I'm deathly afraid of Lucas Joao here, thought he was very good on loan at Rovers and has proved to be a sharp striker on this level. Some key decisions for Mowbray to face as well. If we keep the back four, which one of the three centre halves moves to the bench? The simple solution is to play Lenihan at right back, but that's a temporary solution at best and one made to sustain harmony rather than for the effectiveness of the team. Then again, apparently Nyambe won't be fit, so do we use Rankin-Costello despite some weak performances lately? Benching your captain is a big decision, a fateful throw of the dice, but it might just be for the best of the team right now. I wouldn't mind us going back to the 3-4-1-2 though, we've never stopped creating chances with it (apart from the first half on Monday) and maybe the three goals in the second half against Derby translates to that formation as well.

According to Niclas Gudmundsson it wasn't just that Shearer and Newell were mates, but that Shearer didn't like the competition from Sutton and wanted to be sole top dog. He more or less had the run of the club at that point, and got his wish.

Agreed. We ripped everything this league threw at us to shreds with the three at the back/counter attack/"false 9" tactic just a month or so back, arguably better than we ever have since being relegated from the top flight. That wasn't happenstance. Having a different way of playing in our back pocket can only be positive, but in the long run I think we're better off going our own way rather than battling it out with a back to basics approach, especially in a league where that's the tactics for the majority of the opposition.

Depends. Should Mowbray have done better than 15th with Armstrong and Elliott in the team? Probably. Then again, he was the one who brought those players in, and none of them were sure things. Keeping him was a roll of the dice, and arguably it's payed off so far. We'll see at the end of the season, but right now we're in the top 6 with 12 games to go.

Dolan did dive, it was a correct caution. Not that we'd score the penalty anyway... But Mitrovic's attempt was even more blatant, scandalous that he wasn't given a yellow when Tyrhys was.

Is that down to personal dislike? I remember a group of people on here wanting Allardyce out back in the day, not because of his results but because he was a long ball merchant and a bit of a spiv, who made his name at Bolton. Is it something like that? Because wanting Mowbray out based on his results is inane.

Vast difference on a player by player basis today, Premiership and top class Championship players against youngsters, loanees, and a few Championship specialists. A rude awakening regarding how well this team would fare against PL opposition. The 2-0 goal a prime example, Pickering has probably been able to stand on his heels and rest up for a second in those situations in the rest of the games this season, but against this opposition he gets punished swiftly. Still, their first goal was the result of two calamitous interventions from Rovers players in the same situation, and we were centimeters from scoring on two occasions. We still look toothless in attack though, with Giles about as lost as a cook in a carpeting store. I'm sure he'd be raking in the assists if he played in a team with a striker to aim his crosses at, but we don't even use one!

Those two + £10 million? Not that it'd ever happen, but I'd snap their hands off. Van Hecke will be a Dutch international one day. He's quick, reads the game well, isn't bad on the ball, and has a body consisting of nothing but sinews and muscle.

No chance he'd go for it, he's been working his way back to the PL for years and won't give it up after less than six months. Most sickening loss in years, couldn't sleep last night. Last time I felt this bad after a Rovers game might have been Sunderland in the relegation season when we threw away a 1-0 lead. Hard game to analyse, more than the fact that strength and size will take you a long way in this division. I still think the system looks effective, but since it's so tailor made for the current, very thin squad, we suffer when key components go off the boil (BBD, Rothwell, Buckley). I still think there's a Tugay-esque midfielder in Buckley if he'd play a bit deeper in midfield, he has immense passing ability but finishes like Jason Roberts.

Very winnable game this, they look vulnerable on the counter and close to panic when they're playing out from the back. Still need to keep them from scoring and for Gallagher to find his shooting boots, once again he looks like he's playing in clogs. Van Hecke is absolute warrior for such a (relatively) short defender.

Thank God that's over, terrible 90 minutes of football. Gallagher, Nyambe and Rankin-Costello looked like they were playing with clogs on, and Buckley needs to play further down the field or not at all. Giles is so one dimensional, limits us to attacking via crosses were not well equipped to score form in the first place. Pickering is sorely missed. Wharton and van Hecke battled well, although Carroll had the better of both of them. I was convinced he'd score from a cross or corner, but WBA didn't use that opportunity enough.

Brereton looked dead tired and Khadra wasted crosses, corners and chickened out of 50/50 challenges. We'd been better served if they both have stayed on the bench all game. Bad performance against 10 men, but we usually create chances from counter attacks or nicking the ball in the opposition half, and all that goes out the window when the other team just parks the bus. Would have been a perfect game for Gallagher, he offers some presence in the box and could have gotten on the end of some of all those crosses, but today we were left hoping for for Lenihan to find his shooting boots.

Dangerous business going 1-0 down to a possession team like Swansea. Still, we're taking the ball from them left right and centre, keep pressing high and we'll keep creating chances. Nyambe having a lot of luck down their right hand side but he'll never be a good crosser. Need to put Zeefuik or Giles there instead to capitalize.

It's a terrible looking logo with a stupid name. I prefer it to gambling sites though, and the local connection just about saves it.

...or even more + the possibility of a fat sign on bonus, if the team you're going to gets you on a free. Then again, it's easier to bench a player who' hasn't got a big transfer fee attached to him.

I don't see how this even makes sense from Rothwell's pov, if he's decided he wants to leave he'd surely be in a much better position after the season when his contract is up? Is he that afraid of breaking a leg in the remaining 15 games?

Chapman to come on and save us from the bench? He can't have many options ahead of him today, and he should be a good fit for the system. Clearly something has gone sour between him and Mowbray, this would be a good time to vindicate that.

Looked like he was given lengthy instructions before coming on, and was then pulled back to the touchline 5 minutes later for even more instructions (or a bollocking). Might have been some tactical confusion over what he was supposed to do when he came on. I still think he's shown promise, and if Buckley could fight his way into the team without a loan spell to "toughen up" then Butterworth should be able to do the same.

Get in! Massive result, although I felt we were significantly better than them even without BBD and Rothwell. Turned scrappy in the second half when Buckley (what a player) went out on the left to support Edun, but we even managed that pretty well, turned into Gallagher's type of game instead.

We're the better side here, just needs to get more runs in behind their defense. They're not responding well to Rovers high pressing, keep it up. Would like to see Butterworth on for either Travis or Johnson, move Buckley back into midfield (where he seems to be playing anyway). Edun is having a nightmare though, caught on his heels several times in addition to being positionally off.

I'm well aware this season might still end in mediocrity or worse, lose the next two and we could be out of the top 6 etc, but I do think we're at a point where this team will be worthy of remembrance. Even if everything falls through in the end, we will have had a period when we murdered every opposition the division could throw at us with a rock solid defence and razor sharp counter attacks, all with a backbone of academy products.

Wonder if he'll consider switching positions? The player market is far kinder to attacking full backs than central midfielders without a goal threat. Excellent three points on the road though, albeit against a side in a terrible position both literally and figuratively. JPvH and Edun look like solid replacement players at this stage, certainly preferable to using out of position youth team players. Still seeing this as Mowbray keeping up his record of having about as many wins, draws, and losses at the end of the season, but I'll still enjoy the win!

I feel bad for Magloire. Full back is the most exposed position on the pitch, there's no hiding by staying back and keeping it simple and there's rarely anyone else to cover for your mistakes. Playing an inexperienced centre half there is on the manager more than the player. Still, I don't think Mowbray is an incompetent cretin (or part of some daft conspiracy) looking at the larger picture he's doing an alright job. Still, he's shown his level with the current investment. We've ended up around mid table with about the same amount of wins, draws and losses for three years straight, and we're on track to do the same again. That's not a terrible return considering the prerequisites , but at some point you have to aim higher. At least that's what I think.

Big fan! The rose is maybe a bit much, but the shade of blue, the collar, and the understated Macron logo are all lovely.

Quite the purple patch at the end of this season! Surely he'd be more expensive, and have better financial and sporting prospects in Italy? Or is the Championship still that financially bloated compared to the continental leagues?