booth

Me too, we aren't there yet. If we had a balsy midfielder and another goalscorer I'd be confident. I think JDT will want to defend with a hope of hitting them on the break, but we won't be able to get out of our own half. A terrible last 30 minutes where we have Hirst, Vale and Szmodics as our front three unable to do anything with or even retain the ball. Defence bombarded.

Rovers started getting stick when they first got promoted. I remember pundits and newspapers saying Leicester should have gone up as we'd just end up getting immediately relegated.

The dream would be beating their full strength side 10-0, sending them into meltdown and they end up with back to back relegations after reappointing Owen Coyle whilst ALK fritters away all their money wouldn't it?

Tella didn't look as effective up front but Rodriguez will be back for the Rovers game I imagine.

Both strikers out is ideal for Mowbray as he doesn't like to play that way. If he's struggling for goals then in January he'll sign a couple of wingers and a defensive midfielder. He'll blow all his money on a striker when he needs a couple of defenders, then play him on the wing.

Needlessly red carded in an under 21 game, mouthing off to fans. He's gone in January.

I think it's more the nature of their losses rather than being higher in the league, from what I've read at least. And Mowbray up to his usual bullshitting self.

It was clear with Wharton coming on for Gallagher that we allowed that pressure onto ourselves. Maybe if we'd had a better option than Vale on the bench it would have been like for like.

Because JDT's been only been with us for about 4 months and besides a hurried transfer window, has had to work with what he was left with? Huddersfield didn't look a good team at any point in the match. We had inferior opposition when we were in the PL thanks to years of a well ran club. For example don't give me that these charlatans were our equals when we met them.

On his day the lad is like a ninja.

Can't blame him for that, he was putting some good balls in the box. I actually thought he was like Dolan but with better end product.

You don't think we played against inferior opposition in the Premier League?

I hope Adam Wharton plays as well as he did against Blackpool.

Part of that sentence was. "Defending against inferior opposition..."

Jim... In the words of KC and the Sunshine Band, please don't go.

And that Sorba Thomas at Hudds to replace Diaz's running at defences.

Dodgy keeper. If Diaz tests him he'll score.

Play Adam Wharton in the midweek game and he'll be out at the weekend. The lad can give an excellent 45-60 minutes per week at the moment. I'd also keep Scott W for the weekend too. Blackburn lads should be in the derby.

Yes he must be pleased with the defence, which we all should be considering how long it's taken. Pickering is looking a lot better now too. And the really good thing is that all of the defenders are ours, not loanees. How many transfer windows did he say he'd need? I imagine he'll go all out for a striker in January, I hope so anyway. Then perhaps address midfield in Summer when Morton leaves.

I think he's identified we can't see games out with the players we have/fitness levels, so gets them to dig in when we're 1-0 up and looking tired and uninspired. I see it as a hangover from five years of Mowbray and a way to get through games till these things can be rectified. We desperately need more firepower as I can't see Vale or Hirst coming on and extending leads. Dolan disappoints more often than not. Maybe I'm that jaded from Mowbray that I'll take an annoyingly cautious 1-0 victory, over being 2-0 up and drawing 2-2 in injury time. I found Allardyce's defending against inferior opposition frustratingly agonising at times. We had a better, fitter squad then too.

There were times when I felt a life sentence wouldn't be harsh enough.

He certainly won't get five years.

I've seen us play exactly like that and lose under TM, so I'm taking it as a positive.

Maybe big tanker was cockney rhyming slang.

Speaking (or typing) as someone who witnessed wins like that under Dalglish, I'm hoping we're seeing a similar canny and intelligent manager who is learning about what his players are capable of when pushed. And hopefully not just luck. It didn't feel like it against Coventry but feels like it today.