Though might we see Ironside sold now Sharp is back?

I can’t see Ironside going because Sharp is not a 90 minute player and only signed for a year. Ironside would be hugely missed, although maybe Miller will be an influence long term on what happens.

There are a good few “unknowns” when you weigh up who we’ve got and how things might develop. It would be good if one or more of the young ex academy players made the grade. I see that Faulkner is likely to go out on loan. I can’t understand why he can’t be given another chance in the first team. What do the club have against him?

You can see Sharp being reasonably happy as impact sub but not Miller or Ironside. One of them is likely to move Id have thought.

I can see the logic, but would you want to lose either of them as manager. I wouldn't.

I can see the logic, but would you want to lose either of them as manager. I wouldn't.

Looks like Miller still isn't fully fit for the start of the season. If GM can keep all three happy then it’s a bonus. First pre season outing tomorrow.

I was concerned about the ability for "furreners" like me to watch games live with iFollow going away and the deal with SkySports. I emailed media and Liam very quickly replied. He says a new streaming service is about to be launched that will be no more expensive than last season's iFollow (with the pound strengthening slightly against the US dollar that might not be true in Dollar terms). He did say SkySports games will not be covered.
I look forward to watching some games as I think the team looks promising. I see the bookies now have us third favorite for auto-promotion.
RTID from the Left Coast.

There are several unknowns still for UK exiles. How sound commentary streaming will be provided is not clear to me, nor are the arrangements for video highlights/full match replays.

We are also trying to assess our pre-season friendly form and like last year we have a relatively settled squad well ahead of most clubs and the results probably reflect the sound base that gives us an advantage.

The Hull side that were “well beaten” in the words of the Hull official site were not simply ”youngsters”, but included a lot of the side which lost 5-1 to Fenerbahce. (No Lo Tutala interestingly though). But even so, we did well last year preseason again perhaps due to early assembly of the squad.

PS - Nice to be reminded of how we would hear “foreigners” pronounced back home. More precisely “Them Americans” were never very popular either in my childhood - not that anyone had ever met any!

I see that Louis Jones is going out on loan to Waterford until December.

What a relief!

I had not seen that about Jones - being evil, I could say "Is it December 2025?"
So is Lawlor to be #1, or the loanee? I hope the latter.
The preseason is encouraging, but we all know it is no indication of the future.

I cannot imagine that the Chelsea man would be coming if there was not an understanding that he will be number 1. He did spend last season as No. 2 at Bromley when you would have thought he would only be there for match experience. It seems unlikely that Chelsea would be content with another season with him in that position.

Not too impressed by the new goalie from the highlights.

I can see what you mean Nookie and those who were at the match had the same worry based on his performance over the entire match.

What I would say in his favour was that he did seem more mobile and active in and around his goal than Jones. Jones was often static and usually seemed to blame others for the goals. In TSL’s case It’s possible too that coming up against top-end Championship opposition could have made him extra nervous.

Whereas Jones never seemed to learn from his mistakes TSL has only just got here and we can be optimistic. Harry Gregg was not so hot in his early days, but he wasn’t one to stand on his line and leave it to the rest of the defence.

I think I’d need to see more of him before I started to worry seriously.

Yes Id agree he's better than Jones. Hope his confidence grows. Lawlor isn't perfect by any means but probably a reasonable alternative. Middleborough's one touch passing and control was impressive. We looked a bit overawed by it but in the end adjusted and completed well.

Based on the highlights, there is a real gap between the Championship and League Two! We seemed somewhat slow in comparison to 'Boro. I also was not too impressed by the new GK, but also as Donaldo, I remember Harry's first few games, and then the performance in the FA Cup away at Bristol Rovers where we saw (at least read about) his skill.
I wonder if Grant already has chosen his starting eleven for the first League game.

Rovers+ video service - Liam told me that the cost would be no more than the last iFollow. Well, last year I paid $181.50 before the VISA international fee at an exchange rate of 1.269 Sterling to US dollar.
So, this year's 180 Sterling at the current rate of 1.28 represent an increase of 28% in US dollar terms.
I've emailed Liam, and we will see if he replies.
At least they are offering a monthly subscription which maybe a better bet with some games blocked, and some too early KO's on the West Coast.
Streaming services are designed go extract as much money as possible from fan. In the USA, where NBC, who has the rights to the Premier League, spread the games across their various channels - over-the-air, USA, Telemundo, Peacock and whatever. To subscribe to all cost too much money for me. I watch over-the-air and Peacock.
I suppose it is understandable when one sees what they pay for the rights, that goes through to the clubs to pay outrageous salaries to many "so-called" greats.
I know we do not want to go back to the days of fixed weekly pay (was it 20 Sterling which lead to the George Eastham (?) strike?)
Money is destroying the game - and good riddance to those who bug-out to Saudi.

Getting Sky TV and other mainstream providers engaged exposes all subscribers to the business of contributing to the PL gravy train.

I've tried to set up an account so I can get the sound commentary etc., but inevitably the IT is not properly tested and so full of bugs that it doesn't work. Rather than accept the standard package the club have gone with a tailor-made alternative and then just accepted what they've been given. So many modern businesses are so naive that you could probably sell them a car with a wheel missing. They are quite content to accept that a "New Computer System" is going to be faulty and will constitute a valid excuse to their customers.

Donaldo,
May be you are more like me than I thought - a modern Luddite!
I hate it when every business assumes you have mobile phone, and look at it all the time! And now, over here in the Colonies, people say you should text them before calling them on an actual telephone number to warn them.
How did we all survive without these devices, and with all the health warnings about everything one can eat and drink, why is anyone alive on Earth?
While I know many advances have been made in medicine and other fields that are for the good of mankind, but I do miss the simpler times.
As someone who spent the first 35 years of my working life associated with the airline industry (never for an airline, but for manufacturers, simulator manufacturers, and financial services companies) I appreciate what has been done so people can travel anywhere at reasonable cost. I started my career in the late 1960s flying from Heathrow to Sydney in coach on a B707 that took about 30 hours on the old "Kangaroo Route". Modern "kids" do not realize how things have changed - at least back then, flights were not as full as they are today.
Hope I have not bored you all to death, or even know why I wrote this!

Micky ,most people our age feels exactly the same. My wife refuses to set up an email address and only uses her phone to send and receive WhatsApp messages to and from the family as it's the only way they communicate these days. No physical banks you can go to and only robots trying to answer simple queries on line. My pet hate is auto checkouts in shops. Latest is it's going to be the only way you can checkout! So more queues behind the person who can't get their phone to pay.
On a more important note. Our assumption that 3 strikers are a crowd is coming to fruition as Miller on his way out.

Blunt statement from Rovers,literally. Rumour of West Ham young midfielder incoming. Patrick Kelly.

Looking forward to Donaldos first preview.

I see Adelukan has yet to find a club. Donaldo was obviously right back on 10 May:
"I am now wondering whether the Adelukan we have seen in these last 3 games is as desirable an asset as we might have imagined 2 or 3 weeks ago."
It seems clubs in higher leagues agree.