Why would he kick off that a direct rival for his position has been loaned out?

The most important thing is to get into the next round which we did and in the end, in convincing and entertaining style. Not sure why people have to start implying that any Rovers fan was in anyway unhappy because they couldnt complain, but that seems to be a desperate and depressing growing trend. It wasnt too dissimilar to the pattern of games across recent weeks and months, albeit against poorer and quickly tiring opposition, we created more chances, we were more ruthless and could have had 7 or 8. Defensively there is still plenty to worry about and the style we play creates further issues in that regard. Some of the interplay further forward especially as Cambridge tired however was a joy to watch. Szmodics this season has been outstanding and his hat trick was very impressive. Tomasson has been restricted with a small squad but again missed a clear opportunity to wrap our main man in cotton wool for at least half an hour, didnt and he was struggling at the end. Hes not the type to play with the handbrake on and I just hope he is fine. He should have also been taken off at Southampton and was injured the following week, if he isnt injured then he quite possibly will be soon and Tomasson would have fingers pointed at him for not taking good chances to rest him. Sigurdsson is a strange player, lots of half hearted flicks but he is the only one to really release any of the goalscoring burden from Szmodics because he himself offers a goal threat and picks up good goalscoring positions. Its a shame we only added a year on his contract and might have to sell in the summer. The striking situation remains something we must address ASAP. Telalovic is a clumsy player, he held it up well at times but he doesnt look like scoring. Gallagher seems a shoe in to start as soon as he returns to fitness.

The fans at Sunderland fron what Ive seen dont seem overly keen that hes gone. He wasnt the man to take us forward here anymore but he still did a good job. Mind you, nobody could take us forward now because of said owners. He did a good job at Sunderland too.

He probably is an attractive proposition because he is clearly capable of doing a good if unspectacular job at this level, with his most recent 2 seasons at this level leading to a recently promoted team making the play offs and a team who had just sold its best player and reinvested nothing to one place outside the play offs. Obviously not factoring in a weird hatred partially driven by wanting to deflect any blame away from Venkys.

You (and not in isolation) keep saying that Travis isnt starting in our best 11. One of our biggest if not the biggest issues on the field is how thin and flimsy the squad is. Travis is comfortably our third best central midfielder, has been a regular in teams finishing 8th and 7th and has now gone to 2nd. Garrett isnt comparable, just cheaper. Rankin Costello is needed at full back, he is miles better than Brittain and if he did move, then we have one right back only. Its another area now that we look flimsy in. Its also a further blow in reducing the pitiful lack of experience in the squad.

Travis leaving undoubtedly weakens the squad. People say rightly that Tronstad and Wharton are our main 2. But we need more than a first 11, thats been a big issue all season, and Travis is clearly 3rd in line, or should be. Garrett isnt as good, but he is on a lower wage, Travis' wage was touched on as Tomasson discussed his exit. Our squad becomes thinner in that area, less experienced and more of a soft touch. This young lad coming in I think further adds weight to the idea that now under Venkys, we sign what we can not what we need. We need a striker and a quick winger. Weve got seemingly another lightweight number 10, maybe at a push can play elsewhere, similar to Moran. Not what is needed, before factoring in a failed spell at Coventry. People keep talking about 1 player replacing another player. We need a bigger squad, not just a reshuffle with the same numbers.

We need those 3 players but we couldnt afford to then lose 2, we need them 3 on top.

Its one thing having a bench with even 1 or 2 kids on. We basically had a bench of just Hill and Leonard, and even the latter is a kid. Sunderland do have absentees themselves, Pritchard, Evans, Alese are 3 off the top of my head. But we are going off on a tangent anyway. Youve assumed we will sign players which is a total unknown. And if we do, theyll likely be more kids on loan, so doesnt solve the experience issue. But even if we do and those 4 come back, we are unlikely to not have other injuries throughout the second half of the season. Our current team will be prone to breaking down, Pickering and Szmodics already are seemingly at breaking point. And we still have a small squad even compared to the last 2 seasons, so even if you move those minutes across, its still going to stretch the squad. Quality wise, it does say a lot that Dolan, Hedges and Gallagher are so desperately needed to come back, attackers who have fallen short in previous years, but I do agree they are.

Im not having that any club in this league is 7 injuries away from a bench like that. Ive still not seen why our even thinner and younger squad will follow a pattern contrary to that of the previous 2 years and not struggle to last the pace over 46 games, with results tailing off towards the end.

They wouldnt have a bench as weak as ours. It was a sub keeper with no league experience, one defender, a young striker playing his first proper season, Markanday who couldnt get a game for Aberdeen and Tomasson is clearly very reluctant to use, and then beyond that, none of the other subs would have ever come on yesterday regardless of circumstances. But again, the conversation was about where we will finish. My point was that we have had a small squad in the last 2 seasons and our seasons both had significant declines in the final months. With an even smaller squad, compounded by added injuries due to fatigue, and even less experience and guidance, I cant see how a similar path will be avoided.

That will partly be down to being overly reliant on players to keep going again. But surely more injuries reducing the squad further only increases the likelihood of a second half of the season dip? I certainly have never suggested its a relegation squad, obviously not. The strength in depth is one of the worst in the league, our bench at the moment will probably be the worst in the league, but our first 15-16 players are obviously well above that.

Its really hard to judge performance because its clearly a downgrade on the last 2 seasons but equally the squad more than ever is lacking depth, quality and experience. The home record and the record for v against late in games is piss poor. Recruitment has been a very mixed bag on a pitiful budget. As mentioned above, Tronstad stands out as an excellent signing. Hill has been pretty good, dont think he makes our best 11 but a good signing. Moran a mixed bag, tidy but lightweight and often ineffective, certainly not what we needed and like Hill regularly played out of position. Sigurdsson is a useful albeit inconsistent pick up, Wahlstedt has ability but huge weak areas and the 2 forwards speak for themselves. The managers performance is difficult to fully judge because there are definitely signs of a style but results arent great. But he has been dealt such a bad hand that much of that is out of his hands. Im not convinced based on his job here, due mainly to those external reasons, that he has definitely done enough to get a "top 5 league" job as people have assumed before. But he is better off away from here because he is above where we are as a club with these owners.

The thing is, in the last 2 seasons we have had small squads, albeit bigger than this seasons. So its all well and good saying we have spent a good proportion of the first half of the season in the top half, but we have evidence that our small squad struggles to last the pace of a full season and falls off in the last few months. That could be exacerbated with an even smaller squad.

The thing is, people often say "when everyone is fit" but the likelihood of any spell without injuries is unlikely, so when they come back, we might have a few out elsewhere. It has felt like some bad luck on the injury front but when you have a small squad to begin with, the added physical strain can lead to further injuries and by the time the physio room starts to clear up the strain on the current 11 might lead to a few issues. Im not saying we cant get into the top half but I think play offs are certainly a pipe dream. Im also sick of the "played well" but lost narrative after a home game. We have lost 7 at home I think and I feel like after most weve said how well we played for x minutes. When a pattern develops you maybe think it wont suddenly change. The lack of experience and numbers is killing us.

There was certainly a lot of frustration and annoyance in the second half of that last season and also at a point during the season prior to covid. He was also lucky that his worst season here was behind closed doors. I have never sensed at all anything that suggests that people around me are in any way pining for Mowbray back or are dissatisfied with Tomasson.

Gelhardt has ability but is not what we need, we need a number 9 and a winger first. Probably Nixon hedging his bets. Or maybe Broughton is scrambling for the Mowbray transfer list again?

I personally wouldnt agree that the fans around me anyway were overly protective of Mowbray and comparatively harsh towards Tomasson, more the opposite. So maybe it depends on location.

Even if Wahlstedt is absolved of spilling the ball centrally for the second, he is at fault for his weak punch.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/24009906.blackburn-rovers-ratings-adam-wharton-runs-show/ I think the current reporter is not the best and these ratings are very high. You would think we strolled to a 4 nil win. Moran and Sigurdsson were both quiet, not sure how that warrants a 7. A goalkeeper making 2 goal costing errors doesnt warrant a 6 even after making an excellent save. Wharton was fantastic but not sure a perfect score is quite right.

Is there anyone on his back? Depends how you define it I guess. Any criticism on here in isolation even if it was lacking perspective doesnt equate to being on his back IMO. Full support for all players at the ground and thats all that matters. Dont like this common implication that the players are having to deal with not having the full support of the fanbase.

Wharton was limping badly at the end. I really hope he is ok because he is both crucial and also he stands out like a sore thumb. So pleasing on the eye and effective with it.

I just think you seem particularly and bizarrely focused on criticising the fans today. This is a place just like talking down the pub and even if they are young, if they arent up to it one day (or in general) then they will receive criticism, and if they are (or if they are freaks of nature like Adam Wharton, what a joke he is) then they will be praised. Its a difficult one because obviously people vent post game and I get that people will go over the top so I would concede that at times just after games people can lose perspective. But when young players are criticised, I think a lot of the frustration is not at the player themselves. Its at the club for making us overly reliant on them too early in their development. Leonard is a good example, he obviously has something about him and is a promising talent but clearly isnt ready to play week in week out for asupposedly ambitious Championship club. Wahlstedt is a different case, I get the point about settling but we have seen enough to see his strengths and also his weaknesses but the latter are recurring quite alot. I dont get this "its not 1995" narrative youve built about early leavers and where this anger has come from. Ive never understood it or done it but it happens not just at Rovers and each game. I dont see the point in it, maybe its to avoid traffic or whatever, but I dont get why you think its an indictment on the players. The Shearer and Sutton stuff has come from nowhere. Fans pay huge amounts over the season and give up their time, again I dont see why youd leave early but attending shouldnt be like an obligation where you must stay for it all and even if they do leave, its money in the coffers and numbers on the gate, thats the main thing.

He keeps spilling shots in front of goal and 3 in 2 games have led to rebounds being put in.

You seem very keen to berate the fans today. Wahlstedt made 2 errors that cost us 3 points. Thus on an internet messageboard that he wont see, he is getting criticised for that. No one has said that he did it on purpose. It has no effect on him. But he did fuck up twice and it cost us the points. Sometimes Leonard is totally anonymous, hes a young lad who has played more than he should this season at this level due to a lack of money. If saying that on here is beating the players down and it questions the status of their support, then I suspect you have the thinnest of skin and/or zero counter argument in regards to their performance.

What a terrible attitude. You would get along with Waggott and the owners. Get a grip? He cost us both goals, surely that warrants criticism. And people are slagging the bench not at the fault of the kids on there but because its not fit for purpose hence why Tomasson never brings most of them on. They are making up the numbers.