Tony Mowbray

[MarkBRFC]

He's also taking credit for Adam Whartons debut on Big Sams podcast.

[Tomphil2]

He has been honest and told it like it was,, that he wasn't rocking a perfectly comfortable boat floating steadily after he plugged many leaks.

So he's basically confirmed he was under no pressure nor expectation from above to do anything else therefore he was doing his job to the best of his ability. Just the same as he had anywhere else and would've done had he stayed at Sunderland or Brum.

I doubt very much they'd be in the Prem if he stayed there and at the same time Brum would never have gone to league 1 briefly.

He is the ultimate steady Eddie and that comes with both pros and cons.

Some Rovers fans though still can't handle the fact he was happy going nowhere and saw no harm in it for a club like us, even when he goes on a podcast confirming it.

[Admiral Nelsen]

1 hour ago, MarkBRFC said:

No he's absolutely correct on the John McGinn story. 

We had the chance to sign him very early in the window but Mowbray told him he was coming in as back up to what we already had (Smallwood & Evans).

He did end up signing for Villa in that window, in mid August.

We ended up with Reed on loan instead, who was miles better than those pair but as you say spent most of his time out wide.

A very strange manager/character Mowbray, I personally dont particularly like or dislike him, but his constant sniping at the fans when in one of his many death spirals with "not 1995 anymore" ""I'm a development coach" " I dont work on set pieces" "I dont look at league tables" etc always left a bad taste in my mouth.

Also the constant complaining that he was away from home all the time like he was doing us a huge favour, he took the job! Then ended up at Birmingham and West Brom years later that were even further away.

Also encouraging his own staff leaving the club for Sunderland because "they are a huge tank coming past our knackered little car".

People are too gushy over a 3rd division promotion when it comes to Mowbray for me. He did an ok job for around 24-30 months, then massively outstayed his welcome.

 

 

Personally, I thought at the time we were massively thin skinned when it came to that. He's obviously quite an emotional guy in a high-scrutiny job, and he ended up saying a handful of slightly ill-advised things when a microphone was shoved under his face after a loss.

 

Agree that some of his errors were shockers. Bradley Johnson as a 10 sticks in the mind!

[Leonard Venkhater]

10 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

He shouldnt need to "press the owners." 

But they probably wouldnt have given him more money anyway. They havent in any of the Januarys since. Which i am sure you will pin on Mowbray too.

It makes absolutely no sense for him not to want promotion. I have no doubt that he gave his absolute utmost to get results with the players he had. He just came up short.

The initial theory that you said was that he actively told them that he didnt want more money. Which isnt true.

If we fixate on people who pass through, similar to the Travis situation. Our angst goes to the wrong place.

It was TM, himself, who said that he told the owners he didn't want more money. I heard him say it!

[Parsonblue]

56 minutes ago, Leonard Venkhater said:

It was TM, himself, who said that he told the owners he didn't want more money. I heard him say it!

Absolutely right.  He agreed a budget with the owners and gave his word that he wouldn't come back asking for more.  That's one of the reasons I admire the guy.  I know old fashioned principles like keeping your word isn't something you expect in football but I find it an admirable quality.

Like all managers he made mistakes, they all do, but on the whole I think history will record his tenure at Ewood Park kindly.

[Mattyblue]

Sorry, but this is 21st century pro football, not something out of a chivalric medieval fairy tale.

’My word is my bond’, do me a favour, his job was to achieve the very best for Blackburn Rovers not trying to score good guy points with those ‘honourable people’ in Pune… remind me how ‘honourable’ where they with him at the end of his tenure?

[JHRover]

It's been said above but Mowbray is an unusual character / bloke in football.

He's obviously got a lot of good traits. Pretty much everyone loves him for his man management, his 'arm around the shoulder' approach, his way with people. I imagine players, fans, chairmen absolutely love his approach, sitting around a table chatting about his principles and ideals. 

You see it from most of the clubs he's managed - he's very popular with fans and players alike and there must be good reason for that. He's probably great to work with because I don't think he will ever rub people up the wrong way or throw his toys out of the pram. 

He just isn't the sort of bloke for that sort of thing. He most definitely isn't a Warnock or Allardyce sort who would only focus on the team and results, with Mowbray there's an obsession with individuals, development, personalities which I think overrides results and league position. 

The fact he was able to put up with the Venky freak show for over 5 years tells us something about his personality - both good and bad - as opposed to Lambert/Eustace/JDT who couldn't stomach it for more than a few months before fleeing.

The good part is it allowed this club to appear normal for a few years and to plod along as 'stable'. The bad part is that we were never, ever going to get promoted out of this league because he just doesn't and didn't have that burning ruthless desire to do it. These comments show that is still the case. Even when he'd done the hard part and got us into the driving seat for promotion he didn't have what it took to get us over the line. 

[Mattyblue]

You don’t know my ‘standards’ one iota, Parson, so less of that please.

I’m talking about a good bloke but ultimately a very naive one, he took those people at their self-proclaimed ‘humble’ and ‘honourable’ word but they showed by their actions at the end of his reign when he shuffled off none the wiser if he was actually staying or going after five years of very public support to them what ‘standards’ and ‘honour’ they really operate to.

Edited 3 hours ago by Mattyblue

[K-Hod]

29 minutes ago, Parsonblue said:

Absolutely right.  He agreed a budget with the owners and gave his word that he wouldn't come back asking for more.  That's one of the reasons I admire the guy.  I know old fashioned principles like keeping your word isn't something you expect in football but I find it an admirable quality.

Like all managers he made mistakes, they all do, but on the whole I think history will record his tenure at Ewood Park kindly.

It absolutely blows my mind that anyone is praising Mowbray for not taking more money to improve the squad, in attempts to have a better chance of being promoted.

Especially someone who goes everywhere following The Rovers!

[Leonard Venkhater]

24 minutes ago, Parsonblue said:

Absolutely right.  He agreed a budget with the owners and gave his word that he wouldn't come back asking for more.  That's one of the reasons I admire the guy.  I know old fashioned principles like keeping your word isn't something you expect in football but I find it an admirable quality.

Like all managers he made mistakes, they all do, but on the whole I think history will record his tenure at Ewood Park kindly.

No, I meant more than that.

It was another interview altogether, when I heard him say the the owners (humble people etc!) wanted to throw a lot more money at it, but he, himself,  actually blocked this and specifically advised them not to...

I think this new business of TM wrapping it up as "sticking to his principles" is putting an all too fine gloss on something else..e.g. fear, lack of ambition, avoidance of pressure...

Anyway, I don't think Big Sam bought it either...

[oneandycrawford]

18 minutes ago, JHRover said:

It's been said above but Mowbray is an unusual character / bloke in football.

He's obviously got a lot of good traits. Pretty much everyone loves him for his man management, his 'arm around the shoulder' approach, his way with people. I imagine players, fans, chairmen absolutely love his approach, sitting around a table chatting about his principles and ideals. 

You see it from most of the clubs he's managed - he's very popular with fans and players alike and there must be good reason for that. He's probably great to work with because I don't think he will ever rub people up the wrong way or throw his toys out of the pram. 

He just isn't the sort of bloke for that sort of thing. He most definitely isn't a Warnock or Allardyce sort who would only focus on the team and results, with Mowbray there's an obsession with individuals, development, personalities which I think overrides results and league position. 

The fact he was able to put up with the Venky freak show for over 5 years tells us something about his personality - both good and bad - as opposed to Lambert/Eustace/JDT who couldn't stomach it for more than a few months before fleeing.

The good part is it allowed this club to appear normal for a few years and to plod along as 'stable'. The bad part is that we were never, ever going to get promoted out of this league because he just doesn't and didn't have that burning ruthless desire to do it. These comments show that is still the case. Even when he'd done the hard part and got us into the driving seat for promotion he didn't have what it took to get us over the line. 

This is probably a fair view of his time with the club.

As the public face of the club he restored some dignity but ultimately lacked the ambition to push the owners.

Subsequent events with JDT and Eustace suggest he wouldn't have succeeded but it would have been better for his reputation if he had tried.

[JHRover]

Everyone, and particularly those who have enjoyed prolonged lucrative employment under them, have labelled the owners as kind, honorable, proud and caring people. 

I imagine being flown out to India once a year, put up in luxurious accommodation and dined at their palace whilst they say lovely things creates quite the impression to someone used to working in English football.

Actions speak louder than words. Takes nothing to talk a good game about your values and principles, but 15 years of destruction proves that these people are not kind, honest, well meaning, they are appalling people who have dismantled a well functioning proud football club and tarnished its standing in the game. 

No amount of fruit and water on the veranda in Pune changes that.

[Parsonblue]

33 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

You don’t know my ‘standards’ one iota, Parson, so less of that please.

I’m talking about a good bloke but ultimately a very naive one, he took those people at their self-proclaimed ‘humble’ and ‘honourable’ word but they showed by their actions at the end of his reign when he shuffled off none the wiser if he was actually staying or going after five years of very public support to them what ‘standards’ and ‘honour’ they really operate to.

Apologies Matty, I worded that very clumsily and no offence  was intended and please accept my sincere apologies.  

The point I was trying to make is that in the world of cut-throat professional sport I've always found Mowbray's 'old fashioned' ethics to be admirable.  

In terms of the owners he based his opinions of them on actually meeting them.  Which to me, is fair enough.  

Again, apologies for any offence I may have caused and I've removed the post.

Edited 3 hours ago by Parsonblue

[Mattyblue]

Don’t worry about it!

But then there’s the issue with TM, he ends up getting played like a fiddle by very disingenuous people.

[RevidgeBlue]

3 hours ago, DeeCee said:

The not going for the title in League 1 did it for me. Steady pair of hands up to that point but happy with being one of the also rans whilst cultivating a persona that he's a "good football man".

Should have gone as soon as we were promoted.

 

Amen. The end.

[RevidgeBlue]

3 hours ago, KentExile said:

Essentially he was/is in it for the players & staff (people that he knows personally) rather than the club & fans (which almost seem like "abstract ideas" to him)

Spot on.

[RoverCanada]

4 hours ago, MarkBRFC said:

He's also taking credit for Adam Whartons debut on Big Sams podcast.

To be fair, having just listened to the podcast, whoever submitted the question originally gets it wrong that Mowbray gave Wharton his debut.

Now, Mowbray doesn't correct the record after the question is read out to him, but he doesn't say anything himself about giving Wharton his debut or getting him into the squad (scanning back, I think Wharton's first bench appearance was in the FA Cup vs Wigan on 8 Jan 2022, which was under Mowbray...). He actually downplays his role in Wharton's development at the end of his ramble.

He rhapsodises about how good Wharton was in training, hanging onto the ball with Travis snapping at him, etc., and that he was keen to keep including him in senior training, but that he still needed to develop physically.

A slightly interesting tidbit is he mentions he was taking calls from Palace (and maybe one other club?) about Wharton even back then. Of course further highlighting the insanity of Suhail's 'nobody knew how good Wharton was going to be' quote...

Edited 1 hour ago by RoverCanada

[TimmyJimmy]

This is just recycling my earlier words but what the heck I still believe it. TM saved our club.

Just look at the scum bags, miscreants and crooks that had there fingers in our pie. Things had reached the breaking point, the club and support were being skinned alive.  TM stumps up and we turn the corner.

There's lots to disagree with on with his approach to some of our matches so on a purely footballing sense I concede he didn't always make the right calls.

For me he stands out as a human being and the world is short of decent people.

Circumstances present themselves, you make a call, you live by the outcome, it is what it is. As long as you have standards that's all that matters to me.

What would life have be like as a Rovers supporter if say we had had a Joey Barton or a Sam Morsy in charge, both equal footballing talents to TM. Perhaps they would have achieved more but it would have been without me on board.

[Waggy76]

6 minutes ago, TimmyJimmy said:

Just look at the scum bags, miscreants and crooks that had there fingers in our pie.

I would be amazed if most of the above are not still involved .

[RevidgeBlue]

10 minutes ago, TimmyJimmy said:

This is just recycling my earlier words but what the heck I still believe it. TM saved our club.

Just look at the scum bags, miscreants and crooks that had there fingers in our pie. Things had reached the breaking point, the club and support were being skinned alive.  TM stumps up and we turn the corner.

There's lots to disagree with on with his approach to some of our matches so on a purely footballing sense I concede he didn't always make the right calls.

For me he stands out as a human being and the world is short of decent people.

Circumstances present themselves, you make a call, you live by the outcome, it is what it is. As long as you have standards that's all that matters to me.

What would life have be like as a Rovers supporter if say we had had a Joey Barton or a Sam Morsy in charge, both equal footballing talents to TM. Perhaps they would have achieved more but it would have been without me on board.

How does being a "decent human being" equate with not doing the best thing at all times for the Club which was literally his job?

He's a crafty old goat. He's got everyone completely fooled with the "Jumpers for goalposts/Cuddly old Uncle Tony" routine.

[TimmyJimmy]

13 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

How does being a "decent human being" equate with not doing the best thing at all times for the Club which was literally his job?

He's a crafty old goat. He's got everyone completely fooled with the "Jumpers for goalposts/Cuddly old Uncle Tony" routine.

Happy to have a different opinion Rev. Clearly we don't know the guy so we judge him off his public persona. You don't care for him, I do, I'm not interested in persuading anyone, just my opinion, though I do tend to think pretty deeply before saying them out loud. Wouldn't argue with 'crafty old goat' line, quite endearing really.

[roversfan99]

He is clearly a man of principle but in this instance I completely agree that it was a stupid stance to take and one that warrants criticism. 

That being said, it is the way that people have escalated it to ridiculous conclusions. I have no doubt that he did always try his best and actively want to do as well as he could for the club. Its suggestions that he was actively trying to avoid promotion which clearly make absolutely no sense and are a figment of peoples imagination.

[Jimmy612]

2 hours ago, MarkBRFC said:

He's also taking credit for Adam Whartons debut on Big Sams podcast.

Hmmm, he literally said, 'I'm very conscious,  I don't want to take too much credit for Wharton because he was a young boy who was just coming through" and alluded to him being 15/16. 

It was actually the host who said that, part of her question was "You gave Adam Wharton his debut".

Mowbray only spoke about him moving up to train with the seniors when there were odd numbers. 

Anyway, I was very grateful to Mowbray for that first 2 -3 years.  Incredibly (and this gets forgotten about), he only lost 3 in 15 of that relegation season, winning 5 and drawing 7.  Extrapolate that over a season and it's 67 points, one more than we got last season.  Obviously the damage was badly done by the insane appointment of Coyle. 

Immediate bounce promotion was great (okay, we could and should have won the league maybe, whatever), and then we never really looked like being relegated under him. Sad fact is, he just couldn't kick us on to the next level, and in the end, his time was probably up.

Amazing to hear his version of events that he was left completely alone in terms of transfers.  Huge departure to where we are now, and seemingly have been since he left.  Ultimately, he made great signings (Dack, Arma), bad signings (Gally), and probably plenty of mediocre ones. 

I'm probably in the middle with this.  Huge appreciation for his ability to steady what was a really rocky ship, and an acknowledgement of the frustration that he couldn't just get us over the line.  

 

[DE.]

Mowbray did quite fine out of his stance. Lasted at least two years longer than he would have at most clubs considering some of the horrendous death spirals we endured during his tenure. I'm sure he was paid well and by his own admission had no real pressure to achieve anything beyond trundling along in the Championship. No fan pressure either - the bloke had flags with his face on them being waved before every home match! Don't think there's any need to feel sorry for him, he had it good here for far longer than the average manager tenure in this division. 

 

[Exiled_Rover]

34 minutes ago, TimmyJimmy said:

Happy to have a different opinion Rev. Clearly we don't know the guy so we judge him off his public persona. You don't care for him, I do, I'm not interested in persuading anyone, just my opinion, though I do tend to think pretty deeply before saying them out loud. Wouldn't argue with 'crafty old goat' line, quite endearing really.

So you're happy with him publicly running down the club at every opportunity?