I didn't mean to minimise the error,this would have been a fantastic signing,to lose it on a clerical cock up is a real shame for the recruitment team. I wasn't as hung up on signing a forward, I could have seen OBrien and Thomas getting the team ticking. They scored plenty last season, and with Dack firing again, I doubt we could have improved on what we have with no money to spend. It's Tomasson's remit to work with what we have and we've at least 5 forwards on the books.

Would have been a bit of a coup if they'd managed to pull the O'brien transfer off,and would have made it a successful transfer window. The recruitment team did it's job, I'll bet there were a few looking on with envy. Real shame for it to fall down on technicalities, we probably won't get the chance again. Here's hoping the appeal is a success.

That was me. Tomasson's remit is largely to work with the players coming through at the club and those already involved in the first team. Whether you or i like it or not is irrelevant. Which goalscoring sensation would you have us sign for no money in this window?

Fair enough, I hadn't read it, that's assuming he's correct. That doesn't explain the 20 hours of posts before it though, does it?

Considering nobody has a clue what has happened, or what will happen, there's an awful lot of opinion on here. Just page after page of people making stuff up, and then getting mad about it. Why not wait for the outcome first?

My thoughts exactly, we've got plenty forwards, it's up to the coaching staff to get them scoring. It isn't as if we've been linked with Callum Wilson is it? If we get O'brien, I'll be happy.

Just my opinion, but i'd rather go for quality than quantity,and O'brien is as good as we could possibly have signed. We may yet get a forward, but we already have plenty, Tomasson was brought here to improve what we have, rather than buy his way out of problems. I'd be happy to go with what we have up top.

Even if we got just O'brien over the line, it would be a better window than summer, despite signing 4 less. Hats off if we've got him.

I'd be seriously impressed if we sign him.

I don't expect it either, but I expect them to give it their all. This could be the best chance we have for many years.

We supposedly lost 12 players at the end of last season, we've replaced them with 6,only 2 of which have played a full part. Far from being left in the lurch, Tomasson has been left with almost the perfect blend for what he wants to achieve. Room to add his own choice of player, a current squad which is 3rd in the league, and no older fringe players needing game time meaning he can give the academy lads more game time in the cups than they could have imagined. He inherited an ideal situation,if GB can pull out a couple of rabbits, we should be well set for a play off place.

Massive game to set the tone for the rest of the season. Being the early game, a win would not only give us a 6 point gap over the next 3 teams, it would also close the gap to Sheff Utd to 6 points, then sit back and see what happens. Have to win this one.

The squad balance is looking perfect for what Tomasson was brought in for. The cull of last season has enabled him to give our own youngsters game time in the cup games, rather than having to give older squad players the game time. There's no doubt this has resulted in better Cup performances, I'm struggling to think of even 1 older player who has been left out of either league squad or cup squad,yet the Cup teams have been largely made up of academy players. Far from leaving us light on numbers, that cull has been the perfect situation for Tomasson, leaving him a young, hungry squad whilst still leaving him room to add his own signings( with very mixed results). If JDT and GB can pull out a couple of rabbits, we'll be in a great position to continue a play off push during the second half of the season.

The performances over the last three games have definitely improved, helped by playing the better players and a consistent line up. As for results, the main difference between earlier in the season and now is the finishing, or lack of it. Morton has to score at Sunderland, if he does, we're probably 3 points better off. Off the pitch we need a rallying call, not a white flag

No, I know, that's why I replied how I did to the original comment. You've replied to the follow up. I'm absolutely sick of reading how every decision Tomasson makes is compared to what Mowbray did or what he might have done, it's completely irrelevant and what's more, it's pathetic. On tonight, it's about time the club woke up to the fact that this might be the best chance in ages to reach the play offs. They need to wake up and smell it. One poster has already said he can't be arsed going tonight because of what's being served up. When the management are coming out with defeatist interviews like the ones yesterday, is it any wonder Waggott struggles selling tickets?

I'm not bothered whether it was Mowbray or not, just pointing out that the Burnley line up this season was a lot worse than the two decisions mentioned. It's Tomasson's team, that line up was nothing to do with Mowbray, let him manage Sunderland.

Those playing decisions pale into insignificance compared to the disaster that was the Burnley line up.

Doesn't matter which team plays, it's gonna take 3 windows before we've any chance of doing anything. Even though we're 3rd and have as much chance of a play off place as at least 10 more teams, the white flag has been hoisted for this season.

I'm not keen on all this 3 transfer window talk. For a start, it isn't Tomasson's remit to buy success, even if there was any money to spend, supposedly he's here to maximise the academy and improve the players we have. Obviously, there will be transfers in, but to say any future success hinges on it contradicts the picture painted by himself and Broughton. We're in a great league position, the management should not be writing off this season already, they should be gearing up for a big push, not laying out the excuses.

Quite looking forward to it. It's always the same at these matches, if it's close you forget how many/few are on and just concentrate on the game. Their fans won't know the ins and outs at Ewood, they'll just see that we're 3rd and they're low down in the Prem. From the outside, it's a potential upset.

Welcome back Harry Pickering, we attack and defend with much more balance when he plays. I don't think last night's massively improved performance with him back in the side was a coincidence. Let's hope he stays fit.

All he had to do was play the settled 10/11 at Burnley. It imploded from the point that he made that ridiculous selection. It was all bobbing along nicely until Tomasson experimented in the one game you don't experiment. Football suicide. Get back to a settled defence with players in their proper position, rather than this vanity, and we may get some consistency going.

Wanting the manager out yet wanting your team to win aren't conducive, you don't get both at once. That's the situation a lot of fans who wanted Mowbray out found themselves in, getting satisfaction from a Rovers defeat. Perversely, as you say, there seems to be a similar situation growing against Tomasson. I don't quite get the"told you so" brigade on either side of the argument. I'd happily be wrong every day of the week if it meant we'd won.

Or at least start with a proper defence, I ask you, who experiments at Burnley????

The back 5 should have picked itself today. Playing Brittain on the left was never going to work. It blunts his own attacking threat and Brereton's who always plays better with Pickering behind him. Throw into the mix giving Mola a start, and you've got an unbalanced, experimental defence on the one day you DON'T experiment. Can't believe he did that today.