S-Clarke

I don't totally disagree with you, but it would have been daft to advocate against his signing in the summer. The problem with Downes, THB and those sorts were the lack of experienced quality to supplement them. I don't think either are ever going to be top, top level players, so expecting them to carry on 'leading us' like they did in the Champ was a bit daft. I always wanted us to sign another CM alongside Downes, but we still decided to play everything through him. That was probably down to a complete lack of appreciation of the PL from Martin, he totally underestimated it and probably overestimated his mates. I don't think either are bad players, far form it, but they had no support and as we have done quite a few times in recent years - we've thrown the lambs to slaughter.

I don't think anyone is against selling or reshaping the squad, you're absolutely right in that we don't want to experience what we had to ever again. But it comes down to valuations, Downes has a really long contract and is just a year into it. We paid £18m. There's no benefit to us right tow to ship him off for half that, it would be a pretty shocking business decision. We know he's done it at this level, ditto Adam Armstrong, so in my eyes unless the fees are good (i.e. near what we paid for them), then there's absolutely no point in selling them today. It would immediately weaken us at the level we're now at, without the required income from those sales to reinvest and replace. Football has changed so much though since 1976, I mean even in just the last 10 years. The gaps between levels are huge, and the wages players want are beyond most clubs bar the really rich ones. Whilst we're all keen on a rebuild, I think it will probably take a good few years to cycle this squad out in entirety.

No real surprises in that. Lallana will probably announce his retirement in a few days, he may stick around on the coaching team but it may be that we want to clear all ties from last season on that front. I hope the club give KWP a nice piece on the OS now he's left us, deserves it after his service. One of the very few who is able to leave knowing he did a good stint for us. With Lumley and McNamara leaving there is 100% an opening for a first team goalie. If we've learnt, then it should be McCarthy as third choice, Bazunu as second (At a push) and a new first choice (that's assuming Ramsdale does leave, but I'd be surprised if he doesn't)

You can't make a 50% loss on one year though, wouldn't make any sense. I imagine we'd take £15-16m if it was offered today, but £9-10m is just too low. Downes was my biggest disappointment last year, the drop off from him was enormous. I still don't think Martin's team, at the highest level, provided him the best level of protection though. He has too many limitations in his game to be an all rounder in the top flight, but I still think he could be a tidy midfielder at that level if he had the right support around him.

That's really sad to hear, he had a fantastic impact here. It was probably during our most fruitful academy period. Fulham did very, very well with him involved in their academy as well and they developed stack loads of young players. He'll be missed personally, but the ability he had was unmatched really.

He's already re-signed for another season on loan at Goztpe

I don't think anyone can really come to any conclusion yet, we know little about him. I'd suggest that Still has more higher level experience, I know people class the french league as low, but he still has experience of managing against the likes of Mbappe, Veratti, Messi and the likes. He managed against, and with, a much higher calibre of player than Martin ever has in my opinion. Rohl was probably my pick because of his experience at the level we're at, and also his experience at high profile clubs, but he was obviously umming and erring and we didn't really have time to piss around. Leicester don't have time either, but they seemingly are pissing around as they've still got a manager in place that they want to sack. Martin got lucky with promotion last time, we were no more than a playoff team under him which is pretty naff given the ability we had at this level - when compared to Ipswich. So, I wouldn't say that if he was in charge of us we'd be in a much stronger place. We'd probably get rid of him mid-season after we sit level with Swansea and 30 goals conceded mid-season. I'm intrigued to see what Still can bring. We'll know the answer this time next year I guess, but I don't think we should ever look back on regret hoping that we'd kept Martin.

FYI Rangers. We have some cracking players available at knockdown prices. Come and get yourselves the ultimate crab midfielder, ideal for propaganda football - Will Smallbone, available at a cut price. Also, come and get yourselves an outfield player who plays in goal, absolutely ideal for your new direction. Gavin Bazunu is available for free and last but not least, don't forget to pickup Russell Martins boyfriend, the ultimate ball playing centre back who can play up front, in goal, at left back or RB - basically anywhere on the pitch. Jack Stephens is yours for a snip. And because we like Rangers, we are even prepared to throw in our dynamic, attacking winger Ryan Fraser into the mix for free. He won't spend more time stirring in the background than on the pitch, honest.

But this is focusing on the financial side and the upside this brings (Which is a genuine point, granted), but in my eyes it feels really sad that this is the priority. I just want the team I watch today to be competitive and with a potential to grow and we are so, so, so far away form having that. Buying and loaning players to Gozepe is doing nothing other than reducing our transfer bucket and leaving us no better off 'today'. The priority should be us, not finding players for Gozepe.

I don't think there are any real footballing benefits to a multi club model for clubs like us. I can see Gozepe having a different view, because they can benifit from squad players from ourselves who will be starters for them. It doesn't really work the same the other way as the levels are skewed quality wise, ditto with the French third league. In our position I can only really see this benefiting the lesser clubs and also the ownership group financially, from a football point of view this does fuck all for us and being part of a group is pretty irrelevant I have to say.

He was poorly used by Martin, he should have been a standout in the Championship - and he would have been if he was allowed. He's a maverick type of player, he does things off the cuff so you need to give him freedom - but Martin hated that, he wasn't rigid enough for his propoganda backwards passing, so he was never really given a true opportunity. In many ways it's why players like Brooks even struggled with us, such a talented technical player, but another one who does things off the cuff and needs to be allowed freedom. Martin even managed to mute the game out of him, he's looked good for Bournemouth this season in the league above. Very similar story of Charles too in that Championship season, two very good players who have proven since that they are very good players, just used terribly by a manager who's idea of squad management was entirely skewed.

He's proven his ability over there, so I'm not surprised there will be interested people. He's not a bad coach as he has proven pedigree, but what he inherited here was just impossible to do anything with. He probably knew it on day 2 to be honest and I imagine very quickly regretted his decision. It was an odd club swing as well to go from one style extreme to the other mid-season. The squad was built for Martin's propoganda-ball so no one else stood a chance to be honest, his best chance was us spending in January but we didn't do anything so it was a lost cause. I don't have bad feeling towards him, it was just a really weird appointment which was subsequently not even backed with the appropriate players.

He'll have a lot of possession up there for sure. I don't think he'll need to worry too much about defending as the level is so bad, so in theory he should do well. It may be a bit propoganda-ish at times and will probably bore the living daylights out of the Rangers fans. If he doesn't do well though and flops up there than that's that for his philosophy.

He certainly was as bad as people make him out to be, he's terrible. We don't need stats to tell us what we can see with our own eyes though, and we all saw how bad he was in plain sight, however the stats do allow us to rubber stamp our opinions and stick a cherry on top if anyone doubted their own judgements. He cannot be trusted as a competent GK.

If I was advising him, I'd tell him that a good season as a key player in a Championship side would benefit you much more than heading to Spurs and Utd and being part of a dysfunctional mess, and on the bench. Obviously money comes into it, but at his age he should be worrying about his development and playing games in a winning side at Championship level will do a lot more for his development than sitting on the bench at Spurs. Otherwise he'll end up as a Jack Clarke or Patrick Roberts type player - snared at a young age for big bucks, but actually has to go back to the Championship to earn his trade anyway - years later than would have been the case had they stuck at Leeds and Fulham respectively. Hopefully he has his head screwed on.

With this fella, and Sanda in the U21's, we have a couple of absolute physical beasts of CB's. It'll be interesting to see how they develop over the coming years in the rest of their game, if we get a chance to enjoy them that is. Something I hoped ABK would bring us was pace and power when he signed, and at the start he kind of did, but that didn't really equate to anything further. There's a hell of a lot more to defending than just being quick and powerful, but they are two pretty unique ticks to have in the box as a CB for sure. From what I've read this fella seems like he's more in line with the first team than Sanda, but we'll see how both go. Definitely a sign that our first signing is quick and powerful.

As much as we rightfully bash SR and their scouting, we do have to acknowledge the gem they've pulled out of nowhere here.

I know people are suggesting he could be a super sub, but in much the way as Ings was - he's not that sort. He needs games and runs of goals to get into form, if he's in and out of the team and off the bench it never seems to work for him. So if he sticks around, he'll be a starter if we're going to maximise the best we can for him. I do have a feeling that he's for sale at the right price though.

Could Fernandes be this years KWP? A player with absolutely no place in the Championship, but stuck around and was predictably ridiculous at that level. I'll continue to expect him to leave though, just so my expectations are in check!

The only extensions I can see out of that lot are Dibling (the automatic 1 year clause) and Charles. The rest will either go this summer, or leave in the next 6-12 months. If the club offer an extension to Sulemana they are nuts. This is their last summer to get a 'decent' fee for him, take £5-10m and run. Never going to make their money back so they should stop hoping.

You know that this will drag on and on and on and on. It was said on promotion they were going to get screwed over points wise, then that was all cleared. You'll probably hear nothing more of it and they'll still be able to buy. PSR is just nonsense and I don't think it's worth adhering to really, not to the level we do anyway. It's so easy to wiggle out of.

I don't get it, I can't work it out in my head - why are there still people who think Bazunu is fine? I include coaches and managers in that too. He's not a capable goalkeeper, you only have to look at his physical attributes to come to that conclusion. He cannot do the role, it won't change. I don't know why he was ever changed to a GK. If the club continue putting their eggs in the Bazunu basket in the summer and next season, then I give up. Either Will Still is as moronic as the rest, or he's being dictated like a puppet by Rasmus. I hope neither come true. The GK decision will be the one that demonstrates if the club are getting back to grips with things, or are still utterly rudderless with no real idea.

Not a great wum attempt to be fair, 1/0.

We've had a season of friendlies, so it'll be interesting to see who we line up. They need to be competitive really in relation to the level we're at. I see very little point in glamorous home friendlies against European teams, which we lose, as that doesn't reset the culture as we've just spent an entire year losing games. Huddersfield/Bolton/Reading/Totton/Eastleigh - those sorts. Strong enough to give us a game, but 'easy' enough for us to try and win to get that feeling back.

That was probably Liverpool at home a few years ago tbf. He at least had a finishing touch that day. I don't see anything in him and I don't think the club can keep him around, it's not going to work out. Much the same as Moussa, we can't continue to flog a dead horse just because he can run.