Armstrong? I’m not convinced that he’s all that quick against Championship opposition.

More like Chapmans Lame.

Another goal from first team reject Joe Nuttall. That lad deserves more credit from fans than he gets. Blackburn Council even named the street that the ground sits on after him!

Well done Newport!

Hope he stays - despite every media and betting (!) outlet trying to get him into the window spotlight. As much as he owes Mowbray a lot, I think that the likes of Graham, Mulgrew and Bennett being here and seemingly loving life at Rovers is as much of a factor in wanting to stay. He must be enjoying being part of this group, particularly if, as Mowbray suggests, we have a player-run working environment that he guides and shapes.

Quick is possibly out of our price range but you could surely get a good physical striker out of £7m with change. Right now Brereton looks to have neither.

I think it’s partly down to the fact that we had so little sympathy from fans of other clubs when the chips were really down for us. Many opposition fans felt (and still feel) sorry for how “Rovers fans treated Kean” and we’re delighted when we were relegated from the PL while Kean allegedly got another pay rise. Without any understanding or caring to find out exactly why Kean was so despised. If the football fan family had been a little more understanding it might have been different. Cashley and the Oystons both got their teams promoted to the PL. In Cashley’s case he spent a lot of money and you have a Champions League manager. Meanwhile, Rovers had 7 years of misery and only just now (by a fluke) look like we may have turned a corner by getting out of L1 first time (but so did Bolton and Wigan). We are only ever one error from our absent owners jailers from falling again, and “owe them” over £150m and still climbing. Charlton and Coventry probably share our pain the most but even Coventry won a trophy! I’ve nothing at all against Newcastle and hope that you do well - except when we play you of course (!) - and we have a common bond in our love for Alan Shearer (as well as a few shared manager’s and great players over the years) but it’s hard to have too much pity for a side still gracing the PL when we have (still) had more relegations that promotions since the loons from Pune rocked up.

I’m guessing but I expect you didn’t play one up-front when you were playing? Being physical and able to compete with centre halves is a pre-requisite for the modern lone striker. Unless you have pace... (At which point Mowbray would put you out wide anyway).

Spending all of our cash on a lad who isn’t good enough for the first team is looking like a huge mistake. Particularly when it now means pushing Nuttall out. What happens when Samuel returns? We could and should have got a better player for the money spent. I’d be very interested to see him play for the U23s though. Trouble is we are quite a quick side and Brereton seems unable to run. His style is weird and it’s literally like he is in treacle or slow motion when he is setting off. He also looks like he is knackered after 5 minutes. I’m honestly struggling to list his attributes since he’s been in a Rovers shirt. He didn’t even challenge for the ball against defenders when the ball was pumped up yesterday, that’s 101 stuff for someone of his height. Looking at his Forest PR-reel he seems to like to run with the ball but has to have some momentum before he shows any pace. (Slow starter).

I think the VAR ones always are. Always on a technicality, and most times the referee is called over to check he is already under pressure to change his mind because reviews the ref got “right” are never referred. This effectively means VAR matches have two referees, not one, and the one off the pitch has more influence in crucial decision making by simply making the referral. If VAR was used more extensively and to the letter of the law, football would become an exercise in set-pieces. It’s also why having the technology used in only *some* games and not all is morally corrupt. If that had been played at 3pm and not chosen for TV we would have won 1-0.

The FA are an out of date organisation and football is leaving them behind. Trouble is that it is in the PL’s interests to let them take the rap for stuff like this. Also the FA are able to prevent referees from being involved in any league set up that doesn’t sign up to their charters. Already happening in some grassroots leagues. But who cares enough to challenge it let alone change it? Nobody.

Anything more than a tenner (the same as Newcastle charged us) and I’ll consider boycotting the replay out of principle. Especially if it’s on TV anyway.

Cold light of day. Another win turned into a draw because of our inability to hold on and do the simple things well? (More of the same fragility) Or outclassed by the quality of subs that Benitez brought on and did well not to lose the game? (An improvement against superior opposition)

That phrase is older than you!

Ederson was all over the place with his indecision. I stand by my comments. Besides, it’s all relative. City want to win the Champions League, we want promotion. Horses for courses. You are only looking at other Championship players though. Freidel was playing in Turkey.

I’ve thought for a while that Raya is going to hold us back, not just from the penalty spot. He flatters to deceive, a good instinctive shot stopper but woeful with his kicking. Not the same kind of keeper but it feels like we have a Filan when we need a Friedel. But I’m probably being greedy. Mowbray will remain loyal to Raya unless he has starts making clangers on a regular basis or does something really stupid off the field.

Travis is exactly what our CM has been missing. You just know that when he gets the ball he is looking to get it forward as quickly as possible. Moving him out wide to accommodate Smallwood is not the answer, neither is loaning him out. I fear though that Mowbray will see it as a way to avoid the debate and keep Travis playing. Please, please stay positive Tony. You’ve picked him in the middle and it has been one of your best decisions. Stick with it!

‘Confusing’ is a good way to describe it.

Brereton doesn’t even chase worthy causes, let alone lost ones. I really want to see the lad do well but he is looking like a really expensive, younger, slower Chris Brown.

Let’s not run before he can walk!

Eagles: Travis Birdies: Graham, Dack*, Reed, Mulgrew Par: Evans, Armstrong, Raya, Lenihan, Bennett, Williams Bogies: Bell, Brereton Real shame not to get the win but it’s the same old story at the moment. Yes, they brought on class subs but we brought on ones poorer than those we brought off. Brereton really needs to get the fans on side with something. A crunching challenge, a clever run, beating a man, holding the bell up under pressure, playing a defence splitting through-ball. A first touch or a flick on, or something better than a half-hearted jog. He looks like he’s stuck in treacle. It was great that we matched Newcastle but we deserved to win until the penalty went in. If games finished after 80 minutes... (again!) *I really disagree with the view that Dack has outgrown us. I think he is popping up at the right times but he isn’t doing what we know he can on the ball. Still a good player at Championship level but his lack of pace would be shown up on the PL.

Jeez, Rothwell can’t even pass now, eh?

Not to me. We very much lack any driving force (going forward) in the middle. Reed has it, Rothwell has it, Travis has it. Rovers are at their best when they have that in them and at our worst when we play two defensive players. This is where Mowbray lets us down in my view and invites teams to take over the middle of the park. That wouldn’t be so bad but we don’t even play with natural width. Who's the best winger out of Armstrong and Travis? Neither!

Interesting that he talks about passing on “his integrity” to “a group of lads I can mould”. Probably why Smallwood is one of his favourites - that honesty, work ethic. Also says he left Coventry “because they became a basket case”. Nothing to do with his awful run. Love that he talks about Rovers as “a prope club with proper people”. Less convinced by his description of the Raos as “nice, humble, honest people”. Overall comes across very well though, much like we’d expect. A thoroughly decent bloke.