4 minutes ago, Uddersfelt Blue said:

Absolutely gutted after conceding the late equaliser but really impressed with the way that the team are battling. Don’t forget we lost 4-1 to the Nobbers before Xmas. They are a decent team.

We are still in the mix, which is as much as we could have hoped for at the beginning of the season and as someone said, if Adam Wharton had been playing more games, the play offs would be nailed on now. 
 

Tuesday is not a foregone conclusion as evidenced by them losing to QPR, but we need to play 90 minutes as we have in 45 today and recent games. 
 

Someone also needs to ensure that thug Ashley Barnes doesn’t push us around. Oh for Aaron Mokoena.

Regardless of whether we go up or not, we are playing better football albeit with mistakes at times. I’ve been a critic of JDT but with the right players signed in the summer, we are going in the right direction and we’ll be up there sooner than later. 

I said similar last season but it won’t be as easy in future seasons even if we have a better team. The likes of Watford, Norwich, WBA and the 3 relegated teams will be stronger next season

10 minutes ago, den said:

I have to say though, rovers do play some good, eye catching football at times. 
 

Keep talking about it, but Adam Wharton really should have played much more this season. 18 yrs old and so classy. JDT……. You’ve slipped up there mate.

I still think a bust up or something happened pre Burnley. Don’t expect him to play all the time but the amount of times he hasn’t even been on the bench when fit since then is beyond belief 

5 minutes ago, arbitro said:

You are right - I did forget him but I was told that he was Broughtons signing and not Tomassons.

This is what Gregg said when he joined but this may just be propaganda:
 

Rovers’ Director of Football Gregg Broughton said: “We are delighted to welcome George to Blackburn Rovers.

“He has been our first choice recruitment target as a striker all summer and, considering Jon Dahl’s knowledge of the position, this shows just how highly we regard him.

“Jon has been able to clearly communicate to George how he will fit into our style of play and George has been able to explain how he feels we could get the best out of him both personally and professionally.

“Rovers fans should look forward to seeing a striker with a goal threat, good link-up play, the ability to press from the front and an ideal mentality for our environment.”

Welcome, George!

2 minutes ago, arbitro said:

There is some real revisionism on here today. From an attacking point of view look what he inherited. He had Gallagher, almost universally condemned by everyone at some stage, Brereton who just hasn't been Diaz for some time and Dolan who is more of an impact player. He has had to use Vale and Leonard to supplement these. The only attacking player we brought in is Thomas and he didn't come in until January. Tomasson has been let down by Broughton and his recruitment army. He said all along he wanted a striker and got nothing. So far this season we are in a strong position to make the playoffs, got through to the fifth round of the League Cup and quarter finals of the FA Cup. That represents our most successful season in quite a time. It hasn't been perfect, far from it and I have criticised the manager on many occasions but it's his first season in England and the Championship is one hell of a league to cut your teeth in. This summer will be key for me and he needs some backing to build on what he has achieved this far. Football is frustrating at times and things get said irrationally but in the cold light of day who could have come in and done what Tomasson has.

Lots of people are forgetting that we brought George Hirst in who according to Gregg was JDT's first choice all summer. He should obviously have been replaced when recalled in January but we wouldn't be talking about lack of firepower if Hirst had been any good

32 minutes ago, Bbrovers2288 said:

Sorba Thomas hasn’t worked. Don’t sign the lad 

Weird one with him. He was playing ok until he couldn’t play against Sheff U due to being cup tied. Hedges played well that day so Thomas hasn’t started since. I can’t remember if it was JDT or Gregg who was quoted as saying he could be a game changer in the final stages of games. To the contrary, despite having some good moments when starting games, he is always terrible when coming off the bench 

I know there are other teams involved but Millwall now can’t be on more than 71 points before they play us. If we can get 6 points from our next 4 then we will have the opportunity to leapfrog them on the day. Obviously we’d rather be in the top 6 going into the last day but even a fairly average return from the next four games could still leave us in with a chance 

Also impossible for Sunderland or Watford to get more than 71 points. If we beat Coventry tomorrow then they can’t exceed that 71 number. 

14 minutes ago, roversR4ever said:

Well it has to be said, the loss of Buckley has hurt us badly. Simply much further ahead in his development than Morton, better defensively and much better going forwards both carrying the ball and seeing a pass. Certainly in the form he was in. Travis played better alongside him.

Wharton should be starting rather than Morton and Leonard needs more game time, both our two striker's haven't done enough to even be starting recently. At least the youngsters will get more experience. 

For me Dack a few years ago was streets ahead of both our strikers,  even now I'd trust he to put away a chance if we can get him into scoring position's when he's fit. 

The team that finished against Huddersfield should have started tonight.

 

Just checked and only 5 of our league wins this season have come when Travis and Morton start together in midfield. Two of those five (Birmingham, Middlesbrough) were alongside Wharton in more of a midfield 3 than an 2 with Dack/Szmodics in front and two were in a 3-4-3 (Milwall, Watford). Therefore Reading at home is the only league game where we’ve started Travis and Morton in a 4-2-3-1 and won 

1 minute ago, superniko said:

It’s not that he was a problem. It’s just he isn’t needed in a game like that where it’s being played in the opposition half. 
We didn’t need himself and Travis CM together for 80 minutes if that match. 
Highlighted by the fact he barely touched the ball all 2nd half. 

Yeah I’d agree with this

1 minute ago, BigBar said:

No he wasn't the problem tonight but he wasn't scapegoated in recent games. He deserved the critism. Let's be fair.

Not for me apart from a couple of individual errors (eye poke vs Sheff U and not tracking his runner vs Huddersfield). He’s been better than Travis since the international break and probably for the whole season apart from August, February and March 

Morton really wasn’t the problem tonight. So many players worse than him. The ridiculous scapegoating needs to stop.
 

The problem at the moment is clearly at the top end of the pitch and due to poor recruitment, I’m not really sure what the solution is unless BBD can go through a purple patch 

Not many prolific scorers or assisters left on the pitch 

1 minute ago, Fraserkirky said:

Have the refs EVER actually given Breo a pen? Can’t remember one

They know he dives all the time and that reputation means he doesn’t get a pen when blatantly fouled like Hull away last season 

I don’t know enough about the Hull players to know why but the bookmakers shortened our odds to win when the teams were announced

Part of me still hopes that we benefit in the way Birmingham did against Huddersfield in 2017 if we need to beat Luton and/or Milwall as they could both be secured playoffs but not able to get automatic by the time we play them 

14 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Fixed it for you

Kaminski is clearly the better ‘keeper but JDT was right to stick with Pears due to the form he was in. Now though is the time to put Kaminski back in 

I actually rate Gallagher and have got in many an argument with some fans who I feel are always looking for an excuse to criticise him. However, he really was dreadful in so many ways on Friday. It sends the wrong message to start him tomorrow after he has played so poorly. I don’t care whether it’s Dolan as a false 9, BBD down the middle or Leonard up there but Gally really can’t start. Maybe bring him on off the bench later on with something to prove 

Best I’ve seen him play this season was the first half away at Middlesbrough. That was as part of a more conventional midfield 3 (Wharton, Morton, Travis) as opposed to a 2 with Dack or Szmodics in front. I would like to see that midfield 3 again before the end of the season, especially away from home

Leeds away on Boxing Day a few years ago. We scored a last minute winner then lost 

1 hour ago, Fraserkirky said:

It hurts. We didn’t look up for it at all. Soon as Gallagher went off and the nothingness that is Jack Vale came on, it was over.Did he even touch the ball?

What a completely incredulous start to the season. Some decent performances, but more poor ones. Somehow we are 3rd with a 5 point gap to 7th.
We are a bit of mess in truth, and this time off is probably good news for us in the long run. We have to figure out some stuff. The 3-5-2 is okay in some games but today was not the day for it. What an embarrassment the first goal was when you have three 6’4 Centre halves in there vs one striker. The midfield was dreadful today, Morton went fully AWOL, Travis was sluggish and can’t pass a ball, and Garrett isn’t ready. I’ll stop short of calling for Bradley Johnson, but we do need an experienced player in there asap.

Brereton is gonna just have to play through the middle like he does for Chile. This moving out wide-left constantly isnt working. We are not good enough for the tippy-tally game, we need to be direct and have a focal point.

A lot of time now for JDT to figure this out, oh and get Bradley Dack fit and Hedges further forward.

 

Incredulous is the right word. On numerous occasions this season we have looked like relegation fodder yet somehow we are third. About a month ago I was convinced we would end up in a relegation struggle once our luck ran out but the five wins in six have made that unlikely. We do however look like one of the worst teams in the league on an alarmingly regular basis. When we are bad we are Coyle levels of bad 

15 minutes ago, Uddersfelt Blue said:

Dolan and Szmodics were superb subs today and really put shifts in to keep Boro at bay

But rightly or wrongly, bringing them on resulted in a change of system. 

I thought the 5-3-2 formation suited us well today. I would like to see it more often. The only issue I had was that JDT didn’t really pick the right bench to make changes and stick with that formation. I thought Buckley and Hirst would have been better subs than Dolan and Szmodics for more like for like changes. Quality result though! 

The 12pm deadline to sign someone who can play tomorrow has passed. 
 

I know we will have long term (permanent) and short term (loan for the rest of the season) targets, but I don’t understand why we haven’t got a premier league centre back on loan for a month. With all the games coming up we shouldn’t only have Ayala (old and injury prone) and Phillips (17 and possible getting his head turned) as centre back options for the third game in a row 

I know we don’t have much control over the situation if no one is bidding for him but it makes terrible business sense to allow BBD to stay without signing a new contract. Surely we have to be touting him to other clubs if he refuses to sign a new contract

Defensive injuries are a concern with Pickering and Brittain both going down during the first half. I also noticed that Ayala has tape on his thigh and Kaminski on his neck 

4 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

He's a knobhead if his first 25 mins is anything to go by.

Yeah he was always very arrogant. Probably why he became a referee