As always... Credit and criticism where it's due... Sam Gallagher, top class performance, who'd have thought that playing him through the middle was the answer? Everyone probably. Credit to Mowbray for having more faith in him than most of us and I'm sure we're more than happy to be proven wrong tonight. 

Trav proved his worth and how much we missed him, an absolute bastard of player at times, it's the small things he does to annoy players, the challenges he wins and the ones he doesn't win but just makes it difficult for teams. Edun held his own against a very good full back. Nyambe showed how much we'll miss him, solid. The back 3 were hard as nails again. 

Hard earned 3 points with a depleted team, I was desperate for these points and the one I'm happiest with the most so far this season after a blip and an expectation that we might start to fade away. 

I thought it was a penalty but so was ours last week so out the points in the bag and move on. 

Well done Mogga and big Sam.

I keep saying Sam Gallagher doesn't know what he is as a footballer, he doesn't know how to use his body and he's 26 years old. It's not even like he's a kid anymore, he really needs to start working that out, if he wants to be a target man type forward then he needs to sit down with the manager and tell him that he wants to play through the middle because he's certainly nowhere near capable of playing out wide. He was embarrassing last night. 

4 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

United offered him a new contract, he turned it down (ironically) and joined Oxford.

which is exactly my point, he obviously didn't see a pathway ahead of him despite their centre midfield has been dire and have wasted millions on it. A lad of his ability could of stepped up given more opportunity. 

7 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

I wouldn't go that far.

they should have developed him instead of wasting his talent, he has ability beyond this level. Offer me Fred or Rothwell and I certainly wouldn't be picking Fred. 

1 minute ago, bluebruce said:

Looks more like a Buckley replacement than a Rothwell type to me. Then again not sure there are many Rothwell types around, he's a rare style of player.

There are none. No amount of cash can replace him, a truly unique footballer that in my opinion should of been playing for Manchester United now. 

Personally I don't think Healey is the type of signing we should be looking at. A club in the financial position we're in shouldn't be chucking around big money (to us) on an unproven player in this league with no resale value. It breaks the criteria of the business model they've seemingly set out. Also, this lad would come on big money, expect to be starting, maybe not have to earn his place and potentially upset the mood in the dressing room. I'd rather someone come in desperate to win a place in the team, who will have some value in the future. 

Spurs fans are rightly upset. Saka at the same age is being given a chance at their biggest rivals, whilst they're losing their best academy prospect for peanuts to us... Shouldn't be happening, if he had longer on his contract we'd have had no chance at this one. 

No brainer of a deal for us. 

Clubs are apparently being quoted 5 million for Healy so I highly doubt we're in for him. 

1 hour ago, rigger said:

Or you could look at it as, a tried and trusted system, throughout all levels of football.

or you could look at 2 of the best teams in this country and recognise that they don't have a big man in the middle (lpool & city) and goals come from everywhere. 

IMO we have a winning formula and don't need to change things by everything going through a big centre forwards. 

2 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

The thing is though, a fully fit and on form Dack would start and offer us a whole new dimension offering a secondary regular goal threat. They will be good headaches to have.

This is probably a bit harsh but I don't see how Dack fits into the quick counter attacking side we are. From memory he used to slow play down too much and isn't quick, I think it could really unsettle things. I don't want to go back to everything trying to go through him and being one dimensional side again when goals are starting to come from everywhere now. 

Gallagher looks like a real odd one out for us when he comes on. Just doesn't fit into this style of play. He doesn't have the touch or movement. People saying we should let Butterworth out on loan, I'd wait until end of the season, he looks like he fits in far more than Gallagher does and would be good cover for Rothwell. 

2 hours ago, TruRover said:

Fulham are 100% going up as number 1. 
 

2nd is up for grabs.

that reminds me of a time....

21 hours ago, J*B said:

NFTs will take over in the next 5-10 years and - much like Crypto - there’s serious money to be made. There’s also tonnes of con artists already swarming all over it. 

a fellow crypto investor... it's been a tough few weeks.

What the f*ck is going on? How are we here? Well done to Mowbray and the players, I hope they continue to prove me/us all wrong...

My take is... Everyone simply doing their jobs, players in the right positions, we've increase the numbers at the back to stop conceding goals, we've never had a problem scoring goals. F*cked off this idea of possession football and just focused on getting the best out of what we have instead of trying to make it something it's not.

P.S. Joe Rothwell is one of the best players in the league. Top 10 easy. 

Well, I've given criticism when it's due so I'll give praise where it's also due as it's only fair...

Tip my cap to Tony Mowbray, well done fella. My main gripe is that he's never seemingly got consistently the best out of his team, especially the back 4, at the moment he's definitely getting the best out of them. Lennihan was immense, won absolutely everything and deservedly MOM. 

The conditions stopped us from playing how we like to play and took Buckley and Rothwell out of the game but everyone did their job and turned up. 

Oh, Preston were sh*te. 

thinking bout taking my son, he's only 4... If I just carry him through will the stewards kick off or likely not care?

1 hour ago, Mike E said:

Oh I know but I think Dack still Trumps Rothwell.

If not Rothwell, then he has to take a wing spot (perhaps in place of Brereton).

Think Rothwell is crucial to the way we want to play on the counter. Transitions will be a lot slower without him. 

22 hours ago, Mike E said:

As good as Rothwell has been, he'd be who I drop for Dack tbh.

Mid 3 would be: Holtby Travis Dack

Wow... I'd have a think about that Mike. The 5 games he missed for us, we lost 4 and won 1. Critical player for us. 

4 hours ago, joey_big_nose said:

I'd rather have Dack central and Armstrong left than the other way around.

From what Ive seen this setup will be absolutely lethal.

                     Kaminski

Nyambe.   Lenihan.   Ayala.  Douglas. 

         Holtby.    Travis.    Rothwell

       Brereton.  Dack.    Armstrong.

Can't wait till we get there, probs not till Jan though. Top players in every position except left back where I think we look weak defensively.

Also to have the likes of Williams, Johnson, JRC, Elliott, Dolan and Gallagher on the bench is excellent. Also think Buckley and Davenport will offer more as the season progresses.

I just completely dislike anything that moves Armstrong out of where he's been performing, it's asking for trouble. He's quick on the counter and gives us an outlet, if Armstrong is out wide how much is he going to end up wasted in our own half tracking back? It suits him just staying up there. Dack simply doesn't have the pace, never mind after a serious injury. 

Also, we've watched Dack play false 9 and it was a disaster (Wigan & Preston Away). Maybe in this side it might work but based on the evidence, nah. 

22 hours ago, joey_big_nose said:

 

Incidentally you can see from the way we were setup yesterday where Dack will fit in when he's back. He will play where Elliott was all game - straight through the middle with the strikers either side. Elliott seemed to struggle a bit for me in that role - probably the weakest performance we had out there - but I can see how it will be ideal for Dack who has more physically about him and a strikers instincts.

Sorry but this worries me more than anything, he's tried this before and it absolutely killed our season off. We should not, under any circumstances be moving Armstrong into any other position. 

Bristol City got absolutely bullied today off Brum... We should go flying into them from the off. Nothing special, like most teams in this division. 

1 hour ago, Ossydave said:

Pretty sure the manager is to blame, he is to be blunt, a prick and it rubs off 

They were a bit like this under Dean Smith. I remember him complaining about the length of the grass at Ewood, salty prick.