Groundhog

Just gives the ball away all the time. Before the subs were made it felt like the game for him to come on, and I was willing him to perform, first few touches looked good. Needs to regain that spark he had when he first broke in. He checks back too much, tries too many cute layoffs.

Anyone close to the bench see Travis's reaction to being subbed? From the riverside I just saw a shirt being flung to the floor...

Garrett was soft as shit when he came on last night, one late tackle and the rest powder puff, beaten too easily. I really enjoyed the game up until those subs killed it. It was fantastic entertainment for a neutral, but I feel sick this morning. We were watching two of the youngest sides in the division, Sunderland just as "inexperienced" and young as us in relative terms, yet somehow they managed to dig deep and weather that early storm and assert themselves on the game, something we can't seem to do. I don't think it's down to Mowbray, they just seemed to have a "no fear" mentality.

He was unlucky with that shot, he has some nous about him that others like Dolan seem to lack currently. He's pretty lightweight though, quite easy to knock off the ball if the opposition have any physicality. Sat on the Riverside last night and it was noticeable that he stayed fairly central and didn't pull out wide to offer something for us. I thought when Leonard went off we suddenly lost a lot of running down the channels and movement in general.

When we got it back to 1-1 we were still looking to go forward with the same pace and for some reason we just lost our heads, seemed to stem from a couple of loose passes from Travis and Wharton, and the game turned. We went from totally in control, frightening at times, to completely under the cosh. A real Jekyll and Hyde performance in that first spell. It needed someone to just put their foot on the ball, take the sting out of the game, regroup and build again. It was horrible to watch. It's the hope that kills you - that first 25 was some of the best football I've seen in recent years, the pace in which we attacked was fantastic, lots of incisive balls inside the full backs. JDT must have told us to just go out and blow them away, our best chance of building a lead - but when we don't take our chances, as many have said already, we have no plan B. We're always looking to play those killer three passes up the pitch even when we're struggling and need to keep it tight. Seriously what happened in that first half? We totally lost it around 35mins, it was insane.

Yeah it's awful when a handball decision doesn't go your way isn't it, how quickly they forget - especially when a point from a converted penalty could have seen us in the playoffs. Let's hope they finish 2 points short. Saw a comment today "I wish we could just win the championship every year and not go up" 😂 (though I can imagine if we ever went up, I'd be thinking the same after a few games!) Still think they'll be too much for most teams, especially if you stand off them and let them play, that young winger Koleosho looks a handfull.

See Spuds have just signed a defender for £43m: https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12914269/micky-van-de-ven-tottenham-complete-43m-deal-to-sign-wolfsburg-defender Obvious now why they needed to get Ash for a bargain, don't want to break the bank eh? Football is insane.

This must be between Hyam, Carter and Pears surely... I'm only joking though - I agree I get why we're doing it, hearing the boos is frustrating and just ramps up the pressure for me. if people could put aside their knee jerk reactions and stop heckling and just see what we're they're trying to do it might help, but it is understandable when you're desperate to see us move up the pitch and the opposition are just bearing down on us. I think people get frustrated as you can see that the lads doing it maybe aren't 100% sure of it and their own ability. Allardyce's tactic to make sure a team is always in the opponent's third as much as possible helps bring the average up for the amount of chances created, we almost do the opposite... Hyam does like a square pass maybe a tad more than others, but it's mainly down to having nothing in front of him to pick it up. Now that A. Wharton is back in, we have someone finally to pick it up from the defence. It's my one query about JDT, is he playing this system regardless of player, wanting to imprint this style on the club as a whole? The other approach is for a manager to come in and review what players he has and create a system that works with what he's got, not the other way round. I think that's where our inconsistencies lie and hence it being a transition season. It's funny how football has evolved, one manager starts to develop it (the German clubs, City etc) and it filters down through the leagues, albeit with a lower standard of player to carry it off (Russell Martin's Swansea for example), we're starting to see teams counter acting it through hard work and nouse, see Luton. Watching this, there's similarities between us and Brighton in the way JDT has us setup, and also how many times have we seen this done to us this season:

Mowbray has only "succeeded" this season due to teams around him falling apart. It's been a shocking race for the top 6, more like "who wants 5th and 6th the least" rather than a race. They've shown a slight uptake in form compared to everyone else and they've snuck in, that's it. Hyam doesn't score an own goal against PNE and Sunderland are 2 points outside the playoffs, hard luck. I'm sorry I don't get the love in from the media, he's probably good with young players, always lets his teams go out and play but when the going gets tough I don't think he can handle it. Just like when were in the top 6 last season in January, I feel like we were there in spite of the manager, not down to his tactical genius, he had no clue how to fix it when results started to wobble. With Sunderland, it's a fair achievement considering their injuries, but it's the same situation - those players have dragged themselves up there due to some sort of siege mentality not because Mowbray is a genius - they've got some talented loans too.

I remember, and I agree. I'll add him to the list, with Rothwell, Lenihan, Armstrong etc using our club as a "lowly" stepping stone to better things, fed up of watching players play with their heads elsewhere. I want players like Szmodics who want to drag the club up the league and further their career at the club, rather than away from it.

Exactly, I never look into it. The desire for "content" from so many press outlets means that managers and players just need easy sentences to fall back on and not over commit. Way of the world.

I hope he does. I've really enjoyed his time here.

This is what keeps me awake at night. I genuinely think achieving promotion and the money it generates is a problem for their accountants. Then again I don't think I fully understand the club's situation. Can anyone explain it in nutshell? Are Venky's funding the debt, or just letting the black hole get deeper and deeper... How much do they inject to keep the club running per year? Keeping the club ticking over by funding the debt, and operational losses in line with FFP is one thing they are doing "right" I suppose, but it feels like Stockholm Syndrome, is that the bear minimum they are doing? I must admit I need to read up on FFP. I suppose when we've been moping along under Waggott, Mowbray etc, letting a general malaise drift over the club, losing millions in the transfers of star players to frees, totally neglecting the season ticket offer and matchday situation, then it really is a mess from top to bottom. We are so far behind other clubs.

I just think he needs space to play, he can't bundle the ball past players who get tight on him and stand him up - he popped up with two goals when the game started to stretch. He keeps trying to score the same goal each time, but I suppose that's down to him coming in from the left. He must be so easy to play against. I really do wish him well and I don't think he's actively been playing within himself, maybe there is a psychological aspect to it with not wanting to get injured, I don't know, it's hard for us as fans to not assume you can give 110% in every challenge, every moment. He still tracks back and works hard, he's in a rut and other teams have worked him out. Against a solid, pressing team who work hard, he has little choice but to spend the game in his own half with his back to goal. He's not a target man, he offers little out ball unless it's play over the top diagonally. Anyway, onwards and upwards, let's find a new striker to get behind. Like I said before, he's paid Mowbray back handsomely, just not us...

We got back into that as Millwall totally fell apart, and JRC moving into midfield and the addition of Dolan finally got the opposition turned around facing their own goal. One of the better JDT substitutions this season. It was like watching us at times in certain second halves these season, Rovers are one of those teams that look more vulnerable 2-0 up than we do at 0-0 - and Millwall felt similar. They allowed us space in behind, which is perfect for the way we play, and the more they tired the more it opened up. Some of their lads were dead on their feet. As soon as you put pressure on us and surpass our effort, we don't have a chance. See Luton 2nd half, B*rnley away, Rotherham etc. Give us space and it's a different story.

I wish he'd won that header at the front post for the Coventry equaliser, instead of turning his back on it. I'm fed up of watching opposition forwards bust a gut to fly through the air and out jump and muscle their opponents.

If ever there was a season to repeatedly slap Rovers in the face this was it, like having a carrot dangled in front of you, enough to keep the hope going to kill us all off - some of the best times and some of the certain worst times. Seeing Burnleh and Mowbray laud it over us is a bitter pill to swallow. Did I read it's the lowest points tally for entry to the playoffs since '88? We're literally a coat of paint, a Hedges brain-fart, the length of Hyam's stud, or a qualified fax machine operator from being in the playoffs, then we view it all so differently.

He was good, can't fault his workrate as always. But those two goals he scored were down to the fact he finally had space to get a shot away, how many times has he tried to hit his trademark edge of the box curler and either spooned it out for a throw in or rushed it and had it blocked. The run-in against Hull, Cov, PNE, B*rnley, Luton he's been closed down and taken out of the game. Then lo and behold, Millwall get tired, push on, start to struggle to close him down and he scores. He needs to do it against defenders who have now worked him out.

In the end, the irony is we've literally spent £7 million on getting Tony Mowbray's Sunderland promoted. Diaz came through for Big Tone the Lemon Drizzle King in the end. Can they chuck us a few million as a tip when they win the playoffs?

I know he's been mentioned above but our striker woes have got me looking back at Jason Roberts all misty eyed. I know he'd have one great game, then sulk for 5, but what we'd give for someone who could do this: ...and whoever "Rovers 95" is on Youtube, thanks for uploading all these clips, great to see.

I can't take it if Mowbray gets Sunderland into the playoffs. They're bound to beat Preston. Gelhardt will score probably. Burnley champions at Ewood, a keeper scores to take points off us, Mowbray and Sunderland, this season is a real fucker - yet I've enjoyed it, I don't understand.

No I agree, and those seasons go down as terrible wasted opportunities. Can you remember what it was like having someone like Rudy? Insane now, it feels an alien concept. I was more referring to us vs Boro, stick Akpom at Rovers and we may have beaten Preston and Coventry 2-1. But it's a total moot point anyway as we couldn't attract that kind of player anyway, but just in terms of how we as fans view JDT.

We had the arse end of nowt to aim at yesterday. Diaz is just waiting on the touchline for the diagonal or inside ball that he can bundle forward. How many times did he over/under hit passes? I really dislike that overhit ball inside the defender that goes straight out for a goal kick too, him and Dack did it a couple of times and it's so hard to watch. JRC was getting visibly frustrated. I've never know a forward line with so little movement. But then it isn't a forward line is it so I can't really compare. Leonard comes on, does the normal thing of running the channel and wins a corner, we score.

I've been thinking this too - I think it's pretty accurate, the similarities are eerie. On another note, has anyone watched Boro recently? I've no idea how he's doing as a manager really, must be doing OK obviously, but any failings with Carrick are masked by having a 28 goal striker. All JDT's tactical decisions, post-match, his subs, etc are all under the microscope without goals. It's all about bloody goals, that's it - with goals the fine, fine margins in the Preston, Coventry, Hull and Wigan games are gone and we're 8 points better off, same as Boro. With more goals SS's shot against Luton is to make it 3-1 not 2-1. Swap our managers around and are we frustrated with him and looking enviously at JDT?

Exactofuckingmundo Travis, Wharton and Buckley as a 3, JPvH and Hyam in the back, Undav up front, Nisbett running his socks off EASY Then I woke up