This year is going to be wide open. If we can get our act together we must be in with a chance.

We won yesterday playing the system, 4 at the back, that we've used most of the season. You look at the skill set of your players and design your system of play around that. Not the other way around.

I heard if Rothwell hadn't have cried off yesterday morning he was in and Armstrong was out. On another tack, what's happened with Davenport ? Has he fallen down the same black hole as Gladwin ?

Yeah you're right Dave. Maybe we've got the message about having a pop from distance. 2 in 2 games, can you remember the last one from outside the penalty area ?

That's where the goals come from. Get in the box as often as you can. Especially when you're shot shy from distance as Rovers are. Excepting the Williams bolt from the blue last week.

We'd have a good chance of going up I think.. Another Mike Newall would do me, even a new Rudy Gestede.

There are areas of the pitch you need bodies in. That hasn't changed for a long,long time.

I would wager the average age of the poster on here will be older than the ones on " Social Media ". That means most of us have been around the block a few times, bought the Tee shirt etc. We've seen it all before, several times.

Nothing wrong with that matey. I'd swap places with them tomorrow. They are still 2 goals better than we are.

Keeping all those midfielders happy when they won't be getting game time, or even making the bench is the other side of that coin.

Oldham was awful, we looked like 11 blokes who had just met on the carpark outside at 2-30.

The teams you refer to Paul may rotate personnel, mainly because of the sheer volumes of games that being involved in four major competitions means. However they very rarely change the way the play. Players come in and out but the shape stays the same.The have a system and they stick to it. When we won the Prem we had a very basic pattern of play that never varied and worked very well for us.

If we looked more settled up front with a consistent goalscorer leading the line like Danny Graham was recently so to speak I'd fancy us for the play offs. As it is expecting the goals to come from everywhere else is a bit of a gamble.

Their fitness levels were good but when you're winning most of the time people are more prepared to play when they're not 100% fit. They don't want to risk losing their place because it might be a while before they get it back. Conversely when you're struggling players won't play if they're not firing on all cylinders.

Caught the interview. " Different game plan for next week ". Mm.

Yeah I thought he may be thinking of both Gallagher and Armstrong playing up front in tandem. With Dack behind and the three of Travis , Evans and Downing in midfield. Maybe he's saving that for when we go behind.

I'd say that's how we'll play unless we swap Armstrong for Gallagher.

Twenty regular fans who go every week could post their idea of what the team should be and all twenty would have it wrong every week !

Yep, Hart and Gladwin are also still on the books. I can see Bell going if we could get our money back.

That's a well over populated squad. It's a long while since we had that many players on a photo. Probably when we were last in the Prem. What it's all costing I shudder to think. There's at least half a dozen there that should have been either moved on or loaned out in the window.

Neither are world beaters on a regular basis but I think Joao would get us more goals. However Joao or Brererton is a no brainer.

I agree, the dingles got out of this league easily on two occasions under Dyche playing the same 4-4-2 formation every week and more or less the same 11 players every week. Now and again they modified it for tough away games into a 4-4-1-1. We're playing the likes of Reading and Luton not City or Liverpool. Football is a simple game but people like to over complicate it, why I don't.

Well the central midfielders should realise they are playing for their places.

Yes, a cracking squad but have we got a cracking team ? We'll soon see. On another tack we need half a dozen off the wage bill ASAP. The guys who aren't likely to figure in the immediate future.

As we've seen before the 3 at the back soon turns into 5 at back with Rovers. When you have two holding midfielders who play quite deep it then puts a lot of weight onto the shoulders of Dack and Holtby. It;s also a narrow way of playing, I don't know about Cunningham yet but Bennett isn't known for his crossing ability is he ? We'ii soon see what the plan is but I worry where the goals are going to come from. What I will say is football at this level has become a game like Rugby League were the strength of your bench is vital and your subs can win you the game. We should have a very strong bench at least. Our earlier marquee signing Downing doesn't even feature in that starting line up, neither does Armstrong or Brereton when he's fit. !