That's the deeply frustrating side of it with and why we'd be better off now with him gone.

Something else thats been a bit of a dying art that, take those gambles.

Holtby when fit and the rest of the team give him the platform is the new Championship Tugay. The king is dead, long live the king !

Excellent stuff tonight Mowbray got it spot on and the boys delivered, one of our Dr Jekyll performances again thankfully. Outplayed them and bullied them with the ball so they resorted to the nasty stuff the tossers. Strangely subdued performance from them but we'll take it. Waited a long time to see us dick them there. Stuff it up ya you tinpot knobends !

The famous HT team talk 0-1 up away v 10. Go after them and kill it off ? Sit back let them come on then try and exploit the space ? Shut up shop protect the lead, a draw would be a point ? I'd be option A, TM is likely to go option B so he needs Downing on to exploit that space. Option C would be a joke but we've seen it all before !

We're on 5 defeats already and with a couple of exceptions - Preston above Hudds below - i think you have to go to about 19th place to see teams with more. It's not even the end of November yet so whilst i'm not saying the alarm should be sounding a few lightbulbs should be going on somewhere. If there's the continued lack or urgency on the pitch that's all too often plagued this regime i think those in Pune need to be getting on the blower.

They have experience of it which is good but that doesn't mean they are leaders and scrappers. That's what we badly need and besides i'm not sure loanees will be high up in the Ewood dressing room pecking order. The whole squad needs it drilling into them that we need to fight as scrape for as many wins as possible as soon as possible. Here the attitude seems to be just amble on if you don't get it today you might get it tomorrow. There is no tomorrow there's only today, 1 game at a time !!!

Bull headed winning mentality being drilled into the team by sounds of it ? Don't worry that'll be next season

We'll take it though !

It's not the vibrant front foot pressing style he began talking up in summer though we are straight back to sit back and possession based stuff. Obviously availability might affect that and it is a difficult tactic to employ every game twice a week but some teams manage it, Only really Travis missing affects it in midfield because in the others he's collected don't have that intensity. He's always expected his full backs to do the work and try and provide the quality yet never really recruited for that purpose. So in essence to me he is over cautious 80% of the time because add into that he alters for the opposition as well. He's gone to Luton and decided not to go after them.

He's a good solid manager nothing more nothing less but there are vital ingredients still missing. In truth promotion (and relegation) aside he's not really done anything the inexperienced Gary Bowyer didn't do. Apart from fill up the infracstructure with his mates,spend millions on single players and increas running costs again of course. Squad is similar strength wise arguably apart from a Rhodes, style is still bland and over cautious most of the time still. We have the tools to be challenging towards the top 6 but still look a million miles away. So not much has changed from 5 years ago really but of course we have to consider the intervening years. TM has had to build it back to that after taking over a mess although we probably arrived at that point over a year ago. Which brings me to what is really the remit here and why does he never seen under any urgency to push it on at all ? He could well have a job for life here.

There is a fair old set of areas for them to draw from should they ever become established in the promised land. Lancaster, Morcambe, Kendall and all surrounding areas just a hop and skip down the A6 or M6.

Top 6 before his 60th ?

Yes sleeping giant syndrome that's a good one for them iv'e heard it a few times, like a mini Sunderland are Preston. If we did what Rovers did we'd be getting 30k plus every game. Massive catchment area, biggest team in Lancashire a real sleep giant not like Rovers or Bolton ! Comatose dwarf more like.

Yes the budget comparers tend to blank out that when the boot is on the other foot although i'm not a big believer in it for one off games anyway. Like you say 11 v 11 and it often comes down to who wants it most and who is prepared to go the extra mile as often as they can not just when the backs are against the wall. It's clearly evident at Ewood how comfortable everything is when there are viable excuses to hide behind before a ball is even kicked. After a two week break they should be champing at the bit lets get down there get 3 points in that bag if possible. No lets go and tip tap about instead a draw is a draw and if we lose well it's down to covid and injuries. Shrug the shoulders, that's life. Can't stand that attitude although i don't expect to win every game i expect those selected to have a real good go. They'll need to up the ante against the knobbers that's for sure.

That's one of the regular patterns when we sit off too long we struggle to get anything going attack wise and then predictably at some point we concede a poor one. Lenihen has taken over from Mulgrew as being the chief culprit of that, then we have to get back into and when we do we rarely take games late on. Usually after the standard subs and juggling about leave even less balance on the pitch. When we go at teams early and press using a higher tempo if we get in front we go on and wallop them. Don't understand why that can't be in evidence at places like Luton away. Are we really just flat track bullies or is there more to it. like as you've said too much fearing certain opponents and too much over cooking the team instead of the emphasis being on encouraging them to do what they are good at ?

How many times do we concede straight after a sub though it's like another ingrained weakness. Good thing is we often jump straight back into it but for me we are too lethargic too often. Shouldn't take conceding to get some urgency going.

And last season it was 'missing Dack, Evans, Cunningham etc' as the standard excuses. There is enough in this squad still to fashion a team to get results in games like today and previous ones. Whoever is in we still have all too often the same poor patterns of play, same mistakes by the same people who are often the 1st on the team sheet and worst of all the lack tempo and having a go. In short it's the same old same old, all clubs have to roll with the punches but we always seem to ready with the standard excuses. As others have said fine if you want to settle for midtable again but no good if you are set on going places. The vibe again is the former not the latter but there's always next week and the week after and all that. We have good absentees but the squad is there now, is it being used correctly even in times of difficulty ? I'm not so sure.

Venkys don't usually know what's happening until it has happened so no different here imo. They'll realize in a year or two then either just ignore it and carry on or do something depending on who's advising what.

I think circumstances have forced it a bit recently but funny you should flag up Southgate. My mate said the other night how there were many similarities with Mowbray not least the underwhelming Boro stints. Southgates demeanor is that of a world weary going through the motions guy way before its time.

Yes that's the problem when you have to put in two defensive type mids.

Have to say what iv'e seen and heard of Trybul so far he's like a poorer version of Evans. I guess that's why he's here though so they can continue to carry Corry through his injuries and International career. Yet another that Mowbray has an umbilical chord attached to by the looks of it.

i think we've been over it a few times but imo they are happy to tread water and buy into his and Swaggo's spiel. Easy life for them now after years of turmoil all they have to do is sign the cheques. Promotion is but a mere bonus that may or may not just materialize whilst marginal gains and squad value take priority. We are in for years of this i reckon and like everything else with them they'll do something when it's least expected. Because it'll suit them to do so for whatever reason.

Massive difference his presence seems to hold it together at the back.

Abysmal ref but lets not hide everything behind that it was another water treading performance. Plus side is we used to lose those.