joey_big_nose

I think that's unfair to Kaminski - looks a top keeper to me, better than Raya imo. Best signing in a long time. Dolan is very young, but like Rothwell you can see as he matures he could turn into a top player. Got all the attributes to routinely beat his marker and scores goals. Otherwise hard to disagree. Branthwaite started really well for us in the first three games but since then he's been all over the place. If we'd got a decent defender who was fit instead of Ayala, and a decent left back with a bit of an engine as opposed to Douglas, we would be in a much better position. Those two poor signings have really really cost us. I imagine a new manager will focus on CB, LB and probably look at how to create some genuine width as unlikely to be keen on Mowbrays "strikers on the wing" philosophy... May also look at the proper striking options and bring in someone who scores goals to support Armstrong (assuming he stays of course), and try and shift out one or both of Brereton and Gallagher. But apart from that he will more than likely be reasonably happy with the players at his disposal. Most decent managers will think they can get more from the players here. A bit like when Allardyce pitched up after Ince - he was pretty emphatic we had a good squad, just it had been used poorly. And so it proved...

Got to be time up for Mowbray surely.

Mowbrays been interesting, actually active on the sidelines, not sitting and sulking like most of Feb.

Very noticeable that our 433 was getting absolutely pumped by their 343 in the first ten minutes (quel suprise... it's been like that all bloody season). But today we had the wherewithal to change to a 4231 within the first 10. Immediately got on top. Rothwell excelling in the free role behind Armstrong. If we'd had that plan b earlier in the season we would be in a much better place today. I really don't understand why we have only just come up with it as we've needed it since October.

Yes I think so too. We only go to 4231 when Dacks on the pitch. Main plus is Rothwells playing - we are so much better when he's playing central. Really hard to be enthused though. Whole season is in tatters and we are just treading water till Mowbray is inevitably sacked.

I think since he went to Man City he's had a chip on his shoulder. Walked out of Fulham after a year and never looked happy at QPR or Stoke even with a lot of resources. I can't see him stepping down to the Championship, or if he does that he will stick with it. But obviously if he did come he would get all my support and I would be excited to see what he does. Just would have a few question marks.

With Warnock and McCarthy though they are committed to being promotion focussed Championship managers. I think Hughes thinks he is better than that level. I just don't think he would be that motivated.

Hmmm. Hughes coming back.... not sure the hungers there. Coming back rarely works out. Not sure about it. Also could really see a Lambert situation where he just can't handle the Venky circus and walks after a few months. Cowley brothers decent shout. Neither of those really make you think we will definitely improve our chances of being promoted though. Not a Bielsa, Hughton or a Warnock. But then there are very few in that category...

I think in the right situation the intense 433 we played at the start of the season worked really well. But it's very hard to keep up the intensity required over the season, arguably makes us more vulnerable to injury due to the stress of it to the players, and it's vulnerable to the opposition playing three at the back and crowding us out. Preston were a really good example in how we battered them in the first game, but they completely figured us out in the return fixture and we were totally out played and fought. Ultimately we have struggled by not having a good plan b when the 433 stopped being effective. I'm sure whoever the next manager is they will just go straight back to basics and a 4231.

Well he's got us to the point where we expect to be top six for the last couple of seasons. You make it sound like he has been continuously terrible since we got promoted, but if that were true we would have been in a relegation dog fight last two years. He's done okay to be honest but he's obviously not going to get us top six, and clearly that's the next step so he's got to go.

Anyone with any connections at the club who has heard anything? Surely something is happening after 5 losses on the spin and clearly missing our top six target with a quarter of the season still to go.... There will be some owner reaction surely?

This seems about right to me. He looks like he knows he's going to get sacked, just not sure when.

I'd say we have a really good squad with top players right down the spine of the team. Kaminski, Lenihan, Travis, Dack, Armstrong all real top 6 quality. Around that we've got some promising players - Nyambe, Rothwell, Dolan. And then beyond that a lot of decent squad players. It's pretty rare that we play a team and I think they have a better squad than us. Probably only a couple of ex-prem teams have fallen into that category (Watford, Bournemouth). In the games we play we very rarely get beaten by better talent. Usually we get outfought and beaten on set pieces. Reason we haven't kicked on though is our defence is shocking, and tactically we look very one dimensional. We get crowded out of games. If we get a new manager in I think we will be looking at a handful of players in, not a total overhaul. This squad should be top six, everyone knows it imo. From the pundits on Sky and Quest, to most fans, to Mowbray himself. I think the owners must know it also.

England have got an absolutely outrageous amount of attacking talent - Kane and Calvert-Lewin are fantastic target men. Sancho, Sterling, Foden, Grealish, Rashford, Maddison all excellent inside forwards. It's an incredible pool to choose from. "Proper midfielders" are a bit more mixed. I'm not 100% sold on Rice, Henderson is looking off the pace. After those two it get pretty slim pretty quickly. C Full backs we have very good options. Centreback is utterly terrible though. I will be surprised if Southgate switches to four at the back after persevering with three for so long. But then if he does that he's leaving out one superb attacker for a third rubbish centreback. Goalkeepers quite poor by international standards. Looking at the squad you would be tempted to just go for a Keegan Hari-Kari kind of approach as it really is forwards where our assets lie. Shame really as a couple of decent centrebacks and we could go into the tournament quite confident, but you'd have to say it's going to be a bit unpredictable.

Very even game I thought today. Draw would have been a reasonable result based on the balance of play. But only really because Forest looked as poor as us. To progress when a team play as poorly as Forest did today we have to beat them, not lose against them in a marginal game.... Wonder what the tolerence is. Lost four on the spin, significantly behind where we were last season on the table. Surely about time they will pull the trigger? Maybe one loss.

I think that shows more than anything that Mowbray has to go. I would let Damien Johnson have a crack till the end of the season and find someone in that time.

10 points off sixth. Would be a logical time to change the manager.

Been totally dominated since the Barnsley changes.

For what it's worth I think we should play 433 against 4 at the back and 3412 against 3 at the back. Gives the team the right balance.

Sorry - Bennett I mean!

Tactically we look a lot better with this 3412 against a 343 than we did with the 433. We're not getting overloaded and we are creating a fair amount of chances. Both sides really technically poor though. Pitch and conditions part of that and that 343 Vs 343 is pretty attritional stuff... Game could go either way. My money is on Buckley coming on for Bentley at some point...

Think it's the right formation but very surprised Bennett is in. Mowbray gives Nyambe a lot of grief about his attacking prowess but both goals against Barnsley last time, and quite a few others, cane from Nyambe skinning his fullback.... Interested to see if Armstrong really do play down the middle or if they play wide.

Yes it's strange - he used to play 3 at the back a lot at his previous clubs, but is avoiding it at the moment like the plague despite it seemingly being needed in certain games.

Why do you say that? JRC look like he will be a very good wing back imo. Great engine, good delivery, can tackle a bit.

A bit more aggressive. If they've got quality down their left I don't think Elliott would be tracking back much... Similarly Downing hasn't got the engine to get up and down any more. We'd have to be pretty comfortable we could stay on top in the game to be secure in that formation imo. On the plus side I would like to see Gallagher and Armstrong as a proper partnership. It's mad they've been at the club 18 months together and we haven't played a proper front two once.