Brown needs regular football, how can we be sure that he is capable of being back up to a fairly injury prone full back (if he re-signs) and how is it good for him to play here and there? The same with Vale, he couldn't score regularly at Halifax, he needs to go and get regular game time in the football league, not make up the numbers with no evidence that either is up to standard. Showed some detail below, but as I said, I would prefer Nyambe in the team, as he almost always is. Another thing you have to factor in is that when he doesn't play, our alternatives there especially Rankin Costello are dreadful, so we are replacing our likely best full back with someone who is a total weakness. But I would agree that in general, I would much prefer him to be in the team, and the majority of his tenure, so has Mowbray. This season, he missed 3 games early on through injury. He then hobbled off in the defeat at Huddersfield and missed the following Blackpool game in which Magloire started. He then missed the Derby game I think again through injury, and a chunk of 5 games in a row through another injury. So the only 3 occasions that he missed out were the Forest home game in which Zeefuik was given a game instead of him, the one and only time that has happened through choice. And also the last 2 games, the first of which we won 4-1 and the second one it made sense to keep things the same. My point has never been that I'd rather him not start, just that this idea that he has been victimised by Mowbray is far fetched. I've already said that I disagreed with the decision regarding Bennett, the issue was more that he seemed to want to cram Bennett (who was always shit) in as his captain rather than some horrid treatment of Nyambe, but it was the wrong decision, and wasn't for long. Rankin Costello was an occasional choice again that I disagreed with, presumably trying to have more attacking threat from full back in a team that at the time was trying to play possession football, before realising that Rankin Costello wasnt the man to do that. We have a fully fit squad bar Khadra and Markanday, Johnson, Davenport, Rankin Costello and Giles also all failed to be selected. As I said, we won the first game 4-1 so the squad named cant really be questioned, and we went with it again.

If you are intent on doing whatever you possibly can to make Mowbray seem both as incompetent and manipulative as possible, then yes you could make things seem as poor as possible, taking the particular runs of form that suit your agenda. Equally I could go: - Won Championship manager of the month due to good form in January 2019. - Led us on a run of 6 wins amidst a run of 26 points from 10 games this winter to take us to 2nd in the league. - Signed 2 strikers in Armstrong and Brereton for 10m, the former has already been sold for 15m and the latter will likely be sold for similar this summer. Ultimately, neither set of barometers are fair, all that matters is where you finish at the end of the season, and Mowbray in his 4 full seasons post a promotion have been 15th, 11th, 15th and between 8th and 10th. Overall, "alright" or indeed words such as ok, decent, mediocre etc are all fair. We certainly dont have the resources or the wage budget of a top 6 side or close to that, no parachute payments either, so whilst its time for a change, I'd argue that comparing him unfavourably to Steve Kean and describing him as a "devious old bastard" rather than acknowledging that he has done ok but we need a change is more a suggestion of the sort of agenda you imply with your comment about supporting Mowbray.

Like I said, I totally disagreed with the decision, but that was more about squeezing in the captain rather than a "disgraceful" decision to punish and humiliate Nyambe. That was the longest such spell of Nyambe being out of the team too, so to make out as if him and Mowbray don't get on or as if hes been unfairly treated or unfavoured is totally untrue IMO. The number of appearances he has missed is much smaller so it is hard to get a fair sample based solely off that, a couple of particularly difficult games missed for example and a couple of losses there would skew things.

Absolute rubbish. Yet further avoidable vitriol and conspiracies if the owners you defend so profusely merely put out a statement saying that he would be leaving upon the end of his contract. If he was given a new contract, would you not feel silly that the owners you have repeatedly defended have given him one, and indeed pin the blame on them? Rather than blame the "devious" recipient, surely your focus would turn to those who gave him one anyway, on the unlikely scenario that it happens and he doesn't leave?

One typically cryptic tweet from a no nothing journalist has led to pages of worrying on here about Mowbray, with mentions of his woe is me act, bizarre assumptions of a director of football role and indeed even him totally unnecessarily being called a "devious old bastard." All of this shit could have been avoided had Venkys allowed a statement to be uploaded simply saying that he is about to leave, but no, not under Venkys.

Nyambe is the best right back at the club, and although he's not one of the very best in this league or indeed capable of the league above at this stage, he is a very solid full back option at this level, 100%. He has been Mowbray's first choice for the majority of every season under Mowbray which doesn't really fall in line with being treated so badly. And it's not about "falling for his patter," you seem to have fallen into the trap of being so keen (understandably) to see Mowbray go that every single thing can be turned into a criticism of him. Like I said, there have been a few very short-lived spells that Nyambe has not played, some of which I disagree with. The longest was around 10 games at the start of our second season up, maybe less, was due to Mowbray wanting to stick his (useless) captain in wherever he could. There has been the occasional other game where Rankin Costello has played a game or 2, and also the odd rest that he's given Nyambe which clearly isnt something that you can stomach. I can't question the team that won 4-1 at Preston nor selecting the exact same one again the week after.

So him being "dropped" to avoid the high risk of an injury keeping him out for much longer is treating him poorly? Baring in mind that he does pick up a number of muscle injuries which is understandable considering his physicality. He does sacrifice Nyambe when we need a goal but always for a more attacking player which is fair enough. Nyambe has been first choice right back in every season throughout Mowbray's tenure, across the whole of each season. Only for brief occasions has he been taken out and usually reinstated very quickly.

A coincidence in line with being within 2 months away from being unemployed.

The best way to attract new fans is to win more games which is why the sole factor should be managerial ability, nothing depresses fans less than not winning matches. Roy Keane is a great pundit but it doesn't directly translate as a manager.

I know its a popular narrative but I see no reason to buy into the theory that the players dislike Mowbray, it's just an easy and lazy conclusion that people come to based on their views on Mowbray himself. I don't think that Nyambe has been victimised or treated poorly under Mowbray either, he is not a perfect right back by any means, he is a very good one on one defender and very poor going forward, but he has somewhat developed in the last few years. He flirted with the first team as a youngster under Coyle and became a regular under Mowbray who has not really signed a strong alternative to him throughout that time nor has he dropped him for a prolonged period of time. He is often sacrificed when we need a goal but that is understandable considering his attacking limitations. He was dropped for a spell in our second season up seemingly just to cram Bennett it, that was a stupid decision by Mowbray but it was only for about 10 games if I recall, and also he has been dropped for the odd game for the far inferior Rankin Costello, but in the main and especially considering his succeptibility to muscle injuries, he has started the vast, vast majority of games. He has missed the last 2 but the first selection was justified with a convincing win and the second was a case of same again. Rich Sharpe has suggested that it was Nyambe's agent rather than the player himself who wanted to try the market. The most likely scenario is that they have not had offers coming in, neither are Premier League players and I suspect that the top sides in this league including any that come down would also think they can do better. Out of them 2 and Rothwell, the 2 that have resumed talks to me are more important and I would be delighted for all of their flaws to see them stay, but I won't hold my breath until they sign. We would no doubt replace them with inferior players on a budget of peanuts.

We havent even officially announced Mowbray's departure yet, and Rich Sharpe himself said yesterday that there are no front runners because weve not even encouraged any applicants yet. I havent read the article as it was premium but perhaps Woodgate was mentioned to try and encourage people to pay to see, the article was around betting odds. Needless to say appointing him wouldnt surprise me under Venkys and he would be a downgrade on Mowbray.

Becoming "box office" and raising a profile via a name generated as a playee and then as a pundit should not be considerations.

His overall spending on players over 1m have left us with 3 players, one of whom generated 15m the other way and the other set to follow. I think that is a pretty respectable record. The sale mentioned also was followed by a good replacement at a fraction of the cost, albeit with a year gap.

I dont see the problem with players playing on their wrong side, it can lead to more goals. Brereton has played from that left hand side and scored lots this season. Obviously with both of those mentioned, the big question is regarding their ability which is a bit of an unknown.

Investment is only useful if its followed by allowing a percentage of re-investment on a continious basis. Mowbray spent 10m that first summer on 3 players, one of whom was sold for 15m, one of whom will likely be sold for similar and one of whom would have been sold at considerable profit had Venkys not meddled. Theres just a lack of a plan from the top and I suspect that wont change.

I think the loan market is a different market altogether in the January window with most promising youngsters loaned out in the summer instead, as was the case with Adarabioyo, Elliott, Van Hecke etc. The parent clubs would also presumably want to know that these players will play and with us in such good form at the time it was always going to take time for them to break through. The loans that went elsewhere in the Championship were underwhelming on the whole. You look at both Balogun and Connolly at Boro and Forss at Hull and they have done little. Archer has done ok at Preston but again hes played every game, Keinan Davis has been the stand out.

We have Hedges and Markanday as left footed right wingers, it seems to be over-stocking to get a third of a similar ilk so I wouldn't sign him again. To describe him as "awful" is hyperbolic in the extreme though. Mixed bag in mainly cameos.

Plenty of free transfers available in January? And how is that absolving Mowbray of any blame? I don't need to come up with conspiracy stories in a game we ended up winning comfortably nor fabricating a host of available free transfers in January to know that the manager played a huge part and was ultimately responsible as manager for where we are set to finish in the table, hence me wanting him to go, equally he was responsible for getting us to 2nd in the first place. I was merely pointing out that giving the manager 700k knowing that 500k worth was knowingly injured well in advance of the deadline, as well as refusing the manager the autonomy to sell a player and use the funds to reinvest is not what I would consider to be backing a manager considering the position that we was in. My point was against Venkys, not in support of Mowbray.

Not as simple as saying the fault lies with "no one else." Amidst a promotion push and aside from the excused Markanday, he spent 200k and the other 2 were loans, maybe it would be reasonable to expect more even in those limited markets but you are always facing an uphill battle to do much with that.

I think the opposite, like with many departing players, I think people forget how poor a player is once he has not worn a Rovers shirt for a while. Another example of that would be Ruben Rochina. Bell was rubbish, he may well be in general doing better at Luton and it shows how poor a League it is quality wise that players like him and many others easily get contracts at this level. That being said, when I have seen Luton play this season he has not impressed, in the last game Nathan Jones was going crazy at him at one point. I also don't think he had many horror shows, I just thought that he was consistently below par, technically so par regularly slicing and mis-hitting the ball out, offered nothing going forward and not one to be in the trenches with, often allowing crosses to go in and not good when the chips were down. Pickering is an improvement and there are big question marks about him.

Exactly, they have always been the problem.

He was not a burden 3 years ago. And as ever, the responsibility falls with the owners to sack a manager.

Haha believe me, I realised long ago!

Its crazy how quickly some people believe any old rumour.

No chance.