Very harsh, but wearing shoes on the opposite foot came to mind, in relation to Gallagher playing wing forward or split striker, as I've seen it called.

It's good news but I must question whether Travis is improving as a player. Injuries have been a hinderance and, arguably, he's been overplayed by Mowbray. He could do with someone to compete with, take the physical load of and challenge him to get better. He was once looking like a potential Premiership midfielder but hasn't developed. I put some of this down to the club's failure to bring in or bring through a CM to challenge and support him. Playing in poorly set-up sides hasn't helped either.

I think it's fair to say that Mowbray doesn't know what he's doing, when it comes to the forwards. Things fell into shape for a while, but in the Fulham game, prior to the up turn, I believe that Buckley started as a right forward. Now we are experimenting with new full backs as wide forwards, reminiscent of the experiments with Clarkson and Poveda as lone No.10s.

Agree that this season could be the high point for a long time, should we not go up. I disagree with those that argue that we have a small squad. We just extended James Brown's deal. He's a 23 year old RB with experience, albeit lower level. Dan Pike, now at AFC Fylde, was given a two year deal - so supposedly is/was rated. That makes 5 right wing backs at the club, in Nyambe, Zeefuik, JRC, Brown, Pike excluding those featuring for the U18s. More questionable is thr quality of managerial decision-making in some of the recruitment. The backing of Bradley Johnson as third choice CM a glaring issue, unresolved for a long time.

I suppose Giles is playing left forward? It's bizarre that we chased Hedges so hard and prefer a wing back up front. Rothwell could play there too.

Interesting that Ash Phillips was out with an injury picked up on international duty. That's one of, it seems, a number of injuries he's picked up this season. They seem to all have been relatively minor but I think it should be a matter of concern for Rovers, considering his age and the regularity that he is playing for U23s, U18s and internationals, all against players above his age. Rovers rotate their goalkeeper for the U23s, virtually every match. I would look to give Phillips some rest. This season has been blighted by major injuries to Isaac Whitehall, Lenni Cirino, Sam Barnes and others, so some caution and reflection might be helpful.

Carter and Magloire look to be the Rovers loanees to have established themselves in their new teams. The others are coming off the bench.

It's painful as, I think, this is our "golden generation" to be picked off come the summer. Mowbray spurned the talents of Armstrong and Elliot last year and he risks replicating that, somewhat, this campaign. Gallagher as wing forward just has to come to an end. I'd like Buckley to play central midfield, in a three, but as a No.10, he stands a chance if he has skilful and fast players ahead of him. Not Gallagher, who is a traditional centre forward and nothing else. I think we can still make the play-offs, but a lot rests on Buckley and Gallagher, for different reasons, and, on the team staying fit. An injury to, say, Wharton, and I think you can say goodbye - and, God rest, for some time.

I worded it poorly but the impact of Hedges will, for me, greatly affect Mowbray's reputation in the transfer market and, even, as a manager. It was not just any signing but, in the event of Markanday's unfortunate injury, the major January signing for our historic promotion push.

Hedges was a major January signing. The biggest behind Markanday. A lot rests on him and his success will also reflect on Mowbray who has placed a lot of faith on the player, even spending money on him when he was attainable on a free at the end of the campaign.

It's really surprising that they gave him the captaincy, as a new signing. As useful as he can be, at times, especially, in a defensive side, they didn't do their homework. Last season's experienced quartet of Downing, Holtby, Bennett and Evans were all, arguably, kept on at Rovers for too long. Mowbray wanted Bennett to stay, with Johnson, and there's a case for retaining experience, but not when they're failing to perform or stay fit.

Harvey Elliot started for Liverpool in midfield in the last sixteen tie against Inter. An incredible progression for Elliot who helped us to our 15th place league finish last season, mostly playing as a right wing forward. Though Elliot was one of the league's top assist-makers last year, in a reasonable line-up and role, he surely would have helped propel us much higher. Consider that almost one year ago, on 17 Feb 2021, we lost 2-1 to Barnsley, playing, apparently a version of 3-5-2 with a midfield of Travis, Downing and Dack, with Elliot Bennett and Barry Douglas our wing backs and Gallagher up front with Armstrong. Harvey Elliot came off the bench on 76 minutes and assisted a late Armstrong consolation. The following game, we lost 1-2 to Preston, with, apparently, a 4-3-3 type formation, with Gallagher right wing, Rothwell left wing (subbed at half-time as we trailed 0-2) and Harvey Elliot coming off the bench after 63 minutes. But, steering it on topic of the Champions League, it looks like Elliot was selected today ahead of Henderson, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Milner, which is astonishing. It also highlights the depth that they have, as Curtis Jones could also play with Fabinho and Thiago and with the signing of Diaz, it seems that they've gained in belief, no longer so reliant on Origi as key back-up upfront.

Jack Vale must be knocking on the door with his good showings for the U23s and lack of strikers and goals in our first team. I think it'd be sensible to have him on the bench, if Brereton Diaz is injured. He could easily be vilified if he struggles in a disjointed team but we don't have many options. Alternately, a good showing and he'll give everyone a lift.

A number of failings in the side, including, sub full backs not performing, Gallagher played out of position and Buckley, really, out of position too. These need addressing and, in addition, I think Jack Vale needs to be turned to as a striker presence. We await Dack's return and Hedges justifying his transfer fee but Vale is in good form for the U23s and an option we seriously need to consider to try and add some goal threat.

Not as big an issue as playing players out of position and not finding another CM but, right now, Carter should be in defence and Nyambe right back. The decision to loan him out was an unnecessary risk, given Ayala's injury record.

I'm amazed that Dyche can have Burnley competing with a central midfield of Westwood and Brownhill. There's barely a goal in either of them, in this formation, as good as other aspects of their game are. Whatever anyone might say about the playing style, it puts a lot of managers and players to shame. Edit: Re AllRoverAsia's comments about Man U, below - I agree, it is a surprise that they're still in Champions League contention. I think it might be because the league is stronger as a whole and everyone's taking points off one another (aside from, maybe, top two). I also believe that managers and players are caving to the immense pressure that is being created by huge transfer spending and expectations - eg. perhaps, Leicester and Everton.

I find it hard to judge Mowbray partly because I just don't know what managerial talent is out there as an alternative and the concerns about our record of appointments, from Ince, Kean, Berg etc. is a worry. However, at some stage we will have to make a change, so that uncertainty can't hold us back forever. If need be, we could try to appoint internally, when the time comes. The other reason I find it hard to judge Mowbray is I haven't kept track of Rovers' transfer spending compared to other clubs in the league, which is a measure (but not the only) for achievement of a manager. Rovers have spent quite a lot just on squad players or up and coming players, it seems to me, which seems a luxury. Edun, Hedges, Davenport and Chapman, come to mind, and I would speculate that they could be close to or, over, £1m in transfer fees. Then there are loans which must cost us in fees, as well as wages, though I have no idea how much. How that all compares to other clubs, I'm not sure. The forward line option, last year of Elliot, Armstrong and Brereton (pre-Diaz) does weigh heavily against Mowbray, I feel, given that we finished 15th. Skip a season, in today's inflated transfer market, that's probably a £90-100 million strike force - though Elliot is really a midfielder, Armstrong hasn't yet justified the fee and his valuation is, at least for now, in decline and Brereton will need to maintain his form to justify a huge fee. Throw in Rothwell and some other talents from the squad last year, and I think an argument can be made that Mowbray has an eye for attacking players but hasn't often put together a team. This half season, or so, has changed that, and Mowbray has found a winning formula. However, it is only half a season and we need a lot more to prove that it isn't just a temporary improvement. Edit: I'd also make the argument that Mowbray's taken his eye of youth progression, having benefited and enabled the homegrown system producing Travis, Nyambe, Buckley, Lenihan, Wharton and JRC for his squad. It's not an argument that can really be proved, as it could be equally be argued that the standard of talent coming through hasn't been maintained and some have suffered big injury set-backs. Though, it should be said, the standard of first team players has been poor, at times. Having five 'homegrown' players in the team at the moment, even if some were signed up from other clubs as teenagers, is huge for a club like Rovers and the progression needs to be maintained to sustain us a club.

I agree and I think Rovers plan, perhaps, is for the centre backs to follow their man up the pitch, knowing that the two midfielders, Rothwell and Travis would get outnumbered if left to it. However, it does leave gaps and exposes a shortage of pace in the backline. It's a tricky one to resolve given that we play a formation which is not only light in midfield numerically but also in terms of physicality. I suppose there was an element of panic in Lenihan's rash challenge that got himself sent-off, as Forest scored when he got outdone upfield and there was the risk of it happening again.

Definitely bad defending but also good play by the Forest forward who, I think, came deep and pulled Lenihan out of position. Our defence is a good unit that isn't blessed with great pace and likes to sit deep to absorb attacks. It seems a tactic of opposition teams to drop off and pull defenders out of the backline. I don't know much at all about defending but I wonder whether the defenders need to track forwards so deep, or whether midfielders should be taking up the work. I suppose a problem in the current formation is that the midfield can be quite light, in numbers, at times.

Would agree with this. The No.10 Buckley experiment has run its course, especially, against the stronger and wilier sides, in my opinion. As good a midfielder as he is, he's being asked to be Matt Jansen, which isn't his game. Dolan harries a lot but I don't think putting him there will really solve much, though, it can pressure opposition into mistakes. Based on just the highlights, Forest's forward, Keinan Davis rattled Lenihan by dropping deep and dragging him out of position, both for the first goal and the sending off. Lenihan, I suspect, went in for the rash challenge that got himself red-carded both out of frustration and concern because the opposition movement had opened the Rovers side up, again. Dropping Buckley into CM, with Travis and Rothwell would add depth, so that a midfielder can track strikers that drop deep and/or, if defenders get turned, there's one extra body to protect the defence. The two man midfield is, I feel getting exposed and Buckley is being nullified as a threat. It's a big call to change it, as the three pronged forward closing down tactic is a mainstay of Rovers game for seasons and has worked some results this season. However, I think the tactics getting found out and exposed, increasingly.

The Markanday injury was unfortunate but Mowbray has really committed himself to the signing of Ryan Hedges. He is. surely, going to be starting games next season when Brereton Diaz and, likely, Khadra leave. We also seemed to have signed Hedges at the expense of a CM to support Travis for the remainder of the season. It was a very big call to sign a player whose contract was expiring, from a middle-of-the-table SPL club, as the supporting creative force for a historic promotion push. If it comes off, Mowbray deserves all the credit. However, if it doesn't, he, equally, will have a lot to answer. Even more so when we see Forest's new recruit, Keinan Davis, doing so well. My own attitude is questioning. I don't know the player but his career hasn't been overly impressive, at 26 years old, and the talk of him being distracted by Rovers interest makes me concerned that he is not the type of character that will bolster a dressing room. However, he deserves every chance and, clearly, can't yet be judged.

Forest were without two of their top three goal scorers in Grabban and Zinckernagel. The latter was on the bench and replaced in the line-up by Jack Colback. I wonder if that was a decision to add more defensive strength to the middle of the park by Cooper, or whether simply necessitated by injury or fitness issues. Forest got the Villa forward, Keinan Davis, in January, on loan, and he could be the man to propel the team up the league. He's the type of striker that we could have done with to bolster our forward line. We could do with a defensive midfielder too, to support Travis. With Lenihan suspended, we're an injury away from Bradley Johnson as a centre back. He'll do a job, perhaps, but it would be a concern against mobile forwards. All in all, the January transfer window efforts by Mowbray haven't come to fruition and there remain notable gaps, exacerbated by sending some reserve players away. However, clearly the incoming players need to time to fit in and I wouldn't judge them too harshly yet.

It's a shame we don't have a mobile and physical CM option, because I have a feeling that this is not really a game for Rothwell to start. Someone tough tackling, strong and fairly fast would really help track their runners. Alternately, Rothwell could start under orders to hold his position in the middle because Forest are very quick on the counter.

With the influx of wing backs into the squad, including, return to fitness of JRC, and the addition of Hedges, Mowbray, potentially, is back to having options comparable to last year when we had a whole range of CMs from Trybull, Evans, Bennett to Downing. I feel that this remainder of the season will be a test for Mowbray, as he seemed to struggle to decide upon his best 11 last year and has a tendency to experiment with new signings in unfamiliar roles and shifting personnel around. The larger squad and new loanees will create new choices and decisions to be made. For me, the warning signs are already there, with new loanee wing backs being thrown into winger/forward roles. It's comparable to Poveda and Clarkson being thrown in the No.10/false 9 role and, unsurprisingly, struggling.

The influx of money has added a great deal of *individual quality throughout the league. Burnley, though bottom and surely heading down, have been able to buy a striker in Weghorst who has been playing in the Europa League with Wolfsburg. Incidentally, it's a strange sight seeing a tall striker hold up the ball and play in a fellow striker. It's almost as if playing a striker in the middle might actually work. However, the top clubs, especially, in the Champs League and owned by oligarchs, are just a level above financially, creating predictable league title contenders and then those below are the also-rans. In that sense, the procession at the top remains but just with bigger costs. The huge sums being spent throughout the league is creating unrealistic expectations and toxic pressure. Clubs like Palace and Everton are spending vast sums and their fans are expecting them to at least compete with comparably wealthy clubs like West Ham. All in all, it's very competitive, below the top four/five, maybe, but, given the huge financial and expectation inflation caused by investment, its becoming increasingly a toxic and unreasonably pressurised environment unsuitable for players or managers to express themselves on the pitch. I think you'll see increasingly homogenous teams and players playing safety first football. I also think you'll see fewer young players coming through as clubs abandon efforts to nurture and there is a demand for instant results. England will probably suffer from it in the following years, after reaching something of a high point lately. A league where there is no patience to develop players and managers and where footballers are unable to express them freely, in fear of the consequences, will not be a good product, no matter how much is spent on commercialising and branding it. *Edit: Added "individual" quality to that first sentence - because, I do wonder, given the huge financial pressure the clubs are increasingly under, whether it will or does translate into improved collective quality.