My mate did both of his ACLs quite rapidly after each other. Why do you think that is? Seems odd that you would be more vulnerable?

He looked absolutely devastated.

Brentford have been really well run for 10 years now but never been promoted. Shows how hard it is to get out of the division.

To be fair he spent a lot of his career wide left. Big Sam loved a wide forward....

Yeah, but part of that is he is asked to run with the ball and pass it from wide which is mad. I think with a run at centre forward he would be better. But maybe not.

You look at the second half and it's hard to not wonder if we would just have been better with Gallagher straight through the middle. That we didn't even try it when we are struggling to create just seems so strange to me.

Well recently he thought Gallagher and Nyambe were out long term when they weren't so I would take his assessment with a big pinch of salt!

Interested to see Mowbrays interview. Wondering if he might go.

Wel got totally owned first half. Second half looked pretty decent, should have got two pens, probably on balance of play worth a draw. But...... Brentford looked solid defensively, we didn't. That was really the difference.

Bennet looked really really concerned Definite pen for me, Raya tripped Dack up.

No way are we playing 433. Would be crazy to go back to to that after playing 4231 and looking decent. I think it will be same team barring injury, maybe Elliott gets back in ahead of Gallagher who was poor last game. So : Kammy JRC Lenihan THB Douglas Buckley Trybull Elliott Dack Brereton Dolan

Yeah, Id take Trybull. Massive midfield overhaul coming up - Evans, Johnson, Bennett all on their way out. All nice guys, have good games from time to time, but way way way too injury prone for us to cover them. Let them all go, bring in Trybull and one high quality other and promote someone from the youth side. Job done.

Yes - the last unequivocally good performance in the 433 was Preston away back in at the end of November..... We just ran out of steam to play that way. Too many games to play with the required intensity to make it work, too many injuries, other sides tactically figured us out. How did it take us 3 months to come up with an effective plan B? I'm not having Dack as part of that, Rothwell or Holtby could have played behind the striker in a 4231. We had all the personnel to do it...

He's pulled out a quite a few really decent tackles last two games. Looks like he could be a long term fit to play alongside Travis in the midfield engine room.

Really good performance, should have won easily but didn't. Have said that too many times this season.. I have a nagging suspicion that we caught them - and Millwall - out with our (frankly bizarre) 4231 false nine system. I think they were expecting 433. It really suited everyone I think. Dolan with his energy plays the false nine role very well. Dack was picking up his old positions. Everyone played well really, Swansea couldnt cope. My somewhat skeptical suspicion is that when other teams realise we are playing that way it may get a bit more tricky as they setup to cancel us out. But it underlines that you need some tactical flexibility when other sides figure you out. It would have been handy if we had landed on this new setup after getting well beaten in early Feb rather than waiting 6 games to steady the ship.... Anyway we've got a really promising young team. 6 academy players played today, more coming through, and good quality in the squad. We just need a manager who can build a resilient team out of them. It's totally unacceptable that we are lower mid table.

Is this sarcastic thought he's looked really good. 4231 suiting him.

I'd be really surprised if we went back to 433 after finally winning with 4231, especially against a Swans team that can pass through is for fun. So same personnel but with Trybull and Buckley sitting, Dack more advanced behind Dolan, Gallagher right, Brereton left.

The goals were fluky, but we were completely and utterly the better team. Should have won by more. Can't really shake the feeling though that we won because Millwall were terrible.

Well everybody who played today had played in those positions previously under Mowbray, but I think Dolan as a 9 only a couple of times as a sub (and he had looked decent when he did it). So from Mowbrays perspective it would have been pretty consistent with how he's approached formations previously (strikers on the wing, wingers at 9, winger at RB). That said outside of Mowbrays own tactical universe it was pretty unusual! But for him not too weird.

Totally dominated the game. Makes you wonder how we lost 6 of the last 7. Could be that Milwall just didnt turn up. Felt that way. Or could be the team was better setup with Dolan, Trybull, Buckley, JRC in the side in a 4231. We'll get to find out on Tuesday as it's likely, at least I hope to God, to be as close to an unchanged team as possible. Thought Dolan was really terrific. Think he will be a top player for us. Buckley was very poor on the ball first half but interestingly put in some crunching tackles... I think he should get a run of games alongside Trybull. Hey ho knowing Mowbray we will now win four of the next six.... Really hard to be enthused about it though as we will then probably lose all the games in April. Need more consistentcy.

I think Brereton is really good at hold up play. Rarely loses it and if he does usually gets a free kick. What he is really rubbish at is heading the ball, which is what makes me wonder if her can really play a 9 role. But given how terrible we are I'd give him a run at 9. If Armstrong's out what other option do we have? A half fit Dack as the so far totally unproductive false 9, and the kid McBride.

@JoeH- do you have any stats on how we've performed against teams with 3 at the back (343, 352, 3412)? Even when we were playing well it seemed a theme that we get turned over by those formations. Basically the oppos wing backs end up dominating our full backs and we can't get any change out of their 3 centrebacks.

We're absolutely all over the place at the moment. No idea what we do formation wise. In Feb we've gone from being decent going forward but weak defensively to rubbish at both. Heads are down too. We've tried 433, 4231 and 343 and not looked much better in any of them. If you were to pin it to one thing the defence just doesnt look stable and that undermines the whole team. That's been a consistent issue under Mowbray but it's probably at its worst ever point currently. I'm sure virtually any new manager would come in, spend whatever money is available on defenders and work on clean sheets as a priority. The whole team would grow in confidence from a more stable focus. Not the Mowbray way though. Surely another loss and he's gone, but the most recent interview makes it sound like he can lose infinite games... Mad.

I've thought about it, based on the comments above and the managers available, and agree it sounds like it will be Pulis 😞 The key thing with Venkys is low effort simplicity - so if Pulis is represented by people they know, and is available, and has the basic metrics on his CV (ie. a promotion) then that makes sense. Add to that Mowbray's pretty intense discussion of possession football winning promotions post game, and saying to stick to that philosophy, I think it sounds pretty nailed on that Pulis is on the cards. To be more optimistic maybe there are a couple of names in the hat (say Pulis and Hughes) and Mowbray is trying to steer them away from Pulis. But I just can't see Venkys looking beyond someone represented by people they have a relationship with who meets some basic easily understandable criteria.

Ah.... that would tie up with Mowbray banging on about possession football getting teams promoted in that interview, and you should stick with it, and not tear it up and start with a "new idea" - ie. Pullis hoof ball.... Jesus. Pulis would be a real downer.