I've not read the messages on here yet, I don't want anything to blinder my emotions....but my god, I couldn't fault a single one of those players today. I've been a critic of Evans and Smallwood together in the middle for a long time but I thought they were excellent today, superb even. Hats of to Tony, looked more like a 442 at times with Dack up front and I thought this let him get more involved with Graham in an away game. The usually suspects were solid and immense, the high press pressure was an absolute pleasures to watch, my god have we had some uninterested dross over the last 7 years but today was the cherry on the icing on the cake, it may sound like an over exaggeration (winning 3-2 in a championship match) but jeez how good does it feel to watch players perform like they love and want that shirt. I've a huge smile on the back of those performances. It's what we all want and have craved for years. Players looking to win, tracking back, putting effort in. It gets me on to the main man, Danny Graham. What. A. Performance. Up against some giants at the back. He won everything. He held it all up, he makes Dack look better (if that's possible for our most classy player). Can't praise him enough right now. I left that stadium just wanting to continue clapping him, he was superb. Brilliant Rovers, brilliant Mowbray. We made it nervy as we always do, but were savvy in the last 5/10mins. Enjoy it lads. Stoke looked like us 5 years ago. It's a delight to have the lads and manager we do now. COYB

Hopefully that's the bad half out of the way....

I think we need to play both rothwell and reed .

I bow to Tony's superior knowledge I'm just guna STFU over here and wait for the goals to roll in ?

Derby already 3-1 up. Puts our "disastrous " performance on Tuesday into perspective.

Can see Mick McCarthy getting a call from someone soon.

Had we not dropped points in the last minute at ipswich and villa home we would be top of league.. thats how good this team are!!

https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/teams/blackburn-rovers/11505559/stoke-2-3-blackburn Highlights. Bennett is God.

THIS. !!! I'm 75 and I don't want my beloved Rovers to give me a heart attack.

The last 15mins was mental, but it shouldnt detract from what was a ruthless first 75. Great energy, workrate and controlled agression.

that full time whistle ...like ice cold milk after a ghost pepper

That’s a huge and unexpected three points. Fortunate perhaps but well done TM.

Are we all still alive - can we have a head count please?

No Rothwell again wtf

Those assists by Bennett too - the guy is the man!

What a thriller! Here is me thinking we a cruising for a monster victory only for 15 minutes of madness. The scoreline does flatter stoke to be honest, albeit they were the better side in the last 15 minutes. However we could had a few more well before the mayhem of the last quarter. Hoping Brereton can get a start soon, would like to see more of him. Reed looks good, and Bennett was an excellent skipper today. Next up Premier League Bournemouth! We got this.

I found this comment on an Ipswich forum quite amusing: An improvement except for the most important part - winning?! Just shows how it really is "anything but Mick" for a lot of the fans. A total failure to see the forest for the trees. Some of them still don't understand WHY they were playing that way.

I have a strong feeling that today's result is huge, especially the bit of luck we got at the end. Letting a 3 goal lead slip is the kind of thing that really knocks a team, especially after what happened against villa. I think we would be feeling very frustrated and the team very low on confidence. Would be hard to get them up for the next game. Big, big result. You need luck somethings and by God do we deserve a bit

I agree that Mulgrew is still an important part of our team, no doubt, but I think we could find a player to replace him and still be fairly comfortable defensively. We seemed to struggle in the transfer window to identify a backup to Graham, and finding a player like Dack is one in a hundred. So much seems to hinge on those two as far as our attacking threat is concerned. Still, I'm not going to worry about it tonight. Three points and it's fair to say we've had a very good start to the season. I haven't agreed with some of Mowbray's dealings in the transfer market this summer, but he's brought our momentum and team spirit from last season into this one and it's serving us well. A million miles away from that hugely depressing start in 16/17 under Coyle.

I listened on Radio Lancs and bloody hell, those 1800 fans of ours sounded like 5000! Good effort!

They were two divs above us last season plus at home. Ok a mad last ten but a brilliant first 80! Well done TM!!

True. But bloody hell fire. There was no need for that.

Look forward to final whistle.

At the beginning they looked all fired up, but have gone to pot

If carlsberg did starts to the 2nd half........

Why are we so mint?

TM has his doubts on here, me included in some of his team selections. However the job he is doing atm is incredible, and this team is playing for him.

This team has its faults, but workrate and desire isnt one. Tremendous effort they show every week

Excellent team goal - pass, move, pass move. Bell excellent so far.

I'm starting to really question some of Mowbray's signings this summer (albeit mostly ones I was questioning at the time). Not in terms of the player quality - far too early to decide that - but in terms of where we recruited and what types of players. We signed as attacking players: Armstrong, Brereton, Palmer, Rothwell. We signed to play in the defensive mid role: Reed, Rothwell (sometimes), Davenport (admittedly injured). Possibly that Lyons bloke. Yet we play Smallwood and Evans together basically every game (I think the cup games were the only exceptions?). The attacking players are increasingly struggling for game time - not a single one of the signings in that area is in the starting team today. The only player we have on the pitch who we didn't have last year is Reed, out of position. I don't understand why we collected all those defensive mids in particular since we wouldn't let Travis go out on loan either. Hopefully it works out today and hopefully it's just a specific approach for a specific game which will rarely if ever be repeated, but it is starting to make me wonder what Mowbray's vision really is. Not that I will care a jot if success comes.

No wonder we are drawing so many games atm. Does Mowbray know one win is the equivalent of three draws. If he weren't so cautious he was capable saving us from relegation. Whatever our ambitions this attitude will cost us

You're playing 12 again...

Get that pinned up in the dressing room

HA - Well if Brereton wants to become something here, get under grahams wing and learn cos this guy is a master at what he does. Not massively prolific but he brings so much more to the team.

Would have to say that what I saw today was the best 80 minute and worst 10 minute spell of Mowbrays era wrapped into one afternoon. Thought his team was too defensive when named but it was proved to be spot on, that said, his use of subs was far too late when we were clearly tiring. Danny Graham belied the doubters of his fitness and put in an absolutely incredible performance, beside his goal, his general hold up, leading the line, work rate, everything was exceptional. Bennett put in his usual bag of effort and work rate but I often question what he does going forward but that cant be levelled at him today. Very good performance. Dack again wasnt at his very best but he is still such a good player and contributes so regularly with goals and assists. Hope he is ok as we certainly need him. Reed was good and although it was right to play him Evans and Smallwood, who all ran the game, obviously in most games we dont need all 3. It worked very welll today though. Centre back, we missed Mulgrew at the end to calm us down, Lenihan very rash for the penalty as he can be, thought Williams was better but for 80 minutes they were both very good. Would drop Bell assuming Mulgrew is back next week. Thought both full backs were poor, and the subs were really poor albeit in difficult circumstances, Brereton again looked sluggish and half-arsed, and Rothwell wasted a key pass. Mowbray dismissed the last 10 minutes publically but privately I hope he isnt in denial, our game management this season has been our achilles heel and needs to be much better. Very strange day but overall a superb result.

I thought that. Obviously the Rovers fan operating the camera had collapsed in despair.

Personally I don't think Mulgrew is as important to us now as he was last season. A fantastic free kick and penalty taker, but as a defender he's pretty slow and has some real lapses of concentration positionally. If we're sensible we can replace him without too much bother imo. Graham and Dack would be much harder to replace. Bennett a bit of an unsung hero as well, he'd be missed if he wasn't around.

Another terrible result for Ipswich, 0-0 with Bolton despite having an extra man's advantage for an hour. Apparently a dire performance as well. Ipswich fans now calling for Hurst's head. https://www.twtd.co.uk/forum/442150/hurst-is-surely-gone-after-that/#26 Mick's still available lads

In Tony we trust. Got a fancy do tonight. The shirt and lucky bracelet stay on.

As soon as Dack missed I thought here we go, Boxing Day 1977 all over again, and it bloody was except even more heart-stopping with the penalty. Three well taken goals, two sublime assists from Bennett, an unbelievable save from Raya. 110% effort from everyone. Only disappointment for me was Bell swinging and missing at the back post for their second.

Phew!

We've even made the in play BBC headlines.

Dont think we have been THAT good. Hard working as always. Lucky bounce and finish on Dacks goal. Grahams goal was class. Apart from that I dont think we have created a chance (neither have Stoke).

Played some great stuff, some great short passing but noticeably picking our moment to only play it long when something is on. I can honestly say I've never seen a Rovers team work this hard, it makes me really proud to see. What worries me is of we can keep it up for another 45 mins. They will go direct with Crouch and I think we'll struggle with that, he always seems to score.

Very good question! How you go in with the most defensive lineup you can muster, away from home, no pace to catch them out on the counter attack, and are 2-0 up before half time against a traditionally defensively shrewd team, I don't know!!

No. We beat them at Old Trafford that season though, 2 worldies from Pedersen.

Why on every single match thread do people suggest formations that we have never played? Is it not a bit of a waste of time?

Preston fan's obsession and hatred for us is really puzzling to me. Like Bolton fans they seem intent on fostering some kind of intense rivalry with Rovers. As with Bolton, I couldn't care less about them, I have about as much interest in Reading or Brentford. I hate Burnley with the entire fibre of my being and have a strong dislike of manyoo as well as not caring much for some other clubs for a variety of reasons. Preston and Bolton barely register.