example 1 right back) which is in terms of numbers, plenty. We was unlucky to get both left backs injured at the same time, but its unrealistic to stock pile in case of things like that happening.

We surely cannot justify the expenditure already committed to Bell and Williams to be 3rd and 4th choice left backs. Its not feasible to have so much natural cover in one position. That would make 4 left backs and only 1 right back. We just need a first choice that is a significant upgrade on what we have. Cunningham did tick that box last season. Not sure if Brad Smith is just a lazy suggestion by Rich Sharpe from rumours eminating from before Mowbray was even in charge. Questionable CV, most of his game time in the last 3 or 4 years has been in the MLS so difficult to know how he has done. If he is an upgrade on Bell, fair enough. We shouldnt have extended Bells contract but now we have, we need to try and get an improvement on him to go straight into the team.

Was at Sheffield Wednesday last season and could never get into the team. Dont think him or Brad Smith are the calibre of players that we need really. You've moved away from your own argument There is no evidence at all that even with Dack, we would have got into the play offs. Even this pie in the sky hope that we would sneak in last minute against all probability and previous evidence. A bottom half defensive record doesnt help! I think this is the time when he has benefitted from his price tag. We are so desperate to see him succeed that we cling onto the merest of flickers of anything we can to justify the hope that one day he will come good. Because the precedent is so low, ultimately a few tidy dribbles in nonthreatening areas and we are all expecting a new dawn. Fact of the matter is in them first 2 games post lockdown, the one time he got himself into a goalscoring position, his touch to round the keeper took the ball behind him and he fell on his arse. Then in the next game he was sent off. His customary one a year goal when there is nothing left to play for was a tidy one but I will need to see much, much more to have any real expectation. We can but hope.

Its all hypothetical and excuses. If mt aunty had balls shed be my uncle. Would Armstrong have had the run he had with Dack in the team? Possibly not. Shouldnt 12m worth of strikers have filled some of the void? Definitely. We conceded a bottom half level of goals, 13th in the league. Any improvement was primarily due to Adarabioyo so thus any minimal "progress" in that regard has already been removed again with him returning back to City.

We will never know, not enough to get us into the play offs though. That wont happen while we treat the defensive side with such little priority. Its hard to be to sympathetic considering that we had 12m worth of strikers that couldnt even partially fill that void.

To be thankful towards the owners solely for not putting us out of business is mind blowing.

We conceded 63 goals chaddy. Lets not forget that or make out that Dacks injury was what cost us a play off place.

Its totally disingenous to say "theyre still ploughing £7-8m a season in" without reference to what happened before that. And once that is considered, such a "good deed" loses any credence. For a Rovers supporter to dismiss anyone who doesnt attend as not a supporter whilst being thankful to owners that have allowed our club to go through the gutter, be rinsed by agents, keep Kean for so long, then appoint Coyle a few years ago who steered us to an inevitable relegation, all the while being totally absent and disinterested far, far away, but one who havent totally pulled the plug, as if thats something to be grateful for. Its the old metaphor of being thankful that the guy who shot you took you to the hospital! To be content that they are still here simply out of necessity I can somewhat stomach. To be vocally supportive and thankful to them and slagging off hurt supporters as collateral damage is unfathomable.

The reason that there is far less discussion about Dack and now Armstrong is not this massive objective to spread "bile." Everyone is in agreement that Dack was a brilliant signing, same now with Armstrong. With the other 2, some such as yourself seemingly are not willing to criticise them, which is fair enough, but that creates debate because there are contrasting opinions and viewpoints. Whereas with the first 2, everyone agrees so there isnt really any discussion to be had. You can describe it as "slating" them to add an overdramatic touch but we are on a messageboard. The signings deserve criticism because they were signings for large money and has both looked really poor. Theres also a confusion from the manager on how to use them. And then the fact that we always seem to be just off really competing for the top 6, which adds to the frustration when the majority of our budget since promotion has been wasted. Was signing good players a piece of cake even with 12m for Mowbray? Of course not. Have other teams made poor signings too? Yes. But ultimately part of Mowbrays job is to sign good players and when he makes 2 expensive mistakes, he will be called out for it. You cherry picked 3 examples. Wells is a proven goalscorer at this level and got 5 of his 18 league goals in his half season there. Ultimately the manager lost his job soon after mind you. Glatzel has started to score now he is settling, but again Warnock lost his job early in the season. Zohore was poor but had Mowbray got us promoted, the criticism of the 2 strikers would very much quieten down! What about as others have mentioned, Watkins, Karlan Grant, Pukki etc. You say write them off, we can only judge on what weve seen. If they both start banging in the goals, something neither has promised thus far, then everyone will be happy.

I read that Gibbs is on Premiee League wages so cant see that at all. Plus he is really injury prone.

Exactly. As you say, it applies to any player. As the money was wasted and we didnt replace Raya, they have to be considered when considering any judgement in selling him in the first place. Was he replaced? No. Are we weaker post Raya (ie we now have Gallagher plus have spent 1.5m extra) from that transaction? Yes. Therefore it was poor business to sell him.

Such a flimsy defence of a signing, that other teams have wasted money. Obviously they will have done. No one is saying that it is impossible to not make poor signings but equally it doesnt justify doing so. You say Gallagher played out of position but that only further warrants criticism on Mowbrays point for signing him. He has been a poor signing. Brereton has been a really poor signing. Equally, Dack and Armstrong have been very good signings, you dont see people saying "yeah but other teams have found bargains too" do you?

The fact that other teams have also wasted money doesnt mean that ours isnt any less worthy of criticism.

Presumably less happy that we wasted the money on Gallagher and dont own a senior goalkeeper.

Grateful for them not putting us out of business after a decade of negligent ownership.

4 leading to goals in a season, if that is the case, over 49 games is not too bad at all, for a goalkeeper years from his peak. He made a few more here last season. I am not even pretending that he is a goalkeeper who I really, really rate or trust. But there is plenty of raw talent should a club own him. Walton made over 10 mistakes leading to goals in 46 games and even if he had have improved it wouldnt have been of any use to us which is key and why it is unfathomable that you can champion us getting another kid on loan. If you choose to revel in his mistakes to try and justify what happened last summer then each to their own, lets leave it there.

No, nor do I claim to. Obviously hes a young journalist trying his best but its quite clear from the tweet that he is none the wiser than any of us. But I can try if you like? "A budget has been agreed or is soon to be agreed. Mowbray plans to bring in between 2 and 8 players at some point during the window. Budget not colossal but not totally non existent. Plan is to field 11 players on the start of next season and 9 subs. Bit. In. Paper."

Of course not, he has seen him make a couple of mistakes on TV, and is disregarding any signs or proof that he may have developed overall, made less mistakes or indeed the fact that he was our permanent player, traded in to sign a crap striker and sign at least one young and inferior keeper temporarily in order to justify it all! Even championing other kids to loan in to carry on the cycle.

He doesnt know anything chaddy. That translates as "I have seen online rumours that our budget is agreed, I will put a tweet stating as such whilst being as vague as is possible."

Agreed, with all of these stupid ideas that Mowbray came up with, it became possession for the sake of it. My post was more based on something I had said yesterday, that I am sure that stats of us having possession in the low 40s in terms % seemed miles out and so they were. I also dont agree with Mowbray wanting to keep chopping and changing week in week out as he has mentioned. I think our best bet is to try and perfect a consistent way of playing. The best teams tend to have a set way of playing whereby if a player has to come out or come in, they know their role and carry on as normal. It would be counter productive to be too reliant on keeping the ball, especially without Adarabioyo, or trying to force things with silly formations eg false 9s. Equally, playing direct especially without Graham wont work. We need to find our own style, maybe something that requires plenty of energy and pressing as we do have a lot of younger and more athletic players in attack.

Like thats not exactly what he wants to feed his ego ? Ive got my fingers crossed for that 50m warchest.

The oracle speaks.

I am guessing that they dont follow the Championship then! I dunno, at least yesterday it took a brilliant free kick to highlight the terrible positioning. Definitely at fault mind. A floaty cross and Walton was nowhere to be seen v Preston. A pea roller from the edge of the box from Klich the other week squirmed through him like a bar of soap. They were 2 totally unprovoked errors. All goalkeepers make errors, especially when they are young. I was never Raya's biggest fan. But in context regarding Raya being ours and Walton on loan, to fund Gallagher no less, thats the killer. As you say though, Raya > Walton, and I would make that judgement even if they were both here permanently, or both on loan.

But crucially, he was ours! Improving year on year. Get another kid on loan and its the same problem.