I never said that I would play Armstrong wide left in a 3. I think that Mowbray will put Dack back in, he has regularly mentioned his importance during his absence and you have clearly forgotten quite how good he is. 24 goals in 62 starts at this level. When Mowbray inevitably does put him back in, you will totally agree with the idea anyway! Theres no way that Dack can play wide either. Armstrong, Dack, Rothwell, Dolan, Rankin Costello, Brereton, Gallagher, Chapman, even Holtby, the most important 2 out of all of them are the first 2, the 2 are the goal scorers that can set us apart. The thing Mowbray needs to do is build the team to ensure that both of them How that happens, I am still unsure. Does it come within the 4-3-3, and if so, how? The 2 options would be Armstrong coming in from the left to the centre with Dack as a false 9, the second option would be Dack and Holtby in front of a sitter, Armstrong still central. I am very skeptical about both of those options. Maybe 4-2-3-1? That is beneficial because Armstrong can play as a striker and Dack in his favourite position. We can still play similar tactics, high press, possession based etc, but we have a secondary big goal threat, and also Armstrong has a better source of creativity in Dack. Still scope for Rothwell, Dolan etc from the 2 wider roles, maybe the biggest problem would be Holtby although why couldnt he play in a 2 with a sitter, maybe Evans until Travis returns? Really all that has happened is that the shape of the central three has been tweaked. I also think that you are overplaying the success of the 4-3-3. We have won one and lost one in both League and Cup, having not picked up many points last year with it. Not saying that we shouldnt continue with it for the time being but the importance of Dack outweighs the importance and success of this formation. We have to maybe have a bit of trial and error but the potential rewards should we get Dack and Armstrong firing together are enormous. I have never suggested that we need to rush Dack back, when he will be back, but it is likely that he will return this season at some point. When it suited your agenda, he was the player with the mystery (and seemingly fictional) £10m bid over him, why would anyone bid for a player who is not going to play any time soon to the point that his return shouldnt even be considered?! You are incapable of viewing Armstrongs position without blue and white glasses on. He is a player who's stock is rising and is at a club that has yet to demonstrate the ability to push for promotion. If he has any ambition, he will be working towards becoming a Premier League player and challenging himself, and of course enjoying the added wealth that he will bring. He would be crazy to agree to tie away potentially his key years and weaken any negotiating position should a bigger club come in for him, solely on the notion that he is been promised to play in his favourite position. If we are outside the play offs and a Premier League offered for him in January, you would be deluded to think that he wouldnt want to go.

I also think attacking players can be dipped in and out, sub appearances, cameos, or even if they start they can be subbed off with little harm done if its not working. You dont tend to change the defence really unless there is an injury. Very true on Magloire. There are seemingly still doubts over Wharton with 80 odd appearances under his belt.

As I said, I have never seen Thompson so I havent got a clue, my comments where more about the troubles we have had at left back yet hes never made a squad, even with 9 subs, so I dont think hes close. Kids football is a difficult benchmark though, so far away from first team level. It doesnt mean that young players cant break through, obviously they do, but ultimately impressing at under 23 level doesnt mean that you are good enough for first team football. I bet Bell would hold his own with the kids. But my comments were about how close/far away Thompson must be in Mowbrays mind, not mine. I also think some of the comparisons and predictions for Dolan, big money moves to Europe, comparisons to Eze and Bellingham are absolutely crazy after 1 League start, as good as it was. Im wary that people may be getting carried away which is fine now but when he hits an inevitable dip in form at that age, I hope theres not a similar overreaction.

@J*B where did mid November come from? Mowbray refused to put a date on it during his interview.

Playing on the side of a front 3 carries far less responsibility and would be easier for a striker like Armstrong to play than out wide in a 4231 which needs more tracking back. Weve seen albeit from a player who cant score goals that with Brereton. But Armstrong undoubtedly is best down the middle. Theyve never been played in a system whereby they could both thrive in tandem, but its not as if Dack is a big brute, hes a very technically gifted player who could compliment Armstrong within a more technical and pressing based set up. That being said, it takes a short memory to not be desperate to get Dack back into the side when fit. There is no reason why we cant play both as a 9 and 10 whilst still pressing high and ultimately Dack would be brilliant in terms of playing Armstrong in. Either way, we have to try and fit them both in because with one consistent goalscorer proven over his 18 months into the Championship, and another who has developed into one in 2020, having two regular goalscorers gives us a massive leg up over most teams in this division. When we have had them together in the past it has always been with Graham in a far more rigid style. The rest of our attacking players, Rothwell, Dolan, Rankin Costello, Chapman, Brereton, even Gallagher, theres plenty of pace and promise there but im not sure how much substance over the course of a season. Even if one of Armstrong or Dack would be slightly compromised by having them both together positionally, they would still be far more of a goal threat than any of the above players.

Theres no way that if a Premier League club failed to promise him regular football as a number 9, that it would overrule the benefits to him of playing at the highest level and a massive pay rise. We cant justify leaving out Dack, such a regular source of goals and such a catalyst to us. Him and Armstrong are so far ahead of all of our remaining attackers in that they are regular sources of goals. We have to make it work. The 4-2-3-1 wouldnt have to be as rigid and direct as we played when Graham was in the side. We could still have similar flexibility and high pressing as we do now but a secondary potent goal threat added.

U23 is not the same as competitive league football, but my comment was not specifically about him as I have never seen him, I just think considering our problems in that position and his inability to ever make a squad, it is safe to say that he wont be in the managers thoughts in the near future.

If he cant get a sniff of the first team with Bell repeatedly struggling and last season with Rankin Costello and Bennett shoehorned in due to lack of alternatives, I cant see why that would change anytime soon.

Yeah, I cant see that being critical to a new signing. I just dont think that a deal has been done or is imminent.

Cant see that being true, Fleetwood wont be able to pay much of his wages anyway with the new rules.

Agreed, and journalists dont seem to have directly followed it up. I think the meeting on Thursday went badly.

Absolutely. I also think that if you post something, especially as surefire as that someone has signed, and it turns out to be false, you cant expect to be exempt from a bit of ribbing and questioning. ITK information is always welcome but it doesnt mean that you should be put on a pedestal and have people blow smoke up your arse even if the information is not right. That is just in general, not saying JoeH is wanting that.

I wasnt overly impressed with Rankin Costello, for a natural winger I thought his crossing was really poor, always to the keeper. Seems technically ok but whilst it wasnt shown today he also is obviously not a natural defender. I can only assume that the meeting went badly, more changing of the goalposts perhaps? As you say, he said we can potentially afford one player for a fee. Warnock said we bid for Pears earlier in the week. We should be spending our fee on a sub goalie.

Dack has to come in when he is fit as our best player. He along with Armstong are the 2 guaranteed starters in the attacking position. There is room for the pair of them but it might take a bit of trial and error beforehand. The options will presumably be either in the 433 with Dack central and dovetailing with Armstrong coming inside from the left. Or 4231 which doesnt have to involve a change in style but would mean our number 10 and number 9 are both prolific scorers. Question would then be which way you play the other 4 around them. You can be as naive as you want about this working relationship but im saying as someone in his position I would hold off. If he has a really good season, we dont finish top 6 and a Premier League club offered him not only the opportunity to play at a higher level but probably double or triple his wage, no amount of respect for the manager or even a guarantee of playing in a certain position would stop that. You look at young English players like Bowen and Eze who had a couple of stand out seasons in the Championship and got big moves. He has only scored regularly for 6 months, if he makes it 18 and we dont go up and Premier League clubs circle, with a year left our hands would be forced to sell. Conversely, if we went up or indeed he didnt have quite as good a season as we expected, he could still sign a new deal here then. I would love him to sign a long deal as I would Dack and Nyambe but I wouldnt rush to do so if I was him.

Im not sure why people even think that Bell SHOULD be a good player, the only attribute he has is that he is fairly fast, which is often perhaps the usual thing that causes people that a player well out of his depth COULD step up. @chaddyrovers not a positive interview there. Mowbray admitting we have no money is one thing but I hope his delusion around not needing a left back urgently is false.

Very true. The 2 times he ran through (as well as when Brereton did) in the second half was obviously down to pace but also woeful dithering by their defenders to begin with. One thing that pleases me is 4 goals being a tap in, a penalty, a one on one (although he should have had 2) and a good finish in the box last week. My worry was that his ability to score screamers was undoubted but they are the goals that get the numbers up.

Definitely needs to be a priority to try but I cant see from his point of view why he wouldnt be better served holding off. If we went up somehow, perfect. If not, hes in a powerful position if and when bigger teams start sniffing around. Million dollar question is how do we get Dack in the same team. If we do and get it right we have 2 superb attacking players at this level.

Went top half ie similar to last year. Ayala a good signing. Kaminski still difficult to judge at this point. Still have the main weak point (Bell) in the team and seemingly no urgency to replace him. Armstrong a goalscorer that not all teams have, Dack a second but a real conundrum in how we get them both firing together. Travis a big loss. So a mixed bag really. Not good enough for top 6 but certainly too much to get dragged in to anything at the wrong end. Problem is, I cant see us keeping our best players next summer if we dont go up.

The lack of money always seemed to be the thing to expect so to be honest I am not shocked that it seems like Thursdays meeting on transfers has only compounded the fact that we are searching for bargains. But Mowbrays talk about left back not being the main priority is the big concern. Bell is and always will be not up to it. We do also need a sub keeper, a central midfielder and another attacking player. It doesnt seem like anything is imminent which considering that Mowbray said 2 days ago that he expected an answer on a left back within 24 hours is a concern.

He is hardly going to publically slag off the owners is he, and paying the bills is different to being held back from throwing loads of money on transfers. Suppose it is just one interpretation against another. Doesnt sound like anything is done based on Mowbrays interview. Unless hes pulled a blinder.

We couldnt compete with those 2 clubs. We couldnt afford that sort of fee, backed up by Mowbrays comments today. I dont see why he would come to a side in a similar situation in terms of where they can finish and Johnson would be a regular in our team.

Why would staff members discourage them from spending and why didnt they spend before they came?

He mentioned on Thursday that he had a meeting in the afternoon about signings. Im guessing it didnt go too well. The main worry amidst the quote is that left back isnt his main worry. Im guessing that the left back who was deciding within 24 hours has decided to go elsewhere.

Absolutely, but at the moment I think suggestions of him moving abroad for big money like Bellingham or like Eze domestically is crazy when hes only made one league start. Hes a talent and its exciting though, no doubt.

If he genuinely thinks that left back isnt the priority and it is going to be Bell there all season we can wave goodbye to any top 6 hopes.