bluebruce

I feel like you're forcing your conclusion in there to be honest, good poster though you are. If playing wide strikers is a detriment, and we have been doing it all season, surely you believe we would have more points if we weren't doing that and the other 'constant mistakes' from the manager? And we are only 4 points short of the top 6. For me, we either think the manager isn't good enough tactically and the squad would be doing better with one who was, and is therefore top 6 capable, or you think the manager is tactically astute, maybe even brilliant considering the injuries. For the record I think he tactically isn't good enough and the right team selections, formations, subs and tactics would see us currently sat in the top 6, even if only just. The transfer failings are a separate issue.

Do you think that Mowbray selects the team, tactics and subs correctly most of the time?

Not sure their top level players are in defence though. They kept a clean sheet in their previous game, but before that they conceded 11 in their last 4 games.

Is it just his recruitment, or does it have rather a lot to do with an excellent youth system that has produced Nyambe, Travis and Lenihan, consistently three of our best players? As well as squaddies like JRC and Buckley, and previous contributor plus fundraiser, Raya. Major hits for his recruitment are Dack, Armstrong, Downing, and a bunch of loanees we won't have next season unless we buy them. Acceptable signings are Rothwell...I'm only going to say Bell because he is currently a starter in the team who are were you say they are...maybe Johnson for the same reason though overall I consider both flops. Major failed are Gally and Brereton. And no, you don't get to exonerate him of those with no evidence and despite him saying himself that he bought them. The recruitment is a mixed bag and has included repeated failures to properly address the defence. The few successes, the academy, and the team spirit he has built, are why we are where we are where we are. The recruitment failings, the stubbornness, and the bizarre tactical and selection decisions are why we aren't higher.

He has been a different player. Less of a liability at the back and a bit more adventurous. Still not good enough to be our first choice LB though. Tbf we probably can't afford to just let him go in the summer, or else we will need two LBs amongst our many, many other needs. We are likely going to settle for one, and activating the 1-year extension option on Bell to use him as backup. I don't see it going any other way realistically, as nice as it would be. At least we can do the 1 year extension instead of a whole new contract...

'An awkward night' says Mowbray Sounds like he only hooked Gally because of a back problem. Rather than his absolute lack of effectiveness as a winger.

Or a Mulgrew oil-tanker-turn/way-out-of-position special, to be fair. He'd have been on my bench, but only in case of defensive injury.

I actually don't agree he is slow, I think he is fairly quick. Not for a winger though. Agree he is cumbersome at times, can't cross and can't consistently beat a man though. He also doesn't really understand how to play in that area, but even if he did he doesn't have the attributes. Mowbray has been insisting on strikers wide, whether suited to it (Arma, Antonsson) or not (Samuel, Brereton, Gally) since he arrived. I don't think the penny is going to drop, I think he believes it works.

I think we would have had more joy with Arma down the flanks tonight too. There was more space there, especially on the transition. By the time we got it near him up top, space was frequently more limited, because we took too long plodding out. Arma could have got us up the pitch quicker tonight. He can be very good in either position, and we need to know when to use him in each. I dont see Gally ever becoming a handy player out there.

OK. So, tonight is extremely frustrating. It feels so familiar, to work to a position where we can drastically close the gap on the playoffs then piss it away against a poor side at home. Because it is, it's the umpteenth time we have seen it since dropping from the Prem. It feels like a sign that we just can't do this, that we will throw away all the opportunities like in the past. We were also tepid, pedestrian, with no cutting edge whatsoever. THAT SAID. By the end of Saturday's games, we could find ourselves just a point outside the playoffs. I'm not saying that will happen, I don't think it will. The brief groundswell of belief I've let myself feel has been pissed damp and rancid again tonight. But for a bit of perspective, it's potentially possible in just a few days' time to be that close. Think we may as well save our apoplexy until then. It wouldn't be the first time we have jumped from a shite result to a good one, and then we just need a couple or so of the other results to go our way.

Except for that Arma effort down by the corner, I'm pretty sure we hit every shot straight at him.

Was...that a thing?

Got completely outplayed, were very lucky to be 2 up but then conspired to throw that away. That's what they did wrong.

Why would anyone from Lancashire even ask that?

Agreed, I don't like this either, but he has just never been much of a fan of putting defenders on the bench. He loves to put several strikers on, and the rest mostly mids. I feel like we are constantly walking a tightrope in that area of the pitch as far as our bench is concerned. I think his thinking tonight is that if a CB gets injured, Bennett or JRC to RB, and Nyambe inside. Goosed if Nyambe is taken off too for any reason though, and he does have a vulnerable hammy. I guess Downing could cover LB.

I hope the LT's predicted formation layout is wrong. They show 4 4 2 with Downing right and Rothwell left. If we are playing two up top I'd say it's essential our wingers play on the side their foot is best, otherwise there will be no crosses and the formation is unlikely to avail us much. Personally I'd have brought Rothwell back on the bench to start with. He won't be 100% and we have another game on Saturday. Would've been more logical to give him 20-30 tonight, recover some match sharpness and be fully firing by Saturday. If he proves key to winning tonight and doesn't get injured tonight or Saturday, you won't hear me complaining though.

Might have a point there. But not wide though.

That leaves Buckley still in the team. I think he will drop him for this one. I figure Gally in for Buckley is the most likely swap. There are a few CMs who might come in for Johnson. Maybe Rothwell, and Downing central like you say.

I feel the team merits a little shaking up for this one. Buckley wasn't great, and doesn't suit playing a wide role at all. Samuel might lose his place. He was barely involved against Brentford, though a lot of that was also our lack of attacking nous. Between the two of them, you can be certain Gallagher will be back in the team. Not saying it's what I'd do, but I feel sure it'll happen. Personally, I dont mind seeing him given another shot up front, but after TM's comments I expect it'll be out wide again with senseless 'diagonals' being sent to him. Don't know if this is a game too soon for Johnson to play again, he isn't the fittest.

Didn't feel the angle was that tight. If he had been closer to his post and it had flown to the other side I'd have been really pissed off with him. I'm very critical of keeper positioning in general, and I'll have to watch it back to be sure, but my instinct at the time was he did exactly what I'd have wanted him to do.

Sorry but no, the officiating in this league is absolutely atrocious, almost every game. They really are just incompetent (even though I've said both pen calls were correct today) and entirely inconsistent even within one game. Something that merits a foul and a card one minute isn't even a free kick the next. Don't watch the Prem anymore so no idea what it's like up there.

Very harsh. From memory, I think he was right to be central, the shot could have been aimed at either side from there. I don't fault him for this one in the slightest.

Personally, I think recently our passing game has improved a lot. But today we were wank in that regard.

I'm not that young and definitely prefer when football was more blood and thunder than it is now. But ultimately it doesn't matter what football you grew up on, football is as it is now. And in modern football those are two penalties.

IMO, both penalties were penalties. Johnson bundled into him and also gave a little shove in the back of his neck/head. He went down a little easily, but there was enough for a penalty. I will take today as a sign of small progress. I still felt nervous at 2 up, in fact moreso than at 1 up, due to how things went in this fixture last season. Turned out it was with good reason I felt nervous. However, we didn't collapse quite as badly as last time. That said, our goal lived a bit of a charmed life all day. If Brentford had brought their finishing boots we'd have had a similar scoreline to last time. We did some excellent last ditch defending though. Our passing was a real disappointment today. We gave the ball away with great frequency and in poor fashion, which was especially frustrating as we weren't having that much of it to begin with. I thought we showed them too much respect at times, allowing too much space, but I'm more bothered that we made it too easy for them to win the ball. It's extremely disappointing to throw away a 2 goal lead here again, but it's a point I'd have taken before the game and one that should keep us in contention especially if we can just put away the next two opponents. Anyone who thinks we deserved any more than we got today on the balance of play needs to remove their blue and white tinted spectacles. Brentford look far more ready to step up than we do. The finishing aside, it was one of the most comprehensive displays against us we've seen all season. Despite having hoped we would hang onto the win, I feel lucky we came out of this with a point.