I personally think you are overly harsh. He’s shown more than JRC in recent games. Same age. Bar Arma’s chance well created by Nyambe and subsequently converted, BB’s done more across both games. Football is all about opinions though, you’re more than entitled to yours, I just disagree

The fee paid hangs over his head, or should I say around his neck. 21 years old and played well but getting compared to 30+ year olds Varney and Brown. It’s idiotic at best.

Brereton doesn’t take a touch with the chance at the end and snatches at it as it comes down and he’d get pelters, takes a touch and a great intercepting tackle stops him in his tracks, gets pelters. I thought he played well second half, but I’m not watching him with the scrutinising eyes wishing him not to do well. Anyone see Arma do anything since he came on? Or does commenting on that not fit in with people’s biases?

BB gets one sniff and a shot away and he starts to come alive. He’s had nothing supplied to him today tbf

Played very well but lacking final ball and then typically they score against the run of play. Fraser slipping through between Lenihan and Nyambe.

Agreed, he went into the tackle with the wrong foot and was miles away from the ball. Surely a deliberate attempt at the man.

Every time I watch Cairney playing in CM (and usually bossing it), I get miffed off at Bowyer's persistence in playing him wide right in favour of Lowe/Evans/Williamson. I did a stat analysis at the time of games where Cairney played at CM compared to the other different pairings and found we had more goals scored, less conceded and more points gained when Cairney was in his rightful position. Funnily enough, Cairney also averaged more tackles and interceptions per game, despite the players ahead of him being supposedly more defensively capable. (He even averaged better tackle/interception stats from wide right than plodders like Lowe and Williamson did in CM). Has to be Bowyer's greatest failing from his time here. I truly believe we'd have got promoted with the Rhodes and Rudy strikeforce if it wasn't for Bowyer's stubbornness in sticking with two negative, defensive midfielders.

Agreed. Some people are so keen to dislike him that they watch everything he does with more intense scrutiny. Armstrong grabbed a poachers finish but besides that he's done far less than BB, been largely anonymous in fact. Our absolute lack of control in midfield has meant the strikers have been feeding off scraps (at best). Can't believe Johnson is still on the field. He's been absolutely woeful.

I find it hard to sit here and call for Mowbray out since I really like the man, think he's a good guy and value a lot of things he's done for the club, though I find my enduring yet wavering faith in him is rather out of the hope that he'll get it right rather than the belief that he will. I know transfers have been hit and miss, though I think he's got more right than he has wrong as I'm of the belief, for example, that there's a player in Brererton and he will come good (probably with better coaching), despite Gallagher looking like he isn't going to make it to anywhere near the value paid for him (frustrating how can a 6'4 striker can be so lightweight). I do think he fluffed up with Raya, particularly his treatment of him in the press etc, something he has been doing, to my disdain, with Nyambe and maybe even others, quick to throw players under the bus for his tactical/coaching failings. I do think there's a pretty good squad that's been assembled, that could almost certainly have done better and will do better under more astute guidance. Though there are some holes and issues in the squad that he's failed to address in his time here, often attempting to fill the gaps with loans. I do worry for next season when having to replace a player of Adarabioyo's quality in an already leaky defence, and the likelihood he'll persevere with players like Bennett who simply aren't good enough. And I guess this is the crux of it, do I believe that he will be able to find the answers when he hasn't done previously? Likely not. Though the majority of my concerns are not necessarily with the personnel, but with tactics and man management of players. Whilst his formations and starting lineups have sometimes worked, they've often left a lot to be desired, but it's in his substitutions that I take most issue with. Often, they seem like he's already planned them out and isn't actually making a change to the benefit of the team based on the game in front of him, rarely making a reactive decision to what's going on on the field, but rather following his own pre-written plan. I've seen this numerous times when chasing a game and he's replaced a centre midfielder or more attacking player with a similar or more defensive player, or a striker for a striker, a real lack of incisiveness or innovation. This last issue was confounded for me vs Millwall, when we are 1-0 down, needing a win if we are to have any chance of making play-offs, and he substitutes two centre midfielders in the 81st minute for... two centre midfielders. We had a striker in Brererton on the bench but he obviously wanted to give him the two fingers in retaliation for his previous dismissal, and instead put on Buckley and Davenport, probably because he'd already planned it, something I've seen him do with Buckley in an almost identical situation. For me, that seems petty and shows a complete disregard for the game in front of him. Seemed he had no intention of going for the win, arguably not even for the draw. I'm hesitant in calling for his sacking due to the slim chance of us actually employing anyone better due to who we have behind the scenes, but at this point, I'm at a loss. We need to push for promotion, at least for the top six. Do I think we will do that with Tony Mowbray in charge? Sadly not.

Shocking display today but we strangely should have been ahead by a couple long before Barnsley’s goal. Whilst some are saying it was a red card for BB, I’ve watched the highlights back and that particular incident a good few times and I don’t see it. Stupid, petulant foul? Yes. Dangerous play of any sort? No. Seen those sorts of frustrated/dirty/cynical tackles many a time but rarely seen a red come out for them. I think it’s poor of Mowbray not to come out and say as much, and was expecting him to blame the ref for a bad decision if I’m honest. From the sounds of it, he won’t appeal. However, I think he should. I would be, personally. Still think it’s a really poor decision, however silly Ben was for giving the referee a decision to make.

I think anyone badmouthing Brereton today have either been watching a different game or are letting their biases/dislike of him get in the way. Thought he played really well and was unlucky not to score/stay on. Deserves a run from now imo. So far a comprehensive performance from everyone. Slightly disappointed in Gally’s contribution and Walton should have done better for their goal but besides that, solid. Great to see Tosin get a goal, what a player. And as always, buzzing to see Arma come on and do what he does best. COYB

I'd agree with you there, just baffled at chaddy liking his inclusion in the starting 11. He's certainly not a centre midfielder and surely anyone can see that sticking him in the centre of the park weakens the side.

Not posted on here in ages but seriously, why??? I can't think of anything he offers to the team besides the occasional bit of energy and a fistpump here and there. The number of times he gives the ball away, gives needless fouls away, misses making a pass/makes the wrong one. He's a League One player at best. Maybe ok to have on the bench but that's at a push. You're the first person I've heard state they like having Bennett in the team. When conversing in/around Ewood and beyond, it's universally accepted he's rubbish.

Mowbray’s substitutions killed off our chances of winning that game. Their equaliser was a gut-punch but the decisions made by our manager stifled any drive or momentum we had and if anything, left us more vulnerable to losing the game.

You're the one with the smarmy retorts to those who showed a differing opinion to yourself. I tried to back up mine, you chose not to do so with yours. I'd argue your replies seemed pettiest but meh. Enjoy your Sunday.

Not to be pedantic, but the analysis was actually provided by me, with the data from whoscored. As you are someone in the minority who think Evans is a decent Championship player, I'm genuinely intrigued as to what you see in him so was hoping for a more substantive answer but well backed down nonetheless.

An opinion shared by many, myself included. Maybe you're a touch bias since Evans represents NI and actually manages to turn up for them on occasion, but what have you seen him offer to the team that someone like Travis couldn't better every day of the week? For Rovers he has been uninspiring at best, shocking at worst. I know stats aren't everything to go off but a quick look at a site such as whoscored.com shows that he offers almost nothing to the side. Average rating consistently under 6.8. Pass completion 77% last season which is pretty pish for a CM who only passes sideways. Averaged about one goal a season over the years and assisted similar, for a midfielder he contributes almost nothing to attacking play. Defensively, he's brilliant at backing off and pointing here and there though, but again his numbers for tackles/interceptions are subpar. Evans is one of the last remaining legacies of the turgid, backing-off inviting-pressure football played by Bowyer. It's no surprise we've yet to bring down our goals against column in years when we play one of the worst defensive midfielders in the league every week.

Brereton and Rothwell energy and pressure forces mistakes and Travis there to finish it off. More bite shown in last two minutes than previous 63.

Evans?! Sharp?!?! The best I can say for him is he manages to make it look like he's doing a lot without actually doing much at all, mainly by putting himself about a bit. Has to be one of the most pedestrian players I've seen at Rovers over the years, I honestly have no idea what positive attributes he contributes to the team besides scurrying about a bit. Travis already looking a clear improvement in the centre of the park. As for the others, Johnson off the pace, Bennett offers bugger all a right back (or anywhere), and crikey it's scary how poor Bell is in almost every department. He looks panicked and lacking in composure whilst simultaneously looking so laidback that if he was any more so he'd be horizontal. Great save Leutwiler. Keeping us in the game atm.

"Hindsighters"?! Oh man, let's not have any more labels floating around haha. Though, we are all "hindsighters" one way or another tomphil!

Not sure why I'm being quoted in this thread and not the Ben Brereton one... There's being constructively critical of him and there's calling him this and that and writing him off completely, which I've seen a number of folk doing, even since Monday. Most of the negativity I've seen towards him, even after a good performance and a goal, has been on Facebook fan groups with people genuinely saying he was rubbish vs Bolton, which I'm sorry but is frankly stupid and I'm in my right to say so. I also wouldn't have said it was a sitter due to how it bounced up awkwardly to stomach level but to each there own; maybe he should have swan-dived towards it. Yes, the first real taste as in his first 90 mins in his preferred role, however I've seen him play well in a few cameos, enough for me to believe he'll come good, yet some were writing him off after his first couple of games across various platforms, I think due to the fee and fans immediately having inflated expectations despite it being specifically stated by Mowbray he's one for the future. It's not his fault he cost a lot and I'm not saying people can't critique him or say they think we should have spent the money elsewhere on the pitch, a fair observation as I said, just taking issue with the few writing him off. It's not about my arrogance nor so much my ability to judge players rather than my faith in those who've seen more of Brereton than his critics, and particularly in coaches/managers who certainly have more footballing knowledge than your average Rovers fan. I am not going to screenshot or link you to comments I have seen as I cba and I'm not really addressing anyone in particular in my little rant on the BB thread, and am simply venting on what I've seen across various platforms, not so much BRFCS, so I'm not sure why you're so offended. I even said in my original post that it's a minute subset of fans, I'm not trying to make out there's some conspiracy of people wanting him to fail nor am I trying to take the moral high ground or create an atmosphere as you have suggested, it's you sensationalising it. I criticise players where they deserve it, usually constructively, and think that it's obviously fair to do so. I have choice words I could say about a number of our first team players, but I don't openly call our young players, whether they be academy graduates or those signed for the future a la BB, shite and whatnot, and personally think it is a bit distasteful when people do. As I emphasised though, I am referring to a small group; as you said, most fans were with Ben all the way on Monday

I agree with you on the points of what he needs to improve on, and perhaps he's been a bit of a square peg in our round hole hoofy tactics which has exacerbated the differences between him and Graham (both completely different players). Personally, I think he's shown more than what you give him credit for, particularly on Monday where he for me looked a lot better than previous, but comparing him to the ex-PL Graham, who has been monumental of late, is a bit silly considering the difference in their style of play, physique, that DG has 13 years more experience and, despite being a hot prospect at a PL club at the time, didn't set the world alight until he moved down divisions to Carlisle. If we compare them at Brereton's age, Graham was a hot prospect at a Prem Club, had scored two for Boro (one in PL), two for Darlington and one for Blackpool, didn't score in a loan spell at Championship Derby and was released following a good spell at L1 Carlisle, who he then signed for. We are no longer a Prem side, so the difference between Brereton and Kalinic at his age will be stark anyway. One was signing for an established PL side, one for a newly-promoted Championship side. Kalinic was given a load of stick for his supposed poor touch, poor finishing etc, and he's gone on to make a lot of our fans look stupid by becoming one of Europe's top strikers in recent years. King, again written off by a load of fans, was the same and came good upon leaving. Personally, I see the talent in BB and I think a lot of fans do too. I know the majority of us want to see him come good, but like with previous talents signed for big money, a lot of folk seem to hold some sort of grudge. This is more telling on FB groups where some seem to be willing him to fail.

Very true, both completely written off by some supporters and established themselves as top-flight players, yet both were older than Brereton when we signed them. Oh yes, Rothwell and Travis have both been superb of late, but how old were they when they made their big break? Travis, who has been our shining breakthrough this season, is a year and a half older than Brereton, yet only came into the fold this term. I'm someone who hasn't watched enough of the u23s to comment much on who looks/has looked good enough, but would Travis have made the cut last season or the season before? Or would it have come a bit soon and he have looked a touch out of his depth? Rothwell is an ex-United player and you must remember, he's 24 now. Four extra years of development. I can't say what he looked like then but prior to this season, he'd played a handful of games at Champ level, even when he had the opportunity at Brereton's age, he wasn't trusted to play more than a few games for Blackpool nor the same in the following season for Barnsley in League One... yet at the age of 21-23 established himself as a quality League One player who is only now taking his chance in the Champ. What's to say Brereton wouldn't tear League One apart when given opportunity? Four years of development and I'm sure he'll look much more refined than he is now. I think people have made their minds up on him a bit quickly, and I think the big fee has played a huge part in that. If he was a youth prospect rising through our ranks, I'm sure the pressure wouldn't have been there and he may have transitioned more smoothly to the first team and we'd all be sat here lauding another future star of our youth system.

Find it baffling a number of people's minds are made up on the lad when he's played a few hundred minutes for us AT THE MOST with over 3/4 of his involvement coming off the bench very late on. I thought on Saturday he looked far more robust than previous, was constantly asking for the ball (as he has been whenever he's played), lead the line well, linked up for some good play with Rothwell and Dack and bagged a good goal. In previous cameos you could see he was feeling the pressure of his transfer fee and the lack of goals affected his confidence and thus performances. I think Monday was the first real taste of what he has to offer and I for one am not going to get on the boy's back, badmouth him and jump on every mistake he makes to try and point-score on social media with the "told you he was s**t" bollocks. Whatever happened to backing your team's players and wanting them to succeed? Don't get me wrong, I'd have spent the money differently as I felt investment was needed to sort out our defensive frailties. Alas, it wasn't, and people are free to malign Mowbray for his choices there, but all talk of the lad being useless is utter claptrap from folk who have seen him play a handful of minutes, haven't the footballing brains to say whether or not he'll make it and quite frankly don't want to own up to being wrong so will no doubt steadfastly defend their position regardless of how well he performs in the future (cognitive dissonance, anyone?). Those at the game on Monday (or anyone who has watched the full match since), who were watching objectively and not isolating every little mistake the lad made (like we've seen the same fans do with other Rovers players over the years), could see he played well, is clearly a talent and yet still a small group who shout the loudest are saying he played rubbish and missed a few sitters. Absolute nonsense. It's unfortunate we have a minute subset of fans who have very much written the lad off and are looking for any excuse to dig at him, simply due to his high price tag/their dislike of the manager (who I have been very critical of this season, not so much on here). But I'd sooner listen to Mowbray, Karanka (who didn't want him to leave) and the Forest fans who've seen him play a lot more (who also didn't want him to leave) rather than the folk who are expecting a 19 (just turned 20) year old to displace the brilliant Danny Graham and immediately adapt to mostly long-ball football which clearly wasn't suiting his style of play. I do think he needs to bulk up and become stronger and more of a nuisance but he's raw and learning, and I feel Saturday showed he's come on a lot in that respect from mirroring DG and will only continue to improve. Edit: typos

Seldom post on here but reaching the end of my tether with this side. As someone says, this is Bowyer all over again. A nice bloke, did the job that was necessary when he was put in charge but now finds himself completely out of his depth. I think there is a fear of who we would get in and whether they could improve on what’s currently going on on the pitch, but with a defence leakier than when that sheyster Coyle was in charge says it all. Now we await the usual sound bites from our manager. Things could turn real sour if we fail to pick up at least three points from our next two.