It's that simple. Interestingly, although in this instance I am pleased, TM has again gone against what he said: keeping everyone happy and picking the team for the game - after hearing those comments I feared the worst, but he did the opposite, kept the same team and it had a result. The big question is, as the pressure and frustration rescinds, does TM go back to the old ways or keep with this correct team selection and style. Will be very interesting to see what he does. If he needed any more evidence to keep it simple, the last 2 games really should have shown him that's the case. Here's hoping he has learned his lesson and continues in a similar manner.

Agree. Along with starting our better players like Graham and Rothwell, and dropping weaker ones like Bennett at right back and Williams anywhere, it makes a huge difference. Two defensive mids so Travis isn't doing all the work also makes a huge difference too.

It's like a completely different team to a few weeks ago! Great result. It was being discussed how good actually are we, and when we keep it simple with the right team in the right positions we're a rather solid outfit. Yes, the squad may need some work, and a couple of first team positions need sorting too, but overall we're not a bad side and can get a result or two. Really pleased that we kept the same team and shape, and the subs responded to being on the bench for the second game running with a positive contribution when they came on. It all seems obvious stuff, but when we start doing it, it has made a massive difference. Stoke aren't a bad side despite their league position, they've got some good quality and a good manager. So to get the win that we did, especially after conceding a late equaliser is fantastic. Well done TM and the team.

Good post and agree with all this although your we don't have like for like cover is a diplomatic way of saying the cover is appalling! Some aren't like for like stylistically, eg Gally for Graham, some aren't that position - Bennett and Williams as full back - and all of the replacements collectively bar perhaps the front 3 midfielders are a massive downgrade in quality before we even consider style! Agree that we have defensive mids coming out of our ears and whilst depressing that in 3 years we haven't improved on Evans, I agree Bennett and Johnson there are much of a muchness and we have cover there. If Travis is injured however it is a different and depressing story as he is a cut above the rest. Agree too we are ultra reliant on Dack. Perhaps though with said consistent formation and Holtby and Rothwell playing alongside him, and possibly Armstrong in his purple patch, could perhaps see us realistically getting more goals then we have been. Also with a tighter defence we wouldn't need 3 goals to win a game. All that said a striker who knows where the back of the net is, at least a bit, and can link up play is essential. Even if Graham keeps going for the season he won't be around for ever, and more to the point we're a Graham injury away from having no one to lead the line. Overall as I suggested a bit back if we keep it simple we will improve significantly even if the squad is still somewhat threadbare, actually plain out threadbare, in places. As we saw last night keeping it simple makes a heck of a difference regardless of the quality of the players.

We rotate far too much although the question is even with a winning formula like last night - how long can it realistically be sustained? Evans and Lenihen are both rediculously injury prone and Graham and Downing are getting on, so even without Tony's tinkering how often can that line up be sustained? And when the afformentioned players are out the quality of the replacement (bar Evans) drops dramatically.

Great wibn. Very critical of TM of late but that was a big step in the right performance and a good balanced team. Whilst I personally perhaps wouldn't put Evans or Armstrong in the team, tonight showed that we can do well even with more limited players if they have the right roles and the team has a good balance. They might even, like tonight, make a good account of themselves. For me 3 selection choices made a huge difference: no Bennett, Williams and Gally all of whom aren't really good enough in their preferred positions and don't offer much. Get them out and other players in their position who can do a job and no surprise we improve. I also think 2 defensive mids makes a huge difference. It frees up Travis a bit to rampage forwards plus takes some of the defensive duties off him. Along with full backs who can defend and link up players who can actually do their roles makes a massive difference to the team. Long term there are still a load of questions - not least how come it has taken so long to get here - but for today we can celebrate our first proper step forward in what seems like ages.

Must be feeling the pressure to play Graham and Rothwell and drop Bennett. Bit worried about Downing at lb as feel that's not one of his best positions. Still makes sure we have our quota of midfielders in defence.

And it's obvious Raya wanted to go when he was scapegoated and dropped for the reserve keeper. With treatment like that no wonder he went. Again this sounds like another "don't blame me for the situation" article from TM in the Pune Telegraph. Man of integrity - as if!

And this is why there is debate. 1) because we didn't do that and 2) because the replacement is on loan and worse. Now you might argue he is not worse - although this season's performances beg to differ - but the fact it is clearly debatable and he is on loan shows we at the very least are in a weaker position than last season. And if I'm honest I can't see the argument that he is better at all. A terrible lummox of a keeper.

Lol knew someone might suggest this and that's definitely not what I meant! But a proper coach from abroad as a number of them have had decent success - Wagner and Falke being the most obvious but not exclusive examples. We haven't really gone this route and the current systems haven't worked so combined with its success elsewhere I think it might be the way forward. As ever Venkys can screw it up though.

Yep, the dice should only be rolled in the worst case scenario when it's clear the manager is taking us backwards rather than forwards. Imo we've reached that point with TM and his safety blanket of they will appoint worse is deminishing by the day.

Personally I'd be tempted to go the route of an interesting foreign appointment. We've tried promoting within (Bowyer) and experience of Championship (TM & technically Coyle) and I do wonder if something new and different might not be what is in order. The huge problem is that whatever category we look in Rovers will probably go to the substandard element of that category.

No fan of Walton but this interview throws him under the bus too. Good habit of TMs. Also makes him appear incompetent for not getting a keeper sorted. I do tend to find TMs PR efforts have the opposite effect.

Amended. Great point either way though.

A few interesting results tonight although mostly in Rovers favour. Worst result was Luton winning, which is not what we want to see. However Stoke losing along with Wigan only getting a draw are both positive results for Rovers leaving both in the mire for another week. A loss for Reading doesn't hurt us either.

Spot on in your predictions. Under a vaguely competent manager there's very few players I'd be gutted to see go so keeping hold of them isn't that big an achievement. Except it is because as we found with Mulgrew something is better than nothing. Keeping them is only an achievement because the chances are he will buy worse. Under a competent manager meh, I wouldn't miss most of them. Travis, the attacking midfield trio (with Rothwell not Armstrong) and then perhaps Nayambe, Lenihen and the (now gone) Raya - and these three because of what they could potentially be, not because of what they are now. Oh and Graham. After that meh, a competent manager could get better; they're squad players masquerading as first teamers. Wouldn't lose sleep if any of them went. As ever the bar continued to be lowered at Ewood.

Let's say you are right that's still only 3 good games in a what 15 appearances! That's still a very shoddy rate. Problem is if it's irredeemable there's not much you can do but watch them depreciate! Let's say I spunked the dosh on 2 cars but neither were capable of getting me to work. I have to find alternative transport. Under TM both are irredeemable imo and we won't get anything out of either of them. A new manager might find a player in Gally, although I fear Bereton is a dead loss. But until we're looking at a new chap in charge theres no point playing them. Going back to th car analogy if there's a mechanic who can fix the car then it can drive me to work. Since I'm not a mechanic it can't so I don't use it.

Mowbray saying something that isn't true? Surely not...

One was an own goal. And even so given "both" were in one game - a game some would say is his only good game - it hardly shouts out that he's been a raging success. We don't create yet Dack has 7, he doesn't create anything for himself and he doesn't link up the play like Graham. So what has he actually offered above not being as bad as Bereton? Armstrong by comparison has a couple of goals too. I think he doesn't offer enough either. There's a number who need calling out for being poor offensively, Gally included. Fwiw I think there is a player buried deep in there but we need a new manager with a big shovel to get it out in the open. So far he has been very uninspiring.

Hugely agree especially on your last point. I think that there isn't that desire to hugely improve mainly so not to upset the current crop. We don't buy better (eg the Bauer situation) because we don't want to upset the regular players by kicking them out of the team. Since we got.promoted how many players have come in and been automatic starters? Very few. It shows how little we are progressing and to me is in part not to hurt the players feelings. I was thinking on the promotion side under Souness and it's similarities with our league 1 promotion team (albeit at a lower levels) Both had 3 crown jewels capable of winning games supported by a bunch of decent to good playe s for that division. Thing is Souness kept adding stars - top quality best performer stars - Friedel in goal, Cole up front, Tugay in the midfield. Also those solid squad players were moved on for better both in the championship and promotion cull (Bent and Curtis are two that stand out on this ) TM hasn't really added any match changes much less star players since promotion. Perhaps Travis is the nearest and only thing. And it shows just how when you aren't improving you are going back area.

What gets me is with many situations TM seems to somehow make it worse than it was, even when the standard wasn't that high to begin with. Nayambe and Raya are two examples. Both imo have the potential to be very good players but are also raw and have errors in them meaning there's a degree of risk in playing/developing them. Yet the replacements Bennett and Walton are considerbly worse and don't have the potential to develop like these two could. Likewise you could say Gallagher is pretty poor, but it is made even worse by playing him on the wing. Mulgrew's time at CB was up, but it was made worse as there was literally no replacement. Bell instead of Williams is another example at lb - and the standard there was very low to begin with. The keeper issue has been one of the key ones though as without Walton's regular blunders I reckon our average goal leakage would be lower. The number of clangers he has had is alarming. The only mitigating circumstance is that the defence in front is shambolic which is going to hinder any keeper regardless of their ability.

Along with Johnson apparently having attitude issues as well TM isn't doing great at judging characters... Disagree that Raya is worse. Regardless of how good he was he had a lot of potential and could develop into a very good player. That's not going to happen to Walton imo and even if it did it'd be long after he is with us and we won't benefit. Incidentally had we better than terrible full backs in particular I do wonder how much of a problem Raya's issues with crosses would still be. You do not flip from bad to good overnight - clearly he wasn't performing to his potential at Ewood and the question is why. I suspect that's another black mark against our manager and coaching team. Again though, we really shouldn't be having conversations about which Rovers keeper is worse. Speaks volumes about our situation.

This is hard to say. After all Bowyer had a top 6 quality squad imo and couldn't get us top 6. Similarly McCarthy got a weak Ipswich town punching above their weight. To me there is an element to which the squad is as good as the manager makes it. Whilst a good and interesting question (with a probable depressing answer) perhaps an equally important question is how much of the squad could a good manager get something out of? A lot of our players are limited but a good manager could do something with them. For example could Mulgrew play as defensive mid to get his set pieces and yet not be a liability in defence, or does Gally have the attributes to be a nusicence up front with correct coaching? A good manager can't do the wholesale changes needed but if they can get a few of our bog standard players working in the team / offering something alongside the few quality players we have, perhaps top 10 would not be unreasonable. If our players limitations were hidden for example not getting our players playing a possession game they don't suit and players were played in their best positions then that can only help our team. In short I think it's hard to judge given how much more complicated TM is making it with all his chopping, changing and playing players out of position. Get the basics right and regardless of the quality of lack thereof we will do better. L

To me when you turn on the fans it's time to go. Especially when it's not warranted - sort it out is hardly a criticism of you, much less personal or asking for the sack. I wonder if being in control of the entire club - from his bosses to the local paper - has given him a bit of a god complex whereby any negative comment or criticism, no matter how justified, is considered offensive and a personal attack? Given he has spunked £15 million, sidelined popular players, taken us down and put us on our worse run in recent memory I'd say he is very fortunate not to get more criticism than he has.

It certainly can't hurt although it feels too little too late. A decent keeper coach with Raya and we might be in a better situation. Tbh whilst that can only help (can he get worse) my preference is for a better keeper that we actually own! I feel even with a better coach Walton won't get better in time for it to matter - and is starting from further back than Raya imo- so let's get a decent experienced keeper in whilst we can. All the time Rovers downgrade and it's killing the club.