Mowbray, by his own admission, doesn't see the changing room as his domain. He likes to have his experienced lieutenants running that area. I'd imagine Downing is a vey nice chap who is more than capable of collecting fines.

^ If Carol Vorderman supported Rovers.

No doubting Downing has been a quality player in his time but where will he be played? He won't replace Dack so it's either AA's position or Rothwells - wide left or wide right. I doubt he has any pace now so he'll be seen as a play maker from deep and out wide. I remember Mowbray doing something similar with Whittingham.

Conway Stats 18/19:- @Stuart Tournament Apps Mins Goals Assists Yel Red SpG PS% AerialsWon MotM Rating Championship 9(12) 947 1 1 1 - 0.6 80.3 0.3 - 6.57 League Cup 3 N/A 1 N/A - - N/A N/A N/A N/A - FA Cup 1(1) N/A - N/A - - N/A N/A N/A N/A - Club Friendlies 0(1) N/A - N/A - - N/A N/A N/A N/A - Total / Average 27 947 2 1 1 0 0.6 80.3 0.3 0

Playing for a Tony Mowbray side won't improve matters. What was it, 5 goals from open play in total from all the 1st halves at home last season?

Positional stats 18/19:- Position Apps Goals Assists Rating Sub (Substitute) 14 0 0 6.21 FWR (Forward Right) 11 1 1 6.87 AMC (Attacking Midfielder Centre) 6 0 0 6.75 DML (Defensive Midfielder Left) 2 0 0 6.94 FWL (Forward Left) 1 1 0 8.7 ML (Midfielder Left) 1 0 0 7.36 MC (Midfielder Centre) 1 0 0 6.49 AMR (Attacking Midfielder Right) 1 0 0 6.36 MR (Midfielder Right) 1 0 0 6.25

Downing stats 18/19: Tournament Apps Mins Goals Assists SpG KeyP Drb Fouled Off Disp UnsTch Rating Championship 24(14) 2338 2 1 1.2 1.5 0.5 0.4 0.1 0.5 1 6.63 FA Cup 1 N/A - N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A - Total / Average 39 2338 2 1 1.2 1.5 0.5 0.4 0.1 0.5 1 6.63

'Stewy, if you sign I'll give you a lift back to Yarm every night' 'Done, Tony pet'

Nope, that was what Rich Sharpe said. It's no wonder you can't keep up. In fact the only person you can keep up with is Stewart Downing Stewart Downing?

Only another 213 pages until our next exciting signing.?

The flying winger we all dreamed about. Good human.

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2019/june/rovers-seal-downing-deal/ Stewart Downing will be with Rovers for the 2019-20 Championship campaign, will you? Sign up now for a Season Ticket here. No.

Only pulling yer pud - although I do think he'll be shite! Where's he going to play? Out wide instead of Chapman and Rothwell? In the middle? I doubt he's come to sit on the bench so Mogga must have promised him something. I think it's just a car share thing. Mogga wants someone to drive him home.

Yep, good we're only signing shite on short term deals these day

I think a quality CB and a FB are absolutely essential. Without them we will struggle again. A GK and a striker are pretty necessary too. Central midfield of Evans, Davenport, Travis and Buckley may be sufficient, but it probably needs one more quality addition. AA, Rothwell, Downing and Chapman will probably battle it out for the wide berths. Attacking midfield is probably the only area we are well stocked in, especially when you add in Dack and Butterworth. I suppose it all depends what formation he goes with. @Madon needs to get his binoculars out when they return to training next week.

We don't need a replacement for Conway, we need better than those we already have. Tony told us this summer was about getting players in who can go straight in the 1st team - 3 or 4 was the number he quoted a few weeks ago. If Downing can get in the 1st team then fair enough, if he can't it's a poor signing because it doesn't improve the 1st XI.

No, the bluster was about who we would sign, not the amount. Mowbray had a very healthy budget last summer, which is exactly the phrase he used. So, yes, he did come back and tell everyone what he had to spend, and the indications are he has the same budget this summer. Looks like he's blustered again.

They did last season...and after we spent £7.6m Mowbray even told us there was money left over.

@Torgeir https://roverschat.com/charlie-mulgrew-rovers-record-shows-theyre-better-off-without-the-captain/

They've been posted on here before, in the last few months. Originally posted on another website (Rovers Chat). Points gained far less and goals conceded far more when he's playing is the basic crux of it.

He really isn't. The stats on Mulgrew are damning. Watching him play is even worse. He is an accident waiting to happen, and he often obliges.

Yep, same bluster as last summer, even down to the '4 or 5' players mantra and 'same budget'. The problem is it turned out to be a load of b0llocks last season as Mowbray's targets went elsewhere. The same is already happening this season. Sharpe is already getting the club's excuses in early:- "Reaction from supporters to missing out on Patrick Bauer would likely have had as much to do with still not having signed a player than missing out on the German central defender, even though he had been a long-term target for the club" https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/rovers/news/17719042.rovers-not-alone-in-transfer-wait-but-something-must-give/ Sharpe speaks for us all Mowbray already backtracking from 'experienced players to go straight in the team' to:- “Some of those might be free transfers, some might be loans, and some players that we might look to buy, polish them up, and then sell on. We might also have players in the building who can make an impact for us" Incredible ambition: we MIGHT get players who can make an impact.? Mowbray - not arsed about promotion just as long as players get a bit better and we get the odd good signing in. If everyone's happy to plod along and go nowhere fast then Mowbray is the man to do it.

Mowbray hasn't said anything about the spine, that's Sharpe's interpretation of what we need. He wrote the same article about Mowbray wanting a new spine a month or so ago. Sharpe did exactly the same last preseason when he named all the positions Mowbray wanted to sign players for. Those signings never happened.

Dutch porn.

Our excellent start made last season rather comfortable. This season those opening fixtures are a nightmare. We'll be close to the bottom by the end of August. From then on we'll be in a relegation battle if we don't recover quickly. It's good to be alive?