Dack is a Sky camera player. Too often he doesn’t turn up. I was watching him before the game on Saturday kicking the ball around with Graham and Rothwell. When they both go he is going to need some teammates he can have a larf with or he is going to be an unhappy bunny. That’s If he doesn’t leave first.

Supporters of Mowbray point out that his first Rovers relegation was not his fault because it was too late for him to do anything. Although he did have time. These same people wouldn’t advocate potting Mowbray until it was too late for the next manager to turn it around. The point of change has to come when it becomes apparent that the job ahead is beyond the incumbent, not his successor. Otherwise we are championing failure. When will that point be? After £14m+ investment the target this season was top 6 and is now looking like being revised staying up on the current trajectory. Avoiding relegation cannot then be considered a success.

All about timing. Rovers’ timing in recent times has been awful. When Burnley lucked out after Watford (at the time, inexplicably) sacked Dyche we were still being told that Kean had a plan and real fans knew what it was.

Defeat away at Birmingham on Tuesday and it’s 1 point from 12 going into the derby - after the September bounce. Without these sporadic winning patches we’d be in real trouble but because of them Mowbray gets extended echoes of support. Overall, we end up with a bumpy rollercoaster season that ends WDL-equal but we lack consistency in the short term, so the fanbase remain split. If we lose to PNE then we play have to play Sheff Weds and Leeds before the home game against basement club Barnsley. The most winnable game of the Big Three Ticket games. That could be the one that breaks Mowbray. Or worse still we’ll limp there with a point or two then beat Barnsley and “all will be well again”. Regardless, I just can’t see Waggott sitting down with Mowbray and having that conversation. Didn’t Mowbray walk out out of principle/pride when they worked together at Coventry? We’ve already passed that point at Rovers during the disgraceful slump last season. The crowd didn’t turn, Waggott didn’t act, Mowbray didn’t walk.

That’s the conclusion I’ve come to as well. Then Waggott has the cheek to patronise fans about commitment, as though giving the club money is just a given and both he and Mowbray can do what they like with total impunity. Which is even easier with the local rag on side.

You don’t need £30m to get out of this division, you need the right manager. They do exist, look at Farke, Dyche, even Holloway going back a bit. I do question the club’s ambition though. I’m genuinely confused as to what it is. Mowbray’s record this season is 1.25 ppg. That’s less than 58 points over a season, which would have reached better than 15th over the last 5 years. It’s even worse that 2018/19 Mowbray by a king chalk. If he is simply looking to best last season’s 69 point haul then he has to do better than 1 point in 9 in home games against Charlton, Luton and a poor Huddersfield. If he doesn’t have to then that’s where I question the ambition. We didn’t sack Coyle, one of the worst manager to ever darken our door - even before he arrived - until he had taken us to second bottom. Mowbray has far more credit in the bank but we cannot afford to go down for a second time.

That doesn’t bode well for Tuesday.

If Mowbray continues to be backed regardless of performances and results, directly related to his tactics and choices of personnel, not to mention his failure to spend money wisely, what exactly does it say about our ambitions? It’s patently obvious that Mowbray CANNOT and WILL NOT take us up this season.

I’m going to start by say that imo there’s no way we are getting promoted under Mowbray - someone convince me otherwise. Nothing about what he has done in the last 18 months makes me thing he will. So, what are our ambitions for this season? If it’s another season of stability then it’s a waste (including the money wasted on duds) and makes no sense against a backdrop of ever increasing debt. If it is to get into the play-offs then we are getting further away after each passing game.

Can’t you see the contradictions? Nyambe, for instance, will be dropped again as soon as Lenihan is fit. We are treading water under Mowbray. Because of Mowbray. His lack of consistency is the source of our problems, and this translates to a lack of consistency on the pitch. Our players don’t believe in themselves because of the lack of belief Mowbray instils. You can’t keep rotating the midfield to keep everyone happy. Sadly, we will need to be deep in the relegation mire before any change will be made. Just like we were under Coyle.

Walton (by default) - no better than Raya and still only Leutwiler as token competition. Dack - ever present and ‘proof’ that Tony is a good un. Armstrong - A Mowbray favourite and North East compatriot who can do no wrong. Bennett - tubthumper who is passionate and loyal and posts on social media a bit - Mowbray’s captain so will be played in goal if necessary to underline the need for players to be played out of position. Williams - our only defender at the minute. Picks himself.

And you’ve not even mentioned the worse bit. Bringing on Evans! The silence spoke volumes. The crowd is going to turn soon. Cant believe with 23 minutes left we didn’t bring Graham on. I don’t see where the wins are coming from. I wouldn’t trust Mowbray to address our shortcomings in the January window, and right now I’m even more fearful of falling into a relegation battle.

Our manager is utterly ambition-less. If we aren’t target games against the likes of Huddersfield then who? His mission to keep Bennett and Armstrong in the team no matter what were the only real things wrong in fairness but the decision to play Bennett at left back shows the lack of sense being applied. The fact that Bennett got a rinsing and cost us the first goal was so predictable. But it was his decision-making in attack, starting and substitutions, that cost us. The only way I can try to explain it is that he was given an ultimatum. Lose and you are out. One thing us for certain, we are going nowhere good under this management team.

The reason we didn’t get all three points isn’t mistake but it does begin with ‘M’.

Absolutely cowardly from Mowbray.

Holtby!

Absolutely typical Nice one Bennett Nice one Mowbray

Sadly the advantage (of not having away fans pressure the referee - when was the last away penalty you saw given at Ewood?) is being negated by Mowbray. But I agree they can’t make it a spectacle unless the home areas are heaving.

#keepthemupstairs

Mowbray would absolutely play Gestede out wide and Rhodes would be in the bench. If it weren’t us, it’d be hilarious.

There needs to be something to capture the imagination. Don’t know about you but I expect a miserable performance and defeat due to Mowbray’s likely tactics. That’s the mindset a lot of fans will have got into. Apathy. When this was Lambert’s first game in charge - after years and years of shit-and-Venkys we had nearly 6,000 on. I’m barely looking forward to Huddersfield. It’s lunchtime on TV so it’ll be a crap home gate too. We are getting back into the territory of attending through duty!

Which was exactly the problem. Yet he played Jason Lowe in game after game. It’s not hard to draw parallels with Mowbray’s current set up: Graham, Downing, Dack, Holtby, Rothwell (who can’t buy a start - much like King), Lenihan, Evans, Gallagher, Armstrong, Johnson, Travis, Buckley, Butterworth (who can’t get a look-in). Except for the glaringly obvious lack of decent goalkeeper and defenders. Even Bowyer bought a goalscorer with his £7m, while Mowbray bought... potential.

I don’t subscribe to the idea of Bell being as poor as people are saying but I was surprised that he got into that L1 team. I seem to remember him being on the bench for us for long spells in that first half season. (As per the Mowbray norm).

I seem to remember that being United. (The disallowed goal)

Venkys £5m Champion’s League dream.