What will we need when we're in the Championship next season?

[Bruce Rioja]

Yeah, sorry: turfed Rowett.

Be funny as owt if Redknapp takes them down. But probably not worth sacrificing the relegation of either Wigan or Blackburn - and not just for parochial amusement, but potential personnel pinching.

Clayton Donaldson would be a very good 'big lump' for us to nick, I think.

Another guy who was a damp squib in Scotland

So were Andy Walker and John McGinlay! Your point, Sir?

What is yours McGinley never played up here Walker did had a awful second spell at Celtic totally out his depth had to drop down a division to get goals again at Ayr hardly a good recommendation as a guy who cut it in top flight of Scottish football

My point is that damp squibs in Scotland aren't necessarily going to be damp squibs down here. Thought it was quite obvious but hey ho.

[Gonzo the great]

My mate who is spot on with things recommends Preston keeper Maxwell if we couldo get him

[officer_dibble]

Given the current squad for next season consists of 3 senior keepers (plus that young england under 19 lad as well i guess) plus Beevers and Pratley I suspect we wont be signing another keeper!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I'm not even sure what Ally's point is any more. Highlighting how players can have radically different careers either side of the border - shit in Scotland but good in England, shit in England but good in Scotland - seems to somewhat diminish the point of suggesting the players in the first place.

Given the current squad for next season consists of 3 senior keepers (plus that young england under 19 lad as well i guess) plus Beevers and Pratley I suspect we wont be signing another keeper!

It's a few more than that - Vela, Derik, Proctor, Chris Taylor, Conor Wilkinson – but point taken on the goalie-bobs.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Wheater in the BN:

I’ve loved being at Bolton and it would be nice to get promotion and then go on. I think if it happened we could stay in the Championship next season too.

Nice realism there. Not "we could storm the joint", but avoid relegation, stabilise.

[Bruce Rioja]

They've already started of Wheater's statue, look!

[Bijou Bob]

If we're going to play the same system next year, with someone feeding off Madine, we need someone as cover for him or preferably, someone with a better eye for goal. I can't understand why PP brought Long in, given the way he wanted us to play. I'd have thought someone like Grant Holt would have been a better bet.

Whilst in Portugal recently, I watched a B league match and in conversation, I started to wonder just what's happened to the scouting network which used to bring in players from Scandinavia etc and why we're not now looking at places like Portugal, where outside the top 3 clubs, wages are very poor, yet the standards are quite high. The same applies in places like Romania, Bulgaria etc, yet we are now seemingly relying on 'recycled' English players and hoping that the academy might just bring forward one or two. I'd love to see a wider scouting network bring in some real finds, even if we inevitably have to develop them and sell them on at a profit.

In addition, I can't remember the last time we brought in a player from a league below us who was ready for the step up? There must be a few in Leagues one and two who could do a job on wages that are affordable, yet it's not something we don't seem to want to entertain as an option. Next season will be a survival battle I expect and whilst we need experienced hands, there should still be a place or two for new talent.

[Bruce Rioja]

Whilst in Portugal recently, I watched a B league match and in conversation, I started to wonder just what's happened to the scouting network which used to bring in players from Scandinavia etc and why we're not now looking at places like Portugal,

This is exactly the question I was asking when Freedman and then Lennon were bringing in any old shite with no scouting effort made whatsoever, many on very decent Dollar.

[Prufrock]

Tbf, Lennon brought in Casado and that Italian lad, theu weren't exactly roaring successes.

[BWFC_Insane]

Whilst in Portugal recently, I watched a B league match and in conversation, I started to wonder just what's happened to the scouting network which used to bring in players from Scandinavia etc and why we're not now looking at places like Portugal,

This is exactly the question I was asking when Freedman and then Lennon were bringing in any old shite with no scouting effort made whatsoever, many on very decent Dollar.

Think a few reasons. One is we cut back on our scouting. To save money. Another is that there are few markets nowadays that are easy to pluck cheap, hidden undiscovered gems from. The global market is now well plundered.

I guess another issue soon will be that we will need work permits for these players, and in the main won't get them!

[Bruce Rioja]

Think a few reasons. One is we cut back on our scouting. To save money.

The false economy there is utterly staggering. Scouting is an area that we actually needed to prioritise funding for.

[BWFC_Insane]

Think a few reasons. One is we cut back on our scouting. To save money.

The false economy there is utterly staggering. Scouting is an area that we actually needed to prioritise funding for.

Yeah. But we sold off just about everything. They were dark days. If Ken gets us on an even keel then I'm sure we will be investing in scouting.

[bristol_Wanderer3]

I think it is hard to go down the foreign route in L1. The kind of player you can attract might be technically slightly above L1 level, but when the complications of the physical nature of the league, and the foreign player taking time to settle it becomes a real risk. Port Vale went down that route at the start of this season, and it has failed miserably. Next year it maybe an option if we go up, but the Championship nowadays is at the level of the top leagues from other countries, once you take out the top few. Parky has Tim Breacker as his chief scout right? So we do have some scouting network.

[Bruce Rioja]

I don't disagree, BW3. What I'm saying is at the time we withdrew the funding for scouting we weren't in L1. It was vital that we scouted properly, widely and wisely, rather than bringing in the likes of Trotter, Moxey, Garvan and so on.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

In 16 months at the club Lennon signed 14 foreigners: Eidur Gudjohnsen, Filip Twardzik, Rochinha, Saidy Janko, Simeon Slavchev, Matija Boben, Derik Osede, Jon Ceberio, Francesco Pisano, Jose Manuel Casado, Paul Rachubka, Prince-Desire Gouano, Wellington Silva and Luke Brattan. You can't say he didn't cast the net wide. Unfortunately most of what he dragged in was shit. Maybe a decent scouting system would have revealed this.

As for Parkinson, he seems to go mainly (but not exclusively) for players he already knows. That's not a bad thing in the circumstances thus far, and if we went up he would presumably enjoy the opportunity to choose which players might be able to move up a level. But he may need to look around a little more.

[LeverEnd]

Think a few reasons. One is we cut back on our scouting. To save money.

The false economy there is utterly staggering. Scouting is an area that we actually needed to prioritise funding for.

We've got a Scottish one for free on here.

[BWFC_Insane]

Think a few reasons. One is we cut back on our scouting. To save money.

The false economy there is utterly staggering. Scouting is an area that we actually needed to prioritise funding for.

We've got a Scottish one for free on here.

[Worthy4England]

If we get anyone called Wullie, they're going to have to be fcking good. It's like a Rob Hall hairstyle - you just know nothing good is going to come of it.

[bedwetter2]

In 16 months at the club Lennon signed 14 foreigners: Eidur Gudjohnsen, Filip Twardzik, Rochinha, Saidy Janko, Simeon Slavchev, Matija Boben, Derik Osede, Jon Ceberio, Francesco Pisano, Jose Manuel Casado, Paul Rachubka, Prince-Desire Gouano, Wellington Silva and Luke Brattan. You can't say he didn't cast the net wide. Unfortunately most of what he dragged in was shit. Maybe a decent scouting system would have revealed this.

As for Parkinson, he seems to go mainly (but not exclusively) for players he already knows. That's not a bad thing in the circumstances thus far, and if we went up he would presumably enjoy the opportunity to choose which players might be able to move up a level. But he may need to look around a little more.

Really? I didn't realise we actually signed someone with a surname of 'dried birdshit'. That takes some doing. I take it he was insewered against failure in the UK? Or was he just constipated?

[Prufrock]

Some of those are more "foreign" than others!