And Mowbray had Gary Pallister alongside him who is a similar age.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/18278184.mowbray-opted-nyambe-centre-half-rovers/ It's a good thing Mowbray wasn't the manager when Phil Jones made his debut against the likes of Drogba. In my view it's another load of twaddle from Mowbray (and he actually had Carter on the bench at Charlton and Brentford). Edit: Just checked and he made his Middlesbrough debut at 19 and was captain at 22.

This probably explains it. https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/football-news/blackburn-rovers-bame-community-relationship-17576954

All defenders?

We will be looking to revamp our squad with up to eight players during what will be Mowbrays seventh transfer window. Where is the succession planning?

Your memory is correct Lenny but she referred to them as lease players rather than loans. I remember it because it was strange terminology but, given the Rao's naivete around football I felt it was a line fed to them by one of the many pariahs they employed and relied on.

Whilst you are right with your first sentence (as was Mowbray) I don't think anybody thought that 60% of our first choice defence would be loans. In anybody's book it's not healthy and smacks of a lack of succession planning. We are better defensively, without doubt but in the summer we are pretty much starting from scratch again from a defensive point of view. Do you think that's a healthy situation for a club with supposed ambition?

At the supporters meeting he was asked about the 'defenders are coming' comment and he said that defenders did come. Whilst that happened it's stretching the truth somewhat as the three that came are all on loan and reading between the lines he doesn't inspire me to believe they will be back either on loan or permanent. I terms of improving the squad we will be in the same position this summer as we were last summer.

Your post emphasises the unfathomable decision not to include Carter on the bench in Saturday. Should there have been an injury to Nyambe or Tosin on Saturday just who would have dropped into centre back. Carter was deemed able enough to be on the bench at Charlton and Brentford but not at home to Swansea. Instead we had a plethora of attacking players which, in my book left us really vulnerable.

If we are sending players off for that then the game is in a worse state than I thought. It's a collision as Walton got there marginally before the Swansea player. If people think that's a red card offence I'd be keen to know what they thought of Johnson's challenge. I thought the referee was decent on Saturday. He was generally consistent with his cautions.

No need mate. Although I don't always agree with your posts you are consistent with your points and debate them well.

I can accept that as frustrating but it doesn't come across well to other posters.

I never even mentioned anything like that. My point was to give credit to the staff for player development as several of them have themselves. Of course Mowbray plays a part in the process. The drama of the first two words do you no favours either.

That emphasises my point that praising Mowbray alone for any upturns in players form and development isn't true. It seems that several players hold Johnson in high esteem and give him credit for their improvements.

I saw a recent interview with Nyambe where he heaped praise on Damien Johnson for his work with him.

Nyambe is finally showing what many of us thought he had but giving Mowbray praise for this is debatable. He has had him on the bench for big chunks of this season preferring to play Bennett. One of the criticisms of Nyambe was his lack of penetration going forward as his preference was sideways or backwards. Another was a perceived lack of confidence. These two issues only seem to have been addressed in the last couple of months. Mowbray has been here three years. To say he has been managed fantastically well is really pushing it.

It has but I think today it was almost like there had been no or little attempt to get it flat. The bobbles were evident in the warm up.

I could well be in a minority but I thought we were bang average today with so many misplaced and over/under hit passes. There seemed to be a real lack of urgency from some players mixed with lethargy. The conditions didn't help the game but the pitch seemed to be bobbly and uneven. I wondered if this was deliberate to stop Swansea playing their passing game.

I haven't a clue what the score will be but surely Mowbray has to realise that our best chance of winning is by playing a balanced team with players in the positions in which they are strongest. On Tuesday the balance wasn't right. Personally I would play Carter at centre half and leave Nyambe at full back. I'm sure Mowbray won't do that though.

Stoke were good defensively last night but have conceded 53 goals this season although O'Neill looks to have them better organised. The truth is though that we just weren't inventive enough to break them down. The plan seemed to revolve around getting the ball to our full backs and get crosses in. Far to predictable and quite easy to set up against.

Normally I would agree about Rothwell but having been out for a month I thought he wasn't ready to start. I was surprised when I saw the team.

A friend on the bus back home mentioned the lack of X factor and I think that was the nail on the head. We were predictable and sometimes ponderous in possession and in all honesty Stoke were never really stretched. I couldn't understand the selections of Gallagher and Rothwell over Buckley and Samuel. The pace of Samuel has been a feature of the last few games and Mowbrays 'fish out of water' selection policy didn't he'll us on the night. Losing Lenihan is a blow but I would throw Hayden Carter in.

I think this could be one of the toughest home matches of the season so far. I can't help thinking back to late December when we had, in many people's beliefs, two comfortable home games on the back of some good results and form. In my view we are in exactly the same position now and if the players aren't at it the results could well be the same. Over confidence can be as bad as a lack of confidence sometimes.

The keeper can't pick up the ball direct from a throw in.

Was there any indication of when it was Stuart? I love photographs like this. There is an authenticity and honesty to them.