[Slick_Footwork]

Would any other managers do differently?  

That is a difficult question to answer as we do not really know what other players in the squad could have done if they had been given the opportunity.

Certainly Gamboa looks like a great "potentially" right winger who could follow his adversary back and do the business.  SP looks an all out and out LB, but when he gets blamed for tackles that can easily be put down to eagerness and ring rust, who knows?  Chester one of the top CB in the country sold for a small profit when we are desperate for long term CB's.  Evans a superb CB played at LB, etc. etc. etc.  Yes there are a multitude of way things could be different with our current squad,  I'll give you Lambert :-)

How many signings are you going to allow this guy before it becomes apparent that it does not matter who he has, give him Messi, Bale and Renaldo and we will have three new defenders who will "try hard to get forward" and "the team will have played well and could have expected more from the game.

As for Middlesborough getting their business done early:  That is what you are supposed to do as an established Premiership club (which the Boro are not yet).  Have your targets identified and as soon as, if not before, then dive in on the opening day of the window and sort your targets.  Not be left with three days to go and need 5 players!!!!!!

Love Slick not a rant at you bud, just a general one.  

I appreciate many of your points and even agree with some of them, but I don't think TP is necessarily to blame for everything.

For example, I don't think TP plays Evans at left back by choice, but rather because he doesn't feel anyone else can do the job there. When Brunt was fit, he was preferred in that role. In January we tried to sign Taylor from Swansea and previously Olsson from Norwich. This summer we have put in several bids for Schlupp. Today Galloway was preferred and we looked more balanced. I agree Evans is wasted at left back though and why we didn't sign someone for this role previously is beyond me, but I definitely don't think TP see's Evans as a left back.

Poco and Gamboa are the question marks...

Both were signed by previous regimes and Gamboa wasn't even used by Irvine, being kept out by Andre Wisdom. I thought Gamboa was decent at wing back in the world cup, but having watched the Copa America this summer (where he played right back in a back 4) he looked shabby defensively and looked a little overweight. Although, to be fair to the lad, I don't think he's done anything wrong when given the chance.

Poco did okay during the Irvine era, but did look reckless. When given the chance in the cup last year though, he was at fault for goals and I don't think TP trusts him to do a job defensively. Regardless of if this is right or wrong, TP has been at the club for almost 2 years now and we haven't been able to sign a left back despite Poco clearly never being in favour. While TP could be at fault for this, a lot of fault also has to be placed on the regime.

As for Chester, I'm probably in a minority here, but I'm glad he moved on because I wasn't sure of his suitability to play centre back in a back 4. At Hull he was in a back 3 and likewise when playing for Wales in the summer. I think this suits him because he reads the games well and picks up the pieces, but I just don't think he's dominant enough to be a Premier League centre back. However, I do blame TP for signing him in the first place to play at full back, which was a big gamble.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of Pulis or his style of play. If I'm honest, I wanted him only on the short term to keep us up in 14-15. Then I thought the club should rebuild that summer.

But the rebuild never came and over a year later, we're still reliant on much of the same old guard...

However, I think we have to be balanced and realise that he hasn't been backed, particularly this summer. IMO the board has to take a large chunk of the blame and the running of the club has been a shambles for the last 3-4 years.

If TP gets the 4-5 players he wants and we continue to play garbage, square pegs in round holes football, then I appreciate he should go.

But given the squad we have at the moment, I seriously doubt anyone could do much more. I actually worry we'd be worse, given that TP's best attribute is organising poor players. I think our squad now is probably worse than what he inherited, given that most of our best players are well into their 30's.

Down to the board now to get some decent, Premier Class bodies in... Then I think we can really judge TP.