Him taking Venus and the recruitment guy suggests to me he wanted strength in numbers, and them to take the focus off just him and results. ‘Yes madame results haven’t been what we’d hoped for, but our recruitment man is going to tell you about our revamped European scouting department that we’ve seen feck all from as of yet.’

So he’s assistant and head of football operations. How on earth does that work? I hope the owners gave him a good grilling on results and performances, letting him know that big improvements are needed immediately.

Hart and Grayson out for extended spells now. We’re an injury or two away from blooding some lads who have never pulled on the shirt at senior level.

Won't find me arguing with that one, Mark! Is evident in the stats above too. I bloody hope we come out of the traps quickly on Saturday - for too long have we heard constant guff from management and players following a poor run, and then failed to back it up on the pitch.

Jansen describes in his autobiography just how terrible he was. When we bought him one of our coaches (Boersma perhaps) supposedly told the lads he would be a world beater.

If a player ever needed a king sized rocket shoved up his backside then it’s Bell. Never seen a more laid back footballer in my life - just goes through the motions without a care in the world.

Yep, we’ll beat Sheff Weds at home early November just after we’ve got drubbed by PNE and not won for yonks.

You were saying how they’d d*ck us the other day weren't you?!

?

Yep. Can see us getting a draw, or mor likely, we'll slip to a narrow defeat. Mowbray's 6 game target is missed either way. Will he be accountable? I'd wager, no.

A week off does some ridiculously excessive. By all means a couple of days to get the bad run out of their heads, but a week?! Dack is still out in Dubai now. Coyle will be back in with them playing ping pong next.

Celtic...Coventry (‘If only I’d brought in a big centre half’) - the guy just hasn’t learned over the years has he?

I sincerely hope as JH Rover points out that people don't fall for the hard luck line. No doubt Sharpe is drafting one for Mowbray right now though which will be gobbled up by the deaf and blind. It's piss poor planning of the highest order.

Just lambasted him in the Cunningham thread but he's surely plotted his own downfall with the lack of defensive acquisitions. A backline of Bennett-Tosin-Williams-Bell is bang average for League One (I'd say that's being kind to a couple of them), while Tosin/Williams have never played consistently at centre half - let alone at Championship level. How the feck could we all see this but Mowbray? Infuriating.

I'm actually fuming with Mowbray over this. We all knew Lenihan would get a fairly extensive injury at some point this season - he's always prone to them. We're now left with just Tosin/Williams as our centre half pairing, realistically, until the new year. These two have never played together before AND have never had consistent runs at centre half before - let alone at this level. "Defenders are coming". It's all so obvious to everyone but Tony. With Bell back in now too, I foresee a relegation battle looming. Take a brave Rovers fan to suggest otherwise with that backline.

Huddersfield to obviously turn us over at Ewood next weekend then Merce, yeah?

I’d like Hughton, Chris but know you don’t. For me he ticks the ‘genuine guy’ box - like Mowbray (we need that at our club with so many shysters taking us for a ride over the years ) but has had success at this level much more recently than Tony has. Would be happy to take a punt on Johnson too as I think he’d bring some more of our talent through, is a modern day football man and deserves a chance. None of the others on the list get my pulse going.

Yeah I think if they came in for him at some point he would. I can see them going for a ‘stable’ pair of hands after Woodgate, so could see it happening. He still lives there too, doesn’t he?

I’ll have 3 and a half Ben Brereton’s please Balaji.

I know I’ve said it countless times, but I feel Boro are our only chance of salvation.

You forgot David Pleat.

Jesus fecking Christ. We’re now left with one of the worst left backs I’ve ever laid eyes on. Dack aside, probably the worst player this could have happened to given our lack of depth in this position. I’m hoping that Tony’s ar*e hole is doing some serious worrying right now.

Yep, we're now a Tosin/Williams injury away from Grayson(?) being thrown in. Neither of those has played centre half at this level much at all either. All very amateur from the club once again.

He’s a boro legend. Why would he go there? Personally think Boro are our best bet if Woodgate goes.

Tony doesn’t like this.