Brittain puts in the occasional good cross but often either side are a few wayward ones or him turning back. Pickering is usually less likely to get into crossing positions. Whether Gueye will have the aerial dominance of Gestede for example is a big ask but he had Conway (and Marshall) who were very good crossers. Take them away and Gestede doesnt score half as many.

The minutes are anticlimatic. The adult sales are the key ones and the sales figure is pathetic. Yet Waggott wasnt seemingly pushed on poor pricing and shut down talk on amending these ridiculous 3rd phase prices which rule out further sales.

So amidst your random repeated lines about WATR meetings, holding the width, how we want to play, what Elliott Jackson thinks. The answer is, no, you cant name players we have that are good crossers because we dont have them. Therefore my point stands.

Big pressure on him to score goals when Szmodics goes, fingers crossed he can help to plug the gap. Its an interesting couple of potential additions along with Ohashi, when a similar joint fee gets Stoke Gallagher and Ennis, or it could have got us (maybe even for a fee higher than what we are spending) Dykes. It shows that the domestic market is really hard to find quality, so looking further afield makes sense. His goal record in Belgium is consistently 1 in 3. So not bad, not prolific. He has played for weaker sides so was somewhat up against it, he will likely be in a struggling side here so he will be used to it. How does the Belgian league compare to the Championship quality wise? I read on this thread both that he had some penalties amongst those goals and that his goals mainly came in a short burst, and then topped up with 3 in the end of season play offs against only weaker teams. He was described as not a natural finisher and not technically great in the LT today by a Belgian league expert. Perhaps not the natural goalscorer we sorely will need. His spell in Spain in the second division was clearly a nightmare, couldnt score a goal and their fans are very vocal on social media on how bad he was. Hopefully that was because the Spanish style doesnt suit him, and maybe the Championship will, but still it is a bit of a red flag. Everything suggests that his main attribute is his ability in the air. We don't have good crossers, but Eustace does like long ball football, so it is hard to tell whether his style suits us. Just a few thoughts, and overall a very difficult transfer to predict without any of us knowing who he is.

Have we put in loads of crosses in friendlies (ie not competitive games) in which we have just lacked a big man to head them in? Point being, we dont have wingers who go on the outside and/or are good crossers. We have been linked with Dembele, again not a good crosser. From what I have read, Gueye's strength lies in the air but I fear without a considerable revamp of our wide options and a change of style, our current personnel aren't very good at crossing. Whatever he said at whatever meeting, he might not get what he wants. Eustace likes playing long ball football so I can see why a big target man might suit him. But if he specifically thrives off crosses, that is a weakness in our squad so we will struggle to get the most out od that skill. Dolan, Hedges, Markanday and Sigurdsson all prefer to play on the opposite side and cut in. If Rankin Costello plays wide, he drifts in too. Which of our current players are good crossers?

Rovers Insider is full of shit.

We require some goals from our main striker with Szmodics leaving. Lets hope he can get plenty.

True. If he is technically poor that will stand out more in Spain. But to literally score 0 goals isnt ideal. Do we? Is that because Eustace plays long ball, do you mean? We dont have players who cross a ball well.

Im not sure merely signing for a club that he then scored 0 goals for and made himself a laughing stock is anything to be excited about. It was in the Segunda division too.

The biggest problem is, has been and always will be Venkys.

Unsure what to make of this signing but lets hope he does well. From what I have read including today in the LT, a big lump who is great in the air but not very good with his feet. Mixed track record and there is a lot of pressure on him to score some goals so fingers crossed. Much more interesting that going for a well known pile of shite like Dykes who would possibly have even cost more. Seems like the fee is not too dissimilar to the fee we will get for Gallagher. So when Szmodics goes, surely we can spend a big chunk of that money? Or maybe not.

Finneran leaving is disappointing but in my opinion understandable. He is going to a Premier League club who will offer bigger money and can potentially have more scope to do what is best for him. People criticised Phillips but Finneran could have ended up in a similar position when ready to play games. Cant be let out on loan but not yet in a position to play week in week out. Going to a big Premier League club means that these players wont be 4th or 5th choice, but that in turn allows their clubs to find loan deals without having the dilemma of needing them as cover. I think some of the vitriol is over the top. I can understand why these young lads opt for bigger clubs and bigger contracts, I think it shows a lack of empathy not to be able to acknowledge it. May work out, may not, but I understand the decision.

Reading that write up in the LT about Gueye, it seems he very much will not be the natural goalscorer we have been crying out for up front. And will need even more when Szmodics goes. Great in the air, not that we have the players to feed him with crosses. Not the quickest and technically not very good.

He shouldnt be too hard to replace but I listed a number of players thay weve had within the last 2 years that have all been noticeably worse. So no, "nearly any warm body" wont be an upgrade in the market we usually shop in.

Of course its driven by finances. 2 of our highest earners bringing in 10m+ to be replaced by players at a fraction of the cost. I have never been Gallagher's biggest fan but the idea that he could be replaced by almost any warm body is clearly untrue. He is a bottom half standard Championship striker. Certainly one that can be improved on but we have had numerous "warm bodies" as strikers in recent years signed/brought through amidst pitiful budgets in Ennis, Telalovic, Vale, Hirst etc that have literally not scored at all.

Aye, instead of Fleck. Totally different type of player, but instead of Fleck.

Weimann is not the player he once was and he is reliant on energy which may well be fading as time catches up on him but he is a useful player to have in the squad because he can pop up with a goal. I dont see why we are pissing around with trials so late in pre season. Just give him a years contract.

I am pleased as a general rule that we at least seemingly will have 2 forwards not as stop gaps but on decent sized contracts. Signing players from abroad naturally is more exciting and is perhaps a wise ploy when the likes of Lyndon Dykes and Sam Gallagher go for similar amounts at this level. That being said, once Szmodics goes there will be huge pressure on these 2 strikers to score goals with decent regularity between them straight away. If neither adapts then our ticket to League 1 awaits. There are question marks over the pair of them. Im guessing we are buying Gueye as our first choice, his goal record in the 3 of the last 4 seasons in the Belgian league is roughly and consistently 1 in 3. Not bad, not amazing and someone else mentioned penalties, good that he can take one but equally his goals per game without them becomes decidedly average. How does the Belgian league compare to the Championship? And he also had a spell in the second Spanish division where he left a lasting impression after scoring 0 goals. He seems a target man, Eustace plays long ball but do we have the crossers to get him into heading positions? Not convinced we do. Ohashi comes with only positive comments on social media from fans in Japan but the big question mark is the standard. Eustace's comments make me thing that he sees him not as his main striker.

Dembele was dropped from the squad towards the end of Birmingham's season so that perhaps suggests that he doesnt have the best attitude either considering you can name 9 subs.

So you havent been excited about a player we have signed before he has kicked a ball for us for 2 years, yet you are picking me up on it. We all judge players on how they play for us, doesnt mean we cant have an opinion beforehand.

Going on loan to France.

I think thats a bit of an outdated/misguided assumption. There are loads of Japanese players playing abroad. The one we are signing hasnt come close to a international call up. There isnt going to be a subsequent flurry of off the field benefits.

I was just clarifying your question as the wording was a bit confusing. I dont really have much of a strong opinion of either Ohashi or Gueye, similar to the likes of Tronstad, Sigurdsson, Telalovic etc. Im just trying to gather an opinion based on what I see. Im neither for or against them at this stage. McFadzean ive always been transparent that I dont want him back. Of the players linked, Hill I would welcome back, only slight grievance is that he isnt left footed but a good player. Baker would be a decent addition if we could. Dembele is very hit and miss. Ruddy again very much a no. On the flip side, when was the last time we signed a player that you wasnt particularly happy with? Are you happy with Gueye and Ohashi or neutral similar to me? Szmodics leaving is the main story at the moment, probably irreplacable.

I cant tell exactly what your question is because of the wording. Is it, when was the last time you were in favour (ie excited) of a signing we made?

He isnt a winger that can cross. He would give us needed speed but comes inside, end product to be kind is hit and miss and he doesnt work hard.