Hasta

Gallagher, who I have never been overly impressed by, has looked a bit quicker and sharper in recent games. More like the player here on loan a couple of years ago. I'd still be starting Graham if possible but at least Gallagher is starting to look like a viable replacement. As for Brereton, I still don't see the potential there. If I was Dominic Samuel, with something like 6 goals in 4 appearances for the under 23's, I'd be a bit miffed I wasn't getting on the bench in his place. Chapman is told to do it for the under 23's before he gets a chance, yet Brereton is given chance after chance.People say his fee shouldn't come in to it, but his fee is the only reason he is getting picked.

Same team as Derby please Tony.

Yep. Three great goals in different ways. That first strike is a peach.

Paul Cook on quest. "We dont lack character or fitness, we lack naivity" ?

Always bet what you think will happen, not what you want to happen.

True. I'm putting it all down to Nyambe ? 4 weeks ago I would have played Mulgrew had he still been here but not now.

It depends on whether you think it was a coincidence that the fans turned against Barnsley or not. Mowbray was stubborn for over 3 months. Suddenly there is a bit of unrest from the stands, TM is commenting on it in the papers and then most of the changes are made the following game. Had the not happened, would he still have made the changes he did against Brentford? I'm not so sure. He may not have read fans comments on a forum but I'm fairly sure he was aware of their thoughts in general. Either that or he was left feeling he had to win against Brentford or his job was on the line (either from the owners or from his own comments leaving him with little option). Therefore he went back to what he know worked from last year, play into Graham and try and play off him. I only turned against TM in the last month, and that was because I didn't believe a manager could take us forward if he could not see and correct such obvious flaws in the team. The recent run has proved I, and others, were correct about those flaws. Long may this run continue, but lets hope if we get injuries or if someone does lose form that he doesn't revert to type as it doesn't work.

No but he made his choices when the crowd started to turn against Barnsley and he knew he couldn't afford to lose the Brentford game. Bennett was proving a liability at right back. Left back was a major issue. Gallagher was wasting a spot keep appearing out wide, Armstrong was lost up front and Rothwell wasn't getting a decent chance to make an impression. Mowbray may not have caved in to fan pressure, but he did make the switches which fans had been calling for for some time. The issue was that the problems were obvious but Mowbray was too stubborn to change until the fans finally started to snap. The one change I don't think people were calling for was the Evans / Travis centre, The stat which Rich Sharp,keeps tweeting about that partnership (P12 W9) tells its own story.

Same team as Stoke. Absolutely no reason to change.

A revelation? I'd hate to see our defensive record this season if he had been poor !!

It burst a few weeks ago.

True but when previous managers did it with players the move worked. We have spunked almost 4 months of the season on this failed experiment.

To watch them lose to an incredibly dodgy last minute penalty. Shame.

The TM quotes were in the LT article on saturday. “Ultimately my relationship is with Bradley and we have an understanding together of where we want his career to go, how we see his career developing. “We have a level of trust that he feels as a club we will do the right thing for Bradley and the right time is there. “At the moment he just has to give everything he has got for the team and for the club. “Ultimately he will want and go and play in the Premier League and as we move forward whether that is going to the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers, or if that’s not the case, he will look and seek to go there in a different way.”

I read a comment over the weekend from Mowbray something along the lines of "I've spoken to Bradley and we have a plan for how we see his future" I read that as a sign he was seeing this season out but we have an agreement he can go in the summer. It wouldn't be a good plan to let him go mid-season.

Any home tie against a team not in our league. Away at Fylde or Blackpool.

He made a great save when Diouf was clean through and another good save either just before or just after that. However there is only Travis close to him for the goal and he doesn't really get in Waltons way. Walton just doesn't get high enough and takes his eye off it.

Excellent bit of play by Dack to put Bennett clear for the second goal. Nothing spectacular but good touch, turn and weighted ball. Another great win. 4 from 5 now Tony Mowbray finally does what the fans have been screaming for since September.

Agree with the last 2 posts (well last 2 but one now!). It's been made a tenner because they known it's an unattractive fixture now it's on Sky. It's the right move. When we get the usual 12000 home fans on though it will be used as an example of why 'cheap tickets' don't work and don't boost attendances.

My point being if it is a game I can't get motivated to go out my why to attend, and I've paid for a ticket, it's not likely to attract the floating fan we are aiming for. Boxing day is always a good day out. I'm away for Christmas but coming back early enough to get to Ewood. We could have had a proper crowd on had it been done on then. Wigan on a Monday night live on Sky is not an attractive game,. All I, and others, have been saying many times is try it for a decent fixture on a Saturday afternoon. We never do.

A Burnley fan texted me to say earlier that they were bringing so many across for today's game that the M65 was backed up to junction 6 all morning. ? I think he was joking. Having debated attendances with him in the past, he probably believes it!!

Nothing dispelled. Many of us have said make it an appealing game. 3pm on a Saturday with a club that will bring a big following. Not a lunchtime kick off or a midweek match. , especially one right before Christmas. Had we been doing this offer Boxing Day I would have put money on a crowd over 18,000. As it stands, if I am stuck at work late that day then I will probably watch it on the box when I get home and I have a season ticket !!

Category A pricing. £3 Waggot tax in place. Bah Humbug. It's not like it will be on the red button or anything.

That probably came across more derogatory about him than I intended. He was (and is) very, very good at a lot of things. However he didn't have a standout world class quality like a Duff or a Beckham, despite the fact he probably had a more all round game than players like that. He is a player you probably appreciate him more when you see him week in, week out rather than on a highlights reel. As you say, a very intelligent footballer and you can see how he came to have 35 caps when he was younger.

I know it's early in the game but credit to Dack for being involved in the move in his own half, then having the instinct to get back up in support and take his goal well. That's the big hidden attribute of Dack - instinct. He wants to get the ball and score goals, and he has the instinct to find the right spaces. Look at the winner on Saturday. It wasn't a difficult chance, and he had two bites at it, but he peeled away into space and gambled that somehow the ball would come to the back post. That's what other players we have don't do and that's why he's so dangerous, not because he can nutmeg someone on the half way line. Downing is just a proper footballer. When people like Johnson and Whittingham have lost 20% of their ability with age, their ability was only ever top of the championship evel in their prime, so they now struggle. Not so with Downing, You can see why he played at the top level despite not having any standout attribute. After the debacle of the likes of Murphy, Fowler, Brown etc.., SD is restoring my faith in signing old pros at the tail end of their career.