DE.

I am fully expecting an equaliser, but even if we do scrape a win it's difficult to care because it's clear we are going nowhere under this manager. Feels very similar to Bowyer's final full season. From memory the season was basically over by February, and I think it may well be the case this time around too.

Have to keep reminding myself we're actually winning this one. Doesn't feel like it.

I only care about what Rhodes did when he was at Rovers Den, and that was consistently score goals in an often turgid team. I do think Arma has more potential due to his pace, but will need a better manager in charge to unleash his full potential. Unlikely to happen under Venky's, but maybe when he eventually moves elsewhere. Josh King certainly went up a number of notches once he moved to Bournemouth. It's amazing really. Lenihan has never been a great defender, but it's hard to fathom how he's become as bad as he is now. Is it just a confidence thing? A lack of consistent partner beside him? Something Mowbray is doing in training? There's got to be a reason because he hasn't lost the talent he has and he should be at the peak of his career. Something isn't right.

Considering how Rhodes was criticised by a fair few posters until the day he left I doubt it tbh. Some posts on Arma go way OTT imo - not saying you do, for the record, but some ridiculous comments posted at times. Lenihan is a far bigger problem at the moment. Has regressed to a League 1 player. Contributes nothing and makes me nervous every time he's involved.

Bashing Armstrong is fine if that's what people want to do, but much like when Rhodes used to consistently get flack it's missing the bigger picture. Armstrong missing chances is annoying, sure, but nowhere near as annoying as having a defence that can't defend and a manager who has no idea how to set up a team to consistently play well. Sort those things out and perhaps we have a better balance, less reliance on one player scoring (and less focus on said player missing chances), and no need to score 3 every match to feel somewhat confident of getting a win.

It wouldn't matter if we built from the back like almost every successful team does. Armstrong is not the root problem, just as Rhodes and Gestede weren't when we failed to get into the playoffs during Bowyer's tenure.

The reason Armstrong's selfishness is such a problem is because we concede so often tbh. If he gets on the scoresheet but then fails to set up a couple of golden opportunities to score it can be the difference between losing 2-1 and winning 3-2. Not Arma's fault Mowbray can't organise a defence to save his life, but it's part of the reason we're stuck in mid table despite having one of the best goalscorers in the division.

Worst team we have played in a very long time. They'll still snatch a draw if we don't score another though.

I knew Brum were terrible, but wow. Even with this team we shouldn't be satisfied with anything less than 3 points today.

If the players respected Mowbray that much then they'd have already signed new deals rather than let them run this close to the wire. Any player with serious ambition would want a manager in situ who could push the club further than mid-table. If they don't then we might as well let them go as they won't help us get beyond where we are now anyway.

That starting line up is reminiscent of the type put out by a manager who has seriously lost his way, pretty much to the point of no return. Rushing Trav back is hugely concerning for me - lesson obviously not learned from the Williams situation. We could still get a result here because Brum are also terrible, but Mowbray desperately needs to be removed from his position. He's lost all sense of rationality.

I've never watched Being the Elite but this made me laugh. I might have to give it a retrospective viewing.

Yeah, super classy from AEW. It was a good show as well.

Not to mention new contracts for the likes of Mulgrew and Smallwood which turned out to be very costly as within a year of each we wanted them gone but couldn't find anybody to pay their ridiculous wages. I'd put Evans in the same category tbh.

I think there's a difference between losing the dressing room and the players feeling like they can pick and choose when they put the effort in. I'd say we're at the latter rather than the former, and have been for most of Mowbray's tenure. There have been plenty of times over the past couple of years when people have said TM has lost the dressing room. Inevitably soon after that we would go on another upswing in form, proving that not to be the case. I imagine it'll be the same this time. The players will go up a gear as and when they feel like they have pushed their luck as far as it can go. Much like the Bowyer years, the motivation simply isn't there to try and perform at 100% in every match. The manager doesn't instil that in the players, and I would argue doesn't recruit players with that mindset either. Everything at Ewood is far too comfortable for all involved.

The Rovers FB groups are awful tbh. Teeming with superfans who, in their desperation to absolve Venky's/Waggott/Mowbray of all responsibility and show themselves to be the most loyal hardcore fans of all, ironically support hurting the club they are supposed to cherish.

But then went back to the HSH well again after arguably two straight failures in Lambert and Coyle. Doesn't paint the decision makers in a very good light!

Just highlights the incredible dysfunction that still exists at the club. I still don't think the owners have learned much, if anything, and I don't think they really want to either.

I just don't get why the players seem to like him so much when he regularly throws half of them under the bus when things start going badly. Even if a manager was doing that to my colleagues rather than me I'd be riled and never be able to trust that person, let alone if I was the one being apportioned blame for my manager's terrible choice of strategy, personnel, etc. Is it just that they want an easy, comfortable life and Mowbray gives them that? If so then we've got problems as players with ambition wouldn't be having that at all.

Out of curiosity do we know if Warnock was an HSH client around this time? If not then it's curious that Cheston went through the effort of lining him up, only for somebody (Suhail?) to undermine him and parachute in the cheap option, and HSH client, instead. Why would Cheston even bother interviewing a manager outside of that agency if Venky's won't employ a manager who isn't a part of it? I can only assume a lack of communication or knowledge on the part of the Ewood employees about the Venky's/HSH connection. But then I wonder how anybody could work in such a position without knowing about that?

Regression has set in now in spite of Mowbray being backed and not having to sell any of our better players. At this point the longer the owners leave it the worse it'll become. Unfortunately Berg and Appleton aside they have a history of making managerial changes far too late. Even Coyle who was sacked at light-speed by Venky standards still departed at least two months too late (he obviously should never have been appointed to begin with but that's another story).

Got to hope these performances and results are pushing him closer to the edge. I doubt it - would be shocked if he resigned or got sacked, but it's literally all we have left to hope for. Unless you really enjoy the battle to finish on the fringes of the top half. Sadly I didn't enjoy our goal or care when they scored to go back ahead. Mowbray has completely sucked the fun out of following Rovers.

Another high scoring first half from Rovers.

This tends to be the way it goes. A run of prolonged poor form with numerous TM favourites playing badly. He finally drops the undroppables, we get some results and there are claims TM has finally "learned his lesson" - only for him to revert back to type within a month or two.

As I've often seen said, the worst part about wrestling is often wrestling fans themselves. Unfortunately you can say that about most things, from football to star wars to computer gaming to water polo. Anything that has a hardcore fandom seems to have a loud toxic element who ruin things for everyone else.