Yes they are in no way proactive just reactive and that's the problem. Manager leaves so it's oh shit we need another, Balaji who have your mates got that are cheaper but better ? Knee jerkers. No real planning and if it is it's Mowbray & Waggot doing it. If he actually wanted to leave he'd probably have the luxury of choosing his replacement.

Nice to see shades of the old AJ there last night and back to his good finishing. Still looks a bit clumsy and vulnerable though after he lets big flurry's go. Pulev is one tough old bird iv'e always thought if the likes of him and Povetkin were in their early 30's they'd be in the mix at the top end. These guys this era are fortunate the best of the rest is old or they can get away with cherry picking still earning big money.

The key is getting most of them fit and available then that should make a significant difference points wise. If it doesn't then it really is time to change but also we can't lose too much ground now either. I think we'll break the top 10 this season but nothing more.

The squad has evolved, the style is evolving but the points are looking like remaining very similar. The same old mistakes and dynamic to plod rather than push hasn't really evolved though either. It's a dilemma and fine lines, i still feel the lack of a proper defensive rebuild and the lack of another striker in the squad with goalscoring nous costs us over a season. We've wanted a winger and more flair for years and now in a young loanee we have it. A good striker who could develop and understanding with him would get a bagful. At the back yet again the ones who'll play the biggest part are still Lenihen and Williams. Both unatural in that position and one mistake ridden whilst the other is falling too bits ! This kind of thing is TMs achilies heel.

He'll bail when they finally start selling players but then again maybe after growing a side until it's ripe to sell his work will be done.

Joshuas dumb comments have really set off the haters it seems half of social media want him to lose. I'd back the old AJ to bust up Pulev in 5 or 6 and finish him off but the new 'Brand AJ' i'm not so sure. Think he might play it safe again and win on points but wouldn't rule out a Pulev shock. Depends what he has in the tank. If AJ comes out swinging i think he'll get ko'd again. Hughie Fury v Wach is an interesting one, decent boxer Fury but rushed and over matched by his pap presumably desperate to earn some big money. Still young but time for him to start stepping up otherwise he'll just be a Euro leveler.

Now is about the time he usually starts changing his early season narrative in a bid to lower expectations. The ones he set and the ones the owners allegedly have. Top 6 will turn to just an improvement on last season and see where we land. Second half triple change today to me smacked of lets keep it a 1-2 and just hope to nick something rather than lets try and turn this around. Very Bowyeresq that and just giving some legs a run and saving others. He just doesn't have a top 6 mentality running through his bones but other than that can't moan too much. We were against a good side, contrived to give them a deflected goal and everything else was pretty standard stuff for this Rovers.

Yes they say that but if the gates were thrown open tomorrow and covid was declared gone how many would pitch up ? How many of these happy fans would stump up their 30 quid or snap up STs to see Tony's revolution for the rest of the season ?

Lost to top side via a rather fortunate goal is the face of it, not the worst performance but one which is pretty standard for us. Sadly it's not good enough to get anywhere and if we aren't praying for Armstrong to pull us out of it we are praying for a few of the missing bods. We shouldn't need to pray all the time though but we still only really perform to a top 6 required standard once every 5 games. Said it before but collectively i just don't think they 'want' it enough. Don't often question the desire and effort under TM but there is something missing. The extra mile and real belief isn't there for anything other than a middle of the road slog. But when you have a manager / directors and seemingly owners happy with that then that's all you'll end up getting.

Yes it IS the defense it really is. Nice of Lenihen to volunteer himself as this seasons liability and until the manager mans up and sorts out the weak links we'll never move more than a baby step forwards.

Nice to see Mowbray thinking what the fans are thinking re Trybull. Needs a kick up the arse because he hasn't really looked vary arsed since he arrived. Bit of an odd signing but presumably just to cover for Evans. I'd be looking to send him back in Jan to be honest and put those wages towards some proper center back cover. God knows we'll need it as the season goes on we can't really be having play off hopes derailed by lacking experienced defenders.

If he'd ever been capable of putting together a good defense we'd definitely be top 6 material.

The leadership on the pitch should be having a word in cases like that. The captain should be telling him to get his head up.

That Tunde is a plonker i knew he was ages ago when Haye started talking him up. That's like Mercer saying 4-1 home banker ! How some of these guys become trainers is a bit questionable at times.

Marginal gains !

Down and across more like.

Ah, maybe home comforts will see us through then !

Rare we get anything down there anyway and i don't see this one being any different. The harsh prospect of a midtable winter begins to set in. 2 - 0 to Norwich.

We are still missing one or probably 2 proper center halves in the squad. We still rely on a converted mid and converted left back half the time. His failure to ever get a real grip on the defence is a real issue for me all he's ever seemed to do is stick a plaster on it. You have to create a real platform there so games like last night have a better chance of a shut out. Such fine lines as a 0-0 is then hailed as a really handy point but we get undone the same way time and again. That for me has been the biggest drawback of his time here, i see Hanley nominated for player of the month. Exactly what we are missing.

Not the Williams to left back cries again surely ? How many times ! It isn't happening he's a centre half and told his manager that's all he is now.

Always going to be an awkward one tonight but still feel we should have got a point. No real fluidity again and we hold ourselves back all too often because of that. Changes don't help but team was still strong enough tonight. Just another of those nights, we'll play the same and win at some points in the season. Far too much reliance on Arm developing now.

A thing that struck me earlier tonight was listening to Lineker and Ferdinand discussing the difference between Liverpool and Man U. Obviously we have nothing like that quality but the points touched on were Solskjer keeps trying different formations and tactics and players whereas Klopp tends to replace like for like and whovever comes in fits his system and knows their jobs. TM alludes to wanting to be like LIverpool but manages the team more like Ole does. Too many tweaks and swaps to ever get any real fluidity and it really shows even more when we are a bit short. Until we come to terms with having a set system and having an entire squad to fit it we'll not progress enough to make it count imo. All this being adaptable is fair enough but do you really need it at this level when you are able to put together a good squad ? Keep it bloody simple and nights like tonight might start yeilding instead of predictable narrow defeats.

Aye it would be no surprise to see 2 of them not finish the game.

Good side that, a lot of changes but can't be helped.

They always find the money for the ex boro lads that's a given. Assombalongo being the exception of course 😂