joey_big_nose

Just watched the game back, thought we were really good tbh. We could have scored four or five, Reading only created a single decent chance which Puskas should have scored. Considering we had a few injuries a good result. Dolans going to be one of the best players in the Championship in the next year or two. Once he sorts his decision making out he's going to be very hard to stop. Absolutely rinsed their backline. What is so admirable about him is, despite obviously being the most technically talented player we have, he is also the biggest grafter. He's just relentless. Also thought Edun and Van Hecke did well. Gallagher had a very good game also. We do have a pretty good team. Wharton and JRC nearly back. It's the hope that kills you right?

Great work @only2garners! Watched the game back just now. Really appreciate it 🙂

Didn't see the game today, see they are now doing full game replays so will watch it back. But Dolan for me is going to have a very good career. Reminds me of King - someone who has his faults but can score and create so will kick on. A player who can do that well while still so young is very rare.

Really don't get Clarkson - he's terrible. Want him to do well, but just a total non entity. Butterworth has looked lively for me. Not too worried about him. I'd swap Clarkson for Buckley at HT. But as we are back down to 3 subs maybe we need to wait in case of any injuries.

Hmmmm..... Is this : Kaminski Van Hecke. Ayala. Lenihan Nyambe. Travis. Edun. Pickering Clarkson Butterworth. Brereton ?

On his general play id agree, but his goals to game ratio is outstanding. Sometimes you've got to put opinions aside and say the boys doing exceptionally well. Thats where the criticism of Mowbray needs to be checked. He's brought in a guy who most thought was terrible and hes now top scorer in the Championship (straight after Armstrong who was similar criticised). Rough with the smooth, Mowbray has found some decent players.

Its probably the biggest turnaround I've ever seen following Rovers. Two years ago he was abject, really poor, now he's our best player and the Championship too scorer. Why that is is quite hard to figure out. He's not really playing in any substantially different way. Just seems more confident, and he is physically stronger than he was, and getting in the box.

I'm not blaming Mowbray. Mowbray found him on the cheap and he's been a good player for us. I just think he is likely to continue to do well at other clubs and keep growing, despite being relatively old as you say. Sometimes players need a move to kick on.

Rothwell has got the ingredients to suggest he could be a Prem player. Quick, good technique, can breeze past players, when he gets his head up passes well. He's a very complete player. Reminds me a lot of Cairney and Josh King who were both obviously talented, had good but not consistent careers with Rovers, left and really kicked on.

If Rangers are interested and can pay the wages I'm sure Rothwell is gone. Bad news. Also Saturday showed we desperately need right back cover. Nyambe, JRC and the new Brighton chap all seem to have big injury issues.

It's genuinely one of the most obscure mysteries I've ever encountered. I can't think of anything similar. They should have left ages ago. I guess maybe they think about walking away every year but then - kind of like a gambling addict - they think if we can fluke it into the prem they get all their money back? Who knows. Anyway personally I am now at the point even if they were happy to burn £20M per year indefinitely it's better if they just go. If we have to take administration we just take that on the chin and build back under fan ownership. Weve got a pretty competitive team in parts atm, and a pretty good manager despite his many faults, undoubtedly when we go into admin we will get much worse of both and spend a decent amount of time in League One, but without a proper owner who can align everything properly we are not going to move forward. It's got to get worse before it gets better.

To be fair we should have scored right at the end, stone cold tap in. Dolans looked decent. If we get one back then game on. Got to take Magloire off, its clear he hasn't got any confidence in himself let alone the confidence of his team mates. Really terrible defensive options on the bench. I would say maybe we bring Johnson on and go 3412 to try and matchup Kaminski Carter. Ayala. Johnson Buckley. Travis. Edun. Pickering Rothwell Dolan. Brereton. Such a makeshift side.

Magloire cannot come out second half.

Can see Ayala getting sent off.

Magloire looks absolutely abject... So poor. Need to make a change now imo. Travis RB, Davenport on seems the most sensible imo.

Wouldn't Carter play Right Back? He played left back well earlier in the season and did okay? He's right footer I think? With things getting a bit makeshift I would avoid moving Pickering as well. Kaminski Carter. Lenihan. Ayala. Pickering Travis. Rothwell Dolan. Buckley. Brereton Gallagher Subs : Pears, Edun, Johnson, Khadra, Butterworth, Poveda, McBride Very thin at the back.

Cardiff were 8th when we played them.

If we win this we really are in business. Like a lot of stuff I would say what is working in our favour is quite unexpected. Our "powderpuff" midfield actually looking very effective. Travis looks much more like his old self, Buckley puts some real crunchers in and nicks the ball away frequently, and Rothwell pace in closing down has been really strong. The opposition do seem much more challenged by it compares to the predominantly Johnson/Holtby/Evans/Trybull/Rothwell (Travis was out injured most of last season) combos we were putting out last year. On top of that - very unexpectedly if you look at last few seasons stats - the forwards are scoring. Few would have predicted that. I don't think any manager would have planned it this way, but it's performing. My general impression watching Rovers and other clubs and national teams is the youngsters do tend to do better than expected. Also Ayala being for has had a huge benefit to the rest of the team.

I thought their commentary was absolutely terrible, much prefer the Rovers guys. Amazing performance. Football is so strange - we really looked destined for a terrible season, but we're really performing. Dolan and Buckley look like they will have big careers to me.

Mowbray gets loads of unfair abuse about dropping young players for older favourites etc. He has consistently played young teams imo. Dolan has just reached 50 games with us despite only being with us a year, Buckley has had a lot of game time, Travis, Nyambe, Brereton, Rothwell have all got a lot of game time. I'm sure Buckley will continue to regularly start games.

I'm pretty sure it will be 4231 with Buckley at 10. Failing that 433 with Buckley on the right of the midfield 3 which is okay. Probable setup : Kaminski Nyambe. Lenihan. Ayala. Pickering . Travis. Rothwell Dolan. Buckley. Brereton Gallagher

I wonder if it would be worth matching them up 343? Kaminski Lenihan Ayala Carter Nyambe Buckley Travis Pickering Dolan Rothwell Brereton Think that setup would suit us and allow us to better compete in midfield. Bring Butterworth and Khadra on for Dolan and one of Rothwell/Buckley second half. If Clarkson starts I think I'll scream.

Results are decent at the moment. But we all know that a horrendous run could hit us at any moment. It's happened every season with Mowbray, and we are even more vulnerable to it now as the squad is so thin. Injuries to any of (in priority order) Kaminski, Ayala, Lenihan, Brereton, Rothwell, Pickering, Nyambe would all leave us in serious problems I think as we just don't have backfill. Statistically it's going to happen at some point. So it's great to get the points on the board, I am supporting the team 100%, but realistically it's hard to feel it's going to last. Mowbray can build teams that get results for a while, but struggles with resilience.

Gets a lot of sh*t for being weak but he absolutely leathered them in the tackle a few times. Rothwell has also looked more defensively robust.

Brereton does seem a better wide player to me than a striker. Which is mad given his size. But there it is. We could do with a proper physical target man who knows how to head a ball. Like Graham or Gestede. Must be someone knocking around on a free?