That needs nipping in the bud, pronto! Rather watch Liverpool, can’t stop talking about them...? Snap out of it! As much as it feels like it, even Mowbray won’t be here forever. I never thought Kean would go. Genuinely. But he did. We are still a long way from having our Rovers back and it will likely take Waggot and Mowbray to both be replaced with better before that happens. Alas that word ‘better’ might not happen until long after the pieces (or whatever remains after the Rao’s clear off) have been picked up and put back together. Right now though we need to put ‘better’ on hold and focus on ‘not getting any worse’ and halt the slide that we are currently in. To do that, fans like you and your son need to stick around because the kind of fans like those I will have to tolerate at work tomorrow (“we were never going to beat Leeds” and “losing 2-1 isn’t a bad result, certainly no shame”) will happily watching us slide down and out of the division before the reality dawns.

Butterworth should be playing ahead of Davenport. Not sure what people have against the lad. I agree with your overall point though. We don’t have real depth in our first team. Both defences are poor. However, the best XI out of that lot, with proper organisation, game plan and motivation would be worth watching. You've also dropped Cunningham (presumably because he is a loan and injured) but kept Lenihan. He would feature in our best side. (Reds would win in my view).

Great post but just adds to the feeling of frustration. How many managers would bring on a defensive midfielder to contain a match when losing 2-1, while leaving a player who can unlock a defence on the bench? We are on a steady decline, a managed stagnation, but as long as he can bring enough fans along with him on his journey to mediocrity he will survive. When a manager wasn’t potted for not being up to the task, it used to be ‘Sack The Board’ now the equivalent is ‘Venkys Out’. As long as there is none of that then all will be made out to be fine during the Pune junkets.

And he’s already said that he has changed his style from that season because it was too successful exciting attacking.

Amazing that Venkys put up with it. Imagine a daddy so rich that his children can waste his money on something he would have had zero interest in - all the while hated by fans. Meanwhile another family couldn’t wait to get rid of what was a potential huge money-spinner, that their daddy loved, because they had zero interest in it - despite their dad being worshipped by fans. Are the Raos really that stupid and/or that rich? They must have some motive for hanging on to us while putting with mediocrity. They must! If they had any interest or demand for success he’d be gone by now. Mowbray is eventually going to end up like Bowyer, at odds with - to the point of gesticulating on the pitch to - the disillusioned fans. Keeping managers beyond their time has been a dreadful feature of Venkys time. Seemingly only acting when nudged by the bank and then selling players to make ends meet. Experience says we have about a 2.5 year shelf life to progress before forced regression sets in. Ironically that’s 12 months more than the average life of a manager at any ‘normal’ club! To paraphrase Churchill, on today of all days: an aberration, wrapped in a dysfunction, inside an abnormality.

I think a 2-1 defeat was a good result in Mowbray’s eyes. Rothwell will go and will be called all sorts by the Facebookerati.

Which is exactly why we need someone who can deliver Premier League football. Or at least take us the next step, which is the play-offs.

On the face of it because Mowbray thinks centre forwards and centre midfielders should be played out wide.

Wikipedia for a particular season is a good place to start. Clock on report for the chosen match. 2018/19

The timing of the Barnsley game, right after the international break is exactly why we should bring in a new manager now. It’s also exactly why we shouldn’t be keeping Mowbray. It could be a great opportunity for a new man but could also be a great opportunity for Mowbray to claim he has turned things around. At the same time, Barnsley will be targeting the game against us, under Mowbray, as one of their best chances this season for three points on the road.

Johnson would be an improvement on Mowbray.

That could make them more likely!

Money. So I guess you are right, rule him out too. Pearson it is then.

Can’t we settle on ‘could’? At least it give us hope. ’Would’ could be anything from Coyle to Lambert to another Mowbray. They would surely be looking at someone with Championship promotion on their CV. We can rule out Warnock and any current PL manager so the list of ‘woulds’ should be... 2009/10 Hughton (Newcastle) 2011/12 McDermott (Reading) 2012/13 Mackay (Cardiff) 2013/14 Pearson (Leicester) 2016/17 Benitez (Newcastle) Benitez is dreamland because of the money he will be on now but might want to be back in Europe. Hughton would surely be most logical, i.e. promoted 10 years ago (same logic and Coyle and Mowbray). Edit: Hughton also promoted again in 2016/17 so maybe too good (too expensive).

A lot of teenagers only know Venkys as Rovers owners. Poor bastards. A lot of them won’t even have heard of Steve Kean. Lucky bastards. ? They have little or now expectation so think the lower Championship is good. Anyone who got to watch Hughes’ Rovers will think differently. Let alone Souness’. (Never mind King Kenny’s!)

Self preservation...

Much better.

“The 12 Games Of Mowbray”... DLWW LDLD LLWL 12 pts from 36 available... Equivalent form W1 D0 L2... Extrapolated season return 46 pts... Bottom four most seasons... Fewer points that the Coyle/Mowbray relegation season...

Funny, he was poised to do the exact same thing last week. I don’t really get the idea of bringing on Graham as an impact sub either, while leaving Rothwell kicking his heels. Interesting too that it was Armstrong to make way for Graham instead of Rothwell. Presumably it helps Tony make the case that Armstrong needs to play. His set up, tactics and subs are bereft of reason and seem to serve only to keep giving players a relatively even amount of game time.

No chance. I wish there were. Last Saturday has bought him 10 more games minimum. He must have an approval rating to rival Trump and Labour under Corbyn.

Fantastic “result”. Managed to hang on in the second half to a narrow defeat in a free-pass away game. This plus the win last weekend has taken all the heat off Mowbray going into the international break. I imagine he’s delighted.

Who has confirmed that it’s Armstrong on the right and Gallagher up top? Normally the other way around.

Meanwhile Bennett and Armstrong get a free pass.

He is either a fool or he is deliberately keeping players down. Either way he is doing his best to temper expectations both from players and fans. He needs to get out of the way.