Gary Bowyer ? Although I will say on that one he was already here whereas Mowbray probably arrived via the channels the rest of them did so it could well be a long stint even if we go nowhere.

I thought TMs India trip was put off in summer ? Sharpe seems to be projecting he went but i'm sure the LT reported that trip was shelved but didn't give a reason.

Anyone can beat anyone on any given day in this league so nothing to fear here they should be up for this and if so we've a chance. Rovers 1 Boro 0 14,593

For all the times he's said there was money to spend but he just hasn't spent it he doesn't half seem to be asking them for investment. So far all he seems to have got is the extra revenue from going up back into this division. That seems to have all been tied up in the new contracts for him and everyone else and probably the yearly instalments for BB. More smoke and mirrors from the V's ?

Yeah wasn't that when Gibson started reinvesting after a few years austerity (steered by Mowbray) and the beginning of the Karanka revolution ? Either way they went from 690 down here to 6900 in the space of about 12 months or so.

Sort that defence out, invest in that a bit and build from the back or we'll go nowhere unless you get serious fire power and try the old you score three but we'll score four routine. As for European scouting I reckon these days it mostly amounts to watching live streams of games on a large screen in a comfy office with the odd foray across water to check out in the flesh someone you might like. Can't be that difficult or expensive to set up you just need a decent calibre of person doing the watching. Let's face it though our forays into European markets haven't gone very well under this lot have they although the previous system was 'agent presents xyz to owner' probably. If they've moved away from that there might be a chance.

I remember the myths supposedly from something a director was once overheard saying but thought it was more down to the club having to fork out bonuses, bigger wages and reconstruct the ground in a time when promotion to top flight didn't bring much more in the way of revenue apart from maybe doubling the crowds if you were lucky. Different kettle of fish these days it's all about money and some might fall by the wayside but the bonuses they'd get for winning promotion plus other stuff triggered in contracts etc would be tempting enough to give it a go and take the risk I reckon. Knowing Rovers and agent influenced ownership a lot would be quids in if they weren't wanted as they'd get paid off their recently extended deals once the percentage boys get in the ears and the revolving door starts again.

It's ridiculous and these lot at Ewood would have every game with a large following at 12 noon if they could despite the fact it nearly always seems to impact the home turnout. Easiest life possible they want whilst wallowing in their comfort zones then moan when people would rather attend match by match than buy a season ticket ! Police say it's Rovers and Rovers say it's the Police ?

Strange bunch Boro one min they are playing the big catchment area sleeping giant card the next they are trotting out the small town impoverished area line. The 6k's here were definitely unique a bit like the massive one we once took up there on that legendary Boxing day. Rest of the time followings have been medium to small for bog standard games. They'd have had a couple of thousand here if it was Sat afternoon in all likelihood, good old live TV strikes again.

We've been down that road god knows how many times, we need some proper defenders to form a proper unit and use some of these as back up. Only way TM or anyone else will cut down on the sloppy goals we concede is a complete change of style going to the pragmatic percentage game where they all go compact and deep just hitting long balls etc, big Sam way basically. We'd still concede and then score bugger all at the other end - Quality, steel and knowhow badly needed in summer. Will it arrive ? Will it balls !

With Raya we have a situation of a novice coaching a novice i'm 100% convinced he'd be a more rounded keeper if John Keeley was still coaching them. As it is he's learning on the job but probably just going through the motions inbetween as where else is he gaining knowledge and in game advice from ?

DG was replaced by Mowbrays 10 million pounds forward line who both their ages added together are barely much more than Danny himself. We should've coped and if they could finish we would have, they linked up well in the first ten mins until Brereton remembered he'd been put on to a be a wide striker then the threat almost vanished. Look a handy potential partnership in that first ten though.

If they are minted and use the club to offset profits from elsewhere being comfortable now losing on the books 10 mill per year then I don't think they'll be that bothered. True the club would prosper with that income if it was used and managed correctly but they are already prosperous beyond what they can spend if some are to be believed so again they might not be that bothered I think that might have been one of the main problems of their time here. They'd certainly get off on the publicity for their business and some egos but again the original plan was exposure for their Venky brand moving into Europe but that's probably been more or less scrapped now.

Agree he needs to go back to the old Mark Hughes and taking a step back at a club like this could be just what he needs and if he did and got us promoted i'd have more faith in him keeping us up than TM. Granted it's a long shot and yes he hasn't managed at this level but I think the old style Hughes would be just the ticket to get out of this division in a season or two because he has a that ruthless streak. Doubt he'd come but you never know his stock must be pretty down at the moment although he'd want to bring his staff and probably want a written guarantee of a big transfer budget.

They did but sadly until last season all the evidence was always 'next level BELOW' .

That's great but it would also be great if he liked a few 'good' players especially when there is a quid or two to spend. Sadly the good ones aren't always the nicest ones and some of the best ones might be a bit nasty. The art is not having too many at once and having big enough balls to manage them.

When you have on the park a back line of Nyambe, Lenihen, Mulgrew and say Williams for experience it should be okay, never great at this level but it should be reasonably reliable and not let in the goals it did. Start having that disrupted for whatever reason and start plugging square gaps with round pegs and you are asking for trouble. The first choice defence is bang average at best in the championship and the back up is almost non existent in terms of being proper defenders. Then we wonder why we have problems.

I'd say the pressure and weight of expectation on him and that side at that time was about a thousand times what it is now.

I agree.......unless there is somehow opportunity to bring in someone of calibre with a backroom team to match although most of those probably wouldn't touch it at the min unless they were guaranteed a big budget in a legal document. You never know unless you try though.

Me neither but if they seriously want the club to move onto the next level that is the pond to be fishing in and if they haven't learned that doing it on the cheap doesn't actually do it and costs more in the long run they ought to clear off right now.

What about leg day ???

Nobody mentioned playing over Dack although he isn't infallible there's times he does sod all and needs hooking. Was more thinking if Dack has a knock that means he needs resting or starting on the bench or Brereton coming on there as a sub and Dack moving elsewhere, which happens anyway. If Dack has had an ineffective game i'd rather him go wide than BB if a change is made but they want to keep him on., he's useless moved up top on his own. Mowbray seems to want to go into experimental mode so it's another option that won't do any harm in trying. If we had a settled side (alien under TM) and were winning i'd say leave it alone but seeing as he'll be looking to justify signing this lad its got to be worth a try.

It's a worrying sign he doesn't acknowledge we do have serious defensive frailties though because whatever the line up, tactics, subs, ref etc etc pish poor defending, lack of concentration, bottle and maybe fitness in the last ten mins have undone us time and time again, even after some good work by the team. Aside from the manager himself that's been a constant theme this season and it needs addressing or as happened under Bowyer the good work will frequently get undone and we'll go nowhere. He needs to address it.

Isn't Mark Hughes available ? If Rovers were serious about next season then id be inclined to be sounding him out about coming in summer. Might sound harsh on Mowbray but football is a ruthless business and Hughes was a great fit for Rovers in a time when there was a bit of limited finance still available. I think his record shows he works better under those circumstances and I think he could be the right man at the right time again particularly when you look at the backroom staff he brings and the emphasis he puts on being fit and organised. TM is creating a good base here but it might take someone else to kick it on unless he gets wise with any investment he might get in summer.

Tyson was a freak of nature he was bench pressing about 200lbs when he was 14 ? Some lads are just like that he'll probably always be slim he'll just have to try and make it work for himself, reminds me a bit of Paul Gallagher and he's still built like a whippet. I get the impression Mowbray doesn't see him playing with Graham yet doesn't see him taking over Grahams role either he seems determined to ruin him by trying to make him a 'wide' striker - he isn't. I'd be inclined to try him in the Dack role and let him play off DG. He can run with the ball before he gets knocked off and he looks lively when he comes inside. Mowbray is missing a trick there as playing off Graham certainly helped Dack find his feet here after a slow start, one player can help make another after all and just think of the free kicks we'd get. No idea whatsoever Mowbray is trying to do with this kid and i'm not sure he has there's certainly no evidence of anything.