Still time, but if we don’t get some decent signings this will be a real failure for the football panel/ committee- it’s been pretty clear all month that OP was likely to go, leaving us short of players but with cash to spend- we should have been planning for that and ready to act when the OP deal was done, not spending ages “working through the list”. Process is all very well but what we need is action of some kind.

0-2 tomorrow and I think i'll probably predict the same scoreline for every home game now unless we get some inbound transfer movement before the window shuts.

What is being forgotten is we already needed a striker before Palmer left. It's common knowledge Robbo wanted another one before the August window shut and Mebude/Pressley weren't replacements for Pigott. So now Palmer has gone we need two decent new strikers ideally. I suspect we're only looking to bring one in though.

I understand that DO, but we didnt really replace Piggott. We were awful with one up top last year, but as soon as we went with Piggott and Palmer results improved. Not just that we started to actually batter teams. Palmer got injured and Piggott struggled up top on his own again. Piggott leaves, Palmer battles alone and now leaves.

That's the other thing. We tend to play one striker but we have eight forwards on the books (admittedly three are on loan but they could be recalled), all of who are under 22.

lol we are literally not going to sign anyone, are we.

bw75 - strikers cost money. Imagine if instead of Palmer we'd had another Cosgrave - could then pick 2 from 4 of Cosgrave, Cosgrave#2, Ablade & Zach Robinson, switch them after 60 mins for other 2.

Could be right there, Sparters. I'm sure Cosgrave has potential but he looked more green than one of those XR nutters who glue their heads to the wall.

It may be that Ablade will start tomorrow if Robbo feels that he has got his match fitness up to a decent enough level now and maybe he can last for 60 - 70 mins. Robbo may have decided to start Cosgrave because his fitness levels were higher having played half a season at Dover.

Anyone else think that Robinson might also be part of the problem in sticking with this rigid one up front.

There are different ways to go long than merely stick it in the mixer. You can knock it in the channel for a pacey player to chase (Ablade seems to have pace but Cosgrave does not), and I would have thought - with our pressing, swift counter-attacking style - pace and ideally some physical presence is the long-term way for us to go than Palmer-style lumps.

I was baffled with Cosgrave's selection when The Blade had been building minutes. An error.

KD, see where you're coming from but none of our non-league 'gems' have any real physicality. I was struck Tuesday night by how we immediately lost possession from pretty much every goal kick and every throw-in. We were particularly clueless with throws, no option to go long. We need more physical strength up front this window, then try to scrape funds together for a longer term replacement in July, if we're still in L1.

“The hardest decision I have had to make in football” – Ollie Palmer opens up on his emotional AFC Wimbledon exit… [Link]

Our lack of fire-power up front is partly due to Robinson's tactic of just playing one striker. If we told two strikers to actually play as a duo, in and around the penalty area, we would be so much more threatening. Instead, as we have seen, Palmer on his own has had to struggle against the attentions of two centre backs, while the opposition right back has been allowed to maraud down the wing unchallenged. So far, our team's second striker has usually been someone like Assal, Ablade or Mebude, all of whom spend most of the game lurking in midfield, out on the wing, or generally foraging for the ball, instead of getting into actual goal scoring positions near the opposition net.

Personally I think Robinson needs an experienced number two in the Terry Burton mould.

KT2 -I'm saying we've got enough non-league 'gems'/noobs and would rather hang on for a quality, established signing than some random lump on a stick.

Yay, beer app!

KD - so if I've understood your post correctly, you'd rather have a better CF sign in July, and see out the season with what we have now - IE no OP replacement (perhaps of lower quality) in the January window. Perhaps we can do both, IDK, but seems unlikely.

I wonder how much bond money is coming from fans now. 6% must look very attractive to outside investors right now, even though 5% of that is risk premium (a 'risk-free', i.e. government, 5 year bond is at around 1%). Good business for the club if it saves secured commercial lending at 10% or more.

Does it matter if we get our 1st or 100th choice, there seems to be a tendency by management to play “one of our own” players anyway.

Would love us to have that gamesmanship Trigs but we are so nice. We've probably already forwarded them our entire game plan.

I’m hoping that the delay in announcing Brown is a cunning plan to keep Shrewsbury guessing.

McCormick and Marsh are top players. The loans have been crap. Lawrence looked good before his injury but the rest meh.

Plough Lane Bond 2 absolutely rocketing again today. Fans delivering again. Time for the club to give the fans something back and deliver 2 good signings. Not too much to ask, i hope.