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Read my post again: I clearly referred to transfer fees only (not signing-on fees etc) and in the calendar year (2023), as that is when Semenyo and Scott were sold. @Fubermade the point originally, so you might want to check where he got his figures, but by my reckoning he ain’t far wrong — Mehmeti (£1m), Cornick (£300k), McCrorie (£2m), Dickie (£600k), Roberts (free), Knight (£2m) — so an estimated total £5.9m. Whether it’s £5m or £6m spent is neither here nor there; my point was it’s still bugger all of the transfer fees we’ve received this year and more funds (either wages or transfer fees) should be available after Scott’s sale IMO.

You and I both. I can smell the bullshit now: “Lee has a proven track record of managing in Europe…” ignoring the context he also lost to an Andorran minnow! ?

It’s pretty clear we are recruiting players who a) have potential and we can develop to sell on for a profit, and b) will fit into our strict wage structure. That limits who we can realistically target and clips the wings of the recruitment team IMO. Generally, we’ve done that pretty well. As someone else said, Nige has generated £35m in transfer fees in 2023 and spent about £5m so I’m not sure that’s a fair stick to bash the recruitment team with. But I share the frustrations that we should be aiming higher, and that’s down to SL loosening the purse strings.

True, but that still doesn’t come close to the £35m net profit we’ve taken this calendar year and yet we’ve reinvested a small fraction of that, compared to Brum.

Nail on the head. That’s the depressing reality of the situation under SL. Push the boat out under a rookie, get an experienced manager to steady the ship only to sell our best players and not replace them with any proven quality. It beggars belief IMO. If we have a strict wage structure - fine. But surely that £25m from Scott might allow us to raise that ceiling without being stupid or repeating the mistakes of LJ/Ashton? It seems to me that SL doesn’t want to spend, and we have to spend to replace quality players.

And that rang out very true. As predicted, Bell didn’t do enough for me again, I was disappointed in Mehmeti, and I’m struggling to see what Cornick offers beyond a long throw. Birmingham look a good side, though, and I expect them to be there or thereabouts this season. They’ve got rid of 13 players for £5.5m and replaced them with nine new signings for £4.7m. While our season won’t be defined on today, we need to sign proven quality at this level before the window shuts IMO.

I don’t doubt that we will try to win; I simply think their XI looks stronger than our XI - and that’s why I’d take a point. Hopefully I’m wrong.

It might sound negative, but I always try to be a realist and I agree - I’d settle for a point right now. Anything else is a bonus IMO.

Seen the starting XI and I think we might be in for a tough afternoon. I rate Brum’s FBs - Laird and Buchanan - Beilik and Sunjic are decent at this level, I like Dembele and Hogan had a great record against us. Their Achilles heel is at CB, IMO, and I guess that’s why Bell and Mehmeti start as they have pace to get in behind. But if Mehmeti’s on the left and Cornick’s on the right, I don’t think Bell’s all-round game is suitable to play through the middle. That said, go get them, boys. First big test for us today IMO.

Watch him score a screamer against us, I’ll put money on that

Thanks for sharing that. He’s bang on the money IMO, although I can’t help but think it would be bloody typical of SL to rip it all up at the end of the season destroying all the hard work.

There’s nothing crude or reductive about that IMO. Take the examples you gave: 1) Brentford stuck a trading model and abandoned the academy - that shows clear and consistent direction; 2) Brighton spent £93m on the Amex, Cat.1 academy, and player trading - they too have had a sustained, clear vision and stuck to it. Success in both cases is down to their visionary owners. Tell me, what happened to our five pillars? SL’s prudent, reactive, and risk-averse IMO and that’s the main reason why we lag behind the Brentfords and Brightons of this era.

Thanks, MM. I didn’t know that, but they certainly were good mates not so long ago. Regardless of that, my point was more that nothing is down to luck with those two individuals. Unlike SL who’s gripped by inertia, they’re go-getters.

Be kind to yourself, @Porto Red. No matter how bad things might be right now, tomorrow will be a better day. Here if you need a chat.

Tony Bloom is also good mates with Matt Benham, the Brentford owner, who I think learnt his trade at Bloom’s professional betting company, StarLizard. Both are incredibly smart individuals and can spot opportunities in the market before most algorithms do. In fact, I think they were even involved with creating the gambling algorithms. Unlike SL, their risks are never hopeful punts and in a nutshell that’s why it’s paid off for them and not us IMO.

Would not surprise me if he’s sold before 1 September. He’s had an excellent start to the season, has interest from Brentford, Luton and Rangers according to Piercy, and has 12 months left. If he doesn’t renew soon, surely we will look to cash in “to protect our asset”? I was one of his biggest critics but am more than happy to be proved wrong and think he deserves a new deal to put him in with the higher earners in the squad, especially if he keeps these performances up. Well done, Zak.

Love it, Matty boy! ?

He was harshly dropped IMO. I’d have started him and Mehmeti today.

So, we’ll continue to develop and then sell players to build a nest egg to compete with the clubs with parachute payments. No mention of reinvesting any of that £25m from Scott’s sale.

More in the mould of Jack Clarke, not that we could get him. Along with a keeper, an enforcer, and a No.9.

Let’s hope you’re right. I don’t think Nige is a liar, so when he said he’s not sure what money - if any - he’ll get from this sale, I doubt we have any form of contingency plan in place unless it was signing Knight and hoping Benarous returns to the level he was at when he got injured first time.

Exactly this, especially as Nige was toeing the line “it’s £25m minimum”. He seems pretty pissed off that Scott’s being sold for less than that, and I don’t blame him. His sale make sense for the finances, but weakens the squad and now we’ve got three weeks to find at least one replacement. I don’t see how his sale strengthens us if we now have to panic buy.

We definitely need at least one midfielder, ideally a No.10 who can play wide ride as well, and another keeper IMO.

I expect Roberts to start at Millwall. Nige often says players have to take their chances when they come and Roberts did that last night. Plus, Pring was poor v Preston IMO.

They probably will be OK this season, but I don’t see Bournemouth developing him into a £50m player. Wrong club for him IMO.