Seems unlikely that Chapman will even make the bench. It's shame after 6 months at the club and a full pre-season he's still in that position.

Well done, gold star. ( assuming no interest on loan repayments !)

Today's puzzle: Blackburn Rovers charge £4.50 for a pint of beer and £3.60 for a pie, They have an average attendance of 14,000 at a home match. If 1 in 5 fans buy a pint at each match and 1 in 4 fans buy a pie, how many matches will it take to recoup the £7,000,000 spent on a non playing striker ?

Yes that is the extent of my evidence and argument. It's an expression ! My opinion is that they won't be paying all his wages. Sorry if that offends you.

No way Wigan are paying the full wage bill. I bet they got a good deal that late in the day at the end of the window

Apologies if this has been posted before - Mowbray's explanation of Mulgrew's departure. https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/4595261/tony-mowbray-charlie-mulgrew-blackburn-wigan/

Assuming Venky's will leave at some point - dumping us in a worse state than we are now - then I'd rather they do it sooner rather than later. Imagine if they hang around, our fortunes on the pitch decline and they leave us in league 1 or 2 with a dwindling fan base? Obviously, if they could get us promoted and then disappear, great but that's not going to happen.

I'd prefer it if they abandon ship and we end up on a desert island. ( probably followed by a few years in the wilderness but then a triumphant return )

He reads this message board - I'm convinced of it. Some of his interviews address issues on here directly as soon as they are raised and without him being asked.

I don't think Bennett deserves any stick at all. He always tries his best which can't be said for all players. The fact that he isn't the best player in the team and certainly not a full back of any description doesn't take away his endeavour. He will take any booing personally so any show of disapproval should be reserved for Mowbray - however that may manifest itself.

We have been awful since last Christmas! We can't possibly give him until next Christmas if the next few weeks don't show an improvement. The slate is not wiped clean at the end of each season. No one is judging on two games alone.

it feels to me like the club is on a downward spiral once again and needs an immediate upturn in fortunes on the pitch to avoid being sucked into the vortex. We've looked lacking in confidence for months and the summer has done nothing to improve that situation. Mowbray seems stressed and frustrated. It looks like the summer budget was gambled on Gallagher and he needs to come good. But does that mean Mowbray is admitting his previous gamble (BB) has failed? The Mulgrew saga just adds confusion and possibly indicates unrest in the camp. Failure to secure the original GK target is another failing. On paper, the squad is good enough to survive but the general vibes are not good. I think it will be really difficult to regain any momentum or feel-good factor without a change of mananger. I don't dislike Mowbray but can he take us to the premier league - I really don't think so. If John Williams was still here I think he would be considering his options over the next couple of weeks.

Making Johnson captain could be seen as a new start of sorts. I think that would be good at this point.

I think morale will be low which makes this a tougher game than it already was. 0 - 3

I think the squad is capable of mid table if they play to their strengths and Mowbray picks the right teams. However, I am very worried about the vibes emanating from the club. During that bad run starting in January we looked jaded and dejected on the pitch but managed to pick up at the end of the season I was hoping we would start this season refreshed and reinforced with defensive additions. It hasn't happened. The manager seems tetchy and even angry. He's said a few things that indicates he is hearing the criticism from fans. He has not fulfilled his previous promises and he knows that has not gone down well. I get the feeling that all is not well in the player's camp - Mulgrew's departure, Bennett's twitter comments - none of this helps. Waggott has been coming out with some weird statements about how we plan to improve performances ( without changing personnel ). A bad run at the start of the season will have a big impact, given the slightly depressed atmosphere at the moment, and I can see a relegation struggle and a fan backlash. We don't have players with enough bottle to really dig in for a season long scrap. So, if we have a bad start I think the wheels will come off. If we are mid table after 10 games or so I think we will stay there for most of the season.

Could be difficult for all concerned if it doesn't happen now.

So it seems that some people are happy with the window but not many. One thing is for sure, there is certainly not a happy vibe around the club at the moment. Mowbray's interviews are very tetchy and he certainly seems stressed. Waggott is making feeble excuses as to where we are spending money ( not on players ) The club captain is gone ( potted or jumped ) - this may not affect the quality of the team but what about the atmosphere in the dresingroom ? We are a couple of injuries away from having a totally threadbare defence. We've not looked like a happy camp since January and it now feels even worse. Meanwhile the 3 stooges will be sleeping contentedly in their Pune mansion totally oblivious that the club is really in a bad place just now.

I'm sure Mulgrew is aware of the stick he has been getting from fans and didn't fancy hanging around for it to become worse. Maybe he just asked to go?

As you say, I hope Tosin improves our defence but we also need to find more goals throughout the team to replace Mulgrew's contribution and find a new dead ball expert.

But continuity is preferable. We may be able to successful with loan players but that successful side will be dismantled at the end of the season. Surely a team that improves together over a number of yerars is what we need.

Been plenty of Cowboys behind the scenes at Rovers these last few years.

I work in Preston. PNE fans have been mentioning his name since Monday.

Apart from a good win against Derby and a few dead rubber wins at the end of the season we have been awful since January. We were also terrible in November. Nobody is judging on just one game. We look like a team who are getting the losing habit.

I honestly think Mowbray doesn't know the true situation from one day to the next. That's not particularly a criticism of him, it's the way the club is run. Both Mowbray and Waggott stated, more than once, that our summer transfer budget was similar to last year - that should mean there is a few million left and the Raya money on top. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. I am convinced Venky's decided that Gallagher would be the only signing with a significant fee attached. All other deals this window must be free or very cheap and not increase the overall wage bill compared to last year. We can debate all day long about needing new defenders - there is no argument there - Venky's aren't listening and even if they were they wouldn't understand. To them players are like stocks and shares. Strikers could result in a nice dividend in the future. Defenders? dead money to them. VO

If that really is the case then I wouldn't bother. He may be good but if his heart isn't in it he won't be committed. look elsewhere.