Hes not a particularly good striker, dreadful technical footballer, ball bounces off him every time. But certainly not a winger as you say. Should be on the bench and sold as soon as possible.

Absolute shite served up again, not that the idiots on ifollow would give you that impression. In attack we are again imbalanced and totally reliant on Armstrong, his movement and his magic which he nearly scored with. Gallagher on the wing again not working and even beyond that, he is technically bereft. Brereton crap too, 3 attempts which all barely reached. Elliott is not a central player. Defensively the 2 kids are bombscares, especially Harwood Bellis. And easy to forget quite how bad Bell is until he plays, a terrible player. Only 2 positives are Armstrong as mentioned and Davenport who will be dropped for the next game anyway.

One less.

Rich Sharpe has posted that he average age of our team is 22.3 years old. That does include a 17, 18 and 19 year old all on loan who bring the average right down.

Communication, non existent. The plan to downsize but renovate, at this stage unclear. The amount of people (not seen any on here to clarify) instantly coming to Venkys defence, the same people who are grateful that we merely exist and arent in administration, sick inducing. The cretins that own us do not deserve the benefit of any doubt.

Shit team again. Elliott presumably in central midfield, 2 kids at centre back, the undroppable lump of shite Gallagher on the wing and Bell brought in for no reason at all.

https://t.co/3d3t8LK7RB?amp=1 "if we had Ayala and Lenihan playing centre back in this team, we wouldn’t have conceded the goals that cost us points and we’d be winning lots of football matches." Ayala has started 8 times. 2 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses.

My point was that one of your initial arguments about playing Bennett at right wing back was that he played there for Bristol City. Not only did that not provide any evidence as to whether that was an experiment that was successful, it was even longer ago! I dont see why we are changing formation totally (with little time to train on it) solely to try and fail to cancel out the mighty Barnsley. But right back, right wing back, take your pick, Nyambe is a lot better than Bennett. You are right that Branthwaite and Harwood Bellis may well be inconsistent. Hence the criticism that we have 2 untested kids on loan deals in the first place! Yes he did because he is a talented player, but not before we conceded again with Barnsley breaking through our non existent midfield to score and put the game to bed. Hopefully Gallagher wont be anywhere near the team on Saturday but I suspect he is due a spell either in goal or at left wing back. Im not sure that pressure has anything to do with it. He has always had a tendency to over think and over compensate. I recall back in League 1, bigging up Burys left back, and playing Bell in front of Williams at home to Oldham to nullify their right back. At that time however, we was winning games most weeks and the style was consistent, so those temptations remained at bay. What has happened is that this season, seemingly he has tried to take us onto the next level with a style of football which has not got the results he felt it would. That has just led to confusion, inconsistency and further frustration, false 9s, box midfielders, players out of position etc. With Dack, I dont necessarily subscribe to the idea that he needs a target man to play off in order to thrive. There has to be a way of playing Armstrong and Dack in the same side centrally and effectively. That wont happen though with Mowbrays inconsistent selections, putting him in and out, constantly changing formations, players out of position out wide etc. Im not even convinced that it will get toxic any time soon, all of the criticism due to the way the world is comes on here and social media, a world Mowbray is totally shielded from. With no sign of fans attending soon, which even then would at most lead to moans and groans, he is well protected.

I am sure that at the end of the season when Mowbray failed to save us from relegation, that we got a few wins near the end of the season with Lenihan, Elliot Ward and Mulgrew as a back 3 and Nyambe and Williams at wing back, including against Brentford and Villa. Bennett was a weakness as he always is, although to be fair not giving away a penalty is an improvement for him. The problem as ever is that Mowbray's formation was reactive, done out of fear to attempt to stifle a fellow mid table team, and again carried on the inconsistency to which Mowbray's tactics constantly show, hence the lack of clarity and familiarity on the pitch. If I had to guess, it will change again on Saturday. Also regarding the central midfield, that was for about 10 minutes, and I heard Mowbray say to Corry Evans that he "is on his own." Elliott is not a central midfielder and him ending there always leads to a total lack of structure. Nothing constructive will come from one sole central midfielder who has been out for months.

Few questions on that then: 1) Did we have to play that formation? It didnt work, so id suggest not, but we did to please Pep and Ancelotti. 2) Even if we did, can Bennett play as a wing back? Clearly not, he is not capable at this level full stop. Before you reference his time playing there briefly at Bristol City, we have no idea if that was successful. Indeed as another manager, would you sign Dack/Elliott as false 9's, Gallagher as a winger, Bennett and Rankin Costello as left backs, Smallwood as a keeper, I could go on, on accounts that they "have played there before?" Nonsense argument without citing success or otherwise. Nyambe played as a wing back when Mowbray took over and was fine there. 3) Even if we assume that 3 at the back was correct with Bennett on the right. We had no sub centre backs or wing backs, meaning that we was an injury to any of 4 players away from having to totally change shape. Nyambe can play in any of those roles. Its not maybe or guesswork to suggest that if he didnt start, he would warrant a place on a 9 man bench, over Bell, over Buckley etc, its obvious.

Why are you looking forward to it? We may well lose and all be a little more frustrated and angry yet Mowbray will remain in charge. What is exciting about that? Gallagher was appalling as always. First touch of a donkey and repeatedly lost the ball. Very much a teachers pet with the manager. Views on dropping Nyambe from the squad? Why would he come here?

To be fair, whilst it is frustrating, it is irrelevant, Mowbray is in a safe bubble with mates around him and disinterred owners above him. No chance. A fraud of a manager as his record since suggested. Talked the talk but cant walk the walk.

Would you not prefer the club to be a little more imaginative, you look where teams like Reading, Brentford, Barnsley, Norwich all getting talented managers from Europe and even Swansea. I appreciate that we have limited knowledge of managers across the world but surely there is more than this to choose from? If we could get in someone like Nigel Pearson, then by all means do, someone with a genuine track record like Warnock, McCarthy and Hughton. There are a select few managers who do a very good job in almost every job they do and those types are like gold dust. Damien Johnson is 100% a no from me, no experience and an internal appointment, see Woodgate, Holden and Tindall as examples. We need fresh ideas. Rowett would surely not be interested and Hughes seems a nostalgic pick.

Dack has scored 43 goals for us, Brereton has 5. One is a proven player feeling his way back after a year out, the other is someone who has been ok at times this season, but laughable prior.

I know, I was just responding to someone who said that is what they would do.

Learn from Bristol City, Bournemouth and Boro. We need fresh ideas, not a coach from within with no experience.

No problem with Dunn defending Mowbray. We all have our own opinions and it doesnt tarnish his reputation. The guy he is quoting is well of the mark. Acknowledge where we are ie accept medicority. Changing managers every few years as if managers lasting over 4 years is the norm. Using an example whereby a team that was stagnant suddenly got a play off place then won the league after an ambitious and imaginative new managerial appointment. And quoting a new philosophy which is a mystery to us all.

There was no nice football from either side. Theirs was more effective which is all that matters though.

Today summed up by Mowbray shouting to Evans "youre on your own Corry." He repeatedly chases games with 1 central midfielder, at no point will that work.

Dont understand why people are torturing themselves thinking that he will walk or be sacked. Venkys dont care and I wouldnt leave if I was Mowbray. Talk about wanting to lose is crazy, it wont lead to anything. Formation again different and didnt work, team selection wrong, subs both wrong and too late, again ended up with no midfield. Individually, Gallagher I would compare to a donkey but that is unfair on donkeys. Travis was hopeless, the 2 kids weve plugged our defence with shaky, Lenihan fighting a losing battle but played well. Attack solely dependant on Armstrong scoring, he did but only 1.

I must say that although he does talk a lot of shite, what he says is to defend himself as you say, for me, what he says and how he behaves on a match day is irrelevant. There is enough to criticise on the pitch.

Crap team, any excuse to get Bennett back in. If the team is wing backs, I dont agree with constantly changing formations but it would have some semblance of sense, Gallagher and Armstrong with Dack behind, Douglas as a wing back, but im sure it wont be, something will be weird, Gallagher and Armstrong wide of Dack as a false 9, Bennett in CM, Harwood Bellis RB, or something strange. We know Mowbray, its what he does.

Well if you want to be pedantic. He is a very capable Championship full back with plenty of time to improve further. He has been our only capable right back through Mowbrays tenure here and he should play every single minute that he possibly can.

Esteves was good v us but has been a sub for Reading lately and Christie is crap. Dijksteel at Boro and Femenia at Watford above many of them there. If there is a plan to play 3 at the back and wing backs, considering it has never really been used (aside from the odd game 2 years ago) so far in the journey, then the journey would be even more stupid than it already is, he shouldnt have a completely new ideal formation ready and primed for next season, he should have already moulded his squad to play whatever his final formation is to be. Your comments about him not being a prospect are bizarre, you are just nit picking. He is 23 years old so whilst hes not a raw kid, what defines a prospect? He is already a very competent Championship right back with huge scope for further development. Do I feel that people perhaps overrate and overly defend him at times, considering him the best right back in the league? Perhaps, yes. Do I think we have a realistic chance of replacing him, considering his quality and potential? No chance. He is one of only a handful of players that I am confident that they are good players. Kaminski, happy with him, Dack, happy with him, although not convinced Mowbray knows what to do with him any more. Armstrong, obviously happy with him, although expect him to leave in the summer. Travis, Nyambe and Lenihan are the other 3 I am happy with, and obviously Elliott on loan. For all the rhetoric about the squad being so much better, I dont think I could give a shit if any of the other players left tomorrow.

I suspect you have slightly misunderstood my point. Nyambe is a player who has been performing poorly lately, my point was that criticism of him in isolation is perhaps warranted and I do feel like as a player, he is somewhat of a blue eyed boy with the Rovers fans and as a result perhaps slightly overrated in that when he does make a mistake, blame tends to be apportioned elsewhere and never to him. That being said, that doesnt mean that I dont rate him. At the moment, he is a very capable Championship right back, admittedly not perfect, and far from 23 years old being ready for the scrapheap, he has a lot of development left in him. I would consider it nigh on impossible for us to replace him should he inevitably leave, especially for a pittance, if I had to guess we will go with Rankin Costello there from next season and he is clearly not a full back. I also dont think that the situation has necessarily been handled well at all. Bennett was never a better full back, Buckley and Gallagher had laughable cameos there and the Harwood Bellis farce seems to be buttering up to Pep. There has never been another player capable of playing right back with any competence in Mowbrays tenure to ever consider dropping Nyambe even when his form dips. I also do question his man management of him. He will be a big loss once he does move on. He is at risk of tarnishing his reputation potentially but like your previous comments comparing him to Kean, to describe him as poison is needlessly disrespectful and hyperbolic. I disagree, his crossing from deeper is poor/non existent, and he tends to choose against that option 9 times out of 10 as he knows as much. Prior to this season, I felt like he had very little going forward. One area he has developed on is intelligently though using his physicality to isolate full backs more, which has meant that although his crossing is not great, he is now capable of getting in behind much more often and has started to chalk up assists often in the forms of pull backs from higher positions, as we saw v Barnsley earlier in the season. His crossing may remain poor and rarely be utilised but if he can get into the positions he has started to do so then the final ball may just be a cut back rather than whipping in inch perfect crosses.