Its a nice idea and I dont want to sound dismissive but I just cant see how this would work or indeed make a difference. In comparison to season tickets, shirt sales are small fry. And with season tickets, I don't think anyone should feel ashamed about wanting to return after the last year, but a dip in sales will be inevitable and organic, yet the owners dont give a shit anyway to notice even if that happens. A total lack of shirt sales is unrealistic anyway unfortunately as we have seen too, whether its people wanting to buy it for their kids or whatever. Personally, I have not bought a shirt since I was a teenager, I don't understand logically why adults do to be fair, so whilst I do want the manager out and again wont be buying a shirt, there is no difference and thus its not a protest, unsure if you are the same @Stuart or if you would normally buy a shirt?

Not sure about Reach, always seems to flatter to deceive, scores a wonder goal once in a while, although he ticks all the boxes having played at Boro.

A lot of teams these days seem to think that it is fashionable to base everything on delusions of "philosophies" and random additional objectives, such as specifically bringing through excessive youngsters or aesthetic things such as playing "attractive football." As you say, the manager should be the one who decides on such things, he would naturally play youngsters if he had sense and they were up to it, and he would play a style that he felt was the most appropriate and be judged on the results of that. How do you know based on a year of football against kids in which attendance to games has not been allowed and only towards the end of the season was coverage available?

I cant see any reason whatsoever for Mowatt joining. He's one of the best midfielders in the division, even if Barnsley dont go up, they finished 21 points ahead of us so he would be much better advised to remain there over us if none of the inevitable flurry of other clubs that try to entice him away dont take his fancy. Assombalonga seems a spent force and I am not convinced that we could afford his wages. Harris has mainly played this season at wing back but seldom gets goals or assists and Adelakun has never managed to prove himself at this level. Adam Reach and Sam Clucas have also both been linked, suspect that the former may have a chance purely because he came through at Boro!

I think some of them are unrealistic (Ayew, Mowatt, Dalsgaard, Wilshire, Femenia and Kabesele) and then going through retained lists in general tends to throw up that question of why are other Championship teams letting these players go, some are not very good (Niasse, Lansbury etc) and then especially at the moment with the free agent market likely to be so competitive coupled with as you say our lack of proactivity, it could be difficult. A few of them would be good, Vrancic has always impressed me for Norwich, I also like Diedhou who always seems to run us ragged for Bristol City, its a difficult market but could be our best bet to get some much needed experience.

I dont doubt that Mowbray is an idiot (my issue was more with him selecting players like Evans, Trybull, Johnson who should have gone, Bennett etc rather than giving the young first team players who are more likely to be in the first team this season more game time, Davenport, Buckley, Dolan etc) but the problem with those that you name is we have no idea whether any of those that you name are anywhere close to Championship standard because they have only played against kids.

The thing with academy players is that im not sure that it is something whereby you can randomly choose one financially tight season to just surge through a load of youngsters all of a sudden, are there even any who are ready to come into our first team squad. The only workable strategy is to bring youngsters through as and when they are ready to genuinely contribute. That isnt me dismissing the value of the academy, indeed if there are some individuals ready to step up then by all means bring them through, and if not, an academy is an ongoing process that needs to continue. But the current first team squad is lacking in experience as much as anything, I think that Johnson and Ayala are the only 2 contracted players next season above the age of 30. We have the likes of Rankin Costello, Wharton, Pickering, Buckley, Davenport, Brereton, Travis, Nyambe etc and maybe even Carter all expected to be right within the first team picture, we need some experience and proven quality.

Do you not think they would be better if senior players (and this isnt a rule thing as apparently 3 can play but it seemingly isnt really common) played more regularly at that level? Are any of them kids likely to be anywhere near our first team?

I expect him to leave, he took a pay cut to join so I suspect that he is already one of the higher earners and there is little wiggle room financially. He has a year left and has had 18 excellent months, even if no one bids an acceptable amount, it makes sense for him to wait and potentially even leave on a free next summer. This year under Mowbray, lets face it, Armstrongs goals kept us from being in a relegation fight. Not seeing much to suggest that assuming he does leave and of course we know that Mowbray will stay, it might be a case whereby 21st is a successful season sadly.

No, I have never watched or to be honest really had an interest in regularly watching the under age teams to be honest. It was just a question as the difference between reserve and first team football seems vast, and our reserves keep succeeding yet there doesnt seem to be many close to the first team. As @Sparks Rover touches upon, players returning from injury or indeed those who simply dont get any game time of a weekend could play for the reserves. In theory, it would benefit everyone, the football would be much more competitive and make the youngsters that do progress through the ranks more prepared for senior football, it would allow all senior players to then keep a level of match fitness and it would also prevent signings being made for the reserves solely to fill gaps at that level, as Lyons and White seem to have done.

Do you think that it would make more sense to revert back to the old reserve league style system which would not only avoid crucial years in a young players development being wasted and also would see young players playing against seasoned pros rather than in a sanitised environment?

Its the most in the league of any striker once you remove penalties. "Hardly outstanding" though in your eyes. He missed 8 games, we scored 4 goals in those.

Won't be missed?! Ok, nonsense about Armstrong aside and focusing on Rothwell aside, he has started 29 of the 39 games he has been fit in, from a central position that he craved, and coming on in the other 10. He has contributed very little. I think it is more than a north east accent that he is lacking. It makes no sense for Armstrong to sign a new deal, even if he doesnt go this summer the power is with him. Regarding us, I dread to think where we go with Mowbray in charge and an inferior replacement, more reliance on the 12m duo and a relegation fight.

I suspect that if you played Dolan in the same role across the season as Armstrong, he would struggle to score a quarter of the goals that Armstrong managed.

I can't see that being true, I am not convinced that there would be much interest in Rothwell and certainly none from Armstrong at signing a new deal. Rothwell has hid behind excuses yet has flattered to deceive throughout his Rovers career so I wouldnt lose any sleep over his departure. @Stuart there is absolutely no way that "we are a better team" when Armstrong doesnt play. All this "Movement, interplay, passing and movement, cohesion, body language" that crops up when he is absent led this season to 4 goals in 6 league games and 2 cup games which he was missing in. I understand your frustration that Mowbray is still in charge and I share it but this idea that Mowbray purposely creates a system with the primary objective of "artificially" boosting Armstrong's goal tally at the expense of the team is nonsense IMO aimed at added further fuel to the already blazing fire of arguments that lead to Mowbray needing to be sacked. Also, very few goalscorers score their goals perfectly proportionate across the season, it is very common for strikers to score morre during certain runs than others, Rhodes was the same, and Armstrong's biggest drought was 6 games scattered around 5 missed due to an injury he was clearly carrying. Had he not been here this season, simply putting someone else in this supposed role would not have led to the same quantity of goals and we would have likely gone down or had been very close to doing.

Johnson is at most a squad player and Bennett hasnt been competent even as a squad player since promotion. Nothing about that is sensible.

Because backup is worthless if said backup cannot do a competent job when needed.

Even if Rankin Costello does want to play further forward, Bennett is not a competent choice at right back or indeed anywhere anymore. Signing an incompetent player for another year is backwards.

We don't need backup in the position that he plays. He may well be a good role model and a decent bloke but that alone doesnt warrant a new deal, its a waste of finite resources for a player who is a liability in whatever position he plays.

Who are they?

Firstly, I am very happy to see all of those players released, Holtby and Evans didnt contribute much, Downing is past it and there has been a lot of revisionism in recent weeks around Bell, he has never, ever been anywhere near good enough. The potential contract extension (and indeed wording) of Bennett staying on is just dreadful, and screams of jobs for the boys in case he cant get an equal deal elsewhere. He hasnt contributed much for years, even in League 1 I was critical of his quality and every year he has declined further and further, he is not versatile because hes just not good enough in any position. There is no merit or logic to this decision. Johnson is also a lazy deal, hes been crap for us and is again declining, he is forever a liability on the ball repeatedly giving it away near our own box. It also says a lot that players like Rankin Costello and Rothwell (and even Nyambe who is not one of the very best right backs at this level) can have a hold over us whereby we can get them to sign new deals, players who have yet to proven that they are consistently capable or in the former's case fit enough to really impact at this level, whether it is our lack of ambition that puts them off or financially, either way it doesnt have a good look, Lenihan and Brereton also amongst players going into their final year.

What a peculiar argument. Firstly, his job is filled, I also don't think that Elliott Bennett shouldnt get a new contract but does that mean that to justify that opinion, I must apply for his job? I echo the thoughts of many that his articles do come across as very amateur.

To be fair, specifically to us, we know over a lengthy period of time that Corry Evans doesn't justify being one of the highest earners at the club. Far too injury prone, you might get 10 fairly effective performances per season from him. As an isolated decision, it is the correct one. Even if he goes to Stoke, that doesn't mean that we have made a mistake. Of course, it is an issue if Mowbray wanted to keep him and was unable to, although I havent seen such comments, that Mowbray is even here and im not confident as to who Mowbray will bring in.

I definitely think that there is a natural confirmation bias; I think all of us on here want Mowbray out so even when something logical happens, whether it be a win in a dead rubber, a player released or a player linked to sign, our natural reaction is to spin that back to our underlying dissatisfaction towards the manager. Corry Evans being released in any other circumstances would be unilaterally approved, yes it may hint at a cost cutting exercise, but under no circumstances really should a player who presumably for a significant wage can only contribute fleetingly within limits be kept on. Holtby and Downing are also corrently being released. I do fear however that Mowbrays lack of ruthlessness will again rear its ugly head when the retained list comes out, there is no reason that any of Johnson, Bell and Bennett should be retained, yet I fear that some if not all will.

Weve had loads of boring ends since the tosspots took over the club to be fair, but as well as the on field rubbish, it was made a million times worse by the empty stadiums and not being able to go. So I would agree yeah. All 3 since we came back up as well as a couple undee Bowyer and the one under Lambert, all seasons that died a death well before their natural conclusion. A decade of shit.