Sensational result considering the team put out. Special mention for Annesley. Cant be easy when you make your debut playing without a recognised defensive partner in the middle and looks like his goal-line block got us into the next round.

Given our excessively threadbare squad (and avoiding relegation could become a priority)Ayala,Kaminski,Travis,Brittain,Diaz,Phillips & Gallagher cant be risked. Add on our high list of injured players. So SS first name on the teamsheet for me- makes the number up and saves the other players. So Im going with Pears- JRC ,Pratt, Pickering, Batty- Edun,Morton,Wharton(A)- Markanday,Vale,Szmodics. Not sure I even want to risk Dolan or Buckley if Smallwood is playing - not confident of a result with that set-up but how many more players can we afford to lose to injury?

Most posters thought like me that the game looked difficult last night as soon as JDTs selection was announced. Putting Dolan & Vale both in from the start (however well they play in training) to give Gally & Hedges a rest quickly backfired. Our players look too delicate for me against a hard press. Like Joeys idea of five across the middle.....Buckley struggling there last night(exhaustion?)......Sheffield is a game crying out for a fit Scott Wharton AND a fit Hayden Carter for both to start unfortunately......totally different formation really necessary from Reading. No Szmodics, Markanday, Dolan or Vale starting for me. Hard to do with a threadbare squad I know. Tonys tombola anyone? Still top of the table yet mind..

It would be very foolish of Rovers not to offer Phillips a very attractive package along with the probability of extended game time. The game time is our biggest selling point to put him on the world stage. However JDT knows our early success(such as it is)has come from great team spirit & camaradarie aka the sum is bigger than the parts, so sensible to plan for him to go for nothing as well. Hence bring in at least one extra central defender for if/when Ayala is injured.

All rovers fans can be justly proud of the effort & endeavour put in by the players to get the result today. The fitness levels look the best since the Hughes era. JDT very clever at managing the players game time in so far as he can, so far. On the Mowbrayfication topic ,useful to point out that Tony Mowbray was far and away the longest-serving manager in the Championship so the large mileage he gets is very justified IMO.

JDT should see highlights of last years cup-tie against Wigan as required viewing. I honestly dont think Pears is even League II standard......Hilton has to start for me because if Kaminski plays and gets injured weve got major problems. Not only Ayala,but Kaminski, Travis, Brereton, Hedges & Brittain cant be risked for me. The squad is way too threadbare to take dangerous chances with any of these. So for me:- Hilton -JRC, Phillips, Wharton(S), Edun-Buckley, Morton, Wharton(A)- Markanday, Vale, Dack. Subs:Pears, Harlock, Annesley, Garrett, Dolan, Leonard, Smodzics/Gallagher. Harlepool sit 20th in League II and got spanked 4-0 by Walsall in their opening fixture so the above should(?) be strong enough to see us through................. famous last words

Agree with Chaddy. Obafemi didnt want to come to Rovers"up North" when Southampton wanted to move him on. We dont want players who dont want to be here. Fortunately we just got the cash for Adam instead.

Didnt Mowbray always refer to Rovers as "they" not "we"? And then proceeded to tell us how important Middlesborough were?

Interesting that JDT only made 1 sub whereas QPR made all 5. Given the tiredness in the players towards the end, have to wonder if he doesnt trust Dack or Markanday in this system. Dack probably isnt athletic enough and Markanday looks way too delicate. We shall see but if so we may need 7/8 additions not 5/6. Very good win nonetheless and Hedges my MOM along with Travis. That was some goal!!!

Abdolutely the right call to put Barnes ahead of Phillips. The manager has to be in charge. Dont want young players taking the mick.... at least Rothwell & Lenihan had already put the performances in when they wouldnt re-sign their contracts. Leave the Pogbas to teams like Manure

JRC to be the new "Mowbray false 9" by JDT to tire out a few big, strapping central defenders ??? To think we got more for Magloire (£20,000 maybe?) than Nyambe, Lenihan & Rothwell combined. Time for Pears plus Butterworth to be priced VERY competitively!!!

Wonder if Brighton are interested in BBD for JPvH plus cash(say£12 million)....maybe negotiable? They certainly need a goalscorer and that could be a cut-price lower-risk option for both parties.

Positives in this discussion of despair:- 1. Mowbray is no longer manager. 2.Hartlepool apparently interested in Magloire. 3.Wage bill is down. 4. JDT looks interested in his new undertaking as manager. Thats the best I can do

To try to put a positive spin on things all three of Nyambe, Lenihan & Rothwell played in the 0-7 home hammering by Fulham last season. Van Hecke gets excused a bit cos he was sent-off whilst only 0-2 down. So do Gallagher & Pickering,who didnt play. Only 3 points I know but........ then there was the "Mowbray meltdown" after Xmas. Maybe changing manager and not standing in the way of a few players isnt really so bad?

Davies looks a very good player by our standards ,and probably better than Lenihan. Unfortunately Liverpool are just about the worst club of 92(and yes ill include the dingles) to have to deal with on transfers/players....look what they got for Coutinho?). Honestly though, Id be happy just to get in three defenders aka a reserve goalie, a quality centre-half and a decent right-back/wing-back. Midfielders and forwards are probably a luxury we cant afford at this time.

As a Rovers fan,I can understand the increased attraction of Stanley. They are now in League I(3rd Division)having spent most of their history in League II(4th Division) prior to losing League status in 1962. From 1968 worked their way back up from Lancashire Combination League to current status. Thats a pretty good achievement. Especially when you consider their extremely low budget. What a manager Coleman has been for them. Working with almost nothing every year! (Turbo-charged Gary Bowyer anyone? ) Plus VERY competitive hospitality prices(pie & pint)!

Van Hecke would do as a marquee signing for me.....even if Ben had to go the other way to balance the budget. Sadly hes probably out of our price range. A back-up goalie and another central defender are an absolute pre-requisite. I can live with not scoring a lot if the drawbridge is pulled up tightly. If JDT is insistent on playing entertaining football on our budget AND getting results,then certainly he has his work cut out. Lets give him every encouragement we can.

Have to echo broadswords comment about what a relief it is not to have Mowbray in the dugout. Also what a relief it is that we have NOT appointed one of the old stalwart managers that come across as welded irrevocably to the twentieth(maybe nineteenth )century!! Talk about milking it for all its worth .Hee! Hee! TBF I think JDT has his work cut out getting a competitive squad put together ,but at least most of the players are very young and will be ambitious(? we hope)hence receptive to new ideas.

Like everyone else great news to see such positive appointments in the head coach/DOF area. Bear in mind JDT & Broughton will see this as an opportunity to get nearer to the biggest league of all( Premier League). Only hope Venkys do back them to some extent. It feels like we are back in the modern world at last.......

Big shout out to the supporters who put the banner outside the training ground.....motivational? Tomphil called it correctly for today...cunning Mowbray normally dredges out a victory when in dire need of one.....perhaps thats why hes the longest serving manager in the Championship? Great performance and stunning goals.....anyone think Ben plays a bit like a "ghost" where the ball somehow appears over the line as if by magic following a clumsy run-in despite the best attempts of defenders to stop him? Or is it the red wine talking?

You cant play an unchanged team after 0-7 at home can you? Limited options(no one to replace Nyambe) but on the last performance I can understand the line-up. For once Im in agreement with the players benched. Sometimes its also about attitude. Did Butterworth really "like" one of the Fulham players tweets after Wednesday?

Performance dreadful but the worst performance was from Mowbray being totally unable to set up a team tactically. Supporters who remember our Premier League winning team will remember Mark Atkins was a right-back/right-half who could play at centre-forward(and score!)as he did against QPR and Paul Warhurst could also have played either position(and did,I think). Buckley is a reasonable young player not at their level. We dont look fit or strong enough never mind organised. Insisting on playing promising but more limited players way out of position on a continuing on-going basis as some sort of " low-league Pep" is ridiculous. Ive noticed several players looking to the manager from the playing pitch for instruction and guidance with nothing forthcoming(even more prevalent last season). Fulham targeted Edun because they knew him inside-out as a former player.

Hope to goodness Brereton doesnt leave on a free! That will be a trajedy of epic proportions! Delighted to get the clean sheet as I thought they had become extinct at ewood.

I was also at the game in 1967 when we lost at home to Coventry 1-0 and they got promoted. Ronnie Clayton(our captain at the time)and a member of Englands 1962 World Cup squad(along with Bryan Douglas) played as a makeshift centre-half ..but this game is more disappointing......we must be the League leaders in turning winning positions into draws. Unable to defend a lead ..even with five at the back.

Got to be pleased with two clean sheets in a row. Never expected it under Mowbray so early in the season. Getting rid of all those senior stalwarts has clearly helped. Better team spirit, the lads look to be putting in a shift and we dont have ten players for every midfield position(also happened under Gary Bowyer). Feel more positive about this young team with most players still to make their reputations. But we have rode our luck again. Lets just hope Ayala doesnt get injured}