Competitive Budget?

[champs95]

I'm still sceptical. For the purpose you're suggesting, we might as well have kept Ward. If we're bringing in an experienced player cheaply, mainly as cover, he isn't going to be top-notch, and if it's a youngster with little first-team experience, it's a gamble. At least the club knows what Wharton can do. As for Bauer, I should have thought he would cost about a million. At that price, he'd be expecting a regular place.
Mowbray mentioned having five centre-backs on the park after the Port Vale game. It just doesn't look like a priority to me. Obviously, if Mulgrew and Lenihan both get injured in the first week, I'm wrong, but how far do you go down that risk-assessment route? Logically, that would mean having three players for every position, and a huge squad!

No, I just think centre half is a key position. We need 2 competitive players for each position. Some area's we have players that can fill in. But Centre half in a league like the champ is absolutely key, same with central mid.
If we got this wrong, we would struggle all season. We are light in that area, as the youngsters you mention aren't close to the first team. We do know what Wharton can do, that's why we had him on loan in Div 2. Next stage for him would be Div 1 on loan. Not Rovers first team, he hasn't commanded a place.
We have 3 centre halves who can play, if one got injured we would be in massive trouble. We need another. Either a loan player, or someone cheap with Champ experience, or even return for the lad at Charlton again in Jan. He would have to fight for a place like Bell, regardless of his fee.
Ward wasn't up to it, and not someone TM could trust. Or we would be looking at other area's. There will be a reason that TM sees this as a position that needs some attention. We don't know, either Lenihan or Mulgrew may get used in midfield?

[robinrover]

A bit of a waste of a wage in my opinion
I would rather send Wharton out on loan to a league 1 team with a recall clause if any injuries rather than add to the wage bill on a 31 year old journeyman.

[AucklandRover]

To some extent, it depends on formation, but if Mowbray goes for three at the back, I'd expect Williams to be one of them, anyway, leaving Downing as the spare player. In that set-up, I assume Nyambe and Bell would be used as the wing-backs.
If we do bring in an extra centre-back, like Bauer, it won't be good news for Downing, who has never let us down. On the other hand, if it was McFadzean, he'd surely be behind Downing in the pecking-order.
That would mean Mulgrew, Lenihan, Williams, Downing and McFadzean all available, and - of course - in some matches we might well be using only two centre-backs in a 4-4-2, anyway.
I take Champs' point about injury-emergencies, but if you look at someone like Smallwood, I wouldn't be surprised if he was competent back there too, and we know Nyambe is
As for our youngsters, quite a few of them are into their twenties now (Wharton will be 21 in October); they have to start fulfilling their "promise". For some, it must be getting towards the now-or-never point.

[robinrover]

For Travis,Wharton and Tomlinson I feel they are ready for a role in the squad as for Doyle I feel for him
Hart was bought and ultimately failed when we had a youngster in Doyle who would of at least did as good a job if not better
Sometimes you need to take the chance bringing your own players through is a financial saving and for a team not exactly rolling in it like us
It's a no brainer.