Dan

That seems a bit extreme. The last side to go straight back down after promotion from League One was Wigan in 2023. Ipswich have gone back to back since then and didn't even win League One. I'm not trying to play up the competition here necessarily. I thought last years Championship was diabolical and getting relegated out of it from our position is up there with the worst season a team has ever performed. But that in itself is the point. I can't play others down with ourselves being in this state.

I'd refer you to the bottom half of the Championship, full of teams we couldn't beat with dross like Skipp (and plenty of others) or finish above. I get your point but both of them would probably start for us. Which says a lot really.

Not sure how you've deduced that a player getting praised is moaning.

I think our recruitment in that position from probably 2021 to now has been as badly as a club has ever recruited in that area when you think about it. 2021 - Vestergaard for £15mil 2022 - Faes for £15mil 2023 - Souttar for £15mil 2023 - Coady for £7.5mil 2024 - Okoli for £13mil £65mil on that. My god. How can you get it that wrong

I agree that a loan is pretty pointless but you can put him firmly in the category of players who I think will be spoken of as being too good for this league without any serious credentials. He's been awful for years. I don't think him standing out is a given.

Am I going mad, Skipp is crap, how is he getting praised all of a sudden?

How are these people this wrong about literally everything.

That would be the lucky outcome. The rumours that we have a local businesses interested are encouraging as that makes me think that is probably a fan of the club who might do what Clowes did with Derby if things get really desperate. You would think by pure market force that even if we are promoted he might still be forced to sell, so you are right. He was spot on about our transfer business. It's a tough balancing act because we do need to get promoted but I still think we're playing quite a risky game. I bet Chaplin and Cullen are both on not even bottom half Championship wages. I still think going for 21-25 year olds with a year left on their contract in League One / upper League Two is probably the least risky way we can do this.

Methven was great as always. Says basically everything I can think but with multiple times the knowledge and experience while being very articulate. He was spot on about our signings. They aren't really cutting their cloth. I think this takeover process will last years unfortunately. I think their value is always going to be way higher than reality. It's reflected in what they ask for for players as well. They're still bothered about accounting loopholes rather than cold hard cash when the latter is what they need more now. You can just see a scenario playing out where we're top of the league this season and he reconsiders things. Didn't someone on here post something along these lines the other day - he was thinking about it after the first relegation (correctly) then as soon as we started well he changed his mind again. It's all emotion driven. Like a gambler.

Someone made a great point about Albrighton going to West Brom and how all their fans hated him despite how much he was loved here. He was pretty limited by the end. The Bob and Ayew signings are comparable to that.

Not in their squad tonight.

Not going to pretend I know much about him but I can forgive the thinking more on this. There's a chance he's shit. There's a chance he's miles too good for the league. It's the first signing in ages you feel like there's been an input from scouts. 11 goals last season in about as many nineties? That's a good record.

Thomas moving there is a red flag. I mean it's a friendly, it's not going to kill us but it's revealing the lack of options there. Nelson might be crocked and might leave, Faes will likely leave (hopefully), Souttar will leave. You're left with Okoli who could also leave and Gray who isn't getting on in that situation. We need 2, possibly even 3 centre backs.

Yeah that is not great

Albeit if the injury isn't bad I'd say he's likely to go as well.

I can't even explain how me on FM coded that signing would be.

Thomas at centre half is ridiculous. They've got to do something about that.

Centre half has got to be a priority particularly if Nelson is out. You could make a case for any of them leaving this window.

So bleak hearing the same old names being their same old useless selves. Martin's got to demand severe action this month or he's done at any serious level.

Surprised it was that high tbh.

Imperative we get rid.

Plenty of oppositions will if that's our defence

This is what I'm getting at when I was talking about the competition being almost irrelevant. I saw someone say he'll "tear League One up" based on ****ing what? he's a nothing player like most of the old guard. If Bob Reid starts as our striker this season we will not be promoted, bookmark it.