Loans.

[Saxo1man41]

You know my views, so I'm not gonna go on about it anymore.

Here's my hope for loan moves.

Gallagher loan to buy..
Chapman loan to buy..
A strong centre back with experience in the champ..
An experienced keeper..

Think I'd be happy with that for this window.

[champs95]

You know my views, so I'm not gonna go on about it anymore.

Here's my hope for loan moves.

Gallagher loan to buy..
Chapman loan to buy..
A strong centre back with experience in the champ..
An experienced keeper..

Think I'd be happy with that for this window.

that's actually what they are after.
They may not get everyone they want, but those are the positions he wants to strengthen.
It's going to be tough Sax, to convince a loan signing to come here and play centre half, as he will be playing behind Mulgrew and Lenihan. Unless either get injured. So that would be a tough ask to bring in real quality, who would be happy to sit and not really play. Which is why we look at guys like Downing, who are surplus elsewhere, are happy to come and bide their time, and not let us down when they do occasionally play. That's where I feel Mowbray earns his crust.

[AucklandRover]

That's right. Players who are of similar ability to your lead choices are going to be reluctant to move, if playing is going to be dependent on injuries or suspensions. Let's face it - Lenihan and Mulgrew are not going to get dropped anytime soon. Personally, I think the same applies to Raya.
Gallagher and Chapman would have much greater prospects of game-time

[robinrover]

I can see the centre back and goalkeeper options scrapped until January now however the Gallagher deal I can see happening,especially with the ings deal
Chapman doubtful
On top of Gallagher I can see a fringe prem winger coming in and possibly a surprise forward coming on loan.

[AucklandRover]

I see we're still looking for four players on loan. I continue to be puzzled by this.
We are not going to get someone creative in central midfield on loan, with the experience and quality of people like Freeman or McGinn. In any case, Rothwell has already shown a lot of promise.
I would love to get Gallagher up-front, but talk now seems to be shifting to Brereton. The problem is, he in no way matches Graham in terms of experience, so would he be a reliable substitute? It would be just a punt, surely.
I'd like an attacking winger too, but Chapman apparently went off with another injury yesterday, so it might be a plunge into the unknown again.
TM keeps saying there needs to be competition for every place, but how many loan-players would be in realistic contention for a first-team spot? Of the current incumbents, which ones look out of form or short of quality? I can't see that many loan-players would even prove a serious threat.
As it is, we have more than adequate stand-ins in virtually every position, except the already-mentioned Graham, Mark II.
No-one has gone, so the extra four players would give us a squad of over 30. It looks like over-kill to me.

[champs95]

I see we're still looking for four players on loan. I continue to be puzzled by this.
We are not going to get someone creative in central midfield on loan, with the experience and quality of people like Freeman or McGinn. In any case, Rothwell has already shown a lot of promise.
I would love to get Gallagher up-front, but talk now seems to be shifting to Brereton. The problem is, he in no way matches Graham in terms of experience, so would he be a reliable substitute? It would be just a punt, surely.
I'd like an attacking winger too, but Chapman apparently went off with another injury yesterday, so it might be a plunge into the unknown again.
TM keeps saying there needs to be competition for every place, but how many loan-players would be in realistic contention for a first-team spot? Of the current incumbents, which ones look out of form or short of quality? I can't see that many loan-players would even prove a serious threat.
As it is, we have more than adequate stand-ins in virtually every position, except the already-mentioned Graham, Mark II.
No-one has gone, so the extra four players would give us a squad of over 30. It looks like over-kill to me.

We definitely need a striker. that's one. Someone like Gallagher.
We definitely need a centre half - I have concerns over Mulgrew. Lenihan could easily end up playing in the Prem this season. He is miles too good for this league. He is probably the best CB in the division. But we desperately need cover. If we get one injury we are already bare.
We need a winger, we don't have one that can start. Someone like Chapman.
We definitely need a back up goalkeeper. If he rated or wanted Leutwiler he'd have played last night.
We are desperate for 4 players to improve.
You are including Gladwin, Hart, Leutwiler in the 30 players that will never ever see a first team place, not even in the 1st round of the league cup.
Palmer signed on loan will play and be a good addition to the side Auks.
As will Rothwell, as will Davenport. All are better bets than what we had already.
Everyone signed so far, will help take us forward. And they will all play.

We don't have anyone in the Under 23's Auks right now, who is better than Palmer. And we could not afford a player like that signed from Chelsea. So we loaned him. I don't really understand why you would want Hart, or Gladwin to play above him? As both are inferior. It would make no sense.
Everyone who helped us go up, will get a chance this season. Some will be good enough, sorry, but some wont. And that's football.

I saw Gladwin play last season. He got a chance, and was lazy and poor. Then he spent the whole season injured. Great!! I saw him play more than once, and he actually got worse.

I have seen palmer play once, and he looks quality. I can tell a decent player when I see one.

[AucklandRover]

Actually, Champs, I am generally happy with the new players. What I'm saying is, who could we get on loan - with the exception of Gallagher - who is going to immediately challenge for a place? If they were THAT good, wouldn't they have been snapped up in the window?
Obviously,there might be one or two exceptions in the loan-to-buy area, but Forest have put a 12M price-tag on Brereton, for heaven's sake! I imagine Maddison wouldn't be MUCH cheaper.
I am not saying Hart and Gladwin are high up the pecking order.I'm saying that it's highly unlikely at this stage of the season that we're going to pick up four players who are in serious contention for a first team place.
I don't even feel the winger is such a priority any more, because we seem to be playing in such a way that the creativity and the attacking threats come through different channels.
Cover for Graham is an obvious exception, because although the Dack-Armstrong-Palmer combination worked well against Carlisle, you do need that hold-up centre-forward in many games.
Can you seriously envisage three loan-players who will be immediately close to the match-day squad?

[champs95]

Actually, Champs, I am generally happy with the new players. What I'm saying is, who could we get on loan - with the exception of Gallagher - who is going to immediately challenge for a place? If they were THAT good, wouldn't they have been snapped up in the window?
Obviously,there might be one or two exceptions in the loan-to-buy area, but Forest have put a 12M price-tag on Brereton, for heaven's sake! I imagine Maddison wouldn't be MUCH cheaper.
I am not saying Hart and Gladwin are high up the pecking order.I'm saying that it's highly unlikely at this stage of the season that we're going to pick up four players who are in serious contention for a first team place.
I don't even feel the winger is such a priority any more, because we seem to be playing in such a way that the creativity and the attacking threats come through different channels.

Then comments coming out of the club was that we where never in for Nmache. It was (wrongly) assumed we where after him. It was another striker they have, who still hasn't go out on loan. By all accounts we are still chasing him.
Cover for Graham is an obvious exception, because although the Dack-Armstrong-Palmer combination worked well against Carlisle, you do need that hold-up centre-forward in many games.
Can you seriously envisage three loan-players who will be immediately close to the match-day squad?

Chapman would be in the squad in he came on loan. Like Palmer.
None of us had heard of Rothwell before, then he signs and looks very very good. And likely to start.
Personally, I trust Mowbray more and more. If he decides something, there will be a reason. It will be for the good of the club, and the 1st 11. I don't want to sound wishy washy, of course not every signing works out. But the loans last season helped get us up.
The loan market is such a useful tool. We used it so well with Armstrong. We don't want to buy someone like Chapman, but we do want to see if he can stay injury free? If so, we'd probably buy him. This way we get another good look. If Boro are willing to let him go.

[AucklandRover]

Fair points, but it still seems to me that it would be odd to get an experienced player on loan who is better than the ones we have already. If he was that good, why would his club be letting him go?
I don't mean PL youngsters, but the kind of Championship-honed players TM has talked about.

[champs95]

Fair points, but it still seems to me that it would be odd to get an experienced player on loan who is better than the ones we have already. If he was that good, why would his club be letting him go?
I don't mean PL youngsters, but the kind of Championship-honed players TM has talked about.

Who is better than Dack in the Champ? Not saying there aren't better players, but who? Looking around I am struggling to see anyone as good.
How did we get him for £750k from a Div1 side?
How did no other manager in football apart from Tony Mowbray see the talent? Not one scout, not one other club.

How did a classy player like Rothwell end up at Rovers on a free? No other club saw that talent? Not one. And we paid nothing.

If you know the answers to these questions, then you are effectively answering your own.

If we got Brereton, he would be a better bet than Hart, Gladwin etc.

How did we end up Armstrong on loan last season? In Div1? He got us up. And using the loan market like that has been a success.

I just don't think there is a clear way of saying yes or no. But you do need to strengthen. And in football, the saying has always been the best time to strengthen is when you are at your strongest.


Its up to us to go and find all these players on a budget. And we have been working very hard for months on a lot of these deals.

Back to Rothwell, not one fan would have said 'go get him' and yet not one fan hasn't been impressed.
Why are we still questioning everything? When its clearly working ......