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[Cherry Blue]

1 hour ago, Rovers1994 said:

I’d drop Dack for the game against wba and start Rothwell in the 10 spot...

We have the players, albeit limited selection. Team management is crucial but is TM the man?

Edited August 25, 2019 by Cherry Blue

[Pedro]

Just now, MarkBRFC said:

It's a nice idea, but from what we have seen of Mowbray that will never, ever happen. Strikers will be on the wings until the day he leaves the club.

Infuriating but true.

[tomphil]

6 minutes ago, MarkBRFC said:

It's a nice idea, but from what we have seen of Mowbray that will never, ever happen. Strikers will be on the wings until the day he leaves the club.

Modern forward thinking from an old school manager.... ?

Or maybe we just can't find, afford or attract any good wingers because there aren't many about so this is plan B, either way it's frustrating to watch although Gallagher copes well with it but he'll never cut his teeth as a good CF keep starting on the wing.

Samuel, Brereton and now Gallagher have all been deployed there when the simple answer is a right sided midfielder or winger.  I'm not thinking they are keeping it warm for Chapman either because he'll never be anything more than a cameo player i don't think.

[Neal]

18 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Not the Joe Rothwell we seen last season

Thing is, we know what he's capable of and so should the manager. One game shouldn't change that opinion. 

[rossyrover]

Two poor teams again at Ewood on Saturday entertainment zero cannot see this standard of performance attracting the increase in spectators the club are always publicising they are seeking.

[nathan_rovers1]

Good result, clean sheet... not worried by the lack of goals, same players including others who have been banging them in... 

[Paul]

I struggle with the constant calls for Chapman. I can't recall the last time I saw him turn out at Ewood. How can anyone think or be sure he will help to solve some of the attacking issues we currently have??

[Ossydave]

1 hour ago, Paul said:

I struggle with the constant calls for Chapman. I can't recall the last time I saw him turn out at Ewood. How can anyone think or be sure he will help to solve some of the attacking issues we currently have??

He was decent against Oldham tbf. I think he'll play him against the Blades so let's see where he's at fitness wise then. I simply can't believe he's not match fit yet.

[dingles staying down 4ever]

Just now, Ossydave said:

He was decent against Oldham tbf. I think he'll play him against the Blades so let's see where he's at fitness wise then. I simply can't believe he's not match fit yet.

I personally saw a player who struggled to do the basics but there were a couple of glimpses of his ability. Nowhere near ready for first team

[Gary C]

13 hours ago, Amo said:

I would imagine our current tactic of using Gallagher as a long ball outlet is better suited to away games, when we need to push teams back and relieve pressure, as opposed to at home where the onus is on us to take the game to them. The sooner we can get Chapman to first team fitness the better. We need some proper wide players to give us that penetration instead of shoehorning strikers on the wing.

Totally agree get Chapman and Rothwell out wide with their pace and trickery. Give us a different dimension. Dack shows the odd flash in games but looks out of sorts at the monent

[dingles staying down 4ever]

21 hours ago, Stuart said:

If you are Mowbray. For me, Downing has replaced Armstrong on the left. Mowbray is always switching his wide players. Downing was on the right at times yesterday - before Bennett had a go.

Tbf it was very hard to pick out any kind of formation for that last 20 minutes yesterday.

Mowbray likes one of his wide players to be a converted striker, whether it be Antonnson, Samuel, Armstrong and now Gallagher so in my view Armstrong or Gallagher was always going to play a wide berth. Downing has replaced Rothwell.

I agree Rothwell needs some games and offers something that this team does not have present. As I Mentioned after the Boro game, the long ball is Gallagher to flick on the right wing is pointless if we don't win the second ball. The only ways would be for Bennett to be more advanced than Gallagher or to overload that particular wing and Rothwell or Dack connecting on to flicks and going down that wing would definitely scare the opposition. It would also need Gallagher as soon as he made the flick to bust his gut and get into the box and not follow the ball. 

If Mowbray is to continue with Gallagher wide with Armstrong in the middle then Rothwell has then to learn to release the ball and not has he has an habit of doing of keeping it too long.

As a team we need to get more players and the ball into the box to create shooting opportuniites and the goals will come. Too much play is outside the box. Other than the Oldham game I can't recall many clearcut chances where you think we've missed a sitter or their keeper made a save.

Edited August 26, 2019 by dingles staying down 4ever

[47er]

3 hours ago, Paul said:

I struggle with the constant calls for Chapman. I can't recall the last time I saw him turn out at Ewood. How can anyone think or be sure he will help to solve some of the attacking issues we currently have??

I've asked this question more than once and never got an answer----"Why did Mowbray sign him?"

You've written the player off so what's that say about the manager?

[Bbrovers2288]

Think chapman was fan pressure , mowbray signs these flair players then doesn’t like them defensively, seems odd

[Mattyblue]

Will be on peanuts, fairly low risk for a lad with potential will be the thinking.

But it says a lot that another middling Championship club in Boro were happy for him to go.

Edited August 26, 2019 by Mattyblue

[Bigdoggsteel]

27 minutes ago, 47er said:

I've asked this question more than once and never got an answer----"Why did Mowbray sign him?"

Because he is a young lad with potential and we got him cheaply due to his injury record 

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, Bbrovers2288 said:

Think chapman was fan pressure , mowbray signs these flair players then doesn’t like them defensively, seems odd

He doesn't bow to fan pressure. If he did he wouldn't do some of the stuff he does 

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, Mattyblue said:

Will be on peanuts, fairly low risk for a lad with potential will be the thinking.

But it says a lot that another middling Championship club in Boro were happy for him to go.

Injuries and Pulis and Karanka not being into that type of player contributed 

[Bbrovers2288]

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

He doesn't bow to fan pressure. If he did he wouldn't do some of the stuff he does 

You say that but some of the stuff he does suggests that he does. Defence was a stick to beat him with last season, so now he can get clean sheets at the expense of goals. Clamour for Smallwood and Evans dropped and then they are. Yes sometimes he is stubborn and won’t change but other times he does seem to think if he doesn’t bow to pressure then he will be untenable 

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, Bbrovers2288 said:

You say that but some of the stuff he does suggests that he does. Defence was a stick to beat him with last season, so now he can get clean sheets at the expense of goals. Clamour for Smallwood and Evans dropped and then they are. Yes sometimes he is stubborn and won’t change but other times he does seem to think if he doesn’t bow to pressure then he will be untenable 

I think both those changes were glaring to the point where he realised it himself 

[RevidgeBlue]

4 hours ago, Paul said:

I struggle with the constant calls for Chapman. I can't recall the last time I saw him turn out at Ewood. How can anyone think or be sure he will help to solve some of the attacking issues we currently have??

I haven't seen him this season yet Paul, when he was here in League 1 I thought he looked absolute quality and head and shoulders above anyone else we had bar Dack and should have walked into the team, especially at home where we have always struggled to break teams down under Mowbray.

Yet the manager more or less completely overlooked him then and has completely overlooked him since re-signing him permanently making spurious excuses about him not being fit enough to play when he landed in January.

Fairly bizarre for me. Once again he walks into the team for me if it's a choice between him or a central striker attempting to fill in out wide. I really don't understand either why you you would re-sign a player you clearly don't fancy and will do practically anything to avoid selecting.

[dingles staying down 4ever]

2 hours ago, Gary C said:

Totally agree get Chapman and Rothwell out wide with their pace and trickery. Give us a different dimension. Dack shows the odd flash in games but looks out of sorts at the monent

One or the other for me. Got to give teams more to think about other than Dack but also need some cover for full backs

[RevidgeBlue]

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

I think both those changes were glaring to the point where he realised it himself 

They were glaring long before then, every time they turned out together, but we got away with it in League one.

[Mattyblue]

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

Injuries and Pulis and Karanka not being into that type of player contributed 

Repeated hamstring injuries for a winger could well mean he never hits the heights we briefly saw again.

Worth a punt, but no surprise he was readily available.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, RevidgeBlue said:

They were glaring long before then, every time they turned out together, but we got away with it in League one.

Bit harsh to say "got away with it" when you win automatic promotion. Was a bit better than that! Shows in my opinion though that, for better or worse, he doesn't really react to fan pressure. If he did we would have signed a center half. Worked out better getting Cunningham though. 

[Adam C]

Just now, Bbrovers2288 said:

You say that but some of the stuff he does suggests that he does. Defence was a stick to beat him with last season, so now he can get clean sheets at the expense of goals. Clamour for Smallwood and Evans dropped and then they are. Yes sometimes he is stubborn and won’t change but other times he does seem to think if he doesn’t bow to pressure then he will be untenable 

I don’t think he has any interest in a fan’s opinion of tactics or starting eleven and that’s how it should be. He has played and coached clubs at the highest level which gives him the experience and football intelligence to come up with his own game plan. He spends every day with our squad, he knows which players are pushing on, which are low on confidence, and how to counter the opposition. He knows the finances of our club, I’m sure he probably has to cope with pressure from above, and countless other issues that we are unaware of. Nobody here or in the terraces can have the first clue about any of that, so to think that we somehow know better than the man who is paid well to deal with these issues is not realistic.

Its much more likely that we can perceive the same things he perceives, ie that Smallwood and Evans are a poor central midfield duo and we leak too many goals, and act to resolve these issues when he has the resources and time to do so.

If being a football manager was as easy as we all make out then there wouldn’t be such a high turnover of coaches and everyone would be at it.