Right, it has taken until Tuesday to get my head straight. It is simple, everytime we've played away and a home team has applied a high press and been able to out muscle midfield we've got beat. Ive said it before but Ayala playing means our defence plays at least 10 yards too deep, meaning midfield gets stretched and our forwards get isolated. So long as Ayala plays we are easy to get at.

Why or why did you make it easy for them?

Much like every one:- Why insist playing Ayala when it means we need to defend a minimum of 10 yards further back than when he does not play resulting in the passing across our own penalty box rather than nearer the halfway line?

For those mentioning the Forest fan dyeing in Burnley, let us not forget the Carlisle fan dyeing up at Carlisle when a Rovers fan returned a brick into a crowd of Carlisle fans that had previously been thrown at Rovers fans. Every club has its idiots we can only hope that this match passes off relatively peacefully.

We'll probably end up facing another team in claret n blue

Two wingers with a tall man in the middle and a small one feeding off them.......it could be the future. Full backs and wingers working in tandem so they'd cover each other. Not like todays full backs bombing forward with no cover...again it could work.

I was told Woy was hardly there, as he was teaching on Internatinal coaching courses, which left Faz and TP in charge. Apparently the big name players used to rule the castle apparently saying things like "Weve won the premiership you won Div3 how can you coach me?" Others partied like it was 1999 as Prince used to sing. They were just a couple of years early Most of his signings didn't work. Davies arrived for way too much money, even Woy was horrified at the price but he was again away from the club. Davies also arrived at the club recovering from glandular fever. Perez arrived from France and couldn't settle. Hendry signed a new contract then changed his mind and went to Rangers. Dahlin came with a back injury and never recovered. The football we played at the beginning of his first season was some of the best we;ve seen at Ewood though

Did not see the Blackpool game but Ive not seen anything from Dack to suggest he is nothing but a shadow of his former self.

Agree we won't find out until he has a run of games and I also throw Dolan in with Vale and Hirst being not good enough but Dack Ive seen lacks pace.

Stop living in the past. On what evidence is there that Dack is anywhere close to the player he was?

I still maintain you cant play Szmodics as the third member of a midfield 3 and the other 2 players suffer. If he plays further forward he is fine. Both Morton and Travis struggle as they get overrun as Szmodics does not contribute in this formation. Either play him as a third forward player or not at all. Also still think Ayala plays too deep due to his lack of pace which also stretches our midfield too much.

Am I alone in thinking our team suffers when Ayala plays? Granted he is a good defender but he stiffles the play when we build from the back. Like against Brum use him as a sub later on the game when we under attack. Is it coincidence we win four on the bounce without him and then put in a lethargic performance with him back in?

I think we are just short of numbers in there when we play as a two in there. Most teams now play with a three and we just get outnumbered. Travis in there helps as he is a different type of player so you maybe right but when we play with Travis in a two our midfield is very limited.

Dont get the Gallagher is an average striker at best comment. Play him down the middle we won 4 games on the bounce and the game we are missing him we lose. Granted playing him wide is a waste of a player but down the middle he is a handful for most at this level when his confidence high.

There will be a pile of sawdust on its way

He will be, just once JDT names his team tonight and Hirst is in it.

Mowbray took top two positions. Not only Johnson as a false 9 but Sam Gallagher at right wing back, Thrys Dolan at right wing back or Stephen Pears in goal can all be put in there as managerial master strokes

Struck me as a player with ability but at times tended mentally to switch off and that is why he didnt play at the top level.

Heard from someone during the run in of the premiership winning season that Dalglish wanted out but at the time didn't believe it. He wanted to go back to Liverpool as he felt he had unfinished business there and once the premiership was won the mission at Rovers was accomplished. Same person told me about Shearer wanting out during Euro 96 and we all know what happened after he returned from England duty.

Whatever happened to the World Class Right back that Mowbray feared so much he changed his team and tactics for. He must be a Galactico by now surely?

The division is still too close for us to tell if we are in a false position at present plus we've played a game more than most. Improvements have been made since the start of the season but lets see where we after Christmas and see if Tony has taken his death spiral with him.

JRC got forced to play RB even though he wasn't one. Oddly at the expense of onother youngster, Nyambe.

You can use the two successes but lets not forget others like Raheem Harper or the centre half from Everton. Harper came from West Brom and was younger than our youth players with no experience. With the exception of Buckley, Mowbray had to be forced to pick our youngsters like others have said. He also like to use them as scapegoats withe prime example being Raya.

or they came from another club on loan. If Mowbray had been here this season Garrett would have been at Curzon Ashton not in the first team

I wouldnt be surprised if Roberts gone in Jan, or playing right back. It is the Tony way.