I hadn't, good spot. Hopefully it's just something like someone got injured in the warm up, though I thought clubs took an extra body for away games for such a reason. Either way he won't be playing any of the lads we want him to give a chance to in this or the next game. Reckons he already knows if they're up to it, football sage that he is.

We just pissed about with it at the back again, despite having just seen the opposition concede from doing that, and despite the fact we just scored from lumping it up there instead. No lessons learnt then.

I don't know if you're trying to be clever, but yes that is the point I'm making. Going off the stats (which people are when they talk about 12 goals in League One...11 in the league itself actually) he is showing less of those capabilities than the players you mentioned. Those two are good examples of how League One players can be good. This lad hasn't shown what they've shown yet. An example of how even top-rated League One players can be crap in the Championship also exists in our squad though - League One Team of the Year selectee Amari'i Bell. To be clear, I'm in no way writing him off. But an attacker with a career-best 12 goals a level below isn't going to inspire tons of confidence when we likely need to replace an attacker with 26 goals at our own level. As ever, any real judgement will come when I see him kick a ball for us. Another poster said he has played on the right, which as well as fitting in with Mowbray's wet dreams, may explain the goal tally a bit. For me though we need a lad for the middle. Then again, Arma played wide until he didn't, and that turned out well. Before this season, the most Dale had scored was 5, in the Northern Premier League. Of course, he could only just be coming into his own now, 22 still means room to grow. I just hope he isn't intended as our sole Arma replacement, and that he costs a sensible fee. If we are indeed even interested.

Whilst I understand the decision to stick with most of the same squad from the good result against Huddersfield (though would personally have liked to see us actually build for the future as promised), the one change seems daft. Johnson for Evans. Firstly, Evans actually had a fairly good game last time out. Secondly, Johnson isn't that great at the same role, assuming that's the intention rather than dropping Travis in there. But thirdly and mostly, it should blatantly be Davenport who gets the nod there, especially with Johnson out of contract and the age difference.

I'm not sure how many times this needs repeating, but whilst Nyambe hasn't been good enough on the assists front previously, this season he has 4 assists this season, which is the joint-third highest at the club, and has played in 3-4 less games than those equal and above him for that stat. Personally think he has been unlucky not to have more. Once you put the ball on a plate for someone it's not your fault if they squander it.

Armstrong scored 20 goals aged about 18/19. This lad has 12 goals aged 22. Dack had been League One Player of the Year. These are not appropriate comparisons. These players were performing in the same league as him, but on another level.

I think his point was more that 'how would we know?' about Nyambe's crossing ability? There is hardly ever anyone to aim for, making good runs, or good enough in the air to get on the end of them when he does cross. Obviously a Beckham or someone could make that work anyway, but that's too high a standard. Even our best passer, Elliott, has hardly been whipping them in and finding someone too frequently. You say he has a tendency to turn back...well yes, so would I, there's no bugger there worth trying to get it to. You're right he has found a way around the problem though, and right about the disgraceful contract situation. I said when he signed his last contract it was 'insultingly short' and here we are not all that long later.

Thing is, even with that being the case and being dropped several times he has 4 assists this season. Our joint-third highest. Until very recently he was joint-second highest. He has played 3 to 4 less games than all of those level or above him in the list and is the only defender amongst them.

Nobody but nobody is suggesting a full team of youngsters though. It's his reticence to try any of them that is galling. The u23s are 2nd in the top u23 league in this country, and none of them are going to be given a chance in a couple of dead rubbers when half our squad is due to leave in the summer? Sorry but that's bullshit. 1 or 2 should be given a start, with another 1 or 2 on the bench. For this game. With similar or more for the last game. No damage to integrity. Not only does it develop the players and let us get a REAL look at them at the level we need them for, not just in training or against other kids, but it builds their profile. I suspect Carter wouldn't have been straight into Burton's first team without those couple of appearances he made for our first team.

Ffs I despair of this manager, I really do. https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/19269973.mowbray-explains-decision-not-field-rovers-u23-prospects/ Just. Fucking. Play some of them. Regardless of what you, Mowbray, tactical monolith, think you know about them, the experience of a first team game will be invaluable in their development. Meanwhile half the players you are going to field will be OFF. Like you should be.

I don't even see the point. At best he might be rushed into one first team game that doesn't matter in the slightest. Why let him stand in the way of one of our young players, either/both at u23 or first team level? Why risk him getting his injury again? Just try to get him fit for next season because that in itself appears to be a Herculean task.

Personally I think it's obvious Ryan isn't fully focussed at the moment as he is due for the exit door.

Although ideally we would have brought a new manager in several games ago. Which would have given them time to properly understand existing personnel and get a grasp of what we need. Every day we persist with Mowbray is just delaying the inevitable and squandering more opportunity to rebuild properly. It also appears he will get to lead the rebuild altogether, minus the head of recruitment of course. Weird the one season we supposedly start earlier is the one where our head of recruitment just left. Mowbray leading this could hold us back for years to come.

Thing about relying on Wharton for a slot is his injury. We don't know that it will continue to go to plan for his return date. We don't know if it will recur, or whether the time out might reduce his conditioning enough that something else gets injured. And then we don't know how much difficulty he will have regaining his pre-injury form, or even whether that pre-injury form was just a blip. I'm not saying any of this is actually the case, just that there are a lot of unknowns.

He didn't, although that presumably had a fair bit to do with him vanishing off to the Middle East for the money. Doesn't exactly raise your profile.

We didn't get the best out of any of those three, I agree. I still think they were a bit more effective than most give them credit for though (albeit none pulled up trees). Vukcevic (sp?) too. But game of opinions, I know most don't agree with me on them.

Personally, I liked Villanueva and thought he deserved more game time than he got. He was never going to get that once Sam showed up though, not his style. He was a shit manager though yes. (Ince obviously, not Sam)

Carlos Villanueva

Apart from the ropey English from a man who isn't a native speaker, seems fine to me. The way you said it I expected to read him saying they bossed the game and should have won. Like Ewood Ace said, he also took personal responsibility which I can't remember Tony ever doing, at least not this clearly.

Yep. I didn't say that to downplay Chile or Brereton. Chile are a decent side. They're generally recognised as not being as good as England though (not that we couldn't lose to them on an off day), so I just feel the fact one looks nailed on for England and the other will have done very well if he plays for Chile emphasises the difference.

I was going to post the stats whatever I found them to show, as a point of debate. I wasn't making a point for or against your point. But since we're here now. The stats show Brereton needs an additional half a game (47.57 minutes) for each goal contribution. I consider that quite a bit. It takes him 29.75% longer for each contribution, I make it. For comparison, Armstrong has a goal contribution every 113.41 minutes. A similar difference in minutes per contribution between him and Elliott compared to between Elliott and Brereton. I don't think it means Brereton is trash or anything, but it's a fair difference to me. Especially when BB is 22, in his third season at the club and Harvey Elliott is 18 and in his first ever season of regular senior football. Elliott will play for England one day, most of us are sure of that. Brereton will be lucky if Chile decide to fit him in.

Brereton: 2,282 minutes, 11 goal contributions, a goal contribution every 207.45 minutes Elliott: 2,718 minutes, 17 goal contributions, a goal contribution every 159.88 minutes

And nobody would pay 7 million for Brereton again right now.

Buckley has been very poor since coming on. In fact he hasn't been very good since he got inexplicably dropped when he finally started playing well. It's almost as if dropping in form players to play with your tombola demoralises them.....

He has this tendency to pull out of a save if he judges it to be going wide. He has done it all season and been excellent at judging it correctly for the most part, preventing a lot of corners. But that's the second time it has resulted in a goal. Think I'd rather he just tries to save it if there's any doubt. He might not have stopped that anyway but I like to see keepers at least try.