Interesting point.

I think that sums up the crux of the argument. He clearly does have limitations - his propensity for multiple shuffles of formation and player positions mid-game being the one that vexes me the most currently - but then he was on the scrap heap for a reason. Equally, his transfer activity is looking poorer by the week. Not settling for mediocrity is a valid PoV, but surely only when the options are mediocrity or better. History has shown that the most likely outcome of a Venky’s management change is ruinous decline followed some way behind by relative stability. Being a mid-table Championship club leaves us much more buyable than if another Kean/Coyle took us down and we ended up doing a Sunderland and staying there. What matters is where the club will be in 5-10 years time when hopefully Venky’s are gone, not whether or not we are in a play-off place in December.

An alternative interpretation is that our losses are entirely a consequence of being a mid-table Championship club rather than anything uniquely Venky-esque in how the club is run. (Image nicked off Twitter)

Excellent! That had me reaching for my Football League Review to remind myself how many clubs Frank Large played for. Meccy and Eamonn looked younger and slighter than Buckley, and even Sir Keith was given the runaround by Johnny Haynes. Most impressive was the 18-yr-old Malcolm MacDonald, what a player he looked even then - about as far from Ben Brereton as it’s possible to imagine.

I was talking facts, not opinion, as it’s facts that’ll do for him rather than the opinions of the armchair managers on here. The new facts being we can now safely add Rothwell and Chapman to his list of failed transfers.

The hard, cold facts of Mowbray’s transfer dealings are looking worse and worse. Brereton has been here 16 months and got one meaningless goal, Gallagher hasn’t won us any points, Armstrong has done better goals-wise but can hardly be counted a great use of £3 million. $14 million for those three and the coffers are now FFP-empty. At the cheaper end, Bell, Rothwell and Chapman haven’t contributed either. And I, for one, do not think that shower are only a new manager away from powering us into the playoffs.

Chapman has been even worse than Rothwell

Buckley was involved in all our good play in the first 15 minutes, the lad has promise. I’m getting sick of watching Joe “He just needs starts” Rothwell, invisible for the first 30 mins and all he has done since is run into traffic then lose possession. Tosin has also been poor.

One point off 3rd place!

....when he limped off after 70 mins three days ago

His hamstring seems to be.

Well, that’s proven beyond doubt Tosin is back to City, Armstrong is undroppable and Chapman is frozen out. Looks like it’s long ball today

And far too quick to go to ground

Of all the gripes about Mowbray, IMO the only one that was ever going to resonate in Pune - especially now Dack is crocked and has effectively zero transfer value - is the impact of his 3 big money buys: Brereton, Gallagher and Armstrong, which I always thought would define his season. With Dack gone and Graham no more of a goal threat than me, he simply cannot afford not to grasp the nettle. I think the situation necessitates betting what is left of his Rovers career, and our season, on any two from those three firing in a 4-4-2 formation. If he doesn’t, or if it doesn’t work, I’m convinced he’ll be canned early May.

I agree with both points. It’s nigh on two years since Chapman put in a few brief cameo League One appearances. I’m not sure why a run of mostly ineffective U23 appearances should get him anywhere near a team with top 6 Championship aspirations. I also thought Holtby was gash on Thursday. A player with his pedigree should be running the game at this level, wherever his is asked to play.

And he’d be looking for a 3-year contract. I can’t imagine any Prem club will commit big bucks on an unproven (at that level) quantity till he’s 31.

I think his career plan is completely goosed. 25 now, so 26 when he’s back, then he’ll need to play a season to show what level he’s back to. Even if he is back at his best, 27 is getting in a bit for a premiership club to spend big money on.

Another weak ref let the game descend into an foul-ridden stop-start affair. Personally I like Johnson in the side protecting the back 4, he has a level of composure many others lack plus wins more than his fair share of headers. Buckley was both good and bad and I thought Armstrong did OK, was our main attacking threat. Bell was abysmal. We are still a mid-table team having a decent run.

Downing could’ve stepped straight out of a Brylcreem ad - a proper footballer

I seem to recall Blockhead getting both Oldham’s goals in our 3-2 Boxing Day win there mentioned on the Seasonal thread. Pity McNamee has gone by then, that would’ve been a match-up to savour

While Armstrong was AWOL most of the time, the ball played inside the fullback to his speed is still a good one, and he did put the cross on Graham’s head that hit the bar. Rothwell however does his good stuff with five defenders between him and the goal: too many touches, runs into traffic and zero positional sense. If we had had Johnson, Gallagher and Bennett on from the start I think we’d have matched their physicality.

Wigan came to fight and bully us, as they are entitled to do in their position, and we were lacking enough soldiers on the field. None of the front six seemed prepared to mix it, maybe with the exception of Travis. At the end of the day, the two goalies were the best players on the pitch.

Sub any three of the front six for me, they have all done nothing. Get Gallagher on the shoulder of the booked #5 for starters; Johnson for Evans then Holtby for either of Armstrong or Rothwell.

Good call. Last minute winner by Kit Napier if I remember correctly.

And near the bottom was Ben Brereton!