Big difference between who we could get and who we will get. This club at this level with hands off owners who have provided decent funds could attract a good manager provided he was given the opportunity to do the job. People telling themselves that this club can do no better than Mowbray and the drivel we are getting at the moment are deluded. Sadly who we will end up getting when Mowbray goes will probably be useless and fail. The people running the club aren't up to the task and will prioritise convenience and cost over ambition.

After the game I said that we'd have been better off if the scoreline was 0-0 at half time than 2-0 to us. It seems sometimes being ahead in a game takes us by surprise and we don't really know how to approach the game from there on. 0-0 and Preston would probably have persevered rather than changed their system. They certainly wouldn't have applied as much pressure from the start of the 2nd half as they did. Being 2-0 down both meant that they had to 'go for it' and also meant we had to try and protect a lead, which we all know we are incapable of doing, and as usual we crumbled under pressure.

That's never been announced by the club. But then again they seem to like doing things without announcing it so it might be true.

Odd behaviour from Mowbray really. Either he knows his time is up and that is now affecting his body language or he's playing a different game with the players. Up to half time at Birmingham he continued to do his usual prowling around the technical area, arms folded, head in hands routine shouting at the players. 2nd half at Birmingham he didn't get out of his seat and Venus took on the role of communicating with players. Yesterday he made a point of hardly ever standing up - not when we were winning, not when they were getting back in the game nor late on when we were trailing. Even Venus rarely appeared to speak to the players. Meanwhile from the word go Alex Neil was on to his players offering encouragement and direction. At the half time whistle Neil sprinted down to the tunnel. Can only guess the difference between half time team talks. Normally I wouldn't really care what a manager does or whether he prefers to stand or sit during a game but this has been an obvious change in Mowbray's demeanor. I think we're now beyond the pale. Mowbray knows it - he's been here before - and his language and behavior shows it. A competent ownership and board would recognise that too and act accordingly but that's where things break down.

On net spending we should be pushing for the top 6. Mowbray has squandered those funds. If we were winning games regardless then nobody would really bother about that but when you're getting walloped by QPR and PNE who have spent a fraction of what he has then questions need to be asked. You can be dead sure that Neil is aiming for promotion this season at Preston (this being his 3rd season). He might not sing about it from the rooftops but in private he will be gunning for it. So should Mowbray. If he doesn't aim for promotion he's in the wrong business. Sooner rather than later we aren't going to have the luxury of worrying about who comes next and using that to argue against a change. A change will have to be made to keep us up and the club will have to get it right. If not then the club will be back in League One again.

Can anyone think of 3 clubs that we are going to finish above the way things are going? Wigan - atrocious relegation level away form but very strong home form where they rarely concede or lose - will survive on that alone Luton - score goals - have pulled a few impressive results out recently - have an identity. Millwall - new manager who has a good record and importantly knows how to build from the back and organise a team - will survive Stoke - struggling but underachieving massively with that squad and the sort of club that will pay big bucks to appoint a quality new manager e.g. Hughton when they fire Jones - should be ok Huddersfield - on the rise under Cowley Barnsley - perhaps the only one I'd put a bet on us finishing above but then again they are yet to appoint a new manager so things could change there. Reading - again underachieving and seem to have a new manager bounce. Another 2-3 weeks and things will change from the laid back relaxed approach of 'careful what you wish for' or 'steady away under Mowbray' to needing a change urgently to try and get out of relegation trouble. As ever with Rovers all the alarm bells and warning signs will be ignored for months until we are up to our necks in it and there is much less time to turn it around and we're a much less attractive proposition for a new manager and the decent ones have all gone elsewhere. Sickening but we've seen all this before. It's how Mowbray got the job in the first place.

Today was the clearest evidence possible that Mowbray is finished. Another 25 minute performance. Complete inability to sustain a performance, another 3 goals against. Completely out done by the opposition manager. No answer whatsoever to Preston's changes and improvement in the second half. Not.good enough by any measure. Time up. Thanks Mowbray but time for a fresh approach. Dont know what he was playing at today with his deliberate refusal to stand up in the technical area. Either the players told him to sit down or he told them to make a point and refused to address them.

Anyone with a brain can see time is up. Sadly those who run the club can't.

I wouldn't appoint a foreigner just for the sake of it but there are a lot of good options out there. I havent enough knowledge myself to suggest some of the lesser known ones but some with good Championship records like Garcia and Carvalhal. As with players the club has downscaled so much that it seems anything beyond the local area is too much so expect an internal appointment or someone operating nearby.

There's more chance of me being the next Rovers manager than there is Venkys sacking Mowbray before Xmas. I don't even think that's an exaggeration. Just think for a moment of the implications on the ground at Ewood if Venkys rang up on Monday morning and gave him his marching orders. First off they'd lose the glue that has held it all together - the man they trust - the man who has recruited all the coaching staff, scouts, CEO, signed most of the players - gone in an instant. Nobody else around to pick up that slack. This is why I've been vocal about needing a Director of Football to do all this so the manager can be potted quickly with minimal fallout. Here the entire footballing operation comes crashing down if Mowbray goes. Nobody at Ewood is going to rock that particular boat. Far to comfy as it is. Coyle was secure until late February despite atrocious results, permanent occupation of the bottom 3 and rebelling supporters. Even then it took the arrival of Paul Senior to force it through. I don't even believe Pasha has the ability to do anything other than perhaps make the Indians aware there is a bit of a problem. He's going nowhere unless he decides he doesn't want to do it anymore but not many managers do that. On the subject of contract extensions @chaddyrovers do you still think Mowbray should be given a new long term deal as you were pushing for throughout last season?

I think he was on the squad photo. At least he was in the background on photoshoot day. Apparently he's still using the Brockhall facilities to rehabilitate after an injury which has kept him out of action for 2 years. Something of a cover up operation going on. Sharpe let it slip in the summer that he was being given a new 6 month deal suggesting that we would be paying him to use our facilities out of some sort of sympathy towards him. When interrogated further on that the response has just been a vague 'he's still there's but no information on his contract status. Some record we have at giving contracts.out to non contributors.

Probably straying off topic here but I keep seeing people on twitter and Facebook telling moaning fans to 'get real' and face reality that we're a small town club in the Championship and that the Championship is littered with bigger clubs who we are destined to struggle against. Then I look through the list of 23 other clubs and ask myself which of those I would consider to have a sizeable advantage over us in terms of stature/size: Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday, Derby, Forest, perhaps West Brom. The other 18 clubs are either smaller or similar to Rovers in stature and standing. Its only our ongoing self destruction and lack of proactiveness that is now seeing these clubs catch us up and overtake us whilst we tread water with a diminishing fanbase. PNE, Wigan, Huddersfield, Hull, Barnsley, Middlesbrough, Stoke, Birmingham, Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol City, Reading, Luton, Charlton, Millwall, Brentford, QPR and Fulham are not bigger or better clubs than us. Mowbray and Waggott will try their best to convince people otherwise with little comparisons in the paper and sly descriptions of 'huge' and 'rich' clubs but they're trying to revise history and reality to suit themselves. Nobody has a devine right. I accept the first 4-5 clubs and those with parachute cash have an advantage of sorts but please don't make out like we are plucky little minnows struggling in a league full of big boys. It simply isn't true.

Quite the turnaround. Summer 2018 - owners want to 'go for it' and bounce through the division but manager prefers to 'build' over 3-4 windows. 3-4 windows later same manager 'we'll try and compete with Preston even if that means we get beat'

Gareth Ainsworth only gets mentioned because he was born in Blackburn. If he was from London he wouldnt get a mention. If success in League Two is needed for the Rovers job we might as well get John Coleman or Gary Bowyer back as both 'know the local area'. If this club wants to kick on we need a far more ambitious approach than scouring the lower leagues for someone or looking through managers who got promoted 10 years ago who will be grateful for a Championship job and who nobody else would appoint. Think Farke at Norwich, Wagner at Huddersfield or Karanka at Middlesbrough. Bit of thought, imagination and ambition needed. Won't happen though it will be bargain bucket time again.

I've been wondering about that since the summer. I struggle to accept that our transfer activity was how Mowbray wanted it to be and wonder if he's had his nose put out of joint. The long failed pursuit of Bauer, 'defenders are coming' and the loan of Mulgrew/spending all our money on Gallagher. All seems off to me.

I like to think of myself as quite a patient person but I'm looking now at the November international break as decision point. We've 3 tough games before then. I want a minimum of 4 points from those games. If we don't get those and don't win any of them then it will be 8 without a win which is unacceptable and time for change. If we get the 1 or 2 points I expect is the best case scenario then we're going to be in the mire and need a fresh approach to avoid a season long relegation battle. I'm easy to please. A clean sheet would do for me tomorrow. No fancy passing around, no clever formations, systems or subs. Just the basics. Sadly I don't think we are capable unless we get lucky and Preston fire blanks all day. Never been so apprehensive about a local derby.

The manager is the most important position at any club. For owners flushing £15 million a year down the drain I'd say shelling out on a quality manager who might get us up is a worthwhile investment if serious about promotion. Sadly I don't think they are, so they will try and do it on the cheap and get nowhere.

Oldest trick in the book is to argue against a managerial change because 'who could we realistically get?' or 'nobody better out there' If that attitude was followed at every club then nobody would ever improve or escape relegation. There are always improvements out there. Key is finding them. When you've got an incompetent and disinterested ownership and management structure and shop purely on the bargain aisle then you end up interviewing Russell Slade and appointing Owen Coyle. When you have some nous and ambition you end up unearthing people like Wagner, Farke and Cowley. Huddersfield could have accepted their lot in life and stuck with Chris Powell and battled relegation every year. They didn't, they wanted better and pulled off a masterstroke.

Lowe was involved in the academy. At some point during Bowyer's tenure he was sacked. Shortly afterwards he was back in the academy which I believe took a few people by surprise. He remained in the academy until Mowbray arrived when he and David Dunn stepped up to 1st team duties. Dunn was demoted back to the reserves to make way for Venus to come in whilst Lowe went to being First team coach. I didn't know Lowe had played with Mowbray and Venus before.

It's not what you know but who you know....

He didn't survive. Wasnt he axed during the Bowyer era and then mysteriously reappeared soon after Bowyer had gone?

On Walton alarm bells were ringing for me when lowly Wigan who just avoided relegation passed on the chance to keep him for a 3rd season and went elsewhere. Then we sent them our captain and paid them for the privilege. Reality is Walton was cheap and easy and when it comes to goalkeepers and defenders that's how we roll. Talk about Karl Darlow and Scott Carson was never going to come to anything.

It's not a conspiracy theory that Kean and Bowyer had more power than anyone else including board members because they were well in with the owners in India. That's a fact and the reason board members have come and gone with regularity. Now maybe Waggott is different but given he's Mowbray's mate from Coventry I'm not confident of that.

Do you think Mowbray helped get Waggott his job? If so do you really think Waggott is ever going to push for Mowbray's sacking? Even if he did push for it why would Venkys listen to him? Mowbray has been here longer, appointed all the staff and has his feet under the owners table. Remember Paul Hunt and Steve Kean? Only one winner with the owners. The only prospect of a change being made is if Pasha emerges to do something but he would be taking a risk there. Remember Mowbray is the only decision he has made that worked.out. sacking Bowyer, bringing Lambert in and appointing Coyle were all poor decisions that ultimately caused relegation.

Delusional indeed. I went to the shareholders meeting at Ewood in September which Waggott and Cheston hosted and took questions. The impression I got from Waggott was that he thought Mowbray was the best thing since sliced bread. He even came out with a comment that the club needs more fans supporting it to be able to 'keep hold' of people like Tony Mowbray e.g. we are lucky to have him and will struggle to keep him. Bonkers but no wonder really. Everyone down there at Ewood probably quite happy with the status quo and probably pay little attention to things like results and performances.