2 hours ago, joey_big_nose said:

I agree that Mowbray looks like he's out of ideas and energy too. I think he would walk away if paid off, maybe for less than the full term of his contract 

Also for Venkys it's a pretty bad situation. They're losing money hand over fist, just invested £12m in near worthless players, and probably their only real concern is to reduce their year on year losses. But realistically to avoid future even more severe losses they need to invest more money in the hope we get promoted. It's a toxic cycle..

At some point which cannot really be that far away they are going to say fuck this and then it will really kick off. I think all fans should mentally prepare themselves for when we go bankrupt.

Arguably the best thing for the club would be to wind the wage bill down further to a level supportable by the club's income and take our chances on unknown talent and the youth team. Not the most glamorous future but it will keep us alive when Venkys fuck off.

Totally agree with this statement as I've often wondered just how long they will continue losing money, it doesn't make sense and the future looks very precarious.   

I notice a lot of people seem to think we will do well in the next six games, well in my opinion I don't. Remember that horror run we went on last year when 1 point outside the playoffs well I think the same thing is happening and honestly I can't see this team winning in the near future. It pains me to say that but thanks to Mowbray they will shuffle sideways, sideways and back into oblivion. I started following Rovers in 1952 (yes I'm an old git) and it hurts to see the abject performances put in regularly week in week out by all the well known culprits in the team.

The simple fact is that Mowbray has failed but because of the equally failed owners it is allowed to continue and unfortunately I can't see things changing.

We can only hope.

12 hours ago, perthblue02 said:

"I'm not sure the balance was right" says Mowbray, who felt #Rovers had one too many attack-minded players on the pitch as Derby exploited spaces in the middle of the pitch

https://t.co/34hr3dPKEI?amp=1  (Lancashire Telegraph)

Well he may not be sure but I am, he has'nt had the balance right since he took over apart from one short spell that produced a good run. He couldn't have that though and reverted to form by unbalancing it again. He's chopped and changed so many times I don't believe the players even know what they are supposed to be doing.

A settled formation and style of play gives the players confidence and understanding in and of each other.

What we are seeing here is a manager desperately casting around overthinking the game and ultimately producing a disorganised bunch of individual players instead of a team.

1 hour ago, Wood26 said:

We can knock his loan signings, we need them, and Tosin has been one hell of a get. Let’s remember all summer talk was of our defence, which now has 12 clean sheets and he lost his left back to injury which can’t be helped. The academy had been good to us but who has put them in the side and developed them? Mowbray.

Like you say, he has built this young team and team spirit.

I think fans are guilty of seeing us as something we are not. Saying we should have penetrated Stoke better. Why? They are saying this like we are a Top team under performing. When we are not. We are a good side, getting results, going away 4th in league and getting a draw, having big spenders like Stoke Park the bus.

We don’t deserve to be anything, we are where we are. We are in the mix and competing for play offs, we beat Sheffield Wednesday 5-0 away, are we that kinda side?? Not at all.

What’s important is we are still in the mix, and hard to beat, if we can get some winning goals then we can make it.

 

Re the bit in bold; I think many fans including me see us as something we could be if different tactics were used, not to mention players out of position, team selections etc etc

Pathetic! Slow pedantic tapping the ball around at the back while Stoke packed their own  half. When Stoke did come out  there was no urgency from Rovers to get forward just tapping around and letting Stoke get back. Why was this not addressed by Mowbray.

He's done enough to prove he would be well worth signing, but surely this poll should be a straight Yes or No.

Maybe sounds like something Mowbray would say.   

Brentford carved us up again and again with some slick first touch passing and some really fast breaks made easier by some sloppy passing from Rovers. Walton was very efficient and stopped two almost certain goals plus Nyambie made a brilliant block that stopped another and if it hadn't been for some desperate and gritty defending from Travis, Lenihan, and Nyambie  in particular backed up by Walton the score could easily have been embarrassing. Armstrong is our only threat up front but I wish he would stay on side.

Just my opinion.

"Can they make the play offs"  Frustratingly (and I desperately hope I'm wrong) No.

With different owners and a different manager using different tactics (including proper use of the transfer market) they would probably have been in the top six by now.

We all know that Venky's are the real problem and they do not deserve to be called owners. TM has failed imo and I said in a post last year that we would continue with more or less the  same old problems and wind up in more or less the same place.

 I admit I do not think TM is capable of getting us to the play offs but with all the strange decisions he makes I do sometimes wonder if he is working under restraints that we know nothing about, if he is not then surely he's not the man for the job.

2 hours ago, WacoRover said:

It will take a remarkable turnaround to get all 3 points vs PNE. When we were soundly beaten at QPR after losing Lenihan & Cunningham, it took Tony a few games to get the squad squared away. The 5 games after QPR, we took only 4 points out of a possible 15; the next 8 games, we took 18 out of 24, only allowing 5 goals in those 8.

Losing Dacky is a terrible blow; but TM’s history suggests he is capable of righting the ship. But, the games don’t get any easier after PNE, either.

The 'ship" with Mowbray at the helm has been wallowing around barely afloat for the last 3 years , without a new captain and some new crew I don't see it staying afloat much longer.

5 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

tony 100% nailed on to make changes for two tough away games,like an addict who needs his fix,he won`t be able to resist for much longer?

I think he's trapped himself now and knows he has to keep the same team, if he changes it and we get beat he'll cop bucket loads of criticism from a lot of fans.

Tinker at your peril Tony.

If Mowbray sticks with the same team (unlikely) we will batter Stoke, if he "tinkers" ( likely) we may still win but it will be a nail biter.

If he does tinker and we get beat then it will highlight clearly what our problem has been all along. 

Thoroughly enjoyed the game against Brentford, plenty of effort, chances created and a classy winning goal scored, what's not to like.

However Mowbray should put the following in his notebook, "I must remember not to change this team". If he does he's crazy.

Remember if it's not broke don't fix it.

Ok we did manage to scramble to a win against Barnsley but the way this bottom side they repeatedly carved through our defences in acres of space is a repeat of what happens every game regardless of the opposition, it has never been rectified and is down to the manager and coaching staff, the buck stops there.

The pathetic whining comments Mowbray has just made are those of a beaten man bereft of ideas and I believe if Brentford do as expected on Wednesday he may "walk".

I'm positive that all fans wanted him to succeed but after nearly 3 years a blind man could see that it's not going to happen, treading water at the lower end of this division is not success.

1 hour ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Mowbray: “I generally pick Elliott Bennett because he drives this team, the life of the dressing room. Every player in that dressing room looks up to Elliott Bennett and when he talks, they listen."

Talking in the dressing room is one thing transferring it into action on the pitch is another, if that's your criteria for picking the team Mowbray then you are a fool, being the life of the dressing room does not make you a better player.

Remember the old saying" if you can talk the talk you have to walk the walk' and that's just not happening.

4 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

I'm tired of repeating myself on this, but the only surprise to me is that anyone is actually surprised at how crap we are.

We've been absolutely abysmal for twelve months or so since (funnily enough) Preston away at a similar stage last year. To me it was blindingly obvious that that TM needed potting in February or March so it's no surprise whatsoever that we've been simply been served up with more of the same old s***e this season and that things appear to be deteriorating rapidly.

Im sure there are other things to criticise him for but just off the top of my head:

Since promotion, 3 abysmal transfer windows.

Spending 7m on a young striker then never giving him a chance in his natural position.

Bringing in Chapman on loan and rarely playing him, then bringing him in permanently and never giving him a chance at all.

Stifling other players with any flair such as Rothwell, Palmer, Holtby.

Seemingly trying to turn Travis into Lowe/Evans Mark 3.

Wasting a further 5m on a guy who we'd already seen was (at the very best) a 5-10 goal a season journeyman.

Shocking treatment of Nyambe whereas Bennett is a liability virtually every week yet seems unstoppable and somehow seems to have to be show horned into the side one way or another every week.

Contracts handed out like sweeties almost as a reward for past service to players who should clearly have been moved on.

Neglecting to strengthen at centre half then exacerbating  the situation by loaning out Magloire and Wharton and Mulgrew without direct replacements when we were already desperately short of quality and numbers at centre back.

Other than a dearth of centre halves we don't even have a first choice keeper to call our own as we replaced a slightly erratic but hugely talented  young keeper with a big useless lump on loan who makes a sideboard look agile.

Team never plays for 90 mins and rarely turns up in the first half.

Needs to be replaced immediately for me, but then again  I thought that in February. Can only see the situation deteriorating further the longer he stays in charge. Would anyone trust him to spend any more money were it to be made available?

I agree with every single line of this and you are right there are more things that could be added but it's surely not necessary as the picture is already crystal clear. Last year just after Christmas when we were nudging the playoffs we went on a long losing streak but managed to stay in this league. My worry is that if we do that again from 14th place we are gone completely. He has to go before that happens , walk or sack either will do.

I haven't seen any of the game yet due to a login problem with I follow but from the comments on here I'm glad I haven't.

In a previous vote I voted for him to go and he has only reinforced my opinion since then, surely his time is up.

I've just read TM's comments in the LET and quite frankly it's pure drivel smacking of desperation. The comment that I found really irritating was this:

"Within the course of the 10 weeks, we’ve tried to develop different systems rather than having one so when a team scouts us they can analyse and try and nullify".

That to me sounds like he is trying to justify his continuing tinkering by trying to confuse opposition "scouts", pathetic.

Just now, Gavlar Somerset Rover! said:

Can only hope behind closed doors he's saying the opposite. He should be telling them how knackered THEY look, how they're on a losing streak, how we've had an extra 24 hours of them so come out of the traps firing etc.

Ever since TM's been here he's irritated the hell out of me the way he talks up the opposition before every single game, that and a few other of his failings.

I rated it bad mainly because it had incompetence written all over it and I suspect that the wages bill played a controlling part in all transactions.

It's obviously hard to tell if the newcomers to the squad will perform better only time will tell but if the team do start winning Mowbray has got to stop chopping and changing because of his fear of the opposition. 

8 hours ago, OnePhilT said:

If I'm being picky, it would be great if they had an Android TV app for it. Streaming from my phone to the TV is a bit iffy, so I watch from my PC instead. I'm OK with that, but it would be nice to be able to watch it on the big screen.

I just run a cable from my pc to my tv  .

The way I see it is like this,

We have more or less the same squad of players.

We have the same man in charge (TM) and he will more or less use the same old tactics ie hoofball aka hit and hope.

He will also more or less constantly fiddle with the team in an attempt to counter all the "tough teams" we will be facing.

Before every game he will motivate our lads by pointing out the strengths of the opposition, which is more or less the opposite of motivation.

So unless we have an influx of a number good players with defence a priority I have the feeling that our position in the league at the end of the season will be the same as it was last year......... more or less.

7 hours ago, Roverthechimp said:

I suspect that if offered midtable with 60 ish points preseason then most of us would have said "ta very much - that'll do nicely" ?

Ironically TMs success in the beginning raised expectations and then the dreadful run raised fears as the contrast was stark. If he only learns one thing between now and next season i hope it is the ability to find a way to break that sort of run - be it gung-ho or 10 men behind the ball ?

Gung ho for me, shackles off, timid pre match comments tossed in the bin and just attack. If they get beaten they can hold their heads up and I bet they would,nt lose 10 in a row. 

12 hours ago, 47er said:

In reality, people simply think that Mowbray could have done a lot better with what he has. Clearly that does not equate to thinking we could do a better job!

But for someone with such experience he has made some bewildering decisions. Can you explain them?

Fans on here have pleaded with him to play Travis and Reed in the middle together, warned him against moving Downing on without signing a replacement, continually told him Evans/Smallwood were not a viable pairing, expressed astonishment that Rothwell was continually left out, begged him to stop playing players out of position, and suggested that changing the team every game was not helping us. Fans on here have also specifically pointed to lack of spending on defence and, surprise, we have shipped goals by the bucket-load.

Perhaps the core of BRFC posters aren't as daft as you seem to think.

 

Spot on mate.

14 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Dont think this bodes well for yesterday being the start of a new and exciting dawn...

Absolute madness ,that just defies logic, what is going on with that man, with a statement like that he's showing precisely why he's not fit to be manager and why we never made the play offs.