swfcGibbo

I do wonder if in some ways he's gone backwards or suffering from a lack of confidence? He's hit double figures in both the Championship here (For Cardiff) and the Scottish Premiership. He also managed 8 in our Championship relegation season. You would therefore assume he'd be pretty good at League One level.

We just have to win as many games as possible. That statement sounds ridiculous but we have to try win games where we aren't playing very well. Today was one of them. Solid defensive performance and as i said last season I really really like Palmer in the back three. He's good on the ball and provides a different option at the back. I always saw him as one of the right/left center back/wing back option in the squad this year.

Absolutely my thoughts. I think Sam has done very well from this deal and we've cut out cloth accordingly by releasing him.

Could argue he's been replaced with Michael Ihiekwe who won promotion from this division last season, was in the team of the year and played 49 games across all competitions vs Sam's 31. He's only 29 and not nearly 33 also. I like Hutch but freshening up the squad is healthy. Look at Man City and moving Sterling on. Even the big teams do it.

Closer to his family, league above and a 2 year deal. He's pulled an absolute worldie of a deal out of this.

1: We offered him a contract of which he rejected. 2: Geography seems to have played a big part for him. 3: He missed a ridiculous amount of chances for us. 4; Other teams are allowed to have good players. 5: We have players who can contribute to the 3-5-2 system better. 6: He's literally played two friendlies.

Perfectly summed up Jim

Darren Moore is just the type of bloke you want to see succeed here. Negative at times last season but a genuinely great guy who lives and breathes his work and seems to be proud of managing us. I hope it works out for him as I like having a manager like him.

Why is it either or though? Can we not develop an incredibly young Cadamateri in the Under 23's team and also bring this guy in too? I don't think this would hinder Cadamateri's development at all. He needs a season or so in the Under 23's scoring goals. He's still very very young. If he starts banging them in early doors for the Under 23's and looks ready I can't imagine he would be held back. We've given him a big deal by all accounts.

So you're not allowed to explore both options? It has to be develop our own academy (which this contributes to) and we cannot sign any young players ever released from Premiership teams?

These are the type of players we should be picking up. There's a whole heap who are released from Premiership clubs and they are worth a punt. Developing your own is a little bit of a fallacy because that limits your net to just the Sheffield/surrounding area. He's showed really good potential so is surely worth it as an option maybe as 5th choice striker? We are carrying some real experience up top who he can only benefit from. Scott Twine was released by Southampton's academy before earning his stripes at Swindon. He was arguably the best player in League one this season with MK. Most will be a miss vs a hit but if you can get one or two right then you can make some real money. Swindon got 300k for Twine when he left for MK but also a 20% sell on. I believe Burnley paid over 4 million for him so it's not a bad return given they picked him up from the released list. This is a strategy we need to have going on in the background and couple it with our seasoned pro approach to the first 11.

Having only watched the very limited highlights Reece James looked very quick and direct given he'd only had one training session with the team.

Do you have the link to the article which claims he's the worst trainer at the club? Genuinely curious. Last I heard was he's hugely popular and got a standing ovation when he went back into the changing rooms after the performance he gave against MK Dons while fasting.

It's worth noting that the likes of Storey and Dean were brought in as a result of a massive injury crisis. If we don't have those injuries this year then that wouldn't be required. If we do have injuries then we can do the same again so it's not as clear cut as saying we need to replace Dean (who was injured for a lot of his time here anyhow). The squad will always evolve also. You build a team capable in August however if an absolute blockbuster signing comes available in January or you need a little more to get over the line then you can do that then. I feel like we are more 'solid' than last year we just need a couple of flair players to give us that option should we need it in games.

We are 8 days into July and the Premiership teams haven't even compiled their squads yet. The loan window of opportunity hasn't really come about yet. That's when you tend to get your flair players. Lewis Gibson played 5 games last year and he's been replaced with Akin Famewo who played 40. Reece James is talented player at this level. He offers genuine competition to Johnson where Brown perhaps didn't. Blackpool started him in central midfield last season and he as a result fell down the pecking order. You've got to judge him from where he's played in this league and that was at full back/wing back of which he excelled (under our current manager). I think recruitment so far has been incredibly measured and strategic. Whereas last year we were scrambling around for players we've addressed some of the weaknesses (height and strength against some of the weaker teams). It's also worth noting Fisayo Dele-Bashiru & Dennis Adeniran have another year of experience and hopefully stay fit. To an extent Byers too who we didn't really see properly until the new year. Couple that with a 'hopefully' fully fit Windass and it's looking pretty good for me. Early days but we've built a strong foundation.