Thought we gave a good performance today. Pretty even 1st half really, all that separated the teams was a couple of decent Walton saves & a dodgy goal, though we were a bit toothless ourselves. Second half it looked like we could get steamrollered, but after a dodgy 10-15 mins the subs changed the game & from then we should've won. So it feels like a defeat, not just due to the missed chances but the missed opportunities v Wigan & especially Barnsley. There's been a lot said about TM not wanting promotion a d / or not caring, but there's been plenty of evidence these last 2 games that's not the case (not that it should be needed). There is clear progress from last season to this. We're a better footballing side, more fluent, less reliant on one individual. There's work to do, but it's reasonable to think we can get another 5 or 6 points from the last 3 games. If we do, that's a 10% improvement on last season, and that's without Dack for half of it. Same level of improvement again next season & were into the 70s. Yes theres work to do, holes to fill & a bit of balance to find. But I recall at the start of this season many predicting a relegation scrap and we've never been anywhere near it. A few tweaks here & there, reduce individual errors & improve our points tally from winning positions by 20% and well be thereabouts next season. This season was not playoffs or bust for Rovers. TM should be allowed further time to mould the squad, hopefully we keep our main men Lenihan, Travis, Arma & Dack.

Have been feeling somewhat down since the final whistle but my grandson has just been to see me and said he was feeling upset as well. When I pointed out that play offs are all but out of reach and Pope the Burnley keeper might win the golden glove, he agreed. After a moments silence he then said does that mean they will need to make a special glove with six fingers? Now that cheered me up so I thought I would share it with you.

You'd enjoy it more if you could hear these West Brom commentators whinging. ?

His eggs must be like rubber every morning. Never seen a gaffer overcook things so often.

Has anyone said to put him into the starting 11? Genuine question as if so I have missed it and of course would disagree. Or just to consider having him within the squad following successful loan spells and in tbe absence of any other competent back up.

As we ended in 15th last season, it's quite literally progress.

Last sentence is only there to wind people up, Chaddy and you know it. We are 12th, i don't think that's progress. Proper little wind up merchant you are..

We didn’t lose it here with davenport we lost it at Wigan and Barnsley. This was a big chance to get out. Could be worse I suppose. Fuck it let’s get drunk.

You'd have taken four points from Cardiff and West Brom all day long. Makes the failures to show up against Wigan, Barnsley and Leeds all the more inexcusable.

It's not uncommon for TM to keep the side unchanged when the pressure builds and he reverts to a better team with less square pegs in round holes. He did it earlier in the season as well. I'm sure we had an unchanged side for 4 or 5 games around Nov/Dec time.

Don't think you can overestimate the impact of Dack's absence either. Someone said before, "Oh, everyone's had injuries". How many other sides had their best player out for half a season?

If they’d gone tits up would it be unlucky or would it be a mistake? Cant believe after the improved season we’ve had that some of you are still adamant that we say “hit me” on 17. Why is everything so binary? Mowbray in or out? Get some balance lads. Sometimes we are shite. Sometimes we aren’t. It’s the Championship. After the last few years it’s batshit that some of you still don’t want to “stick”. PS Mowbray would’ve had that Bowyer team promoted as champions. And you know it.

Yes, you're right. Instead we should sack our most stable, successful manage since Big Sam because of course "wE'eL eAsiLy fInD sOmEoNe BeTTeR". Hm, I seem to remember a parallel roughly 10 years ago, when similar posters were calling for Sam's head. How did that turn out?

The most important thing about today I think is the result - along with Cardiff - have cemented Mowbray in the job. We lost three on the spin before cardiff and if we had gone on to lose the last two games as well Mowbray could have been potted. However 2 good results and there is no doubt he will be here for next season. So question is how do we kick on? We've got to find 5 quality first team players minimum. Principally a goal keeper, a centre back, a left back, a left winger, a striker who actually scores goals. We need to sell Brereton and figure out what to do with Gallagher. We also need to balance the squad out with much better cover. We have 4 number 10s (Dack, Holtby, Rothwell, Buckley) and 5 holding players (Travis, Evans, Johnson, Davenport, Smallwood) in the squad but only 3 centrebacks (2 if you exclude Tosin on loan) and one left and one right back. Which is absolutely crackers. We can't go into next season with wingers playing at full back and strikers on the wing. Big big decisions required.

IMO, Mowbray sells bullsh1t and mediocrity and, sadly, some buy it! Progress - our squad is unbalanced, threadbare and with the exception of 3 or 4 players, badly short on quality. At best, IMO, we will only finish marginally ahead of where we were last season. If you think that's progress..................................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As for injuries to key players - all part and parcel of the game. All teams suffer injuries. That's why you have a squad of players. If Mowbray hadn't spunked almost £20million (including wages) up the wall on two, IMO, diabolical strikers, there would have been more resource to have a stronger squad with more quality in depth to cover for injuries. In my book, we are treading water at best and I think we will be in for a rude awakening next season when, IMO, Mowbray's very, very poor player trading record will catch up with us and really bite us on the arse.

Dack basically saying Armstrong is a number 9. Shame he plays for a manager who doesn’t believe in them!

Not this again. She's going out with a professional footballer. Moving around the country between clubs is part of the lifestyle. If he's not prepared to do that then his career isn't going to go very far. We are a few hours drive away, with Manchester and Cheshire on the doorstep, not Eastern Ukraine or Siberia. The reason we didn't get him back was because we tried doing it on the cheap.again, waiting until the 11th hour hoping Southampton would agree to send him here on loan with heavily subsidised wages just so he could have regular football. Then we were priced out by Fulham, which probably didn't take much doing. If we had been serious about bringing him back we would have sent the Gallagher cheque to Southampton but for Reed instead. They would have accepted it and then Reed would have had a decision to make. Float around various loans for the next few years or put down some roots and play every week. You reckon if Everton or City had offered him a deal he would have turned it down because his girlfriend didn't fancy living in those areas?

Hopefully we'll send Gallagher & Brereton ?

It's not the worst thing in the world to keep Mowbray, he's got some plus points. But if we had a decent amount to invest you would look for someone better. The squad is all over the place and we wasted a huge amount of money on Gallagher and Brereton. He's signed some good quality - Armstrong and Dack principally - but his recruitment on the whole hasn't been of the standard to get promotion, and he's been lucky to get a few top players through the academy to help cover some major holes. That said I think we are weeing with the willy we have so we have to hope Tony learns a few lessons and make a better fist of whatever budget is provided next time. If he signs another wide striker, holding midfielder or number 10 I might weep but won't be surprised

TM is accorded the benefit of the wider context of if we get rid his replacement would likely be worse. It's an argument I have a lot of time for given we recruit from a second rate agency. However the wider context should also be applied to how quickly we need promotion and the odds of a slow build happening being slim indeed. Dack, Armstrong, Lenihen all will be gone in the next year or two - it's the nature of football and a pattern under Vs. So a slow build isn't really that viable, and I feel we stand on the edge of another shut down resources and bust cycle. With this in mind IF we can keep the squad together next year it very much must be last chance saloon. As it is, I fear we are already drinking in it. The squad needs a fair number replacing with loans and aging stars and there's never been a more open championship where an ounce more consistency or quality and we would be a few points better off and comfortably in playoffs. Which brings us on to today's game. Another one that shows the skills and flaws of TM's Rovers in equal measure. A point against a very good standard of opposition is not to be sniffed at and shows we are a decent to good side. However we perhaps could and should have won, which would have put us solidly back in the race, but once again failed to do so. We really are a close but no cigar (wherever that phrase comes from) type of team. We clearly are nearly men and won't actually break top 6, but equally and frustratingly we aren't far away. We perhaps could and should have won today and have been in that place before. It being tantalisingly just out of reach, being just not quite good enough is what gets us so frustrated. In a way I see a lot of parallels with Bowyer. The team isn't as good but we get more bang for our bucks out of this lot. If TM was just a bit cannier at signing players maybe we'd be edging it. As it is we're nearly men and I feel we are on the edge of another bust cycle. Could coronavirus be our rescue, with a lack of buying power for clubs keeping the squad together, giving TM another chance at promotion. Perhaps. Certainly bar Tosin - admittedly a huge miss - the replacements would struggle to be worse than what we have. That said TMs record in the transfer market has not been good so it's an anxious time. I guess my theory is we will see another Bowyer cycle through, then get through a few more of our agency's rejects. Hopefully we will get another Bowyer cycle through and third time lucky - this one has the nous to get us over the finish line. That we've come kinda close with the loons in charge, a substandard structure and imo mediocre management, means it is possible. It's the hope that kills you.

Well we’ll have to see about that. Unlike seemingly everyone I really am able to change my opinion on available evidence. Thought TM was a goner this time last year when we lost a billion games on the bounce, for example. But this season, for me, we’ve been better in every department. Of course there’s things I disagree with the managers decisions/recruitment/selections but that’s football innit. Thought it was a good game today and I reckon I’m not alone in wanting to find a place to have a balanced discussion about who played well, about what happened in the game, what I think about a certain player, decision etc. It’s just constant “Mowbray X,Y,Z is shit” on here. -edit- Bit razor tongued

Palace interested in Gally? I'd be surprised but fingers crossed.

Given that he's had a lot of stick this season, it's nice to say that he was excellent when he came on today. Pace, power and end product. Set up our goal and also set up the one on one for Davenport.

Quite easily all things considered.

Better players would be a start but we also need to bring in some aggressive lads who won't accept mediocrity. Until we have a few of those dotted around the team we're destined to be nearly-rans. Too many nice lads in the team at the moment who wouldn't say boo to a goose.

Hardest fought for & won point of the year. Scrappy, determined play. No complaints from me.

The subs came on and did a job. We could have even won the game if Davenport has put that 1-on-1 away. The last 30 mins was ours. Good to see the team at least trying to get something out of the game. West Brom probably was alittle complacent here, we take the point and move on. Special mention to Gallagher, came on and made a difference. Should have 2 assists if Davenport slotted that home.

Cant fault the lads on that one, gave it their all, it just wasn't to be.

What sort of conduct is that from Billic?

The late break by Rovers showed up Samuel, not a clue what to do, scuffs his shot and gets a lucky corner

He's such a good player, he can play all over the park. Elliot is a proponent of the Dutch 'total football' model.

Pay offs!

Good luck Dunny!

Only watched the second half but he's been bloody brilliant, so committed and giving it everything. If only the Gallagher money had been spent on him instead, Reed and Travis in the middle would be great to watch every week.

We will see quite how much (if any, although the chance of 0 points id like to think is minimal) progress has been made at the end of the next 3 games. You mentioned that in your opinion that weve been better in every department. We have reached the points total of 60 that we achieved last season with 3 games to go. Last season you think back to Mulgrew creaking at CB, Smallwood a regular. And we will beat it by 0-9 points. Of course in addition to this, some of those improvements have been built on quick sand. Adarabioyo goes back, we have no senior keepers, Downings future is in the balance etc. The lack of our best player for half a season is an unquestionable blow. But how much sympathy is lost when the manager has had 12 million to spend on 2 strikers who have not even covered part of the deficit of goals that we have lost? Im really in between at the moment, swaying in my opinion. I acknowledge that a small progression will have been made this season in terms of a points haul. Weve never broken that top 6 barrier even for a few hours, and the idea of a slow build as others have pointed out is flawed. There are a number of tactical issues and curiosities that worry me, strikers on the wing, false 9s, and im just unsure about how we are going to set up going forward.

Saying he’s the most successful manager since Big Sam is like saying he’s the tallest midget in the room. I seem to remember a parallel roughly five years ago, when similar posters wanted to stick with a “stable” manager. How did that turn out?

Mad second half. Could’ve won it. WBA are a great side for this level and although we rode our luck at times, savvy changes and no little grit meant we were worth the point. Literally anyone else in the midfield/forward positions other than Davenport has that chance then we are talking about a masterclass smash and grab. Feel for the lad tbh. Feel at odds to a lot on here that can’t see how improved we are, and how we are close to being a very good side. Gallagher had a good impact off the bench, and Rothwell is doing that thing he did last year where I thought we had a secret weapon that on his day could be one of the best players in the league. Stop frustrating us Joe! Travis yet again makes me want to be female so I can bear his children, Downing looked weary and off it a bit, and I hope it wasn’t tactical to take RyNy off for Bennett because once again he was frighteningly dogger at RB. Good result, entertaining game. Have a good night chaps!

???. Palace interested in Gally. You post some guff but that takes the biscuit pal.

Talk about big games how’s this for a big couple of fixtures Wigan host Hull on Tuesday, with 3 games to go Wigan are 9 points ahead of Hull who occupy the last relegation spot, however if they end the season less than 12 points above the drop zone they get a 12 point deduction. A Wigan win and they’d be odds on to stay up, a hull win and it would take them to lose both and Wigan to win both their remaining games to overtake them. A draw and I still fancy Wigan to get out of it. Wigan then play Charlton next who are a point above Hull whilst Hull play Luton who are just below them!

Walton is comedy gold, just saved a shit shot straight at him with his face ??

Lol...... Always knew they'd work! ? The man's a tactical genius. ?

Never doubted those subs

He did indeed. He also said Brereton will be a top player, that Travis has learned a lot off Richie Smallwood and that Nyambe isn’t interested in joining shooting practices after training. Walton kept us in it with some sharp saves and I expected Danny to do better with our keg chance.

LOL Dr Who is on one of the cardboard cutouts.

The great thing about watching these games on iFollow with the opposition commentary is that it turns a nothing game into one where I hate the team we're playing. The commentary is biased as hell - makes the game worth watching.

For anyone who hasn't got pictures, full commentary on Talksport 2.

Inner City - Big Fun

Pink Floyd - Learning To Fly

That ginger midfielder that needed to learn how to play central midfield from Richie Smallwood is starting in central midfield for fourth place Fulham tonight....