Brereton needs game time and quick but playing him in the U23s will be almost impossible, politically, unless he was recovering from injury (e.g. Davenport). It would be a huge embarrassment to all concerned plus, could you imagine Nuttall’s face if you told him he was on the bench for the U23s so Brereton could get some form? Nuttall is going to have to go out on loan to L1 to get the experience he need. Brereton needs something to happen, either a great and plausible excuse to play him in the reserves (albeit they now play against stronger opposition - these are PL team reserves after all) or (God forbid) for Graham to have a spell out. Although I’m nowhere near a fan (yet) Brereton has been unlucky in that Graham is having an Indian Summer in his career, is enjoying his football and bang in form. Importantly, Graham’s style is also integral to how the team performs, and at present the Danny-shaped hole is not looking like being filled by the Ben-shaped piece and some serious work is required to do so. A bit like what Allardyce did to Davies at Bolton all those years ago. Purely and simply we have no option up top to hold the ball up when Graham goes off. £7m doesn’t buy much these days it seems.

£25m for Dack is dreamland. Mowbray won’t be replacing Evans any time soon and he seems to have a loyalty to Smallwood. Building a team with Rothwell at the heart of it doesnt look like happening any time soon. Mowbray has done a great job under difficult circumstances and there is a danger that sentimentality will result in a repeat of the Bowyer situation. We have some good young players - you don’t even mention the likes of Travis and other players knocking on the door, for instance. What this club needsnow is another Souness. Hungry and demanding and willing to put some trust in players that Mowbray seems to view as fringe players. We need a mix and right now we have hard workers and hard workers with Dack the man upon whose shoulders all of the expectation is place. If he is out of form so are Rovers. A player like Rothwell is a good example. He has shown in cameos what he can offer to the team but is sidelined. Meanwhile Brereton has had similar cameos - more even but hasn’t show a great deal at all.

Why would I boo Mahoney? He did the right thing in leaving. Hope he returns one day.

Of course the fee is, and should, be a talking point.

That in itself is damning enough. One of our highest ever signings and he can’t get near the starting XI. In the Championship. Yes, Graham is better and rightly keeping him out but he isn’t even giving the manager a decision to make.

It seems to start off ok but as the game wears on the cracks start to show. You need damned good (and bloody fit) full backs to make it work because of the lack of width. (Laughable that people think that Mahoney should have stayed). As it is, Bell and even Nyambe aren’t good enough other than as proper full backs. And if that’s the plan, you’d probably play Williams instead of Bell.

Smallwood was, and continues to be, selected by Mowbray. You don’t think Brereton had any affect in the game/result? There’s really no way to respond to that. We seem to keep blaming our hardships on ‘individual errors’ but we are seemingly unable to see out a game without scoring three or more goals. If we keep conceding poor goals then we have the wrong personnel at the back - or the wrong tactics. Both are the manager’s responsibility. Lenihan is sadly not good enough for this division and Mulgrew is in the latter stage of his career. Yet we have spent millions on a substitute striker who doesn’t affect games rather than strengthen. Our centre midfield is a pair League One enforcers who can’t do this in the Championship. We have Raya and nobody to even push him, let alone put him under pressure for the jersey. These are the reasons that people become frustrated with the Brereton situation. We have wasted money we don’t have and neglected positions that need strengthening. Individual mistakes will happen but our issues are deeper than that. In 22 games we have conceded 2 or more goals in 10 and have 6 clean sheets, (effectively conceding 33 goals in those 16 games) with -4 GD. We rely on Dack (as does Graham) for goals. Take away him and Mulgrew’s set pieces and we don’t have a lot of goals in the team. Performances are less than convincing and we throw points away with alarming regularity. Fortunately for Mowbray he is under no pressure but that isn’t healthy either. Big January coming up. Acquisitions of Chapman and Gallagher will not impress. In fact, if those are the two we bring in it’s time to sack our scouts.

Under Mowbray that’s four windows right there. Let’s hope we have enough time and Venkys continue to throw money away.

Agreed. Brereton just can’t do what Graham does. He’s looking like a very poor choice right now. Raya cost us with the penalty but although Brum had a lot of the ball, their breakthrough came after Graham went off.

What an awful day that was! If Brereton is the answer then the question must have been ‘what’s the best way to throw away £7m?’. Cold, wet, and pissed off with that today.

Wrap up warm today boys and girls. We had a grassroots game this morning and the wind was bitter. With the rain now falling as well it’ll be a very uncomfortable afternoon. Let’s hope the lads on the pitch give us an exciting performance!

That video cut off the part where it was all Nyambe’s fault. Some captain.

“We’re committed, why aren’t you?” Just messing mate have a good break. A month’s holiday sounds fantastic!

December 86... I was still making Diego Maradona dart board covers.

That would be the club investing in young exciting talent and letting the ‘product’ sell itself. Maybe ‘dig’ is the wrong word but it’s certainly trying to guilt fans, particularly lapsed season ticket holders, into returning. It’s not the first time they’ve done it either. They should try to encourage fans to feel they are “missing out” by not being here rather that “not being loyal or committed enough”. Marketing psychology 101 stuff but it shows how out of touch Waggott is with the fanbase that he chooses this line with Blackburners. “Get your season tickets, back the lads, or you’re not a real fan” - actually that could have been written by...

This is where Rovers really don’t help themselves. They are using this inspirational signing to have a dig at wavering fans for their lack of “commitment”. Waggott hasn’t impressed me one bit since he’s been here. Without Mowbray he would be toast.

Can’t believe he’s still only 28. On paper a solid signing which should help to settle the squad. Not what will take us to the next level but something to build on. 6.5/10 signing.

Let’s not go through all this again... it went really bad last time!!

Keeping it is the right thing. But people need to be reminded now and again not to be dicks. (Me included - before anyone else says it!)

https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/transfer-news/signing-ben-brereton-opportunity-good-1946842 Mowbray on Brereton: "He's six foot three, he can travel with the ball, he can dribble, he can power past people, he can run without it, he can create, he can cross, he can shoot, he can affect football matches.” When, in training? Give the lad a chance, Tony. Especially when Graham is out. Why change formation and tactics to avoid playing him?

It’s as simple as that for me, Rev. No conspiracy, no nefariousness. Just an ill-judged signing, or one where we had to accept some limitations. If he suddenly features more after 1st Jan then there was something in the loan agree. IMHO. What I find odd is that we have first hand experience of the kind of senseless clauses that go into a contract, yet suggest it as a rational and it’s tinfoil hat time. Lest we forget, most people read messageboards for rumour and speculation. Why shouldn’t we speculate?

If we trust Mowbray then the idea that we would rather play no strikers than play our marquee (third highest ever?) signing, a Championship regular at a top half club, for no reason, is equally laughable. Or we have made a very poorly judged signing.

Seriously Joe @Biz, if you are going to keep clicking the laugh button on opinions you disagree with - like a child would - I’m going to start treating you like one and simply stop interacting with you.

Plus add ons you say? This is going to be one hell of an expensive player. Amazing that he isn’t good enough to play then. If you are right then we should and could have spent that money far better then.

I do think he isn’t playing for financial reasons (loan fee). If not then it’s a poor signing because that would mean he isn’t deemed good enough when we have no strikers. From a recruitment score point if view, it sounds like you want it both ways. If £7m shouldn’t be considered a weight, then 750k shouldn’t be considered a bargain. Each signing should be judged on merit. For every Dack or Reed there’s a Gladwin or a Hart.