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. 

30 minutes ago, markhayhurst said:

19 isn't 35 is it. 

^ 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. 

2 hours ago, blueboy3333 said:

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

Conway Stats 18/19:- @Stuart

35 minutes ago, Beanie01289 said:

Playing for a Tony pulis side they are good stats for anyone who doesn't have a long throw. 

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:-

Downing stats 18/19:

Just now, S8 & Blue said:

It's only a few pages back TM was being criticised for not blowing smoke up the backside of an imaginary Patrick Bauer.

Maybe he can smooth talk after all.

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

'Done, Tony pet'

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

Wasn't that why people were saying we didn't sign Bauer? I can't keep up with what Mowbray is apparently doing at all at all  

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.

Just now, RoverKyle said:

Haha come on now. He might not be what anyone wanted, but I doubt he'll be shite. 

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.

2 minutes ago, RoverKyle said:

One huge positive I'm taking from this is the deal length. We'd have offered him a 2 year deal not that long ago, just to get ahead of any potential rivals for the signature.

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

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

Ya, that's the key piece really. He did say he wanted players to come in and improve the team straight away and there does appear to be a backtrack on that somewhat, but time will tell. Disappointing if we don't have at least 2 new starters in the first 11 V Charlton. 

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. 

26 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Nice replacement for Conway, certainly an upgrade. CB and a striker next please  

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. 

1 hour ago, Biz said:

I thought the same “bluster”, “turned out to be a load of b0llocks last season”?

 

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.

Just now, Biz said:

Just a quick question for anyone who had convinced themselves the trip to India has curtailed ambitions;

Did you expect them to come back talking about big budgets? Even if they had one?

 

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/

Just now, Torgeir said:

Where can I find those stats?

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. 

Just now, Torgeir said:

but fully fit he is good enough to start alongside Lenihan. It's a question of  whether he will stay injury free for long periods of time ever again.

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. 

1 hour ago, Neal said:

Media Mowbray saying pretty much the same as what I said, we need a spine. 

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. 

1 hour ago, Sparks Rover said:

Holland Holemasters

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?