A commanding centre half or keeper who can read the game also helps. One that barks orders and the keep the entire back four or five in position and moves to cover any potential danger of the full back being beaten. Ours just stand and usually mark space instead of anticapting that our full backs are going to get beat.

The simple reason why Rothwell is being overhyped by some is the simple reason that Mowbray has an over relience on the same tried and trusted week in week out rather than search for plan B. With every passing game that the tried and trusted fail the more the idea that playing the likes of Rothwell and the reserves is the solution. The fact that Mowbray has reluctance to search for solutions in the hope that his tried and trusted will come good again is Mowbray's biggest weakness. By the end of the season, in some fans eyes, Rothwell will be better than Messi. The fact that Mowbray said once we have nothing to play for he would try other options has only added to this. He really needs the fans to see that Rothwell can prove Mowbray's doubts wrong or not by giving him a run of games not 10 minutes here or there.

possibility as he plays in no.10 role. A position that Mowbray likes to sign............then play him as Raya's replacement! Seriously though, Powell only if Dack leaves

to be fair, Ben hasn't played for Bury.......?

It isn't because if he gets injured we are well truly f****d.

I dont know about that? Have you seen the Riverside with 10 minutes to go?

Having survived this disastrous run in, Mowbray will have a career defining close season. Does he stick with what he has now or does his refresh his squad and rebuild? Whatever he does he needs to look at his backroom staff as many of the problems he inherited still remain. Players are unfit so fitness coach required. Goalkeeper appears to have gone backwards so is a new keeper coach required? Need I go on? Also he has to look at himself and ask himself where did I get it wrong? If he is being honest he'll be able to give several answers. If he does not look at these and put them right, it does not matter who he clears out or brings in. It will be just a repeat of this season probably with more dire consequences.

I agree that the development squad looks stronger but can you really give praise to Mowbray for that? Surely that is due to the Academy set up which was in place well before he joined. I feel that Saxton was loyal partially through having to due to the financial peril the club was in at the time as the club could not afford to buy but yes I agree that his squad grew stale and we suffered. The seasonwe were relegated the squad was weak for this division but there were worse squads and should of survived which brings us to the present squad. It is fundamentally the same squad with only Bell, Dack, Travis, Armstrong and Smallwood consistently in the starting XI. Bell, according to Radio Lancashire's Fleetwood Reporter, is a full back who is League One at best. Smallwood is Jason Lowe who tackles a bit more. Armstrong has potential but Mowbray does not know how to get the best out of him. Which leaves Travis and Dack as the only two with positive inputs in the team with Travis in the team because he run out of other options. I've not included loan players like Read. The team still makes the same mistakes as two years ago and still look as unfit as two years ago. The team's main weakness then has got worse in that the defensive unit cannot defend so I still cannot see the progress in the first XI as the negatives outweigh the positives contributions that Mowbray has brought to the first XI.

For those arguing it was the number of pieces required to make the shirt you have made a mistake. What about about the sleeves? So we must play in blue n white sixths!

We have scored of a number of corners that Reed puts in. Also missed a fair sitters off them as well.

Wasn't the first three lines of your original post today we had the right tactics and team to beat Rotherham. If they are a quote from someone else then a apologise. Who has sent the only experienced defender who can cover Lenihan for physical presence and stand up to an aerial battle on loan without getting a replacement first to be in a position in the first place leaving him without an option yesterday?

How many goals have we given away through his awful defending? Watch the goals he has scored from corners. If the defender on the front post is doing his job properly he would clear it and we would say what a bloody bad corner that was. Free Kicks I grant you we would miss though.

No we just play Mulgrew as part of the front three. I used to say that when we had Lee Carsley we need rules like Amercian football where they have specialised kicking teams who come on just for kicking. With Carsley you would bring him when we got a penalty and then take him off again. We could do the same for Mulgrew. Seriously Mulgrew scoring from corners is just rank bad defending from the opposition. When Mulgrew has absent how many penalities have been missed? Dropping Mulgrew wont be missed as others think

Not meaning to be critical @Parsonblue but look at the team yesterday but what has changed from two years ago? I know Mowbray says he wants slow change but in these two years there has been minimal changes to formation, tactics and personnel in the first XI. If there were some evidence then I could buy it but I generally can't see any

Why Williams in the centre of a 3? Have you watched Preston? They play with pace up top! Mulgrew will be exposed

Almost as good as Mulgrew/Bell or Mulgrew/Williams?

and yet you adovcate that Coyle is a better manager than Mowbray?

If you know you are going to get a strong physical who play a high physical game you don't play 2 centre halves who don't like physical forwards. If the opposotion don't play football through the middle of the park you dont play two defensive midfielders. If you are going to play against a team with two big strong cart horses you don't play the ball long thinking your centre forward is going to win flick ons. How can anyone say the team or tactics were right @philipl

I know...it was a pi**ed off attempt at humour. People like Chaddy will say his recruitment record is good but take Dack out of it, its poor at best. The fact that his first choice XI is made up of players signed by previous managers says it all.

Bell. I presume you mean Amarii but looking at the position you may mean Norman?

If the past is anything to go by. Williams for Bell and Evans for Travis is my guess. Possibly drop Graham and play Dack as an inverted No.9 seem to be his favourite options

They should make the ref assessor's report public. Have a league table of avg marks for refs. Make them accountable.

Another case of us not learning from past mistakes. He'll now have a twelve month injury.

It appears to me that Mowbray has to be brave enough tostand up and drop Mulgrew first. I know he has offered Lenihan getting injured as an excuse but this is partnered with Mulgrew return from injury. Its time to face facts he is a very poor defender who is good at making players around him look worse than him. Hes a poor captain. I've said a couple of years ago that the one leader in the team is Lenihan. He is the one that organises and communicates but Mulgrew is constantly ball watching should be watching his central defender partner and full back but you never hear or see him shout instructions.

Maybe so but we can't keep masking poor performances behind a poor ref time and time again.