(Replying to Parson) I note that you've neatly swerved my question altogether but thanks for the reply anyway and Happy New Year. ? I'd have to take issue again with you in that the way I read your post, you appear to think that any sort of minor improvement on last year's 15th place finish would be acceptable whereas for me it's nowhere near good enough. Even that however pales into insignificance imo against the shambolic way the squad is shaping up having been under Mowbray's direction for the last 3 years.

What I don't understand Parson is why you seem so accepting of the fact we are rubbish and calmly (but correctly) state we are mid table at best and the signings haven't worked as if that is an acceptable.state of affairs. I seem to recall you were perfectly happy with Gary Bowyer and never wanted him sacked either. Who would you rather have in charge now? I'd say there isn't much in it but if Bowyer (and maybe his Dad Ian) had had the money available Mowbray has had to bring players in then we might have had quite a few more saleable assets than we do now, and things might not look half as bad as they might get for FFP purposes.

Wow. I thought Chaddy were blue and white tinted specs but in terms of groundless optimism that statement takes some beating. I'd like a pint of whatever you're drinking though! ?

I'd rather any money spent this January went on replacing Mowbray and bringing in his replacement as opposed to letting him squander even more money on players he then subsequently will probably only use sparingly if at all. On the pitch we desperately need a decent striker and new keeper imo. So: 1) New manager 2nd equal) New striker and keeper.

Blimey Parson, it's because of Mowbray we'll soon be running into FFP difficulties. It's not some unavoidable unfortunate situation that's been foisted on him.

Spot on and like jim I'm starting to get very irate and the ongoing ineptitude of Mowbray's tenure. I think people are muddying the waters by suggesting Mowbray's only fault is that he chops and changes the team too much. That's true as far as it goes but he's a rank bad manager who can't inspire the team to play with any passion or commitment. A half decent manager would also be able to establish an identity, a pattern or style of play which would enable any squad players or new signings to fit in relatively seamlessly. Not this manager. He's also been at the Club nearly three seasons now and has had ample time to rebuild the squad and give us optimism going forward. Instead potential new signings are looked upon not as players who might improve the team but like aliens from another planet that will only upset or displace players already at the Club. This lack of enthusiasm for bringing in new blood has translated into disastrous transfer dealings with most permanent moves centred around people at the end of their careers or development projects rather than experienced players who will come straight into the team and improve it. I was just thinking the other day about Jacob Davenport. I couldn't remember his name at first as I 've never seen him. Does he even exist? What a joke. Brereton, Chapman and Holtby to name but a few must also be wondering why they bothered joining the Club round about now. As a result what a state we are in. Mowbray has spent 15m on three strikers and there's not much so far to suggest there's a decent one among them. The other option is a player who is completely past it and who should never have been awarded his last new contract. In midfield Mowbray appears to have coached all the life and enthusiasm out of Travis who is turning into a clone of Evans who in turn sails merrily along collecting new contract after new contract whilst all the while barely breaking sweat. The less said about Johnson the better, an overweight Danny Murphy on one final pay day for me. In defence you could argue that our best defenders are on loan and don't belong to us. The insistence on Bennett being shoehorned into the side isomewhere s beyond a joke, surely no-one except the manager and the player himself think that that's a good idea. Despite being desperately short of centre halves our own youngsters like Wharton (in particular) and Magloire cant get a chance and don't get me started on the keeper situation, Mowbray singled out scapegoated and sold an extremely promising up and coming young keeper and replaced him with a big useless lump on loan who is the worst first choice keeper I've seen in 49 years of watching us. Running into severe FFP difficulties and we don't even own our keeper. The whole mess needs someone with a fresh eye, who has no emotional investment in these underachieving players to come in, be ruthless and sort it out. Otherwise we face a fairly swift return to League 1. I don't suppose that what I or those of a similar mind think will make the slightest bit of difference as Mowbray has cleverly made himself bulletproof by installing his mate Waggott as his boss who anecdotally we hear thinks that the manager (and the man who got him his job) is the best thing since sliced bread. There's a surprise. Whoever would have thought it. I do however feel slightly better for venting my spleen.

On the basis that Bowyer wasn't good enough and Lambert came with a huge reputation but flattered to receive, that should tell you all you need to know.

Imo "We might appoint someone worse" is still not a valid argument in favour of keeping a manager you know or believe will fail if he stays on.

Allardyce, Hughes, Pullis, Hughton and Warnock are currently out of work. That's without even considering any up and coming young managers in the lower leagues. Not saying all of the above would come but I would be surprised if one or two of them wouldn't be interested if enough money was on offer.

Because Mowbray has left us in the brown and sticky stuff due to his appalling recruitment and his refusal to offload players that needed offloading. Much like Lambert did when he left us without a single senior striker under contract. The fact that Mowbray has made it harder for any possible successor is not a factor in favour of keeping him though, it's an even stronger reason for getting rid before the situation deteriorates even further.

Your original post was an excellent one, to which I'll respond separately. Imo you are quite right. The hunger jus isn't there. Having got to within touching distance of the play off positions they should have been like lions fed on raw meat before the Wigan game but there was no passion intensity or desire, nothing, prior to the last 20 mins. The game against Brum I thought was even worse when they should have been doubly determined to rectify the wrongs of the Wigan game.

Devil's Advocate mode: Has he made ANY successful signings other than Dack? Harrison Reed maybe, but then he wasted him by playing him out of position as with many others. Also, which players have improved under Mowbray? I think you could make a case that the likes of Raya Nyambe Bell Lenihan Travis Rothwell Brereton Gallagher and Chapman all regressed the longer they have played under TM

Yep, he'd have to spend several months in the under 23's learning to play "the Rovers way" and "hold his position". None of that bursting forward and trying to score goals nonsense.

No offence intended but have you only just worked that one out EIT? Anyone can make a couple of mistakes in the transfer window, you take a gamble on a player and it doesn't come off but what I don't understand is why you would spend £7m on a player and not even give him a chance then spend another 5m on someone who's played here already, demonstrated that he isn't particularly good and shown that he is someone to be avoided on a permanent basis.

Was thinking exactly the same myself jim.

This season is starting to feel like the Lambert season. Poor football yet somehow in contention for a play off place leading up to Christmas before completely playing ourselves out of it over the festive period. We'll never know now if our best player would like then have been sold during the January transfer window but we all know what happened the following season.

Should have been potted last February. Nothing has changed and nothing much will change until he goes.

A keeper would have been my priority before Dack got injured, now I'd say it was a reasonable striker closely followed by a keeper.

Considering how desperate Middlesbrough have been, they are only six points behind us.

Our overall points per game over the last fifty odd games is actually extremely poor, it's just that we seem to be able to string the occasional run of results together which prevents us from falling into the bottom three. The momentum derived from gaining promotion from League 1 ensured we just about had enough in the Bank to survive last year and likewise the recent run before the last three games should mean we have enough in the Bank not to be relegated this time round although without Dack I wouldn't be surprised if thinks look fairly ugly by season end. Either way I think we could and should be looking to do a lot better than Mowbray

True, but if he could hang on long enough to be given another unwarranted new contract, then him and Venus really would be set for life. Probably his last job at a decent level and I get the sense he's trying to eke it out for all it's worth.

Because, obviously, if there is no actual expectation on him to do anything worthwhile, and he can continue to hoodwink the owners and the majority of the fans that the dross we watch every week is all part of some long term masterplan then the greater the likelihood is that he and is mate Venus will be able to continue in their cushy no pressure jobs as opposed to getting sacked for underachievement. As others have said, now Dack has been injured we are likely to pay for Mowbray's complete and utter ineptitude in the transfer market.

Nailed it jim. When was the last time we ever tore the opposition a new one inside the first 20 mins at Ewood? All they're expected to do is muddle through until half time then put a bit of a late spurt in second half to make things look good. Said it a million times before but we'll never ever progress under TM.

And we have a bottom six manager. If Dack isn't replaced with a decent striker who can find the back of the net reasonably consistently, will we win again this season?

Bell for Rothwell is a really bizarre substitution. Are we just trying to hang on for a point from half time onwards? Plus, it's not inconceivable that Downing will run out of gas after 70 mins and also need replacing.