Mowbray: Stay or go?

[OJRovers]

A win finally but It’s 4 days since he played Bennett at number 10 for 75 mins. 

Time to go still.

[philipl]

Never mind Mowbray's future, same XI same tactics v Forest please.

[K-Hod]

1 hour ago, Stuart said:

Like who?

Literally nobody said anything like 'we won, damn' or any derivative thereof. 

Like all Rovers fans, I was delighted we won and still am. 

After the horrendous run we've been on, we start with our two strongest central midfielders in central midfield and look what happens, we play really well and beat a team above us in the league. As if by magic. 

People are frustrated and quite rightly so that this team hasn't been picked more often, as who knows how well we could have done this season?

[Neal]

7 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

Literally nobody said anything like 'we won, damn' or any derivative thereof. 

Like all Rovers fans, I was delighted we won and still am. 

After the horrendous run we've been on, we start with our two strongest central midfielders in central midfield and look what happens, we play really well and beat a team above us in the league. As if by magic. 

People are frustrated and quite rightly so that this team hasn't been picked more often, as who knows how well we could have done this season?

This is exactly how I feel. I find many people think that a football manager knows best because their in the job and we aren't. They don't always know what's best. Case and point is Mourinho at United, too many square pegs in rounds holes, not picking his best team, gets sacked, next manager comes in, picks their best side, attacks teams and wins games. Think managers can almost get too involved at times that they can't see the wood for the trees or are too stubborn in what they perceive to be their ideal type of side that they overlook how to get the best out of what they have which conflicts with their beliefs. I certainly find this to be the case with Mowbray and it seems to be quite a public lesson he's learning right now, it shouldn't be something for him to be ashamed of, I just hope he learns from it rather than being stubborn and reverting to type. I want him to succeed, we all do but I can only back him if he see's the obvious mistakes he's made, takes it on the chin, learns and doesn't start playing silly buggars again in a few games time. 

[arbitro]

7 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

Mowbray shouldn't get any plaudits for tonight because that formation has been begging to be picked for for months. Why he hasn't done it before only he knows. 

The real surprise tonight was the attitude of the players, whose workrate and attitude was on a much higher level than since probably the win over Hull City. The question is whether the players can take tonight's performance on and build on it for the remaining games of the season. If they can, it will go some way to making up for the dreadful run of form since January.

Tonight changes nothing for me.  Mowbray has a a long way to go to convince me he will keep us in this division next season. 

Over the course of this awful run I haven't really seen much evidence that the players aren't working hard enough. The difference to me is the tempo we played at last night compared to recent weeks. And in my opinion that is primarily down to the players who are picked. Smallwood and Evans just haven't got the speed of thought or good enough first touch to play a high tempo, pressing game. Reed is perfect for that style of play and Travis compliments this perfectly. Some pace around the pitch is also requisite in this type of game and last night showed we do have some pace which Derby struggled with.

The biggest lesson for Mowbray from last night was that Smallwood and Evans together seriously impede us.

[Neal]

9 hours ago, Paul Mani said:

Correct. Anyone who knows anything about football can see that pal. ??

Its a lot easier to portray yourself as a good manager with the biggest budget in league 1, he's got some way to go to convince the masses he's a good enough manager to take us forwards in this league. 

[Neal]

8 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Who on the evidence of tonight has obviously been picking completely the wrong personnel nearly all season.

If lay people, the fans, can see that why can't a highly paid professional?

I'd say a "good" manager identifies his best team from the off and the fans are astounded by how well the team plays. He doesn't pick the wrong team all season then stumble almost by default on something that works because he has been forced or shamed into it by his previous poor selections!

Spot on. 

[MarkBRFC]

Just now, arbitro said:

 

The biggest lesson for Mowbray from last night was that Smallwood and Evans together seriously impede us.

At least one of them will be back in in Saturday, no way will Tony play an unchanged side.

[Neal]

Just now, arbitro said:

Over the course of this awful run I haven't really seen much evidence that the players aren't working hard enough. The difference to me is the tempo we played at last night compared to recent weeks. And in my opinion that is primarily down to the players who are picked. Smallwood and Evans just haven't got the speed of thought or good enough first touch to play a high tempo, pressing game. Reed is perfect for that style of play and Travis compliments this perfectly. Some pace around the pitch is also requisite in this type of game and last night showed we do have some pace which Derby struggled with.

The biggest lesson for Mowbray from last night was that Smallwood and Evans together seriously impede us.

Never have I seen on this site SO MANY FANS saying the same things about how we play and how these opinions conflict with the managers actions. This is no coincidence, the fella has simply been so fundamentally wrong in his decision making the past 2 months, this win just further highlights this fact.

 

I'm quite taken back by how badly he's got it wrong after winning a game rather than losing a game because its pretty clear to see how we've lost games these past 2 months, after a win of this nature it's very a very difficult pill to swallow knowing how many points and restless nights he's cost us. 

[tomphil]

Carbon copy of the GB era this is turning out to be, last night as with the Hull game was the once in every 5 or 6 games or so that he really shakes it up in a positive way, goes for the pressure game for the full 90 etc.

Always only happens when they know their is a groundswell of anger and frustration building but as soon as they can it's a revert to type and back to the same old crap.

Leave that team alone even if it loses the next game the only way teams evolve is buy leaving them alone and drilling it into them.  Will he do that ?   Not on your nelly.

[BlackburnEnd75]

1 hour ago, arbitro said:

Over the course of this awful run I haven't really seen much evidence that the players aren't working hard enough. The difference to me is the tempo we played at last night compared to recent weeks. And in my opinion that is primarily down to the players who are picked. Smallwood and Evans just haven't got the speed of thought or good enough first touch to play a high tempo, pressing game. Reed is perfect for that style of play and Travis compliments this perfectly. Some pace around the pitch is also requisite in this type of game and last night showed we do have some pace which Derby struggled with.

The biggest lesson for Mowbray from last night was that Smallwood and Evans together seriously impede us.

It's not just the tempo. The absence of Mulgrew allowed us to defend about 10 yards higher up the pitch which allows the more mobile midfield players to push up. 

[tomphil]

9 hours ago, joey_big_nose said:

Bloody hell that's absolutely damming.

With Mulgrew per game - 0.13 cleansheets, 0.9 pts

Without Mulgrew per game - 0.58 cleansheets, 2 pts

He should stay out of the team.

Him and Evans need to start Rovers games from the bench next season if they are still here, they should be back up players to a fresh bunch but the contracts they are on will dictate they are still here and still amongst the first on the team sheet.

Last nights positive team and good work could also so easily have come undone by doing things like stick Bennett at RB, typical TM stuff that but he got away with it.

Anyone else sense he's trying to piss Nyambe off into asking for a move ?  He's a saleable asset for sure.

[RoversClitheroe]

Last night just proved that Mowbray has no idea who to play and where. 

The fact he's only just put Rothwell in with Dack shows this, our 2 best advanced midfielder.

Finally starting Reed and Travis at CENTRE MIDFIELD. 

Shock horror we win.

Mowbray out for me.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, RoversClitheroe said:

Last night just proved that Mowbray has no idea who to play and where. 

The fact he's only just put Rothwell in with Dack shows this, our 2 best advanced midfielder.

Finally starting Reed and Travis at CENTRE MIDFIELD. 

Shock horror we win.

Mowbray out for me.

Last night was hardly the first game Reed and Travis started together in the middle though, was it? 

[arbitro]

2 hours ago, BlackburnEnd75 said:

It's not just the tempo. The absence of Mulgrew allowed us to defend about 10 yards higher up the pitch which allows the more mobile midfield players to push up. 

That's a part of the press. Denying the opposition space is fundamental if this system is going to work and last night there was lots of excellent pressing all over the pitch.

[roversfan99]

Dont think this bodes well for yesterday being the start of a new and exciting dawn...

[K-Hod]

Just now, roversfan99 said:

Dont think this bodes well for yesterday being the start of a new and exciting dawn...

This is where he doesn't help himself. The last paragraph in particular though, is especially damning. 

[Ewood Ace]

6 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Dont think this bodes well for yesterday being the start of a new and exciting dawn...

Is he really so clueless or just afraid to admit that he has got it wrong for nearly the whole season?  Anyone who knows anything about football can see that Reed is a far superior central midfielder to Evans and Smallwood. Reed's performance last night and at WBA in central midfielder have been miles ahead of anything that Evans has produced in 6 years at the club. This is exactly why Mowbray has to go because otherwise we will not move forward and our exciting young players will not be able to flourish. Just watching last night I was thinking what might have been if we had a manager brave enough to let Rothwell of the leash earlier in the season and who would play our best two central midfielders together regularly, one thing is for certain  we would be higher in the table than we are now.

Again though Mowbray's first thought is defending, he talks about what Smallwood and Evans offer defensively yet we have one of the leagues worst defences. Last night our defence was barley tested because due to Travis and Reed in particular we were always on the front foot, getting the ball forward when we had it and straight into them when they had it. You don't get any of that with Smallwood or Evans, they offer nothing positive with the ball and let the opposition onto them.

[Bigdoggsteel]

30 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Dont think this bodes well for yesterday being the start of a new and exciting dawn...

Very frustrating to read. Would Smallwood "play his position" better than Xavi in Mowbrays eyes? It seems Mowbray has his rigid ideas. It's the reason why another manager would get more from this squad in my opinion. 

[DE.]

58 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Dont think this bodes well for yesterday being the start of a new and exciting dawn...

Honestly, what is wrong with him? To say that after last night's performance just boggles the mind. It's almost spiteful, maybe because Reed has already told Mowbray he won't be coming back next season - and who could blame him? I'm not sure what TM thinks "playing their position better" means exactly, but for the team it's meant losing on a regular basis. Last night's result probably irked Mowbray a bit because it was a condemnation of everything he's been doing up until this point, proof that he's been getting it wrong time after time. If he's embarrassed then good, he should be, but don't make snide comments like that in some attempt to justify what's been happening. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, DE. said:

Honestly, what is wrong with him? To say that after last night's performance just boggles the mind. It's almost spiteful, maybe because Reed has already told Mowbray he won't be coming back next season - and who could blame him? I'm not sure what TM thinks "playing their position better" means exactly, but for the team it's meant losing on a regular basis. Last night's result probably irked Mowbray a bit because it was a condemnation of everything he's been doing up until this point, proof that he's been getting it wrong time after time. If he's embarrassed then good, he should be, but don't make snide comments like that in some attempt to justify what's been happening. 

I think the same. Stevie Wonder could see that Reed should have been in the middle and Rothwell should be in the team, along with Dack. Mowbray has been proven wrong , in fact I suspect he has known this for a while, but was too stubborn to admit it. Going off the players reactions after the goal yesterday, everyone knows Rothwell should have been playing, except Mowbray. I put our awful run down to the players being unhappy with Mowbrays bizzare selections and blind loyalty to his favourites. 

Edited April 10, 2019 by Bigdoggsteel

[jim mk2]

52 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

This is where he doesn't help himself. The last paragraph in particular though, is especially damning. 

Mowbray proves again he is not the right manager for this club. Assuming Rothwell is fit there is no reason not to have the same starting XI at Forest.

Bringing back Smallwood and /or Evans after last night's display would be the final straw for many people

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, jim mk2 said:

Mowbray proves again he is not the right manager for this club. Assuming Rothwell is fit there is no reason not to have the same starting XI at Forest.

Bringing back Smallwood and /or Evans after last night's display would be the final straw for many people

Definitely, but will he be able to help himself? 

[blueboy3333]

Mowbray is a very cautious coach, as has been said from the start of his Ewood reign.. His first thought is defensive, how can his team contain the opposition. His comments on the Oldham full back are legendary. Now his comments on Evans/Smallwood are right up there, especially when you factor in the last time he dropped them was the last time we won. Our goals against column prove him wrong anyway. 

I'll be delighted when he leaves Rovers and is replaced with a manager who takes a more positive approach. Mowbray plays cowards football. 

[DE.]

I find it funny that before the Stoke game Mowbray came out and said it's no time to experiment with line ups, but then a few days later picks a team with Reed/Travis in midfield, Rothwell starting and Williams at centre back. Granted Mulgrew was out injured, thank god, but I would have expected to see Rodwell at CB before Williams. Smallwood meanwhile wasn't even on the bench - although I don't know if he was injured/suspended? 

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2019/april/harrison-played-the-position-to-perfection/

Mowbray's full comments on Reed. Comes off as a bit condescending to me. Imagine him trying to tell Reed to play more like Evans and Smallwood? Madness.