Just now, jim mk2 said:

Good points, well made.

PS I'm not your "pal"

Alright mate, no need to get tetchy... ?

Just now, Bbrovers2288 said:

I may be in the minority but I’d be happy with Gallagher, unfairly judged on a horrendous season with us when he was playing with poor players for a poor manager. Still scored some good goals that year. 

I would still like us to sign another winger, a Jamal Lowe or a Marcus Maddison - can also play left back. Then when we were chasing a game it would give us chapman one side, new winger on the other, Johnson and Travis/ Davenport holding, and a combo of either graham/ brereton or Gallagher/ Armstrong depending on the opposition. 

Downing is more of a holding winger than a bomb these days. I don’t like Armstrong or rothwell on the wing 

get rid of Smallwood, nuttall, Samuel and Evans for me 

Can't disagree with any of that - particularly the deadwood we need to shift.

22 minutes ago, roverandout said:

Gallagher is shit. Why doesn't mowbary show some balls and try something different for a change?  The guy is stuck in the 90s. Most manager these days, cast their net far and wide, this guy either sniffs around his old clubs or brings back ex players. Zero ambition

You never fail to not surprise me... even allowing for the fact that the last couple of years he hasn't done much the highlights reel of some of the goals he scored for us last time suggest he isn't 'shit'. 

You might also want to consider throwing out a few alternative names at the same time as dissing everything that's going on.

6 hours ago, Sparks Rover said:

Bennett, Nyambe, Del and Bell as a back 4 just gives me nightmares 

Sounds like a really shit boy band...or a firm of solicitors.

Well, people can be sniffy but that managerial career total win % of 42.3 is actually pretty good.

If the question is about us playing a more passing game next year then Grant Hanley is certainly not the answer - he's as composed on the ball as an agoraphobic on the Yorkshire moors.  

Do people really expect Mowbray to come back from India shouting 'loadsamoney'!!  Do that and he's paying more on every deal...

9 minutes ago, Paul Mani said:

Let's be fair, if Mowbray says he has £x million to spend then prices will go up, I don't think they have ever set a fixed budget, but they have usually backed the manager if he has wanted a certain player and makes a good case for signing him.

I don’t see that budget stretching to ready made championship players now though...the model is buy young, develop and if necessary, sell on to offset the expense.

I actually don't mind that model, it's more sustainable than giving ridiculous final pay-days to ageing ex-premiership players. I suppose the hope is that all the pieces of the jigsaw come together at the right time and we somehow squeeze in a promotion at some point. Brentford have had a couple of sniffs at the play-offs previously without ever quite getting there.

Like it or not this is where we're at (like many other clubs if we're being honest).

2 hours ago, K-Hod said:

I'm not, Evans has been far better than Smallwood all season!

That being said, Reed and Travis is looking like our strongest central midfield, but I can't see Mowbray selecting them in the centre together.....

Granted, Evans is a little better than Smallwood, but neither should be in the starting line-up given that we've just won and kept a clean sheet - Travis and Reed deserve to keep the shirt (I imagine Evans will be injured anyhow). 

Reed and Travis, for me, should be our central midfield partnership moving forward, they're far more dynamic and progressive. Smallwood and Evans will never take us to the next level.

In terms of other outgoings I'd love to have seen the last of Williams and (sadly) Conway. Also, after last night  Bell has a 'must do better and must do it quickly' label attached to him.

If we got Mcdonald in I'd like to see Smallwood moved on....

I'm starting to hope Davenport gets back into the first team squad quickly. Maybe he was always the one who was going to play in preference to Smallwood this season.

I was hoping he wouldn't revert to this type of side but it's his natural instinct. Win the game and he's a sorcerer - lose and clearly his negativity will have to be factored into the post-match analysis.

4 minutes ago, blueboy3333 said:

Which was my point. Those players aren't that great or else they would have commanded better wages at clubs that pay better money.  Some think we have a team full of superstars just because Rothwell carries the ball 20 yards, Rodwell makes a cross field pass or Palmer does a step-over. 

We have no right to beat Bolton. 

Of course we have no right but what I take issue with is that we're often too timid once in front and fail to intimidate and impose ourselves on opponents we're very capable of beating.

You have to earn the right to beat any team but my preferred way isn't to score one goal and then shut up shop - it's to get in front and then go looking for further goals to twist the knife in. 

Well, at the end of the day it's the 3 points that count I suppose but why are we always so timid and in a rush to get back in our shells?

After we scored we let them look like Barcelona. I liked Mowbray's starting line-up but it was like he couldn't wait to get to 60 minutes so he could get the two cart-horses back in centre midfield. It feels like they're his comfort zone pairing and I'm fed up of it. 

The first 20 minutes was a taster of how things could look if we took the shackles off and went looking to give teams a good kicking - unfortunately, at the minute, it never lasts for very long before we become  scared of our own shadows.

It makes you wonder - if we can get to being outside the play-offs on goal difference playing like this what might we achieve if Mowbray took the stabilisers off and allowed the team some freedom to truly express themselves. 

Much better performance so far - need to step up the intensity again but we look far more dangerous and I fully expect us to score again.

Hopefully this ends up a comfortable win and Mowbray is encouraged to be more forward thinking from now on.

Much more attacking team than Wednesday - I like!

Last night was a shocker and a massive reality check. A truly spineless performance and an insipid way to lose a long unbeaten home record.

The team looked lethargic, laborious lacking in invention and creativity. Sheff Utd weren't all that either but we made them look decent and hungry to win.

Smallwood - whoever said he was on the up needs to have a word with themselves - he had a shocker summed up by the crappy pass or poor control (can't remember which it was) which meant his second touch was a scything tackle and yellow card which was totally avoidable if he could only do the basics right.. We need him out of the team - he's a squad player at best. Having said that none of the team came out with too much credit last night.

Not much labore and feck all arte. I've not been as angry watching a game for ages.

Need a much improved performance on Saturday.. 

4 hours ago, donnermeat said:

Before their second I felt Armstrong wimped out of chasing the ball with the keeper, he should have carried on and knocked it past the him instead of pulling up and letting the keeper take it. 2 minutes later they equalise.

And Lenihan needs a word, that's three penalties conceded in his last three games. I don't know what he was thinking, a blatant shirt pull today, terrible. I like Lenihan but he needs an organiser playing alongside him at this stage, Downing certainly isn't that. 

After some of the yellow bellied performances in the last 8 years or so, it's really enjoyable to watch this team though. 

I'm coming to the conclusion that Lenihan is one of those centre backs who is only ever as good as the partner he's playing alongside.

I know he's ours and he came through the ranks and all that but I don't personally ever see him as being good enough for the premier league. Championship is probably his level (and there's further work to do before that's a given...) 

20 hours ago, Trinidad Rover said:

It seems all of our business is done for the window. That being the case what do people see as our best starting eleven?

My suggestion:

                          Raya

Nyambe  Mulgrew   Lenihan  Bell

                  Evans  Bennett

      Palmer     Dack   Armstrong

                    Brereton

 

Bench: Canadian, Rodwell, Reed, Rothwell, Graham, Davenport, Williams

 

Very tough to leave out Rothwell after his start but that front 4 is very very solid. I also think Rodwell will force his way into the side as the season goes on.

 

That team's not far off but Mowbray doesn't like to play 2 attacking wide men up top (he said so himself), one needs to do some donkey work too so I think the team will look slightly different (personally, like you, I'd like to see 2 attacking wide players I just don't think he'll go for it). Here's my take:

                   Raya

Nyambe, Lenihan, Mulgrew, Bell

              Reed, Evans

Bennett     Dack   Armstrong

                Bererton

Subs: Leutwiler, Williams (Rodwell if he gets fit), Smallwood, Rothwell,, Palmer, Graham & A.N.Other -still time for another loan to come in/or Davenport once fit.

48 minutes ago, roverandout said:

As long as the cluck off when we go up..im happy

Don't be naive - the last thing they'll do if we do get promoted is feck off. That's their chance to start to claw some money back.. 

3 minutes ago, Stuart said:

Might have been taken as if it wasn’t someone with a history of giving me nasty abuse.

On the glass half full side, bright start for Rovers. Early goal smartly taken by Nuttall. Strange formation is a bit odd though. Caddis is an enigma though - and not in a good way. Couple of half chances but nothing yet troubling from a subdued Lincoln. Not (yet) the league-leading-cup-running side I was expecting to see.

Come off it Stuart - it was a joke and I've never been accused on here of directing 'nasty abuse' at you so let's not go there. 

Enjoy the game...

Be great to go through but ultimately if resting some regulars gets us a result against Bristol City then I can live with that team tonight.

10 minutes ago, S8 & Blue said:

I’d say they were just having a laugh...

But I’m a glass half full man myself...

Glad someone got it ?

21 minutes ago, Stuart said:

5 at the back? Or 4-4-2 with Bell on the wing?

If we’d have used Coyle’s tombola machine I don’t think we could have come up with a more misfit team.

Expect Lincoln (top of L2) to win this one with some ease.

Stuart, take a chill pill old chap...