I have some doubts about the potential Hedges signing, though, will give Mowbray the benefit of the doubt given the success of some recent attacking signings. Central midfield is the area of concern, unless Garrett is being nurtured to be the back-up, which doesn't appear to be the case. I think it's there we should be spending money if we're not bringing one of our own through. If we're spending on a winger, I think we should be gathering all our money to test Brighton's resolve on us signing Khadra permanent now, before his value rises and/or circumstances potentially change. Hedges has done quite well at Aberdeen but the standard of the league is not too good these days (though the same can be said of the Champ) and Aberdeen sit in 6th - albeit, Hedges missed the start of the season with, I believe, a hamstring injury.

I haven't followed international football closely at all but my impression, which could be far off, is that African national teams haven't developed as some had thought they might. Nigeria and Cameroon, for example, were so impressive in the past that some were predicting that they could be compete for the World Cup one day. Nigeria used to produce explosive, skilful forwards like Yakubu, Aghahowa and Martins, but I don't see it really in their current squad. I wonder if the formation of European-style academies, earlier player recruitment and more formalised approaches, have changed anything - or, whether, it's just a random phase. Perhaps, societal changes might play a role too, with less opportunities for street football. Edit: Perhaps a distinction exists regionally for example, sub-Saharan Africa and northern countries.

Brereton Diaz has benefited from patience which many players just won't get, unless they are big signings or manager favourites. He was getting picked because he was a Mowbray big signing, despite some average showings, admittedly in a dysfunctional team without a logical structure. His hard work and ability - as well as some fortune, have taken him on but I think the value of patience cannot be overstated.

I don't know of the seriousness of Ash Phillips' injury today - it could be minor, for all I know. However, I am concerned that the club might be overplaying him, given that he's 16 and playing regularly for the U23s, against men much older than him. He might be very strong and tall for his age but I think the club need to be careful of overlooking the reality of his age. I believe he's had a couple of injuries so far this season.

Thought this could be the thread to continue the JRC vs. Nyambe chat from the Transfer Talk thread. I wanted to add to the discussion that I think that we may well see JRC as a LWB this season before we see him on the right. With Pickering out, it'll only take Edun to be absent for Mowbray to, perhaps, be pushed into fielding JRC, who played LB at times last year. Longer-term, I'm not entirely sure what JRC's best role will be. If his mobility and fitness return, he can definitely do a job at RWB, I think, at Championship level. However, pace might be an issue - especially, in a defence that is not blessed with pace as a whole. He may suffer from Rothwell syndrome in taking several years to find a regular position, if he ever does. A few years ago, when clubs played 4-4-2, he'd almost certainly be in the right midfield role. Though, of course, the biggest doubt is whether his body will hold out for the rigours of the game. The pace with which teams play now with such an emphasis on pressing and running with the ball from deep is amazing. It'd be interesting to know if there are any statistics that compare pro footballers distances and speeds in games now compared to say ten years ago. People complain about Khadra's crossing against Boro but I would point out that the man was sprinting constantly and it seems hardly surprising that after numerous runs, he has barely the energy to cross accurately, whilst still sprinting with the ball. (Not to mention that there's not much to aim for in the box, given that Gallagher is the only tall forward). Edit: If new signing Zeefuik can cover LWB, which I have no idea about, I'd be tempted to send Rankin-Costello out on loan, if a League One or Two club came in for him. He clearly needs games to return to fitness and confidence.

Just reviving this thread to comment on the situation with Gallagher, after his winning goal against Middlesbrough and a hard-working performance that caught the eye of the media covering the games, and, perhaps, some fans too. Though, his performance must be considered in a team context, with Buckley and Khadra, in the first half, creating a lot of space and disarray with their powerful running. He was playing on the left, which may have been a contributing factor to the improved performance, compared to, for example, Hull, as he had more of the pitch to turn to with his preferred right foot. Moreover, Rovers were quite dominant initially and were getting balls into the box, which he was challenging for. There was at least one suggestion that I saw in the media coverage that he was marking Crooks, the tall Boro midfielder/forward, off the ball, but not sure how accurate that was. However, I remain in disagreement with Mowbray that Gallagher can be used interchangeably with Khadra and Brereton when he is clearly a different type of player to both. He does try to run with the ball and has some pace but it's clearly a weakness in his game. I think Rovers saw the best of him against Boro in the box, including his goal, aside from his closing down. Long-term, I think the team will suffer from carrying Gallagher out wide. In the current 5-2-3, there is no room for Gallagher, except, as a central striker, and this current football trend, beyond Rovers, of pretending that attackers are generic and can fit in anywhere is counter to reality. We might get away with it for a while in the Championship, where the overall quality seems relatively poor, but it will prove a failure, eventually - as it did last season, albeit, in a less effective formation and line-up.

As mentioned above, I don't know if Mowbray specified when these mysterious much larger bids came in from other clubs, so, if real, could've been back in the summer - though, admittedly, it would be surprising as he hasn't hit consistent form til now. Additionally, the figures can be massaged when quoting them, depending if you include or exclude major add ons. I understand Rovers gamble on trying to keep Rothwell but it's a risky one for the club as promotion will be touch and go, I feel, On balance, I feel it's right now that we're in the position we're in - but, overall, I believe the club have got the contract situations very wrong, to let so many players enter their final years and risk losing their potential asset values (as much as I dislike the idea of human beings carrying a monetary value). Either way, the club should've brought in a central midfielder, or nurtured an internal promotion from the U23s, for a long time, in case Rothwell goes now or one of the other starters gets injured. It's been long overdue and, to my mind, a threat to our promotion chances, should we rely too much on Johnson.

Sam Burns got two late goals for Scunthorpe yesterday, as they went down 3-2 to Bristol Rovers. I think they might be his first league goals in his career. Scunthorpe are second from bottom in League 2, having played a game or two more than their rivals, so it'll be a tense but interesting time for the club, during Burns' loan spell. Scunthorpe are supposed to sign ex-Rovers reserve striker, Joe Nuttall soon, from Blackpool, where he has failed to succeed, after being signed for a transfer fee.

The Rovers official site had some quotes from Mowbray saying that Johnson got the nod over Davenport due to the former's physicality. Given that Davenport's a defensive midfielder, that is, I think, a damning statement on someone Mowbray spent money on to sign. He'll surely leave either this summer, or if kept on as back-up, next, on a free. I suppose Johnson might be off too. Though, if promoted, I'm guessing Mowbray might keep him for sentimental reasons, as he sought to hang on to Elliot Bennett, but I'm not sure he'd offer anything.

Chapman and Dack played. Goals from Vale (2), Harlock and McBride.

You're as bad as Harry Chap You're worse than Harry Chapman! It has to be a fitness or injury situation, surely, as Butterworth has done well off the bench recently. To be fair, he's had some bad showings too, though, sometimes, when thrown into the Buckley role.

I think a switch to 3-5-2 is needed to relieve pressure. Can easily alternate if the players and manager are sharp enough. Buckley dropping would enable a midfielder to double up on Jones.

If Edun continues to struggle, an option would be to move Khadra left to offer some protection. Also, Garrett could be an option as left footer who has played left back or centre mid, but would be a big call. Boro have options on the bench with Balogun and Watmore, so Rovers will need to be ready to adjust to any tactical changes.

BBC live text correspondent has said that, off the ball, Gallagher is doing a man-marking job on Matt Crooks. Any truth to this?

Bradley Johnson could do a job in a defensive role tonight, just about, I think, but an issue I've noticed with him (and the management) is that he gallops forward to support attacks. I would hope that he stays put and shields, rather than get caught out upfield. Edun is going to need the support, I feel.

Mowbray wants Rovers to play the Liverpool way (albeit, with 3 centre backs), in which case we have to press as a team like Liverpool. We don't have the defensive numbers in the middle or the pace at the back to let teams play their passes. If Mowbray is intent on playing Gallagher, we should be dropping Buckley into central attacking midfield and playing a more traditional 3-5-2 and try to utilise Gallagher's hold up play - which is of more benefit in a central area. I do fear the worst, being a pessimist and seeing their form and two major loan signings. (I'm surprised Mowbray was talking them up so much, as if they need a confidence boost). Perhaps, a key man will be Edun, for us. He's been shaky overall and Boro's Isaiah Jones seems to be their preferred right wing back and he dropped a couple of stepovers and beat his man to cross the ball for their late winner against Reading. If Edun has his best game for Rovers yet, we probably will be in with a chance. I do feel that we're going to have to learn to mix up our play, if we're going to continue winning, as teams are going to sit deep to nullify the counter attack.

With the new signing, Markanday, injured, Dolan recovering from injury and possibly, not ready, and Brereton, I think, going to be away on Chile duty, if Chapman is fit, I think he should be considered for our bench and given a chance to make an impact. He or Butterworth should definitely be ahead of Gallagher on the right wing. Otherwise, Mowbray owes the fans a public explanation as to why he (or the club) gave the player a one year extension and recalled him to the bench at the start of the year.

I've been following Arsenal quite closely lately and am puzzled by Thomas Partey. I never saw him play for Atletico Madrid but I wonder if he is as good as his transfer fee and reputation commanded. His Ghana side were terrible and his performances for Arsenal have, often, been poor or average. That said, I view Arteta as a struggling manager who is not getting consistency out of most of his players, so that makes it somewhat more difficult for him.

If you look at the first Hull goal, especially, I think you see three of the key problems that Mowbray faces for the remainder of the season (aside of the ones of his own making by poor selections). Firstly, the three forward players stand off the defender in possession of the ball, allowing him the time to play a long ball. A major point of playing those three, I thought, was to press the opposition into losing possession. Secondly, the long ball is played in the space behind the full back and test the pace of the centre backs, who are, generally, not the quickest. And the efforts by JRC to stop the winger are poor. Lack of pace and positioning of the full backs will be costly in our attacking set-up. Finally, the scoring Hull midfielder ghosts in behind Rothwell who isn't looking around to track runners. A central pairing of two is a vulnerable one, even more so with Rothwell and Buckley who are defensively not that strong. In other words, we are playing a high risk, "top heavy" formation that can easily get outnumbered if the press is beaten. It puts a lot of onus on the team, from the forwards onwards, to defend as a team and close down defenders, to prevent the passes into the inevitable gaps. It seems to me, based on the limited highlights, that the lack of press up front may have contributed to the amount of time Hull to play balls to their tall strikers and this panicked the team - resulting in ending up with a back six defenders in the box trying to stop the goal that Eaves finally scored. If you look at the footage of that goal, the positioning of the team is embarrasingly bad. Three defenders marking one player and Lenihan marking two - and Hull even had a couple of unmarked wingers they could have played it to. Smacks of the organisational and psychological collapse against Fulham.

I can't fathom the tall striker out wide tactic. I recall Del Bosque playing Morata there in a recent international tournament, for Spain. Has any team ever made it work consistently? A somewhat averagely paced tall striker out wide is not going to be much of a threat or offer strong defence. Perhaps, the only threat would be arriving at the far post from crosses and, also, competing with full backs for long balls. So, perhaps, in a direct or long ball team, where he's the target, it might have value but it's clearly not the role set-up for Gallagher. Edit: I do think posters who remind us that the team was poor in the previous game against Cardiff have a real point too. Even the preferred line-up, albeit, without Pickering, has shown signs of flagging. Perhaps, some fatigue plays a role - as well as other teams combating our tactics. So, we certainly need some variation to our play, rather than pure counter-attack every time. It looks like Hull were looking for long balls to test the pace at the back and, perhaps, by-pass the Rovers press. I think we'll see more teams doing that, seeing how effective it was. Just had a look at the match highlights and it's notable for Hull's second goal, Rovers are playing a back six. Looks like they were struggling with organisation and reminiscent of the Fulham defeat when despite virtually the whole team being in our own penalty box, we were still getting picked off. (A Rovers forward points at Eaves overloading Lenihan at RB and runs away - perhaps, assuming that the six at the back would be enough to stop him).

I disagree with the claims of having a shallow squad, in terms of numbers. We spent money on a back-up left back/midfielder and just recruited another two right backs. We're lacking in defensive midfield and that's a big fault of Mowbray having loaned and signed a number of players and not addressed it. He could, alternately, have nurtured Davenport or Jake Garrett for the role but Johnson has been the one he's generally chosen and, suddenly, when the time came to start him, Mowbray backed away. Otherwise, we have Butterworth, Markanday and Dolan (when fit) as options to play as wing forwards, rather than Gallagher, which, I think is a pretty good selection relatively speaking in this league. It's Mowbray's flawed choice to go with Gallagher in a wide role so often.

The 2000/01 Division 1 goalscoring charts, the year that Rovers were promoted with Fulham and Bolton (courtesy of worldfootball.net). We're viewing it through the lense of hindsight, but the quality (at least, in terms of strikers) was superb. I think, the majority scored goals in the Premier League at some point in their careers. Further down the list were players like Crouch, Helguson and Dean Ashton, who were, presumably, still very early in their careers. 1. Louis Saha 27 (10) - Fulham 2. Matt Jansen 23 (0) - Rovers 3. Lee Hughes 21 (3) - WBA 4. Jason Euell 19 (2) - Wimbledon Jon Macken 19 (0) - Preston Tommy Mooney 19 (1) - Watford Michael Ricketts 19 (0) - Bolton 8. Luis Boa Morte 18 (1) - Fulham Barry Hayles 18 (0) - Fulham 10. Carl Asaba 15 (0) - Gillingham, Sheff Utd Marlon King 15 (2) - Gillingham Iwan Roberts 15 (2) - Norwich 13. Chris Bart-Williams 14 (7) - Nottingham Forest Bruce Dyer 14 (0) - Barnsley Clinton Morrison 14 (0) - Crystal Palace Jason Roberts 14 (0) - WBA Neil Shipperley 14 (1) - Barnsley 18. Marcus Bent 13 (0) - Sheff Utd, Rovers Mikael Forssell 13 (0) - Crystal Palace Gerald Sibon 13 (2) - Sheff Wednesday 21. David Dunn 12 (4) - Rovers Ian Thomas-Moore 12 (0) - Burnley, Stockport Aaron Wilbraham 12 (0) - Stockport 24. Steve Claridge 11 (2) - Portsmouth Dougie Freedman 11 (1) - Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest Dean Holdsworth 11 (0) - Bolton Rob Hulse 11 (0) - Crewe Tommy Smith 11 (0) - Watford

I think the Premier League clubs won't be convinced yet of spending a sizeable fee given he's 26 years old and, perhaps, had his first consistent half season. Remember, last year, he was a squad player, playing behind Trybull and, even, Downing, at times. Fulham, Bournemouth, WBA and Glasgow Rangers et al would obviously take him but know that Rovers would ask for a large sum, if they even agreed to sell. Perhaps, only Fulham could pay up and, as mentioned, they're scoring for fun as is. I think we're probably going to see our best attacking central midfielder since Cairney/David Dunn(?) for another 4 months or so before he goes for free. Edit: That said, I agree with your allusion that an astute club would do well to gamble on him. His late development as a first teamer are, I think, down to confusion about his best position and, also, perhaps, a lack of the natural confidence of Dack or Brereton. However, he seems to have found his groove now.

McBride seems to be hitting some form. Interesting to see what the club decides about him. I suppose if the club's decided that he can go this summer, he might be free to be talking to clubs now to sign a pre-contract. He won't be short of suitors, as his success as a PL2 player of the season nominee was being reported in the nationals in Scotland, last year. People are rightly hailing the achievements of the U18s this season. However, my concern is that the success of the U23s last year hasn't translated into first team promotions yet. Carter and Butterworth have been involved but are a little older, I think, and they weren't involved that much in last season's U23 campaign that resulted in an impressive 4th placed finish. The team were in the top two, I think for a while, but fell off at the end. By contrast, the prior 'year group' has seen Buckley, Butterworth, Carter, Travis and Nyambe come through to make appearances. There's still time for players but it does look as if the U23s of 2020-21, are largely going to fall by the wayside, despite success amongst Premier League peers. As much as there is no guarantee of success or transition, the fact that not a single member is, apparently, anywhere near coming through must raise questions. It begs the question whether the next generation will face the same issue. With Ash Phillips and Adam Wharton being fast-tracked to appear on the first team bench for the FA cup tie, it may not be the case.

I'm guessing he's competing with Khadra and Brereton. Moreover, Mowbray experimented with Clarkson and Poveda as the No.10, before Buckley became the regular, so, can imagine him throwing him in there, if Buckley's absent. To start with, I guess he'll take Butterworth's place on the bench and, perhaps, his place at the club. We'll have to see if Butterworth will sign a new deal or if Rovers will even offer him one, as Transfermakt site has his contract expiring in June, though, there might be the possibility of the 1 year extension, which the club seems to insert as a standard clause. It's a shame for him, as he's shown fleeting glimpses but hasn't quite had the minutes to convince, I'd say.