jim mk2

Most managers either get found out, run out of ideas and / or luck, or run out of money. All of them have a sell-by date - even Wenger. Mowbray lost 10 games in succession IIRC before he got the boot at Coventry. I'd hope our "management" would give him the heave-ho well before then.

This is probably the biggest crisis of Mowbray's time at Rovers. The team selection and tactics look increasingly questionable and worse, the players look disinterested and lacking fight and motivation. In addition, the defence is leaking goals at an alarming rate (always a problem with Mowbray's teams) and the manager seems unable to stop the rot. Mowbray has alot of goodwill among fans but that will soon evaporate if there are any more performances like the fiascos at Preston and Wigan.

Williams was awful in the relegation season. Managers aren't daft - many teams targeted him as a weakness in our defence. His frailties were hidden last season because of the poor opposition but his lack of pace and poor positional sense are being exposed again. He's just one of a number of problems though, not least in central defence. Can we have Duffy and Hanley back please?

Fans would be happier if I had held up his hands and admitted he made a mistake. It's this sort of nonsense that drives a wedge between fans and a manager and is often the prelude to a turn in sentiment against a manager and their eventual departure We're not anywhere near that stage with Mowbray but he's not helping himself by making such a statement "Honest" Tony is being dishonest

Will it be a bounce-back or another abject defeat ? Cook will have Wigan fired up so another opening period like today and it could be another mauling. No excuses - Mowbray has to get it right.

The team selection was mystifying but, just as important, the players weren't up for it from the start. They've had a long break so why weren't they ready and raring to go, like Preston? It's Mowbray's job to motivate them and get them in the right frame of mind but is he too "nice" with them, too much of a father figure they look up to rather a boss they fear? Everyone failed today, the manager and the players, but the responsibility for that farce of a performance rests with the manager.

Bigdogsteel posted a laughing emoticon on this but the team selection and Mowbray's negative mindset pointed to this debacle from the start. Mercer should have learnt by now you make more money betting on a Rovers defeat than victory. It's obvious Rovers aren't good enough to make the top 6 - which is disappointing because the division seems wide open. Lenihan needs to be replaced by a big strong centre half and we still need a quality left back. Wasting £7m on Brereton seems a mystery when there are glaring weaknesses in the team

Two of them play for Ireland - which doesn't count as international standard

You were warned but you thought it was funny

If fans can see it why can't the manager ? Silly team selection. Let 's hope for a comeback

So no centre forward and no one capable of holding up the ball or winning headers from crosses or clearances. Sounds like a backs-to-the-wall job for 90 minutes

Gut feeling says another Bristol City / Swansea today. North End in good form and our leaky defence won't be able to cope. 3-1 defeat

Ipswich fans forced out a perfectly decent manager in Mick McCarthy because they thought they could do better. They deserve relegation.

Bet365 boss Denise Coates paid herself £265 million this year (news item this week). I presume £264 million of it was your losing bets.

Could someone ask Coar what he does exactly?

Don't encourage the club - Sky blue is Man City, not Rovers. Change it back please

It's a rip off, antagonises fans and causes ill feeling towards the club. The amount isn't the issue for most (though £3 is alot to many people in these days of low wages and food banks) but the principle of unnecessary charging is important. The club should drop it asap.

Are you serious ? Travelling by train is often the only alternative for London commuters and other big cities but around the rest of the country most people vote with their feet (and pockets) and use the car. I don't want to book online in advance and eye wateringly high rail fares deter me from making many last-minute journeys, and because the roads are so crowded, I often don't travel at all. The comparison is valid because Rovers fans, like rail travellers, do not like the feeling they are being ripped off .

Same as walk on fares on the railways - they make it more expensive. The trouble is, it it deters people from travelling at the last minute and encourages them to seek alternatives, and in the case of Rovers, staying at home instead of going to watch the match. Makes no sense to me.

As a shareholder in Labrokes I love mug punters All your Rovers betting losses will be coming to me in the form of share price gains and dividends. Thank you

How can you afford to have a family when you lose so much money betting on Rovers ? A monkey sticking a pin on a paper gets more results right than you.

What agenda did thd Times reporter who interviewed Hoddle have? Hoddle came out with his remark out of the blue during the course of the interview.

Reporters doing their jobs. England manager coming out with controversial, offensive statements is news - big news. Where's the hypocrisy ?

How can saying this sort of stuff be in any way "acceptable"? This is about basic decency, not free speech. Laws in developed nations need tightening so people like him end up in court.

Agreed. Hoddle's remarks were offensive and inappropriate for his position. It shows the sort of bubble footballers exist in if he thought he could make those comments and there not be repercussions. Hoddle knew he was talking to a journalist from a leading newspaper and his "thoughts" would be transmitted around the world - why did he not just stick to his brief as England manager ?