And a good job too as the Graham/Dack combination is the one that works.

A good winger doesn't always need pace if he is clever and astute with his passing. Waggy had lost much of his pace when he arrived at Ewood but what a player. He could pass the ball over 30, 40, 50 yards and land it on a sixpence. Downing could easily operate in a more central role and supply the likes of Graham and Dack.

I think tonight proved beyond doubt that Graham and Dack have to be the strike force. The manager got out of jail tonight with his team selection. Why we made so many changes I'll never know. The players seemed all over the place at times. The plus was the link up between Dack and Graham again. When Dack plays off Graham they look a real threat. Sad to say I thought Brereton was awful yet again. Perhaps sending the lad out on loan to get him out of the spotlight and allow up to build up some confidence might help but at the moment he is really struggling. I felt sorry for the lad as his first touch and his reading of the game were shocking. I think Downing could be a useful acquisition as he uses the ball with some intelligence and is a decent crosser of the ball. Winning is everything in cup-ties and we won - that's about all you can say apart from having enjoyed the return of the Graham-Dack combination.

Players change position all the time - one of the best teams, possibly the best team, I've ever seen in blue and white was made up of players who were switched from one position to another.

If might not in your eyes but if the manager believes it to be the correct one then its the correct one for him. At the end of the day he will stand or fall by HIS decisions as every manager does.

If the manager believes Bennett is better than Nyambe at right-back that is his decision to make. I think you would see players being picked that fans don't agree with at every club.

Wouldn't disagree with any of that. I think the manager sees Williams and Nyambe now as out and out centre backs rather than full-backs. Personally, I think Williams is OK at centre-back in the Championship but its all a huge gamble - particularly if Brereton and Gallagher don't deliver.

I agree we did great in many ways under Bob Saxton - although never really appreciated by many, myself included, at the time. Don Mackay also did a great job without delivering top flight football. At the end of the day both managers were faced with selling players to survive - look at the talent we lost from just the mid-seventies on, let alone what we lost in the sixties. I just think football has changed totally over the past few years in terms of the ridiculous amounts of money paid in fees and wages which puts us at an even greater disadvantage. Clearly, having been given money to spend and spending the way we have means that ultimately the manager will be judged on results. Rev - do you honestly think that this is a top six squad? I'll be honest I think we are mid-table. Is that good enough to keep the manager in a job - only the owners know the answer to that.

I think this accurately sums up where we are as a football club at this moment in time. Idealism has finally met reality. When Mowbray attends functions with supporters his enthusiasm for the game in general shines through and he starts to talk like a supporter - which is why he connects with some many fans. But, surely, most supporters would have looked at what we had at the end of last season and realised that without major funding - funding we were never likely to get - we would be tottering around mid to lower mid-table. I suspect that Mowbray expected to be working with a larger budget than the one he has received and you can argue, fairly, that £5 million on Gallagher is a gamble, as was Brereton. No manager could turn last season's squad into a top-six squad with just £5 million to play with. Long term, buying players from abroad and combining them with our own youngsters is likely to be the way forward but that is fraught with danger as we know from the past. The likelihood is that you continually sell your better young players to keep the club's head above the financial waterline. Financially, football is moving in a direction where any numbers of clubs are going to be left behind fighting for their very existence, let alone promotion. There is every possibility that we may become one of them irrespective of who the manager is. At the moment the owners are keeping us afloat - which is the least they can do all things considered - but the moment they decide they've had enough the choice of manager will be the least of our problems.

It could be a tough season for the Under-23's depending on what happens to the likes of Buckley, Rankin-Costello, Butterworth etc. With Tyler already out on loan and others likely to follow it will be a young team. It will take time for the younger ones to come in and adjust to a different level. I thought that we competed extremely well for about two-thirds of the game last night before Arsenal's possession football began to put us under sustained pressure. We tired over the closing period, after having put so much effort into the game, and gave away soft penalties. They were definitely penalties but really tackles that, I suspect, were caused by tiredness - both physical and mental. Stef Mols was outstanding until forced off by injury and Brad Lyons gave a powerful performance in midfield. Jack Vale ran them ragged at times until he tired over the closing stages. Charley Doyle, normally so reliable, had a night to forget.

I think he picked up an injury at Lancaster.

Mowbray confirmed it at his press conference today. Seems a very sensible decision as Bennett is respected by players and manager. Always gives 100 per cent every game and, unlike some players, never hides on the pitch when having a poor game.

I think that's why they seem to be taking it very carefully with his fitness at the moment. He didn't feature in the last pre-season game against Lancaster.

To be honest Tom I think they are still trying to build his fitness up. He's not really caught the eye in pre-season and I suspect they want to make sure that he is not going to break down again before throwing him in at the start of a first team game.

Yesterday, the failings were in attack not at the back. That in itself is a concern because last week we are awful at the back and yesterday our attacking side of the game was poor. I totally agree that we have to build from the back but we have what we have for the next four or five months. It will have to improve by working with the players on the training ground and that is the manager's responsibility. I'm not sure what other role you can give Armstrong or Rothwell other than playing in the wide positions at the moment. I suppose Rothwell could be used instead of Dack but other than that he seems more suited to operating in a wide position. In fairness, at the moment, there are no "Mowbray Out" chants to be heard and I suspect most are willing him to be successful. However, chatting to folk at the services on the way back there are certainly more questioning the decisions being made - the substitutions in the last two games have been dreadful. He appears to have the full confidence of the owners - for the moment - but like any manager results will dictate what happens next. With the window now closed the only way we can improve is by working on the training ground and looking to find a system of play that suits the players he has assembled. A move to three centre-backs and wing backs might serve us better instead of the rigid 4-2-3-1 that we seem to favour. During the first 30 minutes of the game yesterday we looked better in terms of possession but never really threatened the goal - the final ball being dreadful. When Armstrong and Rothwell continually hit their crosses against the first defender that's down to them rather than to do with the position they are playing. That could and should be improved on the training ground. I agree the buck stops with the manager. The acquisition of Brereton and Gallagher was a gamble that may well bring him down and I don't believe replacing Raya with Walton will do him any favours in the long run. I certainly don't want Mowbray potted but there is clearly work to be done with these players on the training ground to improve both attack and defence.

Goalscoring is looking a major problem at the moment. Until the first goal we totally dominated without ever really looking like we would score. I was very disappointed with Armstrong and Rothwell who looked good running with the ball but there was simply no end product. Every ball they ball into the box found the first defender. Gallagher looks mobile but very poor in the air and doesn't look much of a goal threat at the moment. Tosin and Williams looked very solid at the centre of defence and Bennett had a much better game at full-back. Johnson started OK and then went downhill pretty quickly. Really not sure why Travis was taken off. To say we had Gallagher, Graham, Brereton, Armstrong and Dack on at the end and couldn't muster a real threat on goal was hugely disappointing. I'm not convinced with Walton - really ought to have saved the second goal. Fulham are not really firing at the moment but they have quality players who will, once they get going, win more than they lose. I was encouraged by the first half but overall came away concerned that, despite the attacking players on the pitch, we didn't force their keeper to make any real saves. Certainly a lot of work to be done on the training ground to get the right blend on the pitch on matchday.

Really looking forward to this one as Craven Cottage is my favourite away ground. I think it will be a really tough game and we will need to be at our very best to come away with any sort of result. Would love a win, of course, but would be happy with a point.

On paper we have enough to be mid-table but a lot will depend on the players actually delivering on the pitch. I think we'll have a better idea of what the season will be like after the first ten games when the team have played a few games together. I think Johnson and Downing will definitely improve us and hopefully Travis will continue to kick-on and dominate in midfield. Much will depend on Gallagher scoring, Dack getting his act together and Graham staying fit. One way or another I think it will be an interesting season and I must admit I'm quite looking forward to it. Saturday was a poor start and Fulham, Middlesbrough, Cardiff, Hull and WBA are all tough games to face before the end of the month. Up to the players to show they are good enough to play at this level and cut out the mistakes that were far too frequent last season.

A good move for the club and the lad really. He needs first team football to develop - he's not going to improve much in the Under-23's now - and Rochdale will be good learning environment for him. At the moment, at Under-23 level, he has the pace to get out of trouble when he overplays in dangerous areas - something he is prone to do - whereas playing at Rochdale I suspect mistakes will be punished more frequently than in the Under-23's and hopefully his game will develop accordingly.

I think that is a pretty fair analysis of where we are at the moment. I believe that the owners have a far better relationship with Mowbray than any of the previous managers they have employed. I suspect that as long as we maintain a mid-table finish then he will get next season to make the push for the play-offs.

That was exactly my point tony - I hate losing but at long last it doesn't ruin my weekend like it used to do, although I must admit I was pretty poor company yesterday morning!

Finally something we both agree on - Bell needs replacing. Agree that defensively he is all over the place and for all his pace going forward he rarely delivers a dangerous ball and seems to lack the confidence to take people on at times. Good League One player, as you say, but at this level and if we want to go forward we need better.

I'm sure you be there alongside me still supporting the only club we could both only ever support!

The solution for you is simple 47er. If you don't find watching Rovers entertaining find something that does entertain you. You've followed Rovers long enough to know that we have good times, bad times and pretty mediocre times. At the moment it's pretty mediocre but we continue to follow the club because we are supporters - it's why supporters of Bolton and Notts County etc are still supporting about their clubs despite some pretty dire years in recent times. There are thousands who have walked away from Ewood and will probably only return when Premier League is on offer. Personally, I think the Championship is pretty exciting but the quality of the football at times is not the best and full of mistakes that better players wouldn't make - perhaps that's what makes the Championship what it is in that any team is capable of beating any other team. Until Mowbray made the substitutions yesterday I couldn't see us not winning that game. The substitutions completely changed the game and for that the manager must take the blame. I understand why the manager wants Bennett in the team but he is not a right-back and is doing the lad no favours by playing him there. As for twitter etc. I really can't understand why any player would want to get involved in social media looking at some of the nonsense that is put on there.

As I said it's the manager's choice who he signs. If you believe you can influence his decision - great, please tell him to get an experienced centre-back. Ultimately, manager's who get the majority of decisions wrong get the sack. That's the one constant in football. Mowbray is no different from any other manager in that regard. After almost sixty years of supporting Rovers I can now, finally, take results in my stride without getting too carried away with a string of wins or too depressed with a run of defeats.