Arma!!! What the flying feck?!

You have to be kidding me. Mountain to climb if this season is anything to go by.

Will forever be an issue under Mowbray: #Rovers used 27 players across the whole of last season, only three sides in the division used fewer. Aynsley Pears becomes No.26 of this season already, the most in the division. Been an ever-changing picture in these opening eight matches.

Try chucking a NI strip on him underneath our shirt. That might do the trick.

Johnson is a huge miss on a cold wet night at Ewood. FFS Cory, for once give us a performance.

100% that’ll be their game plan. Keep it tight, let us have the ball and snatch one on the break. They have the players to do it on the counter too. As you say, Mowbray and his team simply have to find a way around this set up for us to challenge this season.

Yeah - I just checked and personnel wise they haven’t changed that much. A couple of loans from Portugal aside and Ejaria from Liverpool. Hopefully it’s a bit of a ‘new manager bounce’ and we can burst that bubble on Tuesday night.

Other than manager, can anyone explain the turnaround at Reading? Much by the way of personnel changes too? I see Meite scored a screamer yesterday - he’s always been a threat.

Bang on Crouching. I commented after the Cardiff/Forest matches that teams may start adopting a defensive approach against us at home too - as well as away - to nullify our threat on the break. Let’s hope it takes them a while longer to cotton on, however as you rightly say, finding a way to beat teams who adopt this approach is going to be key to deciding whether we can break into that top six.

Harvey Elliot that is ridiculous. Told you this boy was alright Rev ?.

Poor Dolan - youngest goal scorer for donkey’s years, then Elliot trumps him a couple weeks later!

End product from Elliot. Some people won’t like that. Get in!!!

Got to get a second. We all know what happens otherwise.

Get the hell in!!!

Rothwell isn’t available and won’t be for the next match either by all accounts.

Gallagher out again tomorrow - our only striker option bar Armstrong. I can't see Sam bagging even 5 this season. When he's not on the wing he's injured.

Creeping into the 'need to win' territory for me after a dismal spell which has turned a good start into a decidedly average one. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Mowbray death spiral go on for another game or two longer yet before we win 3-4 on the spin to get everyone giddy once again. Cov 2 Rovers 1

At least it wasn’t the glass ankles which Boro fans warned us about.

Bang on - he takes that option too often for my liking. He’s quick as hell, strong as an ox. Use it Ryan!

Honestly admire your optimism, Paul, but you sound very much like Mowbray! ‘Play like that every week and we’ll be there or thereabouts.’ Firstly, we still lost, and second, we won’t play like that every week - see Cardiff and Forest.

Exactly. Plus we were sh*te against Cardiff and Forest. I think we’re really going to struggle at home this season. Away from home suits us (which sounds bizzarre given we just lost).

Yep. Anything changed there since Mowbray got the gig? Absolutely not is the answer.

I’ve seen nothing this season to suggest it won’t be unlike any other under Mowbray - other than a bit more creativity away from home. I’ve posted this in the match thread but it’ll be yet another, win 3-4 on the bounce, don’t win for 5-7 games on the bounce season. Defensively still frail has heck, especially on the road. The Mowbray brigade will be on here shortly extending their ‘judge him 10 games into the season’ benchmarks. What will it be next, Feb? March? When we definitively can’t make the top 6? The V’s for once, you would hope given another season of backing, will have said it’s top 6 or bust this season. My money would firmly be on bust with regards to the play-offs. Whether that will get Mowbray the pot, well I sincerely doubt it.

Ah there’s those glass ankles that Boro fans told us about.

The other pattern, without fail under Mowbray, is we’ll probably go winless for another game or so after this before winning the next three. Talk of a promotion push will entail before we go without a win for another 4-5 games. It really is ridiculous and will never, ever change under this manager.