Tony Mowbray initially coined the phrase “soldiers and artists” during his time at Rovers. Soldiers such as Richie Smallwood do the dirty work so that artists like Bradley Dack can create the moments that win games. It goes hand in hand with the Rovers motto “arte et labore” — skill and hard work. Has the club ever been further away from this?

After defeat at Swansea, Rovers lie 21st in the Championship, with just one win in their last thirteen games. Even the most optimistic of fans struggle to see where the next win could come from. The lack of both soldiers and artists is a telling sign of why the club appears to have fallen so far over the last 12 months.

Rovers do have players who will work hard and run themselves into the ground — Ryan Hedges and Yuki Ohashi, for example. They also have players who are tidy on the ball and can make things happen, with Todd Cantwell being the one who has done so most consistently for Rovers. But the club is missing some key player profiles. 

A Lewis Travis type, a snarling midfielder who “would tackle his gran” and would rather die than lose a challenge. There is also no deadly finisher. Adam Armstrong, Bradley Dack and, to an extent, Ben Brereton Díaz could conjure a goal from anywhere. Sammie Szmodics and Danny Graham had that rare knack of being in the right place at the right time. Andri Guðjohnsen had seven goals in his last eleven games before picking up an injury in the win over Millwall — a very respectable record for a Championship striker. His partner, however, has six goals in 27 games — far from prolific.

Returning to soldiers and artists, this is nothing new. Twenty years ago, Robbie Savage would do all the tackling and fighting in midfield to allow his partner, Tugay, to dictate play and orchestrate the team. Chris Sutton was no stranger to a scrap in order to create opportunities for Alan Shearer as Rovers became champions of England — now very much a distant memory.

Skill, of course, isn’t just about putting the ball in the net. Heading the ball away from an opposition set piece is a skill. Delivering a dangerous attacking set piece is a skill. One-touch passing, shooting on target and winning individual duels are all skills — all things that have been few and far between in recent weeks.

Fans aren’t stupid. They understand that Rovers have a major injury crisis and that there isn’t much Valérien Ismaël can change in terms of personnel. But he is the head coach, and he works with a set-piece coach — allegedly. 

Fans knew in the summer that selling all the experienced Championship players would only hurt the team. They were right. Their replacements haven’t been good enough: not fast enough, not clinical enough, not focused enough and not experienced enough to handle the Championship. The young academy players aren’t ready to be thrown into a relegation battle, but right now Ismaël has no choice — and some of them look better than the more senior players.

Leadership on the pitch is another issue Rovers have created for themselves. Lewis Travis and Dom Hyam were both big characters who would demand more from their teammates. Leading by example is one thing, doing the right things on and off the pitch is another. Søndre Tronstad, for example, goes about his business quietly but is usually a key performer in midfield. 

But it’s the other side of leadership that Rovers are missing — a bit of nastiness, someone who will stand up for their teammates and question the referee, almost forcing him into a decision. Qualities not many would associate with Todd Cantwell or Sean McLoughlin.

Rovers are too nice — too easy to play against. Two years ago, a similar run of poor form led to a final-day showdown at Leicester. Sammie Szmodics scored his 26th and 27th league goals of the season that day to keep Rovers up. 

This current side doesn’t have a player of that quality, but their injured players will hopefully make a difference. Rovers need Andri Guðjohnsen, Ryoya Morishita and Ryan Alebiosu to hit the ground running when they return. Their impact could lift the mood at Ewood and raise their teammates’ levels. The manager has said Rovers will be fine once they return. He needs to be right.