Gallagher and Brereton are not going to get enough goals to cover Dack. Rothwell doesn't score and Armstrong blows hot and cold. Graham doesn't work as well with the others as he does with Dack. For me, a Dack replacement should be the number one priority in this window.

The game needed a stronger referee who was wise to the gamesmanship of Wigan. Typical Cook team of spoilers who did what they had to do to get a point. Too many of our players were not at their best and that inconsistency really confirms what I've always thought - we are far too good to go down but not quite good enough to get into the top six. The performances at Swansea and Bristol were completely different from tonight. However, the window presents an opportunity and if Dack is out for any length of time - and it could well be a season ending injury - we will need strengthen in attack - Gallacher and/or Brereton aren't going to get the goals we need. A point wasn't the worst result after our recent run but with only a couple of days to the Birmingham game, and with a few carrying knocks after tonight, it's going to be a real test on Thursday.

Being at Turf Moor 1977. Nothing has come close to eclipsing that one for me. Terrific game and terrific atmosphere - and we all got there under our own stream without it being a military operation! Other end of the scale was turning up at Ewood a couple of days after the Boxing Day 8-2 win at Upton Park and expecting to see double figures only for West Ham to win 3-1 - the joys of following Rovers!.

He rested players who were injured or carrying knocks. That's fair enough. Maybe you feel you should have been reimbursed on the day for travelling down to London and not seeing a win, but those I went with and everyone around me at the Valley had a great day out. The main objective was to get promoted and we did. We dropped points over the course of the season that's life. We had a great time travelling around the grounds in League One - just for a season - and I think you'll find the travelling support really enjoyed those trips, including the Charlton one.

If TM got us to the Premier League in the next couple of years then he would fully deserve the opportunity to build a team for that level. He has another two seasons on his contract to achieve that. I would agree that the likes of Brereton and Chapman have been very disappointing signings but I still believe he should be given money in January and next summer to continue the building of the squad.

Ultimately the manager, who many, including myself, questioned some of his decisions, has shown that an experienced football man does indeed know what he is doing and has a long term plan which seems to be heading in the right direction. Hopefully, a top half finish this season will provide a platform for a promotion push - although if we continue like this the play-offs may well be within reach this campaign. Mowbray, despite my own doubts a few weeks ago, is showing that he is exactly the right man to take the team forward and has had the strength of character to come through a difficult period and still retained the full support of the players and, if anything, improved the spirit within the camp. In adversity the manager has stood up to the pressure and the players seem to have an excellent relationship with him. That bond between manager and players is vital for any club to make progress. Let's just enjoy the moment Stuart.

Excellent piece by Jim who captured the period and Jim Smith brilliantly. They were happy days following Smith's team. He delivered an exciting brand of football with a mixture of youth and experience and was probably just a centre-forward short of achieving a return to the top flight.

What a great week! All the travelling over the past few days has been more than worthwhile. Yesterday I thought we were as good as we've been for a long while. I think the manager proved yesterday that you can chop and change the players if you have the right game plan - and we have had that in recent weeks. As arbitro said, we seem to be mixing the passing style that Mowbray wants with a more direct and combative style when needed. Leaving Johnson out seems to have done him a world of good. It now looks slimmer and far more mobile - the sort of player I thought we had signed in the first place. The spirit within the camp looks excellent - what a brilliant job Mowbray has done in that regard.

I must admit that I travelled back - and what another awful journey - very happy with a point. I thought we did OK against a side who looked very impressive but without the striking power of a WBA. I'm not Walton's biggest fan but I thought he did very well last night. I thought Lenihan, Travis and Evans were very good and Graham took his goal well. This was another away game when Rothwell failed to get involved and I would think his place must be in doubt for Saturday. The lad has talent but seems unable to deliver it with any consistency. Likewise Armstrong, gets into good positions and can deliver some decent balls but all too often he finds a defender rather than a fellow Rover. However, as a whole I thought the application of the team was good and we've turned a corner. I don't expect a top six finish - I've never believed these players are good enough to deliver the consistency required at the moment - but we are definitely getting there. As a work in progress we look to be heading in the right direction and hopefully a top half finish is well within our capabilities. As for the ref last night - at least he was consistently awful for both sides. If he is Championship standard I dread to think what the standard is like in the lower divisions.

79!!! I remember him breaking into the team and replacing one of my all-time favourites in Matt Woods. What a player Mike England was - a real class act. I was on the Turf that day when he scored a hat-trick playing at centre-forward. I also seem to remember him scoring an own goal - I think it was against Forest - from just inside his own half when a pass back to Fred Else went horribly wrong! Agree with you. England was the best centre-half I've seen at Ewood. Tosin is very much in the England mould as a ball-playing centre-half who has that touch of creativity about his passing. More importantly, he's also looks an excellent defender. Incredible how many outstanding players we've seen at Ewood in our lifetime. Not bad for a small town club tucked away in East Lancashire.

He didn't make much of a contribution at Stoke so don't think you can count that one! Not sure why the manager should be grateful to Rothwell for anything. Evans and Lenihan were the standout performers at Stoke but the recent games have shown that the manager and ALL the players are still very much on the same wavelength and working for and with each other. The performance at Stoke showed what a good collective spirit we have at the club at the moment - long may it continue.

Certainly wasn't anything like that. We controlled much of the first half and in the second, when Stoke came at us more, we defended well and looked far more organised that we have in some away games. The back four look much better balanced, Evans and Travis look a very competitive midfield pairing and having Bennett and Gallagher come on and play in their natural positions - and both play extremely well - was a real bonus.

Tough game and one in which we were on the backfoot for long spells. However, we defended well and looked well organised. Lenihan was a tower of strength at the back and Evans was outstanding in midfield. Evans really did run the show and looked a class act. The second goal was a well worked move with a neat bit of play from Dack and an excellent run and pull back by Bennett - who looks so much better in his proper position - and a good finish from Gallagher. Mowbray has taken a lot of stick recently but fair play to the guy he's come up with a winning formula - just need a decent goalkeeper in January. I thought his use of subs today was very good and kept the shape and balance of the team. Bennett looks so much better on the right wing than at full-back. In fairness, I thought Stoke played pretty well but lacked a cutting edge. It was an entertaining game and its been a great week with three wins.

Nyambe has had problems with the hamstring before which has kept him out for long periods. If there is any doubt I would prefer we rest him until the Derby game next week.

Another indifferent performance from the Under-23's. Davenport and Samuel the pick of the side with Samuel scoring a screamer. Once again Brereton and Chapman look a long way off the first team and I thought Carter and Whitehall had very poor games by their usual standards. Playing Mols at right-back was strange and not particularly successful in my opinion. I thought Davenport was excellent in midfield apart from one error, which in truth Burnley ought to have equalised from. However, he was all over the pitch winning tackles and covering for the two centre-backs. Gladwin is a long way from match fitness but the 45 minutes will have done him a power of good in terms of trying to get his career going again. For his sake I hope he can get back to fitness and continue his career somewhere. Nothing worse than a professional athlete being forced to retire early through injury. It was a long way from convincing, against a young Burnley side. but a win is a win and sitting top of the group with nine points at the halfway stage is not a bad place to be! Although two of the three remaining games are away it would take a massive upset not to finish in the top two and progress to the knock-out stage.

Correct K-Hod. It goes back to the eighties. In fact Rovers came to that particular party rather late.

I fully expected midtable this season and if, and it's a big if, we produce more performances like last night I would expect that to be where we finish. I suspect that will be good enough for the owners this season. Next season they may demand the play-offs and I suspect he will be given the opportunity to show whether or not he can achieve that. After all the managers that the owners have been through I believe that they have found someone in Mowbray who they see as a safe pair of hands and someone who they finally trust. Whether that translates into a promotion challenging team is another matter altogether.

I've never felt Mowbray was under any real pressure - apart from the pressure that he puts on himself to do well. He has the support of Mrs Desai - which is always going to be the most crucial element. These two wins have taken us well clear of the relegation places and still within touching distance of the play-offs. I certainly wouldn't expect there to be any change of management as mid to lower mid-table seems likely to be the worst case scenario this season. Personally, I fully expect Mowbray to be here next season.

Excellent win and a very good performance. Mowbray deserves praise for getting his selection and tactics spot on. I thought we had a decent spine to the team tonight with Graham and Dack up front and Evans alongside Travis in midfield. With Armstrong and Rothwell adding width, we looked far better balanced than we have for some time. Pity Nyambe picked up an injury because I thought he was outstanding. Graham and Dack again showed that they are the strike partnership we need to start with and introduce Gallagher - if we must - for the last twenty minutes or so. Raya showed just what we are missing between the sticks and a new 'keeper must be a priority in January. As for Brereton - what can you say - a comedy turn for the last few minutes. Feel sorry for the lad but he is clearly not up to it and really doesn't look like he ever will be. Brentford are no mugs and for me it was a thoroughly enjoyable game of football although the ref was up to the usual poor standard.

7 points, possibly eight and Mowbray will be here until well into next season - or when his contract ends in 2022.

Don't disagree about the goalkeeper. In all my years watching Rovers I think Walton is one of the poorest 'keepers I've seen - very much in the Matt Dickins class in terms of an accident waiting to happen. Over many decades of watching Rovers this is the sort of game when we often pull off an unexpected result and then lose something we ought to win. However, whatever the result I have little doubt that it will be Mowbray who I will see on the touchline at Stoke. Listening to his interview on Radio Lancashire with regard to the goalkeeping situation it's pretty clear that he has been given the OK to work on bringing in players in January. I doubt any decision with regard to the manager will be made until the summer at the earliest and I doubt Mowbray would walk if the team are around mid-table and clear of the relegation zone.

I suspect we might pull off an unexpected result tonight. Even if we lose, I have no doubt that Mowbray will still be manager on Saturday.

Totally agree with JH Rover and Stuart that tonight was a much better performance and more like the Under-23's that we are used to. I thought it was a really good game to watch with two sides going for the win. Mols and Davenport were the pick of the team for me. Both were excellent, particularly in the second half. Neither side really deserved to lose but, in fairness, Benfica did score two cracking goals late on. Hopefully, we'll keep a similar team on Friday against the Clarets - we look so much better without the so called 'starman' sulking on the wing!

If Rankin Costello is a League One player - then Chapman is North West Counties level! Chapman has been dreadful this season with an attitude that stinks.

No. There is a point in every young player's development where he needs to be challenged at a higher level than reserve team football. This has happened under every manager, particularly since the advent of the Premier League. It happened a lot under Mark Hughes who always preferred to have an experienced player as a backup rather than a youngster. There comes a point when you stop learning playing reserve football and start to stagnate. Players like Buckley, Travis, Nyambe and Lenihan, for example, have been given chances at senior level and are now beyond reserve football. Rankin-Costello, Butterworth and Mols are sort of trapped in a limbo - not gaining anything from under-23 football but not able to get opportunities with the senior team. For their own good I feel they need to move out on loan to help with their development - rather like Wharton at Northampton. At the moment a number of the lads are training with the seniors and then join up with the Under-23s for matches so I suppose it's understandable that the fluency is fast disappearing from their play.