Would have to be no. Had we sold him as we should have last summer, even for a profit of £1.5m ish, then yes, but our owners are to blame for that not happening.

Inter are ripping AC Milan apart, Tomori and co having a woeful game.

We still had Graham then to be fair and Armstrong who was developing as a really top scorer at that level. In 2020, we barely spent anything, just signing Kaminski and then Pears for a nominal fee. And the summer after, when our main scorer was sold, he wasn't able to reinvest any on a replacement, which was when his relationship with Venkys seemed to sour slightly, he complained a few times about not being able to reinvest and then profit on another asset. We still had Brereton who himself then could have been sold in the same summer as Mowbray left, but the owners went into stubborn mode. So we had 2 goalscorers, admittedly one developing slightly later into one, and nothing available since to buy anyone to replace either, due to a mixture of the owners unwillingness to reinvest, and them allowing one of those goalscorers to run his deal down. Either way though, we digress. Still can't fathom how people despise Mowbray so much, just a decent Championship manager who had run his course, did a pretty good job here but far from perfect and glad we have got Tomasson now. Does he warrant creating a thread about his new team questioning whether that "wanker" will get promoted? Can't understand it.

There is indeed. I personally have no real opinion on who I prefer to go up. I think if Coventry don't go up, they may be picked off definitely for Gyokeres and perhaps Hamer, so that will set them back, Boro will lose Giles and Archer but look well set up to go again especially considering their rise under Carrick, as do Luton who have maintained this level for 2 years yet probably don't have stand out players to the extent that Prem teams will come sniffing for them. Sunderland perhaps the hardest to judge really, an overachievement to make the top 6, Diallo will go back but Stewart will be back fit. So maybe Boro or Luton would be the bigger threats next season to push for promotion.

Again, I feel like what he said has been twisted out of context. No way did he turn down millions to push on, although even if that was the case, the main issue then would be with the bizarre running of the club from the owners, as if it is normal to have a now or never investment because they are moderately interested. He was sticking up for Venkys regularly when his stock was high, whether that was because he was told to whilst there was goodwill around the club, or whether he was thinking of his own long term job security, I am not sure why. He (in my opinion wrongly) said that he had turned down strikers on loan from Premier League sides in that January as we at the time wasn't playing with an out and out striker. It was working brilliantly at the time, but it was still short sighted. But either way, that wouldn't have left Tomasson with a striker. Obafemi was seemingly a potential part of any Armstrong deal, and the Maja deal was a loan deal. So he had no money in either of the 2 windows following Armstrong's sale to buy a striker which Tomasson could have then inherited. A striker he had bought and we had then sold at a massive profit, on top of being able to sell Brereton if we were run normally.

Well he signed Armstrong, then was not allowed to reinvest any of the money, he wanted Obafemi and Maja. The other goalscorer he signed, the owners wouldn't allow us to sell and reinvest the considerable funds when he left, so not really by choice. We could have sold and signed a striker or 2. But either way, not a cunt.

A glamour tie at home to Wolves in front of a few thousand if it isn't too much of an inconvenience to them. Welcome to Venkys owned Blackburn Rovers.

It isn't even a Mowbray v Tomasson debate as I haven't seen one person on this messageboard who would pick Mowbray out of the 2. It is calling Mowbray a cunt or making out that he is this horrible man and/or a terrible manager that doesn't sit right with me. These quotes have obviously been taken out of context, as I said, no way did he turn down literally millions of pounds to spend on the team. In the days following promotion when his stock was high, he regularly bigged up the owners, whether that was an attempt to strengthen his position, whether he had someone in his ear saying this is a time to try and get the fans back on side, whatever it was, those now out of context quotes weren't the only example of him waxing lyrical about the owners, around the time that he regularly flew to India when the season finished. If indeed Venkys do run the club based on random spurts of excitement and interest, which is quite possibly likely or even generous, then that is the sole problem. He is what he is, a decent Championship manager who did his best for us and kept a steady ship during a spell where ultimately, not helped by at the end seemingly a silence from India, it got to the stage where a fresh start was good for all concerned.

That last sentence seemingly is nonsense. I know his word is hardly gospel but he specifically said that the owners had initially given the green light to fund a necessary pitch revamp, but then decided against it down the line due to financial reasons. FFP is a thing and the owners you consider to be amongst the very best in the division have massively limited and hindered us with their stupidity in refusing to accept bids for players whose contracts are running down.

I think those quotes have been taken out of context, no way did he have millions to spend and turned it down. If that is the way they run the club, based on sporadic levels of interest, then its pointless even getting caught up in quotes from people underneath. It shows where the problems start and end. He said every week that we were over achieving and not expecting play offs. To me, its just managerial spiel, nothing to work myself up over. But certainly the quotes between the 2 people arent different enough to warrant either of them to be called a "cunt."

He has spent all season saying how we are over achieving by being in the top 6 and that we weren't expected to be there.

Tomasson is here to line his pockets, he isnt here for love of the club.

Again, I don't get too caught up in every word a manager said, they all follow the same script. He was probably saying things to try and reflect well back in India which in turn improves his job security. No way did he have loads of money on the table and said no. Conversely, he also said some nice things about our players here: https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/23510587.sunderland-tony-mowbray-admits-middlesbrough-blackburn-surprise/

Not sure, I am not sure if we can play with a possession style or have the players to do so. The talk is about whether the current possession style a season in is showing a tangible improvment in regards to results and it doesnt seem to be, but obviously things aren't as clear cut and the summer will see an overhaul of players anyway.

How we look is subjective, results are objective and they haven't improved over the course of the development of our passing "style."

Says so much about everyone else in our attack that hasn't had the quality to score either.

The irony! Mowbray misused Giles, but stop living in the past! Point being, in both seasons whether it came from having the autonomy to sell and reinvest or just through owner investment/competent admin, our managers in the last 2 seasons weren't helped by those above. Both managers still can be criticised for decisions made after, but equally both have valid excuses/reasons to point at those above them and suggest that they have been handicapped. No idea on style, I don't really care how we play as long as it leads to good results. We don't yet know if possession football will do that.

Exactly, City. Point being, do we have the players to be able to both dominate possession and convert that into wins? Until that happens, that question remains. Playing possession football does not always work and thus far, it hasn't improved our results.

My question would be whether transitioning into a possession side will indeed ever lead to more points over the course of a season. I would say (obviously its subjective) but we do look more cohesive as a side passing it out now than when we started doing it. Less risks taken out the back, seemingly more possession and it looks smoother, but going up against sometimes more well resourced sides, will their quality not more than not show? And equally, I feel like (towards of the end of yesterday for example, when Millwall had to come back out, that 4th goal was superb) we are more threatening when when he hit teams on the counter.

The lack of recent thrashings is a fair point but equally in the first half of the season, the team managed games so well and that is not an ability that has remained. You can go through any historical games and say if x and y happened but the results ultimately are what matters. Don't get me wrong, happy with Tomasson, want him to take us forward and there are certain recent developments to cling on. Rankin Costello playing as a marauding right back and Adam Wharton establishing himself being 2 stand outs. It is a strange one, we have clearly started implementing a style, but the question is whether it will suit us. We don't get battered as much, and when we are on it we look better. But equally, we don't have the same level of control when in the lead. I also don't think we create many chances still in the most part.

I am not making excuses, hypocrisy aside. I am giving out examples of how poorly we are run. Equally, you could argue with the focus on blaming Broughton and co for fucking up January is "making excuses." He has made mistakes since that are nothing to do with that but still, it is a valid excuse overall that handicapped him post Jan. Last season, a couple of players bought either with invested funds or with any Rothwell proceeds could have got us in the play offs. I will be convinced that the current style we are trying to implement is leading to success when it manifests in positive results. I don't think it is as black and white as about style, for example Tomasson reinstating and using Rankin Costello as a right back in the way he is used has been excellent.

I don't think it is about luck and I don't think in the main that our confidence has led to any more of an attacking threat. We have also gradually lost our earlier ability under Tomasson in which our game management was excellent, indeed that has become a weakness. We had collected 5 points in 9 games prior to yesterday so I couldn't justify an opinion that we are know one of the top 6 sides in the league. I think a lot of both seasons has coincided with Brereton and his form. Last season, he thrived in that 3 at the back formation and his injury really knocked us off stride and even when he returned he wasnt the same. This season his form has gone off the boil. The worry in both seasons is the inability of the supporting cast to step up. We need to not only replace him which will be impossible but also add more goalscorers and I fear aided with no money and a director of football with more questions than answers that the necessary attacking overhaul will not arrive.

Why does the attitude of a random Rovers fan posting on a messageboard need looking at?

We had a 16 goal striker and still didn't make it.

Next season, assume we have both. Who starts the opening game?