joey_big_nose

I'm confused about how we could afford the wages of Oli Burke but not of Rothwell, Lenihan and Nyambe?

Seen this sort of view start to crop up a bit recently. Reminds me a bit of the stick Savage used to get. We're better off having a Travis who can get stuck in and break down opposing attacks and pass the ball over than having another ball player who is less effective defensively. For me a huge part of our run so far has been down to the Travis and Rothwells excellent partnership. Id hesitate to change it.

I have to agree with this - I think Nyambes a great defender, a fantastic athlete, a consummate professional, all round good bloke, and a joy to watch as he consistently physically dominates the opposing winger defensively and offensively time and time again. But he really can't cross a ball, and that's a problem when the opposition is sitting deep with six or seven in and around the area. Its not a personal attack on Nyambe, just a observation about one of the areas we need to improve at the moment.

I know the mods do a great job, but does setting up a new topic for post match discussion disrupt the flow a bit? I was going to respond to someone on the match thread? Anyhoo... What I was intending to say in response to commentary around Nyambe.. When JRC is fit enough to be able to bring him on even for 30 mins will make a big difference. There's just no quality delivery from the right and in a second half like today where the pitch is a mess you want to be able to send the ball in the air from both sides. Nyambe has to be the best one on one full backs in the league but also one of the worst deliveries. All he can really do is the cutback. JRC hasn't got Nyambes outstanding pace or power, but when we are on top he offers a lot more.

Really similar to the previous game. Rovers dominant but not quite finishing Still have to say we look so good back to front.

Hes been terrible. Real shame after him being highly tipped by Liverpool and a Rovers fan. Just didn't have anything about him at all.

Yes, given we have two established players for each of the forward three positions (BBD, Khadra, Buckley, Gallagher, Dolan, Dack) suggests to me we are looking at more strikers in case we lose one of the above (probs BBD). It wouldn't make much sense to sign another and push Gally and Dolan further down the pecking order.

Yes only player we need is a right wing back. Otherwise entire focus should be securing the existing squad. Owners obviously care as they sign off £15m every season. I think probably they have just set some limits they were not prepared to breach. I can see that changing though as I am sure someone will be sitting down with them and eg. saying Rothwell is probs worth 5-6m now on a long term contract so needs tying down. The financial calculus is changing a bit. If be very surprised if we don't up our offers.

When I think about if a striker can step up to a league the question I always ask is do they have skill, pace or strength to worry a defender at that level. For me both Armstrong and Brereton look risky as they aren't dominant in any of those areas against Prem quality imo. Someone like Ivan Toney, Mitrovic or Ollie Watkins look a lot more complete imo. Even with his Ronaldo/Messi like goal tally this year (20 in 24 is absolutely ridiculous) I can see a lot of pause from Prem sides before dropping £20m+ on Brereton. He just isn't quick or strong enough to seem really convincing, and his technique is way below Prem standard.

Got to be same team for this one and then rotate in the FA cup next week. Looked back through Huddersfields recent games on who scored. Looks like they setup very similar to us (343) and have a good run of three wins..... But lack our domination of games. Forest in their last game looked like they dominated Hudds on the stats. Rovers should really win this one, feel (stupidly) confident about it. I cant really see how we get hurt by other teams atm.

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