Where??

I'd rather finish behind Burnley in 2nd than ahead of them in 7th.

I was being a bit tongue in cheek there really Chaddy, I just wonder if there's a bit of Mowbray that perhaps wishes he'd waited another month before taking a new job! I'm sure he'll stay at Sunderland. I can't see why Rob Edwards should be high on their wishlist, not what they need. Corberan I could see happening & being a good fit, but then I thought that about Wilder. Big appointment this for Boro, got to get it right or they'll be in bug financial doo day I think.

Wonder who they'll appoint? Would TM drop Sunderland for his hometown club?!

I stand corrected, you're right, although they could still have crept into the top 6 on the last day whereas our match was a dead rubber. That said, my point still stands re Millwall being a tougher but to crack than some give credit for.

You're entitled to your opinion of course, but to me this is just unnecessarily pessimistic. I'm not saying you won't be right as any result is possible, but going into games with this kind of attitude is crazy. I guess some people just like to focus on & magnify the negatives, whilst overlooking the positives and therefore have a skewed view that is out of context with reality. Another way of looking at it is that we've won 6 matches to Cardiff's 3, having lost the same number of games, & start the game in 6th compared to their 18th. But I'm not using those few cherry-picked stats to support a pessimistic 3-0 away win, because reality is far more nuanced than that. I agree with a post above that this looks likely to be our first draw. A defeat would be disappointing but not disastrous, a win would be excellent.

I think the performance overall was below par, of course it was, though there were still positives to take from it, not least endeavour & successful determination to get 3 points. We won't steamroller teams regularly 13 games into a new season; some peoples' performance expectations on a consistent basis are still too high imo. Don't forget, Millwall finished above us last season, as did Luton.

I agree to a point, but in the PL you'll see better organisation, hunting in packs, better fitness / pace & greater intensity than you do in the Championship. It's the same principle as you allude to, of the quality improving as you go up the divisions.

As I said above there's a time and a place for it, and the players don't always select the right moments. There will be bumps in the road to where we want to get to, isn't that what we were told to expect? Here we are, bumping along in 6th place, 5 points off top! JDT has had two thirds of a transfer window to get to know his squad, identify upgrades & mould a winning team. In that time he's also had to manage us through 13 games (W8 L5) half of which were before the window shut & when we had a mini defensive injury crisis. I just don't see how folk can be disappointed that we're not rolling teams over 3 or 4 nil every week! And isn't it the job of a head coach & his team to improve their players, as well as find a system & style that suits them? Ayala I agree is probably too old to improve much, but S Wharton, Kaminski, Pickering & Travis are all young enough to improve on that front (I take the view Hyam & Brittain are already there). Add to that the growth & further first team integration of Morton, Phillips & A Wharton, more coming through the youth team, & suitable acquisitions in future transfer windows & it can only improve. Whilst improving, they should be encouraged to practise what they're learning in training in a match situation. That will mean errors of judgment are made (some costly, some not) but that's part of the learning process & overall it should lead to a better long term outcome if implemented correctly.

Not strictly true because our opposition also isn't the standard that City will face, but I take your point & agree we need to mix it up a bit. There were some heart stopping examples yesterday of when not to overplay! IMO, things are going better than we had a right to expect overall and that anyone who expected us to be the finished article of what JDT wants us to be by this stage had over-inflated expectations & didn't listen to what GB & JDT clearly set out as their aim on their arrival.

It takes time though to grow to be more incisive & build up confidence. The Dutch Disease refers to passing for passing's sake, the theory being if we have the ball, the oppo won't score, but then not developing further into passing with precision, at speed & progressively up the pitch using 1 & 2 touches. It's clear JDT wants to take us beyond the possession only game into a more fluid, progressive style of 1/2 touch flowing style. We've seen it at times this season (Swansea leaps to mind). That process will be bumpy, we were warned about that from his arrival, so I don't see what folk are complaining about whilst seeing us sitting in 6th place! There's no patience in football amongst most fans, who seem to think we should be a finished product 12 games in. It's not JDT's fault what he inherited, give him time to stamp his ideas on a young team in a situation where he's barely had a fully fit squad to choose from!

Again I think there are a lot of OTT downbeat observations on here, which started with the lineup. I agree it wasn't a great game but in keeping with experience it was never likely to be (first game after international break, Millwall playing with a low block were always happy to take a point, es evidenced by their asst manager 's comments afterwards). But ratings wise all 11 starters scored 6s & 7s on here, which isn't disastrous. JDT said in the week that Brittain was fit, but not quite match fit. Arguably he ought not to have been on the bench, but that still leaves the question of who replaced him. Carter was the obvious answer but we went with Hedges, somewhat surprisingly but who was close to MoM so not too shabby. Morton was wasteful at times, but did play the ball over the top for Gally for the first. Dolan was composed with his finish & a pest throughout. He gets unwarranted criticism on here for me, people forget he's only 20 & far from a finished product. BBD had a poor game overall by his recent standards but still scored what proved to be the winner. His 1-touch round the corner flicks didn't come off today, but on other days they do & we look a lot more dangerous. Gally's 1st game in what, 6 weeks? Looked rusty but his effort was top and his charge forward for the first goal was a game changer. Yes the cross wasn't the best but at least it drew a mistake from their defence which Dolan profited from. When we moved the ball quicker, like we did 2nd half, we looked good. Playing it slowly at the back we look vulnerable but that's arguably part of the development process of turning into a one touch team that can beat a high press. As for team selection, we have 2 games a week for 6 weeks thereabouts. Injuries, form, illness, suspensions etc will mean everyone in the squad will get selected & get their chance to shine, quad rotation will be v important. I'm sure that will include Dack, Szmodics, Buckley, Markanday etc. somewhere down the line. Wharton & Phillips are 18 & 17, have just been involved in 3 internationals abroad. It was Wharton's 1st such experience I think. I'm happy for them to be managed gently back into the club, keep them grounded, protect them from burn out & lumping too much pressure on them. I don't want them to end up being the next targets for undeserved criticism for inconsistent performances In short I think JDT can justify his selections and 6th place backs that up. Not one of us would have rejected that if given the choice in the summer. It's not perfect but look at the Championship table for context too see how mad this league is. Just yesterday Sheff Utd failed to beat Brum, W Brom lost at home to Swansea, Boro at Coventry. Our problems, under a new manager & coaching team having lost 5 first teamers for nothing, could be a lot, lot worse!

I've watched the 3 videos and having done so am reminded of why I was so enthused by him when he was first unveiled. I think he has a very natural demeanour, and displays a confidence when he talks of knowing what he wants to achieve and how that can be reached. But he does so without arrogance or exaggeration and quite humbly. He talks about things from the fans perspective, understanding the desire for success but not wavering from the need for that to be sustainable. He also doesn't shirk questions, answers them straight & without hesitancy. I'm really impressed. Of course actions speak louder than words. I've no way of knowing whether what he says in the vids (re the owners, Waggott, the transfer window prep, Hirst being JDT's no 1 striker target etc) are true, but that said everything he says makes sense. They have replaced the 6 key players lost, promoted from within, and crucially (for long term sustainability) protected the club's investments by agreeing new deals with Buckley, Wharton, Phillips, Barnes et al. He explicitly states we should be looking 2-3 years ahead on that front and build accordingly. All the initial signs are he is doing what he said he wouldn the summer. He seemed a breath of fresh air when he joined & imo so far is following through on that, so all credit to him so far, long may that continue.

Arsenal s invincibles are the best team ever to have won the Premier League. (No offence Superbrfc, but the sooner domestic footy is back the better!)

Can any England fan show any positivity after the last few matches?!

Cheers Chaddy. I don't see how playing on a Saturday afternoon instead of a Friday night affords much more time for joint training with the first team, other than perhaps missing the Friday first team session, but wouldn't that be likely to be dedicated solely to prepping for the next match? What do I know, it just seems a shame if crowds have dropped off for the kids, esp as the U21s have started the season slowly.

Can't say I see any logic in it myself, other than I guess helping them in terms of getting used to the timings & routine of a first team match? Seems a bit excessive, but if JDT & co are showing that level of detailed analysis then they're certainly looking at every possible chance of developing the club.

That's a real shame that, not only for the fans but for the players too. Who's made that decision, do we know?

What about Chmiel? He's with the Polish U19s & seems highly regarded too.

Not the answer I was hoping for, but thanks! It sounds at least like Gent, Haddow, Harlock, Leonard & Pratt seem decent though, from what I've heard? Add in Sam Barnes, Garrett, Wharton & Phillips and there's still a decent string coming through.

There's an interesting interview with Head of Academy Stuart Jones on the Rovers website on the back of the landmark of the club achieving 600 consecutive league matches with an academy graduate in the team. Worth a watch. I don't get to see any if the under age games due to.living outside the area. There were some names on that team sheet that I didn't recognise (Gamble, Montgomery, Weston, Wood), does anyone on here know anything about them?

M_B & Sweaty Gussets have been trying to school me all weekend; don't listen to them, they don't know as much as they think they do!! 😅

The Beautiful South - Song for Anyone

I have stuck that in my pipe & am smoking it humbly as I type. Every day's a school day!

Haha, you got me. I'll leave that one to the mods to decide!