Fucking hell ?

You’re blaming the wrong Richard.

And... he’s chucked away for us. Mowbray’s subs make not work but they regularly change games.

FFS

Smallwood isn’t good enough I’m afraid. At best a worker, at worst a liability.

Against the best team in the league! Give the guy a chance FFS.

On the flip side, Sheffield United are going to have to think about defending a little more now. Our goals from open play must be pretty low.

If that’s true I imagine Mowbray’s face was a picture when the numbers came out!

I guess that will be the next line of thinking if Dack doesn’t play against West Brom. Don’t think he needs a rest physically but his form has dipped and it will do him good hopefully. An unlikely win would certainly give Mowbray sleepless nights though. Interesting that some people think he’s throwing the game. I don’t see it like that. Hopefully the travelling fans get to see an energetic display from our young charges. Average age of the starting XI today is 24. Average age of bench is 27.

It’s about as strong a bench as I can remember.

And Smallwood and Travis just behind Rothwell? Could be. Let’s hope the players are up for this. Like Tyrone my interest in this game has just gone up a notch.

It’s exactky the right game for it imho. No expectation whatsoever - providing he hasn’t done it deliberately to excuse not playing certain players. But don’t think he has. Several players now need to take their opportunities. Travis, Rothwell, Brereton now have the stage.

That is one really odd formation. Good to see Bennett back though. Who is behind Brereton? Palmer, Rothwell? Nobody? Glad that Mowbray has gone for a big shake up. Especially ahead of the window.

Wow! Graham in the bench too!

Pretty much. Plus the long ball to Danny Graham, without Dack to give the ball to, becomes redundant. Our style of play under Mowbray seems to gravitate towards three at the back plus two defensive midfielders, and the other six players set up to accommodate that. With the wide provided by full backs.

How I would like to see us line up despite having no real wingers and no true centre backs. I’d be looking to recruit both in January. Tough call leaving out Evans but I’d be bringing him on to shore things up later, preferring Rothwell to dictate our play from a deep role. Alternative would have been to accommodate him by pushing Reed out on the right but I feel Reed is better centrally. I’d also have considered Williams instead of Bell but I think Williams is far more error prone. How I think Mowbray will line up:

I guess we’ll see. Hope I’m wrong and if Reed does go back Lewis will get his chance.

Gut feeling but I don’t think we’ll see Travis in a Rovers shirt for some time - if ever. A January loan would be my guess. Travis sums up Mowbray’s recruitment policy for me. He could have been in the role now taken by Reed, busy/hungry centre midfielder more than capable of covering at right back. Mowbray went out and loaned one. Don’t get me wrong I think that Reed looks a great player but, one, he’s not our player and, two, given a regular opportunity, Travis could have become just as good in my opinion.

Don’t disagree but Travis hasn’t even been in the squad for the last four matches.

The performance is everything though. Lose both games three or four -0 and yes there will be serious criticism. What we need to do though is play the team we face on the grass and not the one on pixels.

Wait. Messageboard posts are subjective?

Never gave himself enough time. I don’t blame him either.

Secret captain as far as I’m concerned. Demands a certain level from himself and his teammates. Lambert knows a player.

Hard not to feel a little paranoid really! It’s grim ap nouwf.

So why don’t Lancashire clubs market that more? I can see why Liverpool and the two Manc clubs don’t (because they are happy to hoover up the arm-chair-football-fans) but the rest could make a big deal about the number of fans who watch football between them. On average, over 90,000 people watch league football in Lancashire. If you include City, United, Liverpool, and Everton that rises to over 300,000 football fans. 700 sq miles 1.4m people 21% of the population of Lancashire watch league football, in person. Just under 10% watch the non-big-4 clubs.