Im not sure I swallow this line about him being hindered by a shambles of a season. I think I would only really buy into it if it was a blip/poorer season within his career, rather than by quite a distance his best to date. He always played with a partner, whether it was Graham, Emnes or Joao, and he had (a couple of years and at the start of the season especially, an in form) Conway and Marshall playing quite a few crosses, and our side in general was obviously primarily dysfunctional defensively rather than offensively, hence the pile up of 3-2 defeats. His goal return of around 1 in 4 was fairly respectable if very unspectacular. He was actually far better under Coyle than under Mowbray, where he often played wide towards the end when the goals dried up, something I fear may be replicated if he is played there again. He definitely has something to his game, hes easily our second best striker, he is fairly quick and although he cant win a flick on to save his life, he has a really good header on him if hes attacking the goal and gets a yard on his man. He was forever offside, often lacked intelligence (somewhat understandable at the age he came in at, but nothing to suggest hes developed since) hes obviously nowhere near prolific at this level and he cant hold the ball up at all. I'm also unsure that he fits into this supposed technical side Mowbray wants to play, he is quite ungainly and clumsy and technical ability doesnt rank as one of his best attributes. All this being said, my main gripes with the deal are the cost baring in mind our frailites elsewhere, rather than with the actual player. But he wouldnt get into my team v Charlton.

The squad is both bloated and incredibly light in certain areas at the same time. You'd presume that Evans is one of our top earners, add to that I haven't seen any suggestion that he is anything but a major part of Mowbrays plans and I can't see him going anywhere.

But its not people like you that the club are/should be targeting. Its people who are less dedicated/obliged/diehard in their attendance and it is people who seemingly are less financially stable. I get a season ticket every year because I make it a financial priority of mine, so seemingly do 6 or 7 thousand, beyond that the rest may not see Rovers as their number 1 priority. I don't understand how people have such difficulty getting their head around that fact.

Very true, our chance to offload some of the players on higher wages went with needlessly and prematurely extending their contracts as a "reward," see Mulgrew, Smallwood and Williams.

It would indeed, signing a player in a position we are well stocked in.

Very underwhelmed, didnt particularly rate him when he was here last time and that season was by far the best hes had in his career, was dreadful at Birmingham and has spent the last year either injured or in the wilderness. Think its incredible that we have spent 12m on 2 strikers not as good as the 33 year old we already had, and have spent a couple of hundred grand in the same time period on failing to fix our horrendous defence. Unless Gallagher is joined by a good goalkeeper and the few defenders Mowbray promised to come in, then hes a wreckless and quite frankly idiotic spend of a substantial amount of money. If they do come in then I would consider Gallagher to be much closer to pushing Graham than Brereton has. Hoping for the latter scenario.

Whilst that is true, its even more counter-productive to put players into a team based solely on price tag rather than on merit. Dack is our best player and he plays best right up off a solitary striker, move him back and you hinder his ability to anticipate and finish chances in the 18 yard box. I'd have that team with Armstrong on the right, he looks so much better there than on the left. Sadly, with Chapman again injured, I feel like hes gonna start off the pace and struggle to ever break through.

Playing Dack in a midfield 3 would nullify his threat. Thats before you mention the state of that back 5.

If the plan is to rely on untested kids to transform a diabolical defence whilst we have 12m tied up in substitute strikers then that would be insane. Magloire cant head a ball, Platt couldnt get a game for Stanley and Wharton apparently didnt impress at Bury.

The fact that Mowbray has suggested that the defence isnt much of a priority is astounding. If its true itll cost him his job at some point down the line. 69 goals!

He would have been a brilliant signing, if it was in any way possible.

But that has been his best season to date! That is the most potential hes ever shown, he went to Birmingham and was muchvworse. The team he was in always gave him a strike partner, and it was a team where we had natural wingers, a younger Conway, Marshall and sadly as you mention Feeney. Hes definitely an upgrade on Brereton of course, I definitely think its incredibly difficult to argue that its not "big money" for someone who hasnt really proven much. My main point is the way we have utilised our resources whereby weve spent a pittance on our terrible defence and 12m on our 2nd and 3rd choice strikers. If we fix the defence aswell then fair enough!

I am not convinced that either do have said potential, especially the dearer one, but we can only hope now.

It is for 2 strikers with 25 total Championship goals between them prior to that, neither of which get into our starting 11.

Wheres that from?

Full back is critical, the defence needs an overhaul rather than a solitary addition. Going into the season with Bennett and Bell at full back (which youd suspect we will) will lead to goals being conceded, there no two ways about it. He was often disinterested when he played for us in his first season, lazy and stroppy. And he was crap, he didnt score after November. A couple of social media videos of him running up and down hills doesnt convince me hes anything but below the standard we need.

Plenty of talk about new formations that involve Dack moving back is crazy, hes not the type of player to dictate play, he has to be around the 18 yard box. And hes our best player so he has to be built around. We have one competent centre back, so playing 3 there would just put additional demands on recruitment. He says on here (this is 2 months old) "I've got no defence...defenders are coming." Lets just hope hes true to his word because its of criticial importance, we wont get out of the bottom half with the same set of defenders. He barely signed any defenders at West Brom, he left Coventry regretting his inability to sign a big centre back and here hes only signed Bell, Downing and Sam Hart so hes not improved our defence. Just signing one centre back I dont feel will be enough at all, we need a revamp. Our full backs arent up to it either.

To be fair, ambitions/aims/expectations of top 6 this season would be pretty much pie in the sky unless the manager fixes a defence that was, apart from the 3 teams that went down, only better than QPRs. You dont tend to trouble the top half with a bottom 6 quality defence. I think even you have touched on that if Mowbray doesnt fix the defence you wont be happy with him. Most of the people criticising the Gallagher deal are doing so because our resources should be prioritised in terms of fixing the defence. Gallagher would come into a position whereby we already have our player of the season and someone who cost 7m and is supposed to come good this season, and he wasnt that good last time, so hes a luxury we cannot afford without first fixing the defence. Its understandable why people are so anxious that it will remain unfixed because it has been neglected for so long. Everything depends on the rest of the window. If he fixes the defence, we may have a chance. If he doesnt, then presumably pressure will intensify if it continues to be our achilles heel when aspiring to be higher in the league as per his own expectations. Lets hope its the former. Everyone wants the defence fixed.

The further you push him back, the less able he is to get the goals and assists he has. His game is geared around being in and around the box, hes a second striker more than an attacking midfielder and hes a natural poacher around the box, scoring so many tap ins and close range goals. Ultimately, two of the main things that held him back were an incredibly rigid and direct style of play, and also the use of limited players around him, picked for defensive reasons. Rothwell seemed to link up much better with him for example than having a Bennett, Conway or Reed wide. Moving him further back would be crazy. He is our best player, and he is best suited to a 10 role off a striker. The team should be built around him.

Firstly, absolutely no need for the moanfest comment. I'd rule out the 4-4-2 straight away as it doesnt allow our best player to fit in. Ultimately with the squad we have, I think that 4-2-3-1 best suits the personnel, however it doesn't have to be as rigid and unimaginative as it was last season. We need to ensure that the central midfielders are trusted enough (and perform well enough) to play through the midfield rather than constantly direct, and we need to have more scope for flair and pace in the wide areas, no more Bennett there, Rothwell a regular and Armstrong played on the right rather than the left, where he seems so much more effective. Chapman right amongst it to. The striker needs to be played off, even Graham who is underrated technically, rather than going for the easy percentage based long ball because it requires less brain cells. Of course, these patterns of play need working on in training until they become second nature. I would go: New GK New RB/Nyambe Lenihan New CB New LB Travis Johnson Armstrong Dack Rothwell Graham With Chapman and Davenport very much on the coat tails of that side, and the likes of Bennett, Smallwood and Mulgrew nowhere near it. As much as the historical failures with 3 at the back put me off, the main thing in terms of going forward would be the additional recruitment needed, we only have one competent centre back, and the 2 full backs we have are not fit to play as wing backs as neither can cross a ball. I also think we are much better when we play at a high tempo with our pressing, and I think the addition of Johnson as well as hopefully more of a part for players like Rothwell, Chapman, Davenport and Travis (only came into the team mid way through) can really help that.

Is that true? Last year we couldnt agree on a fee, as per Bowyers comments in the press.

The injury happened in October, you couldnt possbly justify such a stance at that time, the delay seemed the only realistic option especially considering how crap our number 2 keeper is.

Even with Lenihan in the team (who himself can be very rash) our defence was crap last season. One area that is constantly neglected and one you have missed too is full back. Amarii Bell isnt a Championship quality full back, never mind one for a team going for the top 6, reluctant to drive forward, cant cross but crucially so flimsy in preventing crosses coming in. Nyambe is much better defensively but suffers quite regular dips in form, and Bennett will no doubt continue to be shoehorned in and regularly come up short. We need 2 full backs. I dont see any suggestion that Evans and Smallwood will actually be moved on either, but I'd prefer Evans to Butterfield. Derby fans would drive Butterfield up here themselves, he wouldnt be a good addition.