Yes the attempt to ape Leeds last season with the 433 was thoroughly planned out, intensively trained for, and then didn't really work out after a cracking first two months. I do wonder if we'd had a transfer budget we would have tried to continue down the same path, Mowbray was pretty invested in it.... It was only really when we lost Holtby and Elliott over the summer and did not replace we dropped it entirely. Other things helped - Wharton coming through was fortuitous as he has been an absolute revelation and I wonder if the 343 would work without him. And - again due to lack of numbers - Mowbray was pretty much forced to play Rothwell in midfield which you could really tell he didn't want to do but has turned out to be critical. A lot of factors have helped the manager on his way to where we are. But in the end Mowbrays worked with what he's got very well, especially impressive if you consider we don't have a single player in the squad who was a guaranteed performer at this level before they came to Rovers (Ayala and Johnson aside, who have both struggled to get game time). So kudos to him. You play them as they fall I suppose, and he's knocked it out of the park this year.

If he can start scoring he will be some player. With a better strike on him he could have had two today. Think it will come though, he has the technique - just needs a bit of confidence in front of goal. His control and movement on and off the ball is exceptional (his turns are particularly sublime), as is his passing. Destined to play in the Premier League one way or another. What I particularly like about him is he wins the ball more than a defensive midfielder too. When Dack's back I can see him moving to central mid or even right wing back and being amazingly effective there also in defence and attack.

I think we can legitimately look to automatic promotion. Solid at the back, scoring freely, and have a strong enough squad to handle injuries. If I wasn't a rovers fan id be tipping us to get top 2.

1pt off top. Insane. We've played six wins in a row and every game looked comfortably the better team How have we done it? I know a lot of people will say "round pegs" - but is it really? Brereton wide left, Buckley false 9, Nyambe and Pickering in midfield. It's really quite an unusual setup which is the culmination of Mowbrays strange tactical innovations. Non Rovers fans who have just woken up to us will be looking at the team we put out and thinking we have a tactical genius as a manager. Maybe they are right? It was just was a while in the oven.

Amazing result. Some nervy moments but really we should have won very easily given the bucket of chances.

If Travis is the weak link we're doing pretty bloody well! For me he's critical.

Brereton cracks me up, never looked like he was in control of the ball but scores a brilliant goal.

Given how little Barnsley are offering down their left I wonder if we will see Buckley at RWB.

Should be 3-0, somehow 1-1. We'll be okay though I think.

We just look so solid. Can't ever recall a Rovers team looking so consistently in control across so many games.

To be honest Barnsley actually have pushed up and passed out of the back so totally different to what I thought. Buckley and Rothwell still did them though!

Really good start from us. Rothwell really unlucky.

I reckon they'll sit back and not let us break on them. But the beauty of our setup is we can just switch our approach to Rothwell running at their deep lines, Buckley picking through balls, and being very dangerous at set pieces with our three big CBs and Brereton to aim at.

Same team for me for this one. It's a great feeling to have a first XI you have complete confidence in, and another 5 players on the bench (Dolan, Gallagher, Davenport, Edun, Ayala) you would be happy to bring on. And that's before Dack and JRC are available too.... Specific to this game - in a way we owe Barnsley a bit - our current way of playing which has been so successful we nicked from Barnsley under Ismael when they took us apart last year. Tony Mowbray was very impressed by it, and obviously has mirrored our current 343 with the pressing front 3 on their setup. That said they've lost Ismael, and seem to have lost their way so it should hopefully be an easy win for us. On paper can't really see how they hurt us, but football is always full of surprises. BTW good work on both clubs in avoiding Covid. It's an achievement just to get games done. I think we are looking at quite a few cancellations in the next few weeks, and I expect (unless all the players are completely in a bubble away from friends and family which I sincerely doubt) at some point the Rovers squad will be hit. Realistically it is just a case of when, not if, infections turn up.

Armstrong's a great player but not really sure he fits the way we play atm. He'd have to be much more aggressive pressing the ball, and be more interested in linking up with other players

Way things are going with cases now levelling off in London (showing how things likely to unfold elsewhere) and the lower hospitalisation rate I can't see a lock down happening tbh. For some reason after insane initial growth the Omicron case growth stalls. Why that is isn't clear, but it's happened in SA and now London. Probs biggest threat to football is the players catching Covid themselves.

The way I would describe it is really as two different formations - one with the ball and one without. When we dont have the ball it's 523 with Brereton and Khadra quite wide and Buckley pushed right up so they form a very aggressive pressing line of theee. The wing backs sit back alongside the back three. When we have the ball Buckley drops into the number 10 role and Brereton and Khadra get narrower so it's more of a 3412. The wing backs push right up into midfield, Works a real treat. Opposition defences haven't really been able to grapple with it at all.

Has to be an unchanged team. Don't think I've ever been as confident of a win. Got to be a bad sign?

Agree on the backup. We've gone on a massive run without Ayala who is probably our best player. Pears came in and did a great job when Kaminski was out. Outside of the starting XI today Dolan, Ayala, Davenport, Dolan, Gallagher could all come in play with the complete confidence of the supporters. Pears probably too given his last couple of games. It's such a strange thing as a couple of months ago most - including me - would have said it was a pretty patchy squad. But it's turned into our best squad probably since we were relegated. If I had to pin it on anything it's probably having landed on 4 really top centrebacks and found finally a top left back, and a system that uses those assets so well. It creates this fantastic platform for forward players to create.

What's great about this team is you can see how it's a real conundrum for opposition managers to figure out how to get any change out of us.... Play it in the air - our three massive CBs will hoover everything up Play it in the channels - Lenihan or Wharton will sweep it up in partnership with the wing backs. Try to possess the ball - our front three will close you down relentlessly till you make a mistake Play a high line - Khadra and Breretons pace will get in behind Sit deep - Buckley and Rothwell will pass through you Usually there's at least a couple of obvious ways to hurt us. But I really struggle to see what options the other teams have at the moment.

Lenihans pass for Khadra for the second one was great too.

Since we switched to three at the back (that was the Peterborough game) we've benen unstoppable. No one's even made us sweat let alone score. Its outrageous how solid we look. Genuinely beginning to feel automatic promotion is possible.

I guess the way we play could be characterised as 523 without the ball and 3412 with the ball. I agree its really smart - when we're without the ball the opposition get no respite from the front three press, but there is very little on with the long ball due to the back 5. When we have the ball it's very hard for the opposition to effectively mark Bucko dropping off or track the wider strikers in the channels. Mowbrays been doing this wide strikers thing for 5 years now, and the false nine for two years. But it's just now starting to make a lot of sense. As for Dack - he'll definitely end up in the false 9 if he gets fit enough. In this system it's the perfect role for him. Bucko is so good he could play anywhere really, could see him in central mid or right wing back.

I've had a think, apart from not selling anyone, the thing that will make the most impact is signing from somewhere a top right wing back. I wonder if we could get a half season loan deal for somone to replace Poveda?

Feels doable to me. I don't think we are overly reliant on any particular player, solid defence, clean sheets, scoring goals. Also got Dack to come back who should slot nicely into the false 9 role he can share with Buckley. Theoretically we should be able to add to the squad in Jan from the Armstrong money.