I thought that Mike but on another thread Biz told us about this lake of tranquility he floats around sometimes. I was more hoping somebody could borrow me their high horse for me to ride there.

I'd say I have sufficient knowledge on the world to know that a belief in which a disabled man must have done something sinful in a prior life is disrespectful regardless of whatever culture or religion it is born from. They might accept that viewpoint in parts of South East Asia but ultimately he was the manager of the English national team and it was he, not us, that should have researched and understood the English culture and concluded that such beliefs aren't in line with ours and respectfully kept his own views to himself.

I think some people need to ask Biz if they can have a float around the lake of tranquillity with him. It's got a little emotional in this thread. Imagine a world in which we all conformed to a single opinion and didn't express our thoughts in a way in which we saw fit....it would be like a bloody university campus on here! From now on I propose we submit our posts to prior approval to the Thought Squad to see if it is sufficiently sensible, open minded and intellectual enough to put forward. This would ensure no thoughts differ from that of the Thought Squad's - which, of course, differing opinions are all closed minded, lazy, incoherent and downright insulting to the reputation of Sir Tony. Oh my God...how do I reach this damn lake???

How dare you question anything to do with team selection - what do you think this is, a discussion board? In Tony We Trust

Substituting Palmer was a weird one. He was having a great performance and the West Brom players didn't know how to handle him. He could be a very important player for us if Mowbray continues to use Dack up front - give him more game time!!

I don't get this signing at all. If Mowbray wanted a back up keeper why didn't he buy one? What's the point in spending hundreds of thousands on a player just to play him in goal? Ridiculous

A return for fan favourite Tony Mowbray to The Hawthorns, home of West Bromwich Albion. As far as West Bromwich goes it's just off the M5 with not much else except the "Baggies" to talk about. I'm sure we are all aware of Sir Tony's success at this club so it should be a rapturous reception for the boss. Unlike the horrid journey to Swansea last night this one is quite easy, save the roadworks. It should take about 2 and a half hours and the Hawthorns ground is fairly decent as far as away ends go. It's been a while since we last played WBA. 2012 to be exact with a team that included the likes of Gamst Pedersen, NZonzi but also the likes of Lowe, Modeste and Goodwille. The dark days we shall call it. On that occasion we lost 3-0 and the cretin that is Liam Ridgewell scored against us - a man that has played for every Midlands club there is and once wiped his arse with pound notes. I haven't been the Hawthorns personally since 2008. That day McCarthy opened the scoring before being sent off; it all looked doom and gloom until the man, the myth, the legend that is Keith Andrews popped up with a long range equaliser minutes from time. This team consisted of the likes of Nelsen, Samba, Tugay, McCarthy and.....................Vince Grella. Fuck. Fun fact: The Baggies design their home kits based on Tesco carrier bags. Overall we tend to have the beating of West Brom. We've lost 44, won 52 and drawn 29. With both teams scoring and conceding goals for fun the Saturday game should be full of action - queue 0-0. As I write this Frank Lampard's Derby are giving Baggies a spanking at home. So it looks like both sides will be going into the game on the back of defeats - with both having something to prove it will all come down to which defence leaks the least. With the injury to Lenihan it leaves us looking to the likes of Rodwell or Downing for a right footed centre half. Playing Williams will essentially mean an unorthodox centre half partnership of two left footers (can you name a famous partnership comprising of two left footers??). The current West Brom squad has the likes of Dwight Gayle - who loves to score against Rovers - Burke, Sako and Harvey Barnes. They all take it in turns to bed bath Hoolahan, Barry, Mears and Boaz Myhill. Currently managed by the extremely likeable chap Darren Moore. Ultimately though this team still has the stamp of a negative Pulis and the "play from the back" style football Moore is trying to promote isn't possible with the lumbering centre halves Henghazi and Kyle Bartley. If we can get at them up the pitch we have the pace to close down the dinosaurs and force mistakes. There's also a dingle that plays up front for them. He's also racist....if you believe the papers. The unwashed tried to sign him in the summer but couldn't afford him after spending the budget on paper clips to file all the rejected offers - no surprise there. The Championship seems his level though and I have no doubt all his relatives and lovers have been sending telegrams all week getting him up for the game. Be sure to boo him, call him a dingle and make his afternoon utterly miserable. That'll be a nice sideshow. As a final note: Tony Mowbray's Blue & White Army.

Since when did you become the expert on what "type of player he is". You make out like he wants the ball at this feet but also wants it behind the last defender, hence playing on the shoulder. Which is it? Does he do both? Besides, how on earth do you know the type of player he is when Mowbray clearly doesn't. You are always so matter of fact with your own opinions but demand endless justification of others' opinions. So annoying.

For the life of me I cannot understand why Brereton was brought on at left wing and Dack put up front. How backward is that? Does he not trust Dack to get back or not trust Brereton to play up front? Or both? Such a bizarre situation. Smallwood had a poor game. All three of their goals came from driving runs right through the middle of the park. It's shocking to see them goals conceded at Sunday League level let alone 3 in one professional game! It was an ok first half but after the 50th minute mark it has to be up there with the Bristol City performance. Awful. I think it's about time some players understand their position in this squad depends entirely on their performances. I'm not using him as a scapegoat but the bottom line is Smallwood hasn't been good enough this season to mean he is a guaranteed starter. It showed that when Evans went off we totally lost control in that midfield area. The weekend game is going to be even tougher. WBA score goals for fun and we concede for fun. Expect a high scoring game. It's one we can definitely win as I think their obsession with playing out from the back, despite not being much good at it, will suit the likes of Armstrong and Dack. If we perform anything like we did in that final 40 minutes we could well be coming back shipping another 3.

£7m is a lot of money to be "investing in potential". He obviously has the hallmarks of a good player and has represented England at varying age levels. There's a player in there for sure. I think one of the major worries for all Rovers fans is that the first real investment from Venkys since Rhodes may turn out to be a flop. It's constantly in my head and I find myself almost wanting too much from Brereton because of it. I get frustrated when he doesn't beat two men and score in order to justify his cost. Very unfair judgement but the truth. I'll be honest and say I'd rather the £7m was spent on proven centre back - they are usually cheaper and you could get a very good, established centre half for that money. Yet it wasn't and we are here now with Brereton. At 19 he could earn this club more than 7m in goals or future fees - however, he could also give Mowbray a bloody nose from madam and that has to be worrying even to the most fervent defenders of his talents.

BBQs can do that to a man Sparks Rover. We are better off selling him now - can't believe how damaging to team morale this man is!!!!

Took you back to that small town near Bradford with 0 points.

Do you want us to ask Mowbray if he can give Bielsa any coaching lessons during our next fan Q&A? He'll (Bielsa) will do well to learn from the best. T'ra.

Or he only takes jobs in which he has an excuse for if things go wrong? Don't succeed at Madrid, Barca or Argentina = sacked and derided. Don't succeed at Leeds, Bilbao (with their nationalist structure), Lazio = the complexities of the job at hand. You can twist any argument any which way my furry knuckled friend. I wouldn't even trust Bielsa to look after the sausages at one of Dack's famous Friday night BBQs. 7-0 Rovers.

Corrected for you Madon

I think this is about the time Leeds usually fall apart. Bunch of perpetual under achievers - their players aren't much better either. Lived with a lad from Leeds at university. Only person I've seen who went to the chippy and bought a paper and walked back with the chips in his pocket and reading the paper. Backward lot of people.

That whole tranquillity point got a little weird didn't it

So that's a vanilla slice for you and a pint of milk for Tommy Robinson is it

Did this actually happen? Would have loved to have witnessed that. Imagine if Nyambe bumped into him - that would be one long rant about his lack of positional awareness and communication. Frapuccinos flying everywhere. I bet JAL ordered a flat white with a white chocolate cookie whilst humming along to Half a Shilling.

Like me. If the coverage improved I'd say it would take something special to make me purchase a ticket next season.

I defended the pricing on the 3rd or 4th page. Just a little irking your belittling of the issue when it's something you don't face yourself. I don't see how what I just said means I'm trolling.... As for the simple economics it should be noted that Huddersfield, Burnley, Brighton etc all offered discounts or free renewal upon promotion!

Get it right blueboy please there's a good chap

I suppose it's very easy for you to completely dismiss the impact of rising prices when you don't buy season tickets or have the issue of rising match day tickets. iFollow will continue with the same price and you'll continue to use the service. Although I'm sure you have some gripes with that yourself and it would be as equally frustrating of me to belittle your gripes when I'm not a service user myself.

I think it's by the by that any opinion he decides to bash comes from the minority or the majority. The basis of this criticism against him is that the calls for sacking Mowbray and replacing them for Warnock simply don't exist. It's clear for all to see he's dug into the depths of twitter (or other social media) for a single (if it exists at all) comment that will provide him with the platform on which to write a column about how some fans' opinions simply don't come in line with reality - but of course his does. And they are right. Always. Regardless. As previously mentioned it's the epitome of lazy. It's obviously been a slow time for news regarding Rovers (thank god) and Smith is looking for anything to capitalise on.

Journalism is probably at the lowest level it has ever been and Smith is no different. His reports, opinions or whatever, are usually far wide of the mark. I think you know it too by bringing up the state of other journalists in comparison to him. There were, and are, a dozen "astonishingly wrong headed mutterings" to choose from but he chose to report a non-issue because it more suited the basis of his column. It's lazy, inaccurate and rightly deserves the criticism it gets.