Iv'e said this a dozen times but Tony Mowbray has one of the best jobs in football and he knows it.  If you know how to play these owners you're secure never mind all this basket case behind the scenes rollox. 

They want the least fuss possible and this regime provides it in spades just wait till the sales start they'll be building a statue of him at Pune towers ?

Just now, simongarnerisgod said:

if we somehow manage to get promoted(highly unlikely but strangely possible)i hope uncle tony does`nt go to far on the sentiment front,can`t imagine any of the current squad bar lenihan and travis coping with top flight football?

They'd be grateful for the double your money 3 years contracts he might bestow on them though ?

1 hour ago, Scotland1 said:

Hope we get stuck into Wigan more this time we were constantly out battled and out thought at Xmas. 

We owe them a pasting, used to like Wigan but the disgraceful way there fans went on after Dacks injury changed that for me.

They are a team who nearly always out bullies us for some reason, maybe they just get more fired up for it than us. Sick of the number of times we've been rolled over there down the years by them being stronger in the tackles etc.

Maybe them having no fans behind them in this will help us.

1 hour ago, Damien said:

I think I read somewhere that he just wanted to keep the group together. I don’t think he kept them around to play. I know some of you will hate that and I understand why. However, I think it shows the class of the man to want to keep the squad together until the end of the season. 
I could imagine if some players had left before the conclusion of the season, it could adversely affect squad morale. 
Better to keep the group together and then say farewell properly. 
 

That’s my understanding of the situation.

I can think of a list of successful managers who wouldn't do it like that but first and foremost Mowbray is a players man.  

However there is a real danger that the situation extends itself and 'keeping morale up' ends in fresh deals for those he's keeping around. There is youth in the squad to cover positions so an opportunity to cut deadwood and save that money should betaken when it presents itself. Those few names mentioned are very unlikely to play any part this is a similar to the Gladwin situation without the injury. 

Looking after the boys but that's the way he works so that's the way it is.

Be very prepared though for a name on a free to pop up who might freshen the squad up a bit in summer only for us to be told there's no spare change in the pot to do it !

1 hour ago, JoeH said:

Yup. It is certainly frustrating that almost all of TM's "long term" targets never end up playing at Ewood Park in blue and white. 99% of the time we get very left-field deals that actually cross the line. In Stewart Downing's case, a great piece of business, in Ben Brereton's case, a poor piece of business.

We've supposedly had interest in this Kamil Jozwiak at Lech Poznan for well over a year now. Well now he's had the season of his life in the Polish league and every Championship club under the sun is linked with him, as well as some interest from soon to be Premier League club Leeds United.

It's so frustrating to see us miss out on deals because we haven't been proactive enough. I don't think anyone was so gutted about missing out on Bauer that it made anyone lose sleep, but it is a trend that worries many, we can't lock down long term targets.

I think there's been a policy of throwing around some decent names and registering an interest knowing it's highly unlikely we'll get them.  Creates the scenario that we are actively chasing good targets whilst providing a bit of cloak and dagger to line up something else that might not be as interesting.

Also keeps your name in the hat should one of the big targets suddenly become available cheaper or drop his wage demands - then we might become genuinely interested.  

I think the Bauer farce kind of showed this up - sniffing around him for ages, finally becomes available so try and land him as cheap back up. He says no so tell everyone his wage demands are ridiculous whilst in reality you've now decided to put your money elsewhere. Then he signs for modest paying direct competition and blows your illusion out the water.

If there's a decent money deal to be done it'll always be done via one of the usual friends via friends route here imo.

46 minutes ago, AJW said:

Maybe I’m old fashioned but I don’t see a problem with a manager telling a player he’s not going to be an automatic choice , If the likes of Bauer and McLoughlin only want to go to teams we’re they are comfortable and not under any pressure to perform so be it , I would rather have players with a determination to get into 1st team and then strive to stay there 

I doubt Alex Neil hands out those kind of guarantees but telling a player i see you as a starter as long as you are fit and earning that spot isn't really giving him an automatic comfort zone.  Telling him i'm signing you as back up ( to an about to be converted left back ) or an ageing international who was dropped at the end of the previous season for poor form, isn't exactly selling the move.

Bauer been a good signing at North End and they are on a par with us at present and he's theirs.

15 minutes ago, JHRover said:

No deals will be done for external players because Waggott and Mowbray will not have the authority until India has assessed and approved the next budget.

That won't happen until they go to India which won't happen until the season is finished and Venkys are willing to meet. If we get in the play offs another 3 weeks or more could be added by which time we will have lost any initiative or advantage over rivals.

Same old despite freak circumstances.

God help us if we did get promoted having to recruit for the Premier League with so little time.

I want to remain loyal to these lads who've got us promoted, some of them have now done it twice - TM 

We can lease players - Mrs D

It's the future iv'e tasted it.

3 hours ago, JacknOry said:

Sickening really. neither even made the bench when we could have 44 players on it. Hart I can perhaps understand as he is young, cheap and might well be needed as cover at LB. 

Smallwood will be on a decent wedge and has not featured all season while he sees out his contract. He is now given an extension when he is highly unlikely to feature. That is a punch in the face when ST holders have their heartstrings pulled by the club. 

Nice lad, good to have around the place, helps with the bibs and cones.  Worth keeping around on 5-10 grand a week till he gets fixed up surely ?

After all it's not their money ?

4 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

A manager makes all the difference in the Championship, as there’s usually very little between teams.

He knows the job and it is fairly obvious he has excellent relationships with the players, which is probably more important than ever in the modern game.

I think he does quite well to rinse what he does out of most of them to be fair and they clearly play for him. I think it's easy at this level and the types of players it contains to get into just going through the motions and just doing enough.  Iron that out out and with a decent group you might get somewhere.

A lot of his chopping and changing is probably to try and avert those comfort zones developing in the team as well as keeping harmony. Still needs that extra bit though to go places and that's were spending your transfer budget really wisely comes in.  A lot of work to do on that one from what we've seen.

I can really see the keeper next year ending up being the Canadian or another brought in in desperation who's a step down from Walton.

Hands might end up tied now because of new circumstances but it's another example of piss poor planning sadly.

Lockdown gave time for reflection and it has to be said he's a good steady manager at this level who has a habit of pulling out the stops when backs are to the wall.

Also has a bad habit(s) of contributing to undoing some of his good work and his use of large transfer fees is truly bad.

Overall though got to be a B- grade for me up to this point.

We usually come back down to earth with a bump here so i expect this to be no different.  Also expect the tombola to be spinning beforehand.

Wigan   2    Rovers   1

Then again if they fly a banner over 'Pies lives matter'  we might dick them 5 nowt !

I think hands were tied in the case of Lowe whoever managed us he was going to be first on the team sheet if fit. 3 managers all the same when it came to him they just had to shoe him in somewhere despite at times having better options. And of course we know who set that ball rolling !

I never for a min bought the 'they all rated him' line there was more to it than that. The state of his career once he'd left here showed the real thoughts on him once out of his rovers comfort zone.

1 hour ago, Blue blood said:

I think James was terrible too. I know the media had an image of him which didn't help but from what I saw away from the hype he still looked pretty poor to me. England went from having a raft of great keepers of the Seaman, Martyn and Flowers era to a long period of absolute duffers. Not sure why this is really. 

Just shows what a hype job Hart is when the likes of James is better.

4 hours ago, Blue blood said:

I think you are right he will get a heck of a shock. I get the impression (it could be wrong) that he still sees himself as an international class keeper who has had a bit of bad luck and is unfairly treated. As it is he is a bang average keeper who was never as good as he thought he was. This is evidenced by 3 failed spells away from the protection and prowess of a super talented and rich City team. He's now second choice at a very mediocre Premiership club which should give him a clue as to his level. Whether he picks up on that is another story. 

That said a bang average premier league-ish back up keeper is a hell of a lot better than anything else we have had in a while. 

 

I honestly think James was a far better keeper than Hart. He had his fair share of ups and downs but had more about him.

Some thinking Hart will end up at Boro so if there's a Boro connection there TM might be sniffing around. With the way things might go though Hart will be in for a shock next time he asks for a wage.

Cardboard cut outs every bit as cringey as the giant Mowbray flag being waved in from of the cameras. Or even the chicken munching advert, it just sums the club up under this lot some things will never change there will always be an element of the ridiculous.

Just those comfy at the club buttering up their paymasters knowing Vs probably love that kind of thing. 

By the way i notice there's 6 of them now.

No sentiment with Hart though no keeping him around whilst he gets fixed up, is good to have about the place, is a nice lad etc etc.

Times up, thanks all the best in the future. 

Proper management. 

33 minutes ago, rigger said:

Leeds and West Brom might have something to say about that.

Only 7 points separate them and 3rd place Fulham though.

4 hours ago, Crimpshrine said:

Just thinking back to the first match of the season and a home defeat to Charlton. All seemed doom and gloom.

Considering we haven't really set the world alight this season we are in an amazingly good position after the first match of the restarted campaign. Genuine hope building up some confidence for the final push.

I presume most people watched on Ifollow. I used the traditional method and listened to Radio Lancs. Andy Bayes mentioned that Brereton looked to have beefed up a bit and looked stronger for it.

Kevin Gallacher replied with a comment I am still trying to unravel. He said "name me nobody who has not gained weight during the lockdown". Class commentary.

Division was there for the taking this season.

1 hour ago, Darrenbot said:

Regarding Mowbray subs,maybe the long layoff has had him think F*** it i'm going to go for it from now on,what is there to lose

If only.

Think it's just more down to him getting mins on the pitch for as many as poss as quick as poss.

Getting them back into it.

5 minutes ago, neophox said:

Think BCD will suit us...to much nerves otherwise with crowd...

Home record kind of disproves that.

If they shape therselves at Ewood they get the crowd behind them, simple really.

If they can find their way from India or it's the UK based branch of the family then what better time to come and watch what they pay for !

2 hours ago, Sparks Rover said:

I wouldn't put Samuel in Smallwood bracket. Persinally think theres a player in there and we should be getting more out of him if fully fit. (However,  i have little confidence in our coaches gettting him to peak form and fitness)

He's just another dud striker for me there just isn't the potential goals in him.

If he put himself about a bit more there's a target man role. That type is desperately needed in squads in this div. Sadly although the has the tools for that I don't think he has the desire for the graft involved. 

Sentiment again getting in the way I feel.

They might provide the same budget as last season which would be fair of them given the circumstances. However a large chunk would probably be instantly swallowed up by the losses/borrowings and wages deferred to cover this period.

Then we are into making the best of what we have territory and that's where i worry with this manager and his over loyalty. Personally i think he'd like nothing more than keeping hold of the likes of Smallwood, Samuel etc as you were rather than the hassle of replacing them. We could do without but again that would mean more youth instead and i'm not sure he'd like that risk either.