His positioning is not awful, far from it. Pace is his main issue but he is a steady left back at this level and has proven so over a number of years. Whether he is a top end one, I would say not. I would say average Championship, he certainly though IS good enough for the level. Point being, you seem to go well over the top with your criticism of average Championship players implying that many arent good enough for the league at all. Yet generate unsubstantiated opinions of players who havent or have barely played senior football. Surely there is a middle ground? Why do you think letting Gent go is mental?

Im guessing that there will be a second game perhaps behind closed doors now we are at the end of pre season as the players now need 90 minutes. Maybe the first team/players with the most fitness will play v Stockport, but that would only include maybe one of the new strikers. Just a guess. Batth, McFadzean, probably Ohashi and perhaps Weimann may not make that team. With the usual suspects, Hyam, Pears, Pickering, Brittain, Carter, Tronstad, JRC, Travis and Dolan and maybe Hedges playing tonight along with perhaps Gueye.

What makes you go as far as mental? I am guessing like me that you didnt watch him at Motherwell. But he is not a natural full back in a back 4 so we needed one in either way. And he would then have been well down the pecking order. Just trying to get on your level. You seem to lose all perspective when rating senior players. Pickering is a solid full back, awful in your opinion, Hyam had a poor season and certainly has question marks but has proven he is usually a good CB at this level but you coulnt dislike him any more, I feel like you have a strong opinion on Travis too and you lost all perspective on Gallagher. Whereas with players totally untested at this level or even at all, the likes of Gilsenan, Whitehall and now Gent, you cant fathom why they arent involved much more.

These 2 first home games are really important because they are against 2 promoted sides who should be right in the relegation scrap. Eustace has yet to win a single home game and that has to change soon. Derby dont look too strong. They have had a terrible pre season and whilst they have made a few reasonable additions, bringing in Champipnship experience in Osborn, Yates and Jackson as well as a couple of other interesting signings, their side isnt too strong on paper.

The problem is that we went so long without a signing for so long that if people dont greet them with pure positivity, if they raise doubts about them etc. Then it can be seen as, well you moaned when we didnt sign anyone and are moaning when we do. Merely signing anyone shouldnt be the benchmark. People should be able to expect for us to sign not only players but ones that improve us. If they feel that we dont, then say.

I wasnt included Weimann as he hadnt signed but has now. But I dont think you are far wrong. Looking at your list, some of the players are either not up to it or total novices. Id strike Markanday, Vale and Hilton off. Leonard has an injury and I think he perhaps could do with a loan, not quite ready. Tyjon is 16, not ready. Duru, totally unproven. Both of them would be bonuses if they emerge. And I dont rate Sigurdsson either. Definitely need a keeper, agreed. Left back, agreed. Left winger, agreed. Central midfielder, agreed. Replacement for Szmodics, agreed. I just think we could do with one or two extra on top because its a long season. Probably a right back and a second winger on top, we could do with a couple of pacy players rather than just 1. Its all about the quality of players that we bring in now. The sensible thing would be to spend a big chunk of the Szmodics money on maybe a keeper, winger, Szmodics replacement and midfielder and then get a few loans on top. I fear the Szmodics money wont be made available however.

As long as hes not a direct Szmodics replacement and brought in as a squad player. Im happy with the Weimann signing. He adds a goal threat, he is versatile and he gives us more depth. I think we now need to focus on getting some pace and energy into the side, brought in lots of older heads with experience. Fair play to @unsall amidst a clutch of embarassing attention seekers that come out at this time of year. He got this bang on.

If we play a back 4 all season, then its fine without. But if we play a back 3 we need one and McFadzean can only play in a back 3. Who will play on the left of a back 3? We need more than that in my opinion. Our squad was far too small last season and has only shrunk.

I think its very important to play a back 3 if we plan to sometimes. And if we dont, then McFadzean wont be able to play.

In the LT today, Elliott Jackson mentioned us targeting a goalkeeper, a winger and a replacement for Szmodics. That cant be the only recruitment we do, would leave us even shorter than last season. Also he thinks we are done at CB. Leaves us very imbalanced with no left footer.

Thats from a random Hull fan merely mocking his own teams ability to get deals over the line following Thomas Asante choosing to go to Coventry over Hull.

This deal should never have been allowed. There are teams with 2/3 of their games on TV so that is a crazy amount of games moved.

Gallagher leaving in isolation is a sensible move in isolation. Getting a fee for a player whose contract has one year left and who is our top earner. And he will never be a natural goalscorer and is certainly replaceable. His injury record is also a real issue. I do think that people go over the top in implying that we cant do any worse though. He does come off the back of his least productive season and he is very much a bottom end Championship forward but we have had numerous strikers in recent years that have been worse. It makes sense to find value abroad and both the new strikers have better goals per game records but in poorer leagues so it is not impossible that either struggles to maintain those ratios at Championship level. There is a lot of excitement amidst these new 3 quickfire additions (assuming Batth signs) following such a long wait. The money we have spent is just the money coming in from Gallagher and Gent so not even touching the inevitable Szmodics windfall. We are still well short and if its seen within the club that weve done half of what we need to do and/or we dont spend any of the Szmodics money then this season is going to be long and painful.

This influx of numerous 12.30 kick offs each week is just totally inconsiderate. Just have 1 game there.

You said you reckon so im guessing this is just yout opinion. But either way, it would be a long season if we only signed up to 4 more players, and that 4th shouldnt rely on another outgoing.

Good to see that we are starting to finally do some business but it should very much be only a start of many as we are still well short of quantity and quality. Our squad is much smaller than the one we had last year which was far too small to begin with. Gk - need a new number 1. Doesnt have to be really experienced and certainly not over 35. Pears can be back up. Full back - only one senior option on either side. Need a new one of each, especially on the left Centre back - fine with quantity when Batth presumably joins, the balance not so much. Could do with a left footer who is quicker than what we have. Central midfield - travis, tronstad, Buckley. We should decide where JRC is predominantly going to play, Garrett isnt ready. We could do with someone who can pass either way as we are lacking depth here too Attacking midfield/winger - really short here with Szmodics going and Moran going, and we have lacked pace out wide for a while. Dolan and Hedges are good enough squad players, Sigurdsson and Markanday less so. We need a couple of wide men who can provide pace and crosses for Gueye. Weimann would be a no brainer for a squad role but we need a direct replacement for Szmodics too. Striker - with the 2 new strikers and Leonard to return, we should be ok here albeit big question marks on how theyll do So GK, LB, RB, CM, and at least 3 in those attacking positions to bring some pace and quality. Should be a case of having some money to spend when Szmodics goes to buy who we can for those positions (definitely a winger, keeper and Szmodics replacement and then loan some more players on top of that. But we know the money will vanish. Nothing stopping us doing the Weimann deal now either ahead of the opening game.

With Weimann though, he falls into the category of useful squad player, not necessarily regular starter. Szmodics is obviously going but Moran also left so there is space for him either way.

I know. My point is that Weimann is having to do a trial to prove himself, rather than just having a medical and then signing, so there is clearly doubt as to whether he will be signing. Batth has barely played for a year for example yet went straight to the stage of terms and medical.

I wonder what is happening with Weimann. Baath and McFadzean are being/have been signed without having to prove their fitness.

To have sold less than 4k adult tickets at a point where prices have gone up to stupid levels in stage 3, with no willingness to change that policy, is far worse than I even imagined.

Pickering is a solid player, reads the game well, rarely lets you down. Gent is still an unknown, and apparently not a left back, more of a wing back. We do still need a left back and left sided centre back amongst a lot of other things.

I dont doubt that we need 2 centre backs. But we need at least one left sided one and not 2 past their best who are very slow. Both or at least McFadzean would only be possible in a 3, we dont have a left sided one to play that effectively and you wouldnt want both Batth and McFadzean in the same team.

Why are we signing Batth AND McFadzean? A season of defending on our 18 yard box?

"Rumour?" Its a Premier League move, possibly his last chance. Of course he will go if allowed. Heard where?