Didn’t take Cunningham any time to work out how to play left back. 
 

I mean has Gallagher really got up to speed with our system, yet he plays every week?

1 hour ago, JoeH said:

Two seasons ago the Championship was different to how it is now. He's retiring. I think that's about right.

I think the Championship is as weak now as it has been for a while.

Any team with an ounce of organisation and a solid game plan could challenge top 6. Including Warnock's style.

Downing

5 minutes ago, Atko's Engine said:

2 missed keepers in the summer, according to TM? Confirmed scouts at numerous Ligue 1/2, Eredivisie, Bundeliga 1/2 matches?

Holtby?

Think you're possibly doing him a bit of a disservice there...

The last 2 transfer windows have been as bad as I can remember following Rovers for a long time. 

The scouting system and signing process (Venus) is completely letting us down. 

I'd rather us have gambled the £5m Gallagher money on 5/6 foreign players with potential.

34 minutes ago, neophox said:

Looks like we are getting 20 year old George Tanner from Man Utd as first signing, fullback on loan at Morecambe.

Another U23 signing

Any first teamers linked?

The club have spent a bit of money in the last 18 months on a European scout setup. So far this has produced very little except the Holtby signing.

 I fully expect another token “Euro” signing if nothing else but to justify the existence of the scouting team who have probably been on many a jolly round Europe at the club’s expense.

The best thing that could happen is for him to go out on loan in January to a League One/League Two club to play some games and try to build a bit of confidence back. 

Unfortunately, for political reasons I don’t think that will happen. 

13 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

He certainly seems like a different player to the one in this YouTube video: (one thing I will say, his touch often looks like it goes just that bit too far away from him but he seems to get away with it every time)

I know they are only highlights but you can see him running at players, beating players, getting shots away. Looks full of confidence, not like what we get, he's practically anonymous most of the time in a Rovers shirt.

I do fear he's going to be one of those players who just drift out of the game, down the leagues before being back in the news for scoring 25 goals for some non league team.

Mowbray has a huge task on his hands getting some confidence back into him. I personally don't think Mowbray is capable of that, in fact I'd say he's more likely throw him under the bus instead.

Strange that he doesn’t run the same as in the video and looks like he’s lost some pace. 
 

5 hours ago, rock steady said:

It's a shambles.

What is Bell doing?

Why does Williams just commit! He's never getting the ball!

What's the latest with Sam Hart? Is he still around?

We're so bad that might as well give anyone in the building a try.  

I would try something totally crazy and play two natural wingers. Chapman on the right, Downing on the left. 4-4-2 with Gallagher and Graham upfront, get some proper crosses in!

The squad is ridiculously imbalanced. With no money, I would give some of the U23s a go. They can’t be much worse than playing the first team squad out of position.

JRC (when fit), Davenport, Butterworth. Throw them in, you never know they might surprise.

Mowbray complaining after today's match that he's not had the time between matches over Christmas to work with the team in setting us up for the opposition.

This is the root cause of the problems IMO, we're spending mon-fri at Brockhall watching what the opposition are doing. 

Over the Christmas period more than ever it is important we have our own system of play that we know inside out and doesn't take 5 days to prepare for.

This is lacking and we're constantly changing to fit who we're playing each week. It's like a merry go round of formations and players.

With Dack out, I'm afraid we're going to spend the rest of the season tinkering around with the formation. I think we went through 433, 4231,442 today at least. Mowbray can't help himself but tinker around. Rothwell at right back! Won't be long before we see Graham at centre half.

Injuries have not helped; add Nyambe and Cunningham to the defence we'd be much better off. 

Bennett/Bell are subpar for league one.

My theory about Buckley playing these last couple of games is so that he can ship him out on loan in January.

Same was due to happen with Travis last year. Mowbray played him to put him in the window. Wouldn't surprise me to see Samual get a token appearance next game to showcase him in front of scouts.

I'd be tempted to get a RB ahead of a LB. How many games have we lost with Bennett playing there? It doesn't work.

We look a much better team with a proper RB. Whereas we've got Downing, Bell and Williams at a push for LB.

I'm assuming that 2 x wingers are going to be top of Mowbray's shopping list in January if we're now suddenly going 4-4-2?

Mowbray is so frustrating. It's the constant tinkering with the formation, system of play and starting XI. Must be a nightmare for opposition scouts, but also for our players who won't know what they are meant to be doing. Liverpool (and other top teams) have a system of play and they stick to it, whoever comes in. It's not rocket science.

The lack of wingers also severely limits our options. We've got Graham and Gallagher in the middle, yet ZERO wingers on the pitch. We've got no options other than to put strikers there or central midfielders out of position.

The team selection will no doubt leave everyone (including the players) confused. I'm expecting something random like Bennett playing no.10 again like last season.

Today was the first game without Dack, perfect opportunity to say to Holtby or Rothwell, here you go play #10 make it your own.

But instead we played Holtby on the bloody wing. He's never been a winger. Typical Mowbray overthinking it. 

Just now, Amo said:

No team starting Bennett and Bell is getting into the playoffs. 

Correct. And Williams.

Holtby and Buckley on the wings? Surely JRCostello the best option for playing wide??

Credit to Mowbray this last week, he's effectively rotated the team to maximize points over the 3 game week. Fresh faces today made a difference.

7 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

But he got us here nonetheless 

We were all critical,some more than others,now it's time to man up and give credit where it is due. Trying to maintain that he somehow listened to people on here or that hes still a problem,only makes those doing it seem petty and saying anything to save face. 

I out my hands up,I wanted him out earlier in the season and I have been proven wrong. 

Still a ways to go,but the sogns are positive. 

All the praise of Tosin, dont forget Mowbray signed him. So defenders were indeed coming. Cunningham was a great signing g too,just unlucky with the injury. 

I genuinely do think he listened to fans and other people round him when he was on the brink a few weeks ago. (Not saying he reads this board).

I'm not giving him unreserved credit yet when the only reason he played Graham, Nyambe, Rothwell and dropped Bennett, Gallagher etc was because his job was at risk- due to his own poor team selections.

I'd still take a replacement, because on balance (transfers/ team selections/tactics) I think we can do better.