Very very frustrating. If Armstrong takes that early chance then it’s a different game...instead we’ve been subjected to another style over substance half where Sluga could have been doing a sudoku. There’s no energy to get into the box from midfield runners when we get into promising positions out wide. I’m hoping for a change in the second half but I can’t see it

Can we rise above the dark arts of Nathan Jones? The last two games against Luton have left a sour taste in the mouth and he also frustrated us in the 0-0 with Stoke last season. In true Keegan style I would love it if we beat them, preferably with ease to restore a bit of morality. I have no problem with managers who set up to frustrate but if it crosses the line then it’s unacceptable and we’ve seen this twice from Luton. With a strong referee (not holding my breath) then hopefully we will be allowed to flourish.

SKY headline reads ‘Rothwell gives Blackburn deserved win at Boro’. Hmmm

The wheels to well and truly come off in this one. 0-3

My Wifi was iffy in the second half...maybe I missed all Davenport’s best bits.

The scary thing is...despite yet another pitiful showing we are still only 3 points off 7th place and 7 points off 6th! This league is poor. Somebody from the chasing pack is going to challenge the play offs but alas, it won’t be us. Ratings: Kaminski: 6 - not a fan of short balls to feet on that pitch, his long game didn’t impress either. Still inspires more confidence than any of our keepers since Robinson. Douglas: 5 - gave the ball away far too much. Set pieces aren’t living up to the billing. Solidish defensively Branthwaite: 7 - solid debut, fairly confident on the ball, inspired confidence. Promising start Lenihan: 6 - Still not himself but didn’t let us down today Nyambe: 6 - Lost Powell for the goal but started to offer a lot more going forward in the second half. Johnson: 5 - Outmuscled too easily by Stoke’s midfield Travis: 5 - Not fully match fit. Similar to Johnson. Yellow card ruined his contributions Dack: 5 - To be effective against a side like Stoke he needed to be match fit...he wasn’t Rothwell: 5 - One bursting run for the offside goal but nothing else of note. Too inconsistent Elliott: 5 - Needs a bowling green not a pudding to play on Armstrong: 6 - even if his goal has stood it would have been spawny as it megged the keeper, one decent shot in the second half. Subs: Brereton: 6 - ok contribution, Davenport: 5, Holtby 6, Gallagher N/A (decide for yourself what that stands for), Buckley 7 - a goal and some good energy...helps to be playing in his correct position of course. Discuss

O’Neill is a proper coach. It isn’t by luck that Stoke are first to every loose ball, hungrier, faster in closing down, more organised. I doubt we’ll create much in the second half as they’re so resolute. Basically the polar opposite of us. Yes, the offside decision was shocking but we have to be mentally stronger. Since that we have conceded and could have conceded about four more. We crumble in these situations. Elliott clearly can’t play in this pudding of a pitch but that’s irrelevant as Stoke have about 3 men round him as soon as he gets the ball. Douglas seems to exist to give the ball away and prompt opposition counter attacks. Travis and Johnson are bouncing off Mikel like broken weebles (have we ever beaten a Mikel side?), there really is no hope, no plan B. I just wish I was there to vent my fury. The cat sitting to the left of me is looking rather nervous

Game over

I can’t see us getting anything against Stoke if we play anything remotely like that dross today (besides the fact we haven’t beaten them at Ewood in the league since 2008). On today’s match...the Pears signing (and performance) is reminiscent of Miles Anderson...absolutely criminal that he’s even near the squad. What must the Greek lad be thinking? Surely today would have been the day to give him a chance. Brereton was almost back to the pre-improvement days today (although he at least put a shift in)...pretty much everyone stank the place out. That’s 4 consecutive third round defeats for Mowbray. Even Coyle got us to the 4th!!! The frustrating thing is that, as a fan, I currently feel powerless. The opprobrium I previously directed at Ince, Kean and Coyle from the stands is missing. The regime stumbles on in unaccountable fashion. Put a wedge on Stoke to win next week.

We seem to be out of the blocks quickly in most games at the moment but then after the first 15 minutes we start to go backwards. Against a dire Birmingham side we dominated the first half but then the second half was a complete contrast. Why? I just don’t think we have the ability to change our approach when the opposition start to get on top. The game drifts. Today we got away with it...a Birmingham leveller with 15 to go and we could have been staring down the barrel of another 2-1 reverse.

Pearson, Monk, Pulis all available. All have got experience of working for erratic ownership. I’d go for Pulis...he’d sort out the defence (with a few January recruitments) and although his style isn’t everyone’s flavour I think he’d iron out some of our problems. We need a solid defence...there are plenty of goals in this squad.

Fully expecting a tame 1-0 defeat tonight. We will dominate possession but create little of note, Arma will have about 6 shots to no avail. I really hope I’m wrong and something miraculous happens. Apart from a 4-2 win when Rhodes scored 3 we have a pretty grim record at Huddersfield....although a certain Nathan Delfoneso managed a goal there...I suppose anything can happen!

Just a bit frustrating that we have been twice the victim of managerial shenanigans this season. Firstly, Hughton rolls up at Forest with his long standing hex over the Rovers...wins 1-0 at Ewood then fails to make a strong impression after...then Pulis. I genuinely can’t think of a victory over a Pulis side since the 3-0 over Stoke in Big Sam’s first match...in 2008. Correct me if I’m wrong.

What worries me at the moment is the lack of personnel to change our style if the going gets tough. We are incredibly light in the striking department since DG’s departure. If Mowbray plays the likes of Brereton, Gallagher and Dolan as wide players then that leaves us with Armstrong as the only central striker (and even he is likely to move wide during matches). Anyone who can hold the ball up and give us that get out (for Lenihan’s aimless long balls mainly) would be a welcome addition...not necessarily as a sure fire starter but certainly as back up

Douglas, Johnson, Holtby and Gallagher were all abysmal today. You can’t have 4 of your 11 players off their games so badly against a Pulis team. I’m also getting fed up with Arma’s general play around the area. Far too many shots with his left foot that a randomly placed snowman would save comfortably. His first touch lets him down far too often as well, the chance in stoppage time being a prime example. As for Mowbray...I’m done.

On another note, after struggling last season against the promoted sides...we’ve beaten all 3 of them this time around.

Johnson has been awful but there’s no one else to play his role, so I’d probably replace Buckley with Holtby and hope Johnson miraculously finds some form in the second half. Gallagher needs to be moved centrally with Armstrong playing on their lad who’s been booked. Elliott needs to be given the ball more (Rotherham have done their homework) and Rothwell just needs to run at them. Bell (reluctantly) for Douglas as well.

It’s hard for Buckley as he hasn’t really been given a run of consecutive starts. 10-20 minutes here and there won’t help him build momentum. I think he has real potential and could one day cement a place in the team, but at the moment he will have to compete with the many other options we have in that position. Good luck to him tonight.

Barnsley remind me a bit of Wagner’s early Huddersfield side. Maximum effort, pressing constantly and hard to maintain the ball against. We haven’t coped well with it, however, unlike some frustrating matches we have actually tested their keeper on a few occasions. Definitely need another!

Barnsley will eternally be a team that virtually every side will earmark as a home game they should be winning. Ditto Rotherham, Luton and a host of others. This will be despite any form that suggests otherwise. We’ve had some very entertaining battles with the Tykes over the years...5-1 Tom Cairney inspired thrashings, Martin Dahlin scoring, 5-1 disasters (Per Frandsen anyone?) and of course last season’s 3-2 victory where I walked off Ewood as pissed off as I can remember after a victory. I think I had to convince myself that we’d actually won! As for Saturday I predict a tight game which will not reflect Tuesday night in any way at all. Barnsley will have done their homework and we will have to find a way to break them down. Do we have the players to do it? Yes. Will it happen? I’m not putting any money in it. On the other hand, if they have a man sent off then I’m going for 4-0.

Please please don’t mess this up from here. I happen to live next door to Preston’s assistant manager, I teach numerous PNE fans and my place of work is opposite the home of Deepdale Duck. I have to drive past Deepdale every day to pick my toddler up from nursery. I can’t escape them. I’m surrounded. Please please don’t mess this up from here.

A drab first half which is emblematic of post-international breaks. Two disjointed teams. The second half saw us much the better and the last 10 minutes we were rampant. The goal we conceded was unlucky as their lad slipped as he put the cross in, if he’d have stayed on his feet then it probably would have sailed over the striker as their delivery was poor for most of the match. Any team can concede goals like that. Our response was excellent and although I’d have preferred a win (perhaps merited on the last 10 minutes) I’m not too downhearted by a point at a team who were a) above us in the table and b) well organised and hard to beat. At Ewood it would be a different story and I would expect a win. I certainly understand much of the criticism levelled at Mowbray but this season he has been dealt a terrible hand. It is incredibly hard to build consistency when the team is ravaged by injury and isolation issues. Today we were without Ayala, Williams, Bell, Holtby, Dack and Travis amongst others...I’d say that’s 4/5 definite starters. On Tuesday is looks like we can add JRC and obviously Johnson to that list. Rather than being completely despondent we could look at the situation and be glad that we are putting out a team that is competitive each week. Could another manager get a better tune out of this squad? Possibly. Would a change be risky? Again...possibly. Sometimes (especially in these crazy times) it’s better the devil you know.

I thought Elliott was fantastic today, perhaps in an understated way for most of the match but everything he did seemed classy. He controls the ball at pace, uses the ball well, threads worldy passes and is a real hub for the team. Imagine if we’d managed to keep Tosin for another year? I think he would have linked up well with Elliott’s style. Everyone played their part today. Wharton looked solid enough (albeit against a relatively limited QPR) and he will no doubt improve the more game time he gets. A fully functioning Johnson is a big plus for our midfield. He belongs towards the top end of the Championship. Brereton continues to morph into the player he should be and I genuinely now see him as one of the first names on the team sheet. He is offering so much at the moment and every goal should be cherished!!! Nice to head into the break on the back of a victory with the prospect of more of the wounded returning.

We could play until next Tuesday and we wouldn’t score

Nyambe plays, we probably don’t score our two goals. Nyambe plays, we probably don’t concede 4. Pears made the goal look enormous. I’d be a bit miffed if I was the Greek lad. Lenihan is not himself. Douglas seems to be a walking booking and the standing cross isn’t going to work with just Arma in the middle. We saw the type of cross that fits the personnel twice from the other flank.