Excellent post Sir, which totally reflects my views. Over the years this site has gone from a home of enlightened, often witty debate where all views were tolerated, to one of “Fuck off Mowbray” and personal attacks. That Simon came on here to engage in debate should have been respected but, as you say, the site lived down to its external image as a home of all too often distasteful intolerance. I for one hope that posters who were disrespectful to him take a long break from the site as they shame us all. As Revidge and LDRover know only too well, as do I from doing the same thing in another field, writing a regular PoV column to a fixed word count to a regular timetable when there are editors, lawyers etc involved is a very taxing process that requires a lot of dedicated effort. Writing any bollocks that comes into your head under a pseudonym on here is pretty much the polar opposite. I’d like to see some of the frequent posters on here throw their hats into the ring and give it a go.

I’m not one for conspiracy theories but the disparity between spending on the back 5 versus forwards during Venky’s reign simply cannot be the collective brain farts of seven different managers. Come to think of it, when was the last time we lashed out on a good midfielder? Which leads to the second point as to why then does Mowbray not walk? Personally, I think all the “man of integrity” stuff is groupthink on here. I’m sure he is honest, but I’m also sure he loves football so much he’d stay in a job that gives him 90% of what he loves versus being on the dole and getting 0%.

Armstrong dreadful again, soft penalty, and it seemed to me that Nyambe was the defender all at sea for their second.

As I recall, one of Duff’s biggest weaknesses in Souness’s time was finishing, which was worked on to great effect by Dean Saunders. His strength at the time was dribbles which invariably ended in the softest of free kicks.

I think players have so many tools and so much analysis at their disposal these days that I look first to them to improve themselves. Can you learn from a good boss? Of course! I certainly did, but it wasn’t my boss’s fault if I didn’t improve. Plus players’ form ebbs and flows for all sorts of reasons. When Ridley went from scoring a dozen in his first season to not scoring in three years, we didn’t all blame Dalgleish for it. Rothwell is 24 not 19, he should be an established ten goals a year player. Maybe I’m wrong and someone will pay millions for him and make him the fulcrum of a top 6 team, but I doubt it.

If he got a few goals and assists this season then Mowbray’s hand would be forced. He can’t defend so if he’s not making goals then personally I wouldn’t play him. The much maligned Benno has three assists so I’m not clear why Rothwell isn’t having a bigger impact when he is on. I don’t expect the manager to improve players - what can a clogger of a centre-half teach a flair player anyway? I expect him to sign better ones than he does.

482 minutes so far this season, usually against a tiring defence, maybe is long enough for professional scouts.

This is the highest level he’s ever been at, and no doubt his biggest wage, so I’m not sure he’d do much better by leaving. Let’s see how many offers roll in for him in January.

I love how narratives become fact on here. Personally, I saw no evidence whatsoever that Mowbray’s job was on the line any more prior to this game than any other game while he’s been here. So the notions that this result “saved” him, that a tonking would’ve seen him gone, and that we are now condemned to more purgatory are completely illusory. What I saw in the last two games was a mid-table team do what mid-table teams do: mix up some good results with some bad ones. While Mowbray set a goal of top 6, his transfer dealings have not, as yet, made us any better than last season. One and a half goals by Nov for a £5 million striker is poor, Johnston is looking more Murphy than Tugay, the keeper is not an upgrade, the left back is gone and central defence is about the same. The only rays of sunshine are our German international and our youngsters. Nobody knows how another “season of consolidation”, which is what I think we are in for, will sit with the owners.

Very reminiscent of beating Newcastle 2-1 with two late goals from Fenton. Some good and not so good performances today. Tosin was fabulous I thought, his forward passing is a delight the likes of which I can’t remember ever seeing from a Rovers defender. Nyambe did well also. Travis put in the kind of performance I’d been led to believe Mowbray had coached out of him, and I’m beginning to prefer Dack actually in midfield rather than further up, he gets a lot more involved. Holtby was anonymous I thought, Bennett was badly out of position for The cross that led to their goal, while Armstrong is just terrible. Fair play to Walton, I felt he had to come for the deflected cross for their goal - someone should’ve blocked Fletcher’s run - and the save at the death was terrific. Sort of game I’d still have been buzzing about eating my mum’s hotpot after the long walk up Heys Lane to Tockholes.

I’ve been watching a lower-mid table team managed by an outdated manager got on the cheap off the scrap heap, run by people who never take fans’ views into account, who have a appointed a string of poor, cheap managers. So yes, let’s assume they will respect the views of some - not all - fans, sack him and chase after Chris Hughton.

Watching the goals again just makes things worse. 1st - No challenge from Bell for the long ball the bloke cushioned headed, then Walton had no idea where he was for the chip - worse than any of Raya’s blunders. 2nd - Williams piss poor in letting man, ball and Bennett into the box. Watching live I thought the guy was through but he’d have been lucky to get to the ball still in play, Bennett can’t defend. 3rd - Nyambe cones inside to man-mark Tosin for some unknown reason, leaving his man in acres of space. The manager’s lack of nous led to the collapse but none of these players involved in their goals are good enough - the lack of investment over years and years in the defence is plain to see. When did we last buy a good goalie, Friedal? Awful but entirely predictable.

I agree. I thought Evans did a bang up job man-marking Gallagher, to the point he was subbed after half an hour. It was a good plan that worked 100%. The problem was PNE changed their set up and our manager didn’t. From that point on I don’t think it mattered who the middle two were.

As predicted ??

I’ve been tolerant of Mowbray but I’d rather see the entire bench start the game than those ahead of them. Looks like the plan is backs to the wall and hope one of those three players with pace can get breakaways. Gallagher is turning out to be a far bigger catastrophe than Brereton imo. At least Ben a) wasn’t starting ahead of Graham and b) when on the field was having goals disallowed and missing sitters. Gallagher hasn’t looked remotely like scoring once.

Both probably true but completely unconnected to the question you asked.

I agree, Travis for one was useless, not his first time in that kind of situation. It wasn’t either a jinking run or an amazing 1-2 and they went straight through half the team

Seems like I’m the only person who thought Nyambe’s defending as the last man for their second was abysmal. Familiar pattern to this Rovers team, plenty of possession where it doesn’t matter, predictable passing, very little pressure put on the opposing keeper. Mid-table written all over it.

...when we ended up in League 1.

What is it about the last seven managerial appointments - seven! - made by we know not who, that makes anyone think the likes of Hughton, Hughes, Moyes etc will be appearing on a short list? The least worst two of the seven were the youth team manager and a bloke who lost ten in a row at a 4th Division basket case club. Day-to-day running of the club has been bestowed upon an agent, a Malaysian tv pundit, the programme editor, a shelf salesman and the manager’s mate. So yes, let’s roll those dice! Think big!

Because he had/has no power?

Brain fart - that Derby bloke whose name I still cant recall, so maybe he isn’t that good anyway

Such is the quality on offer at Ewood, I completely forgot till half-time we were playing. Cautious team selection is beyond a joke, there was half a quality team -Toisin, Holtby, Cunningham and Rothwell - sat on the bench watching lesser players toiling in mostly unfamiliar positions. Get them on the pitch in a 3-5-2 till Xmas and see what happens.

We bought Newell and Speedie, both proven top division strikers, from Everton and Liverpool for a combined £1.5 million. That’s just under half the British record fee we paid for Shearer just 12 months later. The equivalent today I’d suggest would be more like £40 million if not higher. In fact it would be impossible today to do that. No-one else was spending remotely that kind of money in the old Div 2 and without them I don’t think we’d have been anything above mid-table. Even with just Newell out we tanked in the run-in.

And a very competitive one where the majority of them will not have long or successful careers. The ones who do will be the exceptions who are able to motivate themselves to perform when things aren’t going their way. Sulking is a choice, not an inevitable outcome of the decisions of others.